Clarke's Corner Closing Soon

With the introduction of District 97's new family of web pages, each teacher has his or her own web site. In order to eliminate duplication of information, this blog will no longer be updated. All new information about Ms. Clarke's classroom will now be published on the teacher website. This blog will be deleted soon. Thanks for stopping by!

It's Almost Summer!

The school year is nearly over, with only one full day and an hour left to the 2010-2011 year. On Monday, we will be watching the film Hoot, an adaptation of one of the Reading Olympics books as a culminating activity for reading. Be sure to ask your student about the movie and what he or she learned about protecting our environment. I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer!

Music Camp!

Students interested in a summer camp for band, orchestra or chorus please download the information here! Please note, while previous experience is necessary for band and orchestra, NO previous choral experience is required to participate in the choral camp.

Thanks to Castle Party Rentals!

Thank you Castle Party Rentals (www.CastlePartyRental.com) for helping us with our PBIS Trimester 2 Celebration. Our kids and staff had a blast in the Moonwalk and the Obstacle Course.

Reminder

Hello Families!
I wanted to remind everyone that I will be out for some minor surgery from April 13th through the 28th. Miss Loddeke will be my substitute and everything is in place for her to continue with the work we are doing. I will certainly miss everyone, but I will be checking in often and will be back before you know it!

Olympic Day

Friday, May 20 is Olympic Day! There will be a climbing wall, tug ‘o war, crab soccer, relay races, and so much more! Students in grades 1, 3, and 5 will participate in the morning, and students in grades K, 2, and 4 will participate in the afternoon.

If you would like to volunteer for half a day, a full day, or just get more information, please contact Mrs. Patterson at epatterson@op97.org or Lori Bradford at ldemain@sbcglobal.net. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers. Your help to make this a fun day for all children is greatly appreciated!

ACES

ACES- All Children Exercise Simultaneously – is the world’s largest exercise class. On Wednesday, May 4 all Longfellow students and staff will participate in this even. This event, occurring at 10:00 AM, will happen in many countries all over the world in efforts to promote physical fitness and health. Please be sure your child has their gym shoes on this day!

Family Reading Night is coming….

Tuesday, April 26th (6:30 – 7:30 p.m.)
“Read, Recite, Recycle”
*The “Recycle” part will again include a book swap!
*Begin collecting gently used children’s books.
*Bring the books to your homeroom teacher by Tuesday, April 19th.
*Your teacher will help you keep track of how many books you donate.
*Come to the Family Reading Night on the 26th, and you will take away “new” books to enjoy!
*There may be a limit of taking 7-10 books that evening. However, if you can donate more, that will help us make another very successful book swap!

DO YOU HAVE AN EPIC COLLECTION?

On May 3rd, Longfellow will be welcoming Paula Kluth for its annual author night. Her book, Pedro’s Whale, tells a heartwarming story about a boy who loves whales and eventually begins to collect pictures of them, with the help of his classmates. In anticipation for Longfellow’s author night, we want to know what you collect!

Do you collect rocks, Legos, cars, comic books, stickers, erasers, anything at all? If so, we want to display your collection in Longfellow’s display case! Collections should be contained in a clear zip lock bag, not exceeding 12” by 12”. If you do not have a zip lock bag, one will be provided for you when you drop off your collection. If your entire collection does not fit in the bag, choose your favorite items to display. Collections can be dropped off in the POD area Monday-Friday beginning at 7:45 a.m. Please submit your collection by Friday, April 8th. It will be on display the week of April 11th, April 18th, or April 25th and will be returned to you on or before May 6th. If you have additional questions please contact Gretchen.junker@sbcglobal.net
Thank you,
Gretchen Junker, Mrs. Pasquinelli, Mr. Podlasek, and your PTO

The Tasty Dog Challenge returns this Thursday April 7th, ALL DAY!

Our school will receive 15% of proceeds from the day when we order and say we are with Longfellow School! Grab your friends, neighbors and family head to Tasty Dog and help Longfellow be top dog. There will also be tickets on sale for $1 for a drawing. You may win: 2 tickets to the 1st Bulls playoff game, a Cubs Alfonso Soriano signed baseball, a Radio Flyer wagon or tricycle and much more. See you there!

Message on Upcoming Absence

Dear Families,
I wanted you all to know that I will be gone from April 13th through April 28th. I will be having some minor surgery and will be home recovering during that time. Ms. Lodeke will be subbing for us. I have been talking with the students to prepare them for my absence. I will be checking in on them often and will definitely miss them!
Thanks,
Cat Clarke

5th Grade Invitation for Parents/Guardians

Hi 5th Grade Parents! Here is a copy of a letter that you should have received from me and that you should also be receiving via mail. I strongly encourage you to attend this meeting to learn more about your student's transition to Middle School. It can be an exciting, but scary time for many students. We want to help make the transition as easy as possible.
Thanks!
Cat


Dear Parents and Guardians,


We would like to invite you to an evening meeting for parents on Monday, March 21, 2011 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the District 97 Administration Building Board Room to discuss your child’s upcoming transition meeting to the middle school. Starting a new school can produce some anxiety for both parent and child. Being able to confidently understand what the transition from elementary to middle school will entail will not only help you, but will also help your child adjust easier to their new school.
Topics for the evening will include:

• Middle School and Teaming
• Middle School and Scheduling/Electives
• Middle School and Special Education and Related Services
• The Transition Meeting
• Tips for a Successful Transition

To make this meeting even more meaningful, please send us general questions you would like to have answered. You may email or leave a voice message. Our information is provided below. We will work to cover your questions/concerns during our presentation, or during the question and answer period. On March 21, the door on Madison will be open, and light refreshments will be provided.

We look forward to seeing you,

Donna Middleton
Special Education Coordinator:
Julian, Beye, Irving, Longfellow, Mann
708-524-5849

Kari Smith
Special Education Coordinator
Brooks, Hatch, Holmes, Lincoln, Whittier
708-524-3022

Getting Ready for ISAT Testing

During the week of February 28th- March 4th, most 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at Longfellow School will be taking the Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT). This can be a stressful time for many students. Here is some general advice and 5 quick tips to make the experience a little easier and to help your child be as successful as possible:
Make sure your child is ready. Your child needs to be well-rested and well-fed when test time arrives. She also needs to be mentally prepared. Be sensitive to your child's anxiety. Talking about the test may cause her stress which will negatively affect her results. Instead, think of ways to diffuse the anxiety. Take a brisk walk, plan a game of tag football, or suggest a long, hot bath. And, because ISAT testing goes on for an entire week, build in physical activity and downtime throughout the test-taking period.
5 Simple Tips for a more successful week:
1. Make sure that your child is in school during the testing sessions. Do not plan any doctor or dental appointments on test dates.
2. Encourage your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions given by the teacher and to ask questions about any directions that are unclear.
3. See that your child gets his/her regular amount of sleep before the tests and is well-rested.
4. Make sure that your child eats his/her usual breakfast on the day of the test. Hunger can detract from a good test performance.
5. Encourage your child to do his/her best.
During the week of ISAT testing, students will continue to have their special area classes (Art, Music, Spanish, PE). There will be no homework during the week of ISATs. If possible, plan fun and relaxing activities for home time during that week.

Change in Last Day of School

PLEASE NOTE! DUE TO THE SNOW DAYS, THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM FRIDAY, JUNE 4TH TO TUESDAY, JUNE 8TH. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! More information about end of the year activities will follow at a later date.

Valentine's Day

We will be having a small celebration in our classroom for Valentine's Day during the last hour of the day on Monday. IF you wish to send valentine's with you child, you may feel free to do so. A list of names went home with students Friday afternoon, attached to the newsletter. I will have treats for everyone, but if your child would like to bring a treat to share, that's fine too!

Nourish to Flourish!

During the next week your students will be hearing information about the importance of getting enough rest and eating a healthy breakfast. Children are encouraged to get nine to ten hours of sleep each night and to start each day with a healthy breakfast. This month's focus activities will culminate with a school-wide pajama day! Students may wear appropriate pajamas to school. We will also share healthy breakfast snacks in the classroom that morning. If you wish to send a healthy breakfast item to share, feel free to do so, but I will be providing snacks for everyone. Have a restful, healthy day!