Tuesday, May 31, 2022 Lancer Times

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Dear Lancer Community,

This past Memorial Day weekend we honored those who have died in service to our country. We are ever so grateful for their service men and women who serve our country, and especially those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. 

At Longfellow, this time of year many of our students are completing end of the year assessments.  While it is an exciting time, it can also be stressful.  Therefore, this week we are celebrating “stress-less” week.  Our student services team has created a series of activities and reminders on how to maintain balance and reduce stress for our students and staff as we close out the year. 

To finish off the week, on Friday our music students travel to Busch Gardens for an exciting day of music and fun at the theme park. This week is topped off by our 8th grade party on Saturday, June 4. If your child would like to go and has not yet bought their tickets, there are still tickets available. It’s going to be a great time!

As always, I hope that you have a great week and please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Jim

Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

May 

30 Memorial Day - No School

31 A Conversation with Mr. Hugan about Success, 7:00pm, Library

June 

1 Spring Band Concert, 7PM McLean HS

4 8th Grade Party, 6-8:30PM

7 End of Year Awards Ceremony

8-9 Laptop Collection

10 Last Day of School - Two-Hour Early Release

May 31 - A Conversation with Mr. Huang About Success

7:00pm, Library at Longfellow MS

What is success and failure in the academic world?  Do their definitions change over time or stay the same?  How does one navigate the complex road to college and beyond with a clear mind?  In his 18 years teaching math at Longfellow MS, Mr. Huang has witnessed numerous stories of academic perfection, failure, and everything in between.  As a Taiwanese-American who grew up in McLean, Mr. Huang also offers a unique perspective on the concerns of Asian-American students and parents in our community.  In honor of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, we invite parents and students, especially families of Asian backgrounds, to hear what he has to say.

June 4 - 8th End of Middle School Celebration 

6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. @Longfellow

There will be a DJ, great food, photo booth/selfie station, human foosball and other games as well as the chance to dunk your favorite principal and teachers! Also, special guest appearances...

Don't miss it - this is the only 8th grade end-of-year event.

Click here to buy your tickets now!

If you need financial assistance, please contact Samuel Ramatowski, snramatowski@fcps.edu

June 8 & 9 - FCPSOn Device Colelction 

This is a reminder that all FCPSOn devices (laptops and charging cables) are collected at the end of the school year. The following link has more information regarding device collection (requires student account sign-in using their @fcpsschools.net account): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fVZB-dYeeobaWmaDOAQMsuGfZZJ9VnkhtaOmI_ZRtTA

Please see below for the collection schedule:

• 8 & 9 JUN, 7:30 AM to 2 PM @ Health & Physical Education classes – collection during class
• 10 JUN, 7:30 AM to end of school day @ Tech Office – late collection

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

May 2022 Notes from the Library

Hello Lancers!  We are getting close to the end of the year, and that means it is time to get all the library books returned to the Library.  Library circulation ends May 27.  All students with overdue books have received overdue notices through their English class, as well as via email.  Please check with your student and verify they have cleared their Library accounts.  Students can log into Destiny Discover to check if they still have Library books on their accounts.  Students have access to our online book collection all summer long using MackinVIA.com.  Students who need more information on how to access MackinVIA can watch our “how-to” video on the Longfellow Virtual site.   If you are looking for some great books to read, check out this year's Virginia Readers’ Choice titles.

McLean Fall Sports Information 

Fall Sports can begin on August 1st. Below are the tryout times for the 1st day of tryouts for each Fall sport. Do not forget to make sure all required forms are turned in prior to trying out. Tryout requirements can be found here. Please contact the Head Coach directly with any questions.

Cheer: Monday August 1^st from 5:00-8:00pm in the upper gym- 

Head Coach- Eliza Kirchner- GEKirchner@fcps.edu

Cross Country: TBA

Head Coach- Kyle Jemison- KBJemison@fcps.edu

Golf: Monday August 1^st. 4pm @ Hidden Creek Country Club (Reston)

Head Coach-Ryan Abrams- RPAbrams@fcps.edu

Field Hockey: Monday August 1^st from 6:30-8:30pm on the stadium turf field

Head Coach- Shamsiya Shervani- SFShervani@fcps.edu

Football: Monday August 1^st from 6:00-8:30pm on the grass practice field

Head Coach- Joe Cockerham- jcockerham@fcps.edu

Volleyball: Monday August 1^st from 5:30-8:30pm in the main gym

Head Coach- Samantha Stewart- smstewart3@fcps.edu

McLean HS Dance Team Tryouts

Monday, June 13 and Tuesday, June 14

9.30 am to 12.30 pm, McLean HS Dance Room 

McLean High School Dance Team Tryouts for the 2022-23 Season are now set. Tryouts are open to any rising 9th-12th graders. Dancers should come in black tanks or leotards, black shorts or leggings and jazz shoes. If you have a conflict with the tryout dates, please email mhsdanceboosters@gmail.com. Video submissions will be accepted this year.

Interested Dancers should:

1. complete the MDT Interest form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdp65nIhF_QNpUJwhOkV8Jc03pzGpJ65xPiPDAII2Unj_HBcg/viewform
2. register with the McLean HS Activities portal (see interest form), and
3. have a completed physical dated May 1, 2022 or after (see interest form).

NJHS Information

7th graders interested in NJHS: In May, an NJHS application will be sent via school email to eligible students (3.75 or higher GPA).  The deadline for the application will be June 10, 2022 – no exceptions!

Any questions regarding 8th grade service hours, please email Heather Postlethwait – hcpostlethwa@fcps.edu 

Any questions regarding 7th grade applications, please email Bindhu Zachariah – bezachariah@fcps.edu  

Let's Go Lancers!

Science Olympiad - Best Nationals Placement in Longfellow History!

We are thrilled to report that the Longfellow Science Olympiad team placed 5th overall in the 2022 National Tournament hosted by Caltech - this is the best placement of the Science Olympiad team in Longfellow history!   Longfellow has been the Virginia State Champion for the last 10 tournaments - and has placed in the top 10 at the National Tournament 7 times - but has never achieved such an amazing score.  Congratulations!!!

Events with top-10 National placements were as follows:

1st Place - Bio Process Lab (Joshua L. and Nathan L.)

1st Place - Write It CAD It (Trial) (Grace B. and Brynn L.)

3rd Place - Codebusters (Dheethya B., Annie G. and Sarah L.)

3rd Place - Rocks and Minerals (Dheethya B. and Sarah L.)

4th Place - Anatomy and Physiology (Rohan H. and Joshua L.)

5th Place - Bridge (Nathan L. and Kalan W.)

5th Place - Food Science (Joshua L. and Ayla Z.)

5th Place - Ornithology (Tyler H. and Noam N.)

6th Place - Storm the Castle (Rohan H. and Nathan L.)

7th Place - Crime Busters (Ayla Z. and Lauren Z.)

7th Place - Dynamic Planet (Noam N. and Kalan W.)

9th Place - Sounds of Music (Abhinav C. and Harry Y.)

10th Place - Botany (Trial) (Kyle H. and Helen Q.)

10th Place - Green Generation (Tyler H. and Lauren Z.)

10th Place - Mousetrap Vehicle (Abhinav C. and Kalan W.)

10th Place - Road Scholar (Noam N. and Ayla Z.)

10th Place - Solar System (Annie G. and Lauren Z.)

The following students are members of the Longfellow Science Olympiad team:  Grace B., Dheethya B., Abhinav C., Jaivi C., Jiayu C., Annie G., Sophia G., Kyle H., Tyler H., Rohan H., Zeeshan H., Noah J., Eesha K., Atul K., Rushil K., Brynn L.,Joshua L., Ethan L., Sarah L., Nathan L, Zoya M., Andrew N., Noam N., Ryan Q., Helen Q., Kalan W., Alicia Y., Harry Y., Ayla Z., and Lauren Z.  The team is coached by Susan Boomer and Julie Cox. 

We are so proud of these students - their teamwork, dedication and resilience paid off.  Thanks for making Longfellow proud!

Academic Advising 

Review Rising 7th Grade & 8th Grade Requests

Now that academic advising season is over for the upcoming year, it is time to review your student's course requests on ParentVue. When you login to ParentVue on the left hand navigation menu you will see "course requests." Click on this and check to see if the courses are correct. Adjustments will be made to advanced math courses later in the spring. Please reach out to Katie Madigan kemadigan@fcps.edu, if you have any questions or need any courses adjusted. 

OPPORTUNITIES

Junior Solar Sprint

Compete with teammates to build a solar vehicle! Attend free workshops on engineering and the design process! Win awards and prizes! Have fun! 

WHERE? 6560 Braddock Road, ALexandria, VA (TJHSST Tennis Courts)

WHEN? Saturday, June 25th, 10AM-11AM 

Use this link to get updates: https://tinyurl.com/novajss

Use this link to register: https://tinyurl.com/jssworkshop

McLean High School Girls Basketball Camp

The McLean Girls Basketball Team is excited to announce that the 2022 Girls Basketball Camp will be held June 20th - June 24th from 8:30-2:30. Camp was a huge success last year and we are hoping to see your daughters at camp again this year! You can Register Here. If you have any questions, you can email Coach Sobota (jmsobota@fcps.edu).

Freshman 101 

Who: Rising 9th grade students coming to McLean High School during the 2022-2023 academic year

Dates: Monday, July 18, 2022 - Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.

Location: McLean High School

McLean High School teachers and administrators will offer a variety of in-person activities for students to choose from as they prepare to begin high school at McLean. Students will get to know staff members, connect with other students, and attend sessions designed to prepare them for success as they transition to high school.  

Please note: Only students enrolled as 9th graders at McLean High School for the 2022-2023 school year are eligible for the MHS Freshmen 101 Program. Please complete this electronic form to reserve a spot. Prior to the program, please send a completed Emergency Care Form and email it to mcleanhighschool@fcps.edu by July 11 to complete your registration; Emergency Care Forms are located on the MHS website.  If you have any questions, please email Assistant Principal Jeff Barham at jbarham@fcps.edu.  

IMAGINE Summer Program

Longfellow Middle School is excited to offer our IMAGINE summer learning program! This free and fun summer experience provides opportunities for students to refine and develop foundational math and literacy skills through developing the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate attributes as an effective communicator, collaborator, critical and creative thinker, goal-directed, resilient and global & ethical citizen.  The target audience is students currently enrolled in English 7, English 8, Math 7 and/or Pre-Algebra.

Space for the IMAGINE program will be limited. Families interested in having their student have access to the IMAGINE program can complete the interest form here.  All interested students will be placed on a waitlist. Eligible students will receive a confirmation email by the end of May to initiate the registration process. For questions, please contact our Site Director, Jim Bermudez at jjbermudez@fcps.edu.

• Audience: Longfellow 7th & 8th grade students (rising 8th & 9th grade students) in need of additional time and support to master math and literacy skills
• Location: Longfellow Middle School
• Student Dates: July 11-29
• Hours: 7:30am-11:30am
• Breakfast and Lunch Provided
• Bus transportation provided

Longfellow Quiz Bowl Camp

Longfellow Summer Quiz Bowl Camp, to be held virtually, will be August 8-12 daily, from 9:30 to 12:30.  For cost and registration, email Mr. Huang at ehuang1@fcps.edu.

JUMP START: August 2 & 3 and August 4 & 5

The Jump Start program is a nonacademic program that focuses on helping rising 7th graders get to know Longfellow Middle School and the expectations of middle school. Jump Start helps to ensure a smoother transition to middle school by introducing students to staff, peers, school layout, and basic policies before the school year begins. Students will participate in sessions covering topics such as study skills, test taking strategies, time management techniques, schedule reading, learning how to use combination locks and many more. Scavenger hunts, locker relay races, and daily physical education activities will also take place during the sessions.

Jump Start Registration Form

If you have any questions, please contact Riley Barrows: rtbarrows1@fcps.edu

Join the PTA & Support our School!

Join the PTA  -  When you join the Longfellow PTA you will join a proud community of dedicated parents. Membership is $25 for one adult family member and $35 for two adult family members. All members receive access to our online directory through Memberhub.