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Lancers:
I hope that everyone had a great spring break! It was great to welcome back our Lancers this morning after a week away. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our PTA for their support in funding our school beautification projects. This year we included vinyl wraps at our front entrance. It really makes the front of the school “POP”. Thank you again to our PTA, this project would not have been possible without their support.
Jim
Jim Patrick
Principal
Longfellow MS
 Three Lancers win Awards for their Writing – Congratulations!
For the 11th consecutive year, a Longfellow Lancer has won the Falls Church Rotary Essay Contest. In fact, Lancers earned a clean sweep of the awards.
The 3rd place winner ($25) was Arman Slove-Rezvani
The 2nd place winner ($50) was Advait Kolekar
The 1st place winner ($100) was Amina Ganbayar
All the three winners will be honored at a meeting of the Falls Church Rotary Club later this month.
UPCOMING EVENTS
 Schedule for the next two weeks:
DETAILS ON UPCOMING EVENTS
Month of the Military Child
April is the Month of the Military Child! Every year we take the opportunity to recognize military-connected youth for their service and contribution to our community. Fairfax County Public Schools is proud to have over 14,000 military-connected youth as a part of our student body. We appreciate the varied life experiences they bring to our school community and recognize their strength and resilience.
Learn more about Month of the Military Child and FCPS resources for military families.
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National Arab American Heritage Month
FCPS is proud to celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month in April. This special month provides an opportunity to recognize the history and valuable contributions of Arab Americans.
Arab Americans have ancestry in one of the world’s 22 Arab nations, which are located from northern Africa through western Asia. The people of these nations are ethnically, politically, and religiously diverse but share a common cultural and linguistic heritage.
Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
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Autism Acceptance Month
April is Autism Acceptance Month. One in 44 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States, according to the CDC. Our schools and staff play a vital role in creating and ensuring inclusive environments that accommodate and affirm autistic students.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
McLean Pyramid Book Talk: Learn Like a Pro
The McLean Pyramid Principals are inviting our parents and students to a book talk at Longfellow Middle School on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, from 6:00-7:00. We will be discussing Learn Like a Pro, by Barbara Oakley. The goal of the book talk will be to provide strategies that both parents and students can use at home to support learning, growth, and independence. We invite all parents to join us in reading this text, but reading the text is not a prerequisite for attending our book talk.
Please RSVP for the event so we can plan appropriately.
NJHS Information
This is a reminder to all current NJHS members, that your 20 hours of community service are due by Monday, May 5th. This means that your hours are entered by you, verified by your contact, and approved by Ms. Postlethwait in the x2vol system. Any student that does not meet this deadline will be dismissed from NJHS. If you have any questions, please see Ms. Postlethwait in room 201.
📝 SOL Testing
📅Wednesday, May 7th 📖Reading SOL
📅Tuesday, May 13th ➗ Math SOL
📅Wednesday, May 14th 🔬 Science SOL (8th Grade Only)
👨👩👧 How can parents/guardians help?
✅ Ensure your student is present and on time. Avoid scheduling appointments on these dates.
😴Ensure your student gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast in the morning.
🎧If your student has an audio accommodation for testing, be sure they bring headphones to school.
📵Remind your student to have their cell phone off and away in their backpack.
💻Verify your student’s Chromebook is in working order.
🛠️Computer issues should be reported immediately to Student IT Support.
🔋Fully charge their Chromebook every night.
🔌Pack their charger in their backpack (if your student lost their charger, please purchase a replacement via MySchoolBucks).
📞If you have any questions regarding testing, please contact Longfellow’s school test coordinator, Mary Reid (703.533.2624 or mreid@fcps.edu)
AFTER SCHOOL CORNER
Congratulations to our Model UN Team
Longfellow had a spectacular sweep at Thomas Jefferson High School's TechMUN Conference with Leon Gu getting a Verbal Commendation, Yi-Wen Li, Brady Zhang and Ethan Li getting Honorable Mentions, Lucas Zhao, Isa Yan, Pranav Mathapati, and Ian Boyd all getting Outstanding Delegate, and last but certainly not least, Benjamin Wang and Adya Sauparn scoring a Best Delegate award. Congratulations to our Model UN team!
Tennis begins this week on Thursday during the first block.
Tomorrow is the last day of Python – don’t miss it!
Art and Clay on Mondays has some open spots. If you are interested in joining, fill out THIS form.
PARENT INFORMATION
Safe Community Coalition Presents: Turning Setbacks into Success
🛑 Cameras Installed on School Bus Stop Arms
Cameras have been installed on the stop arms of 50 FCPS school buses. These cameras will be used to identify drivers who pass stopped school buses while children are entering and exiting the bus (called a “stop arm violation”).
Drivers have begun to receive warnings. After a 30-day warning period, citations will begin to be issued on Monday, May 12.
According to Virginia law, drivers must stop for stopped school buses with flashing red lights on and their stop signs extended. Motorists should stop when approaching from any direction, unless there is a barrier or median separating their lane from where the bus is stopped. They should remain stopped until everyone is clear, and the bus is moving.
We appreciate our law enforcement partners for working with FCPS to improve road safety and reduce accidents. Read more about the stop arm cameras and other ways FCPS works with our county partners to keep students safe on their way to and from school.
Responsible Tech Use: Family Action Steps
We have seen increased student technology misuse. Specifically: lack of protective cases, cracked screens, and attempts to bypass FCPS website filters and firewalls to access inappropriate websites. We continue to collaborate with IT to implement measures that keep students safe online. Families, please help us by:
1. Checking your child's laptop today.
• Praise good care and condition (cases on, no damage, no stickers or graffiti).
• Discuss responsible use if issues exist; please, see FCPS Student Device Responsible Use Guidelines for more information.
· Discussing the consequences of missing or damaged technology with your student. This includes potential loss of device and replacement costs are:
• Cases: $30
• Chargers: $20
• Cracked Screen/Trackpad: Varies by Cost of Repair
• Full Laptop replacement: $481
· Discussing Healthy Tech Habits:
• Next week advisory SOAR lessons will be facilitated by teachers on Acceptable Use & healthy tech habits. To support this conversation at home, review Common Sense Education’s 5 Tips for Helping Kids Balance Their Media Lives (in English and Spanish).
· Signing up for Lightspeed Software:
• Sign up for usage reports to see how your student is using their FCPS laptop. Get a weekly report of websites they visited and use this to discuss healthy and school-appropriate uses of technology. Learn more: Lightspeed Parent Report Request
8th Grade End of Year Celebration
This year's end-of-year celebration will take place a little earlier than usual. We hope your 8th grader can make it!
May 22, 2025
2:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Tickets are $35.00
To purchase tickets, click here 8th Grade Party
SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5th-9th. We can provide the teachers with a wonderful week of delicious food/snacks and gifts with your support.
Please donate here, TAW Donation
PTA Board Positions
The Longfellow PTA needs new board members for the 2025-2026 school year. Please help support the school by volunteering for one of these roles
President
Communications
Fundraising
Reach out to Beth Coyne to discuss the positions and how you can support, president.ptalms@gmail.com
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