CALENDAR EVENTS
November
25-27 Thanksgiving Break-No Classes
30 Scholastic Digital Book Fair
December
1-13 Scholastic Digital Book Fair
9 PTA Meeting
21-31 Winter Break-No Classes
Longfellow Model UN Best Middle School Award!
Over the weekend, our Longfellow Model United Nations Team competed in their first virtual MUN tournament hosted by McLean High School. They did such an amazing job and took home the prize of Best Middle School at McMUNC VI! We also had six delegates win awards. If you have the students on the list below in any of your classes, please congratulate them on a job well done! Also, a big shout out to Katherine Bognolo-Valentine for dedicating her time to coach the team this year!
-Neha Chandran (Belarus, WHO Committee): Best Delegate
- Sarah Trainer (Australia, WHO Committee): Outstanding Delegate
-Megan Zhang (United Kingdom, WHO Committee): Honourable Mention
-Victoria Zhang (United Kingdom, SPECPOL Committee): Outstanding Delegate
-Emily Ma (United States of America, SPECPOL Committee): Best Delegate
-Krish Bommakanti (Dr. Aurelius, 12 Districts Committee): Honourable Mention
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Student Spotlight
Congratulations to our very own Sophia Lin. Sophia won first prize for all three competitions at the 2020 Virginia Music Teacher Conference winning first prize for the MTNA Junior Piano Competition, Virginia State Competition and Virginia Concerto Competition. Congratulations and best of luck as you continue with your passion!
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Material Pick Up
English Novels
Mrs. Donohue's English students are welcome to come pick up a paper copies of our new novels from Longfellow any school day between 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.
To request a book, just press the button to "buzz" the main office and tell your first and last name, along with your class period.
To keep students safe, a book will be passed through the front window, so no one has to come into the school building.
Remember digital copies of each chapter will always be provided for every student.
If students like, they can also choose to print the pages or purchase their own personal copy.
Save The Date!
Who: All Art students in the Art Foundations classes and students in the Art Extensions class.
What: Art Kit Pickup Day!
When: Monday, November 30 from 10:15-1:00pm
Where: Curbside pickup in front of school.
Contact Information: If you have any questions please contact Ms. Gibson at dgibson1@fcps.edu.
Longfellow Love
With the holiday season approaching, we would like to offer an opportunity for Longfellow families to support members of our very own school community that are in need of financial assistance. We have over 100 students who are in need of support this holiday season. The needs include covering expenses such as medical bills, school supplies, holiday meals and gifts for children. Longfellow Love is a student assistant program that supports these students in need by collecting gift card donations from you, the Longfellow community, and contributions from local businesses. The contributions and gift cards are then distributed to families, anonymously, through the Student Services staff.
These student-families need our help more than ever. Please click HERE to sign-up to donate $25 or $50 gift cards to Safeway, Target, or Walmart for Longfellow Middle School families that need our help over the holidays.
There are three ways you can purchase gift cards:
1. Go to a Safeway, Target, or Walmart store and purchase gift card(s) for $25 or $50
2. Go online to Target Gift Cards or Walmart Gift Cards and purchase “plastic gift card(s)” to mail/drop off to Tara Fortune at Longfellow Middle School
3. Go online to Target Gift Cards or Walmart Gift Cards and purchase “electronic gift card(s)”, print out the paper copy, and mail/drop off to Tara Fortune at Longfellow Middle School
Donated gift cards can be dropped off or mailed to:
Tara Fortune
Longfellow Middle School
2000 Westmoreland Street
Falls Church, VA 22043
Gift cards are needed by December 7th.
Let's show our fellow Lancers some love this holiday season because Lancers are Stronger Together!
Questions? Contact Longfellow Love chair Emma Blankenbaker at eblankenbaker@verizon.net
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LMS Scholastic Book Fair
Dear Longfellow Families,
You’re invited to shop our Scholastic Book Fair online from November 30-December 13! All purchases benefit our library and connect students with new books, favorite characters, and more.
Enjoy these special online shopping features:
• Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs
• All orders ship direct to home
• FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*
• All purchases support our library and 25% in rewards
Visit our Book Fair Homepage and click “Shop Now” to get started: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/longfellowms
Happy reading,
Meghan Saladino and Lisa Hoyle
Longfellow Librarians
*Free standard shipping is available on book-only orders of $25 or more, after all discounts are applied. Free standard shipping (books) must be selected during checkout. Orders containing products other than books are not eligible for this shipping promotion.
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Team Coffees are Back!
Interdisciplinary teams are hosting synchronous parent coffees during the month of December. Teams include three core teachers (English, Science, Social Studies), a school counselor, and grade level assistant principal. This is a great opportunity to learn more about what your student has been doing in English, Science, and Social Studies. Links will be sent out prior to the coffees.
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Team
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Grade
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Date
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Time
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Polaris
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7
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December 18, 2020
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12:55pm
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Explorers
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7
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December 9, 2020
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11:20am
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Islanders
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7
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December 2, 2020
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7:30am
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Trailblazers
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7
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December 16, 2020
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12:00pm
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Panthers
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8
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December 11, 2020
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12:55pm
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Olympia
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8
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December 4, 2020
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7:30am
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Dragons
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8
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December 11, 2020
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12:55pm
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Titans
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8
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December 11, 2020
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11:20am
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LMS Student Council Association
The LMS Student Council Association will be conducting a winter hat, glove, and sock drive as well as a food drive to collect items for local homeless shelters. We will begin on Monday, November 30th. There will be labeled boxes sitting outside of Longfellow under the canopy. We would greatly appreciate any donations and now more than ever is a great time to help someone in need. Items can be dropped off every day next week between the hours of 8:00 AM- 1:00 PM. We will accept canned goods and packaged sealed food items as well as winter hats, gloves, and socks!
P2 Preview - KINDNESS
Next week’s P2 Character lesson will focus on KINDNESS. This character strength was the most common “Top Strength” among the Longfellow MS staff and we believe it is a key contributor to our overall success!
The P2 Character Card for KINDNESS can be accessed here. Aristotle defined kindness as, ”helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped.” This is particularly important because, “...people who develop kindness possess a strong personal ethical responsibility to care for other people. And, their acts of kindness towards others lead to additional acts of kindness by those who have been helped.”
P2 Family Resources: As a reminder, the Positivity Project (P2) has developed a “P2 for Families” resource hub to provide students and families with additional resources to help facilitate conversations around the 24 character strengths at home.
We encourage you to visit the grade 6-8 “P2 for Families” KINDNESS site here.
The password for accessing these family resources is: P2
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LMS Family Support & Resources
Conectando con nuestros hijos de manera positiva UN webinaro para las Familias (Making Positive Connections with Our Children: A Webinar for Families) Presented in Spanish
Thursday, December 3 from 10:00am to 11:30am
Click here to register
Are you struggling to communicate with your children? Need new strategies? Please join us to learn how to communicate calmly while eliminating the stress that comes from your children not listening.
Positive Discipline: Keeping Your Sanity While Getting Your Teens to Cooperate
Friday, December 4 from 10:00am to 11:30am
Click here to register for Positive Discipline
This workshop will provide information to parents on various discipline techniques and routines to use for adolescents. Specific information to be presented will include: The Teen Brain, The Purpose and Meaning of Discipline, Constructive Communication, Choices and Consequences, Rules and Rewards
Coping Strategies for Anxious Kids
Friday, December 11 from 10:00am to 11:30am
Click here to register for Coping Strategies for Anxious Kids
Webinar Highlights: How to identify an anxious child, How to change anxious thinking, The science and biological roots of anxiety in children, How computer technology is transforming the understanding of anxiety, Current treatment options
Positive Behavior Series- All Behavior Happens for a Reason: Behavior as Communication
Thursday, December 17 from 10:00am to 11:30am AND 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Click here to register for All Behavior Happens for a Reason
This session will include: Overview on the reasons why behaviors may occur, Overview about reinforcing positive behavior, General tips for encouraging replacement behaviors
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FCPS Parent Resource Center
Be sure to check out the FCPS Parent Resource YouTube Channel for helpful videos on a variety of timely topics.
Safe Community Coalition Rolls Out Managing the Moments Video Series
The Safe Community Coalition has launched a series of short videos for the community featuring the psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers of the SCC’s mental health committee. All videos and any accompanying tip sheets are free and available on the SCC website, mcleanscc.org.
The short segments, approximately 10 minutes each, touch on a wide variety of topics designed to help parents and students in dealing with a range of issues, from younger children’s challenges staying focused while distance learning to effective communication strategies when families feel the strain of too much togetherness.
The first six videos include:
• Deescalating Conflict
• Effective Communication
• How to Talk to Your Parents
• Brain Breaks During Distance Learning
• Self-Care and Calming Techniques
• How Are You?
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