Sunday, May 6, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
LONGFELLOW PRIDE
Watch this video to see yet another example of why being a LONGFELLOW LONGHORN is so amazing!
GO LONGHORNS!
GO LONGHORNS!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
National Civil Rights Group Recognizes LONGFELLOW for Tolerance Efforts
Designated 'Mix It Up' Model School by the Southern Poverty Law Center
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program has named Longfellow Elementary School as a Mix It Up Model School for its exemplary efforts to foster respect and understanding among students and throughout campus during the 2011-12 school year.
Longfellow Elementary School is one of 77 schools from across the country receiving the honor.
"We are delighted to recognize each of these schools," said Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello. "Mix It Up Model Schools have found innovative ways to create a school environment where respect and inclusiveness are core values. They serve as examples for other schools hoping to instill these values in their students, faculty and staff."
The 2012 National Mix It Up at Lunch Day will be held on Oct. 30. A list of the model schools can be found at http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/model-schools.
For more than a decade, Mix It Up Day has provided students across the country with an opportunity to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. It's a simple act with profound implications as studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. Many schools plan activities for the entire day, and some use the event to kick off a yearlong exploration of social divisions. Last year, 5,500 schools took part in the event.
The Mix It Up Model Schools met five criteria: They each hosted a Mix it Up at Lunch Day in 2011; they included different members of the school's community – cafeteria staff, aides, administrators, teachers or students – in organizing the event; they followed up with at least two additional Mix It Up-related programs or events on campus; they publicized Mix It Up at Lunch Day or celebrated inclusiveness with posters, announcements and other media; and their event was seen by students and school officials as a success.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
STRIVING FOR AN ACCEPTING SOCIETY
The Iowa City Community School District continues efforts to prevent bullying with the Steps to Respect Program:
Everyone at Longfellow Elementary School is committed to making our school a safe and caring place for all students. We will treat each other with respect, and demonstrate Longfellow PRIDE (Peace, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, and Excellence). We refuse to tolerate bullying in any form at our school.
Everyone at Longfellow Elementary School is committed to making our school a safe and caring place for all students. We will treat each other with respect, and demonstrate Longfellow PRIDE (Peace, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, and Excellence). We refuse to tolerate bullying in any form at our school.
Longfellow’s Definition of BULLYING: Bullying is unfair and one-sided. Power is used in a hurtful way. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose.
Consequences for bulling: Our school is focused on showing Longfellow PRIDE. Students who engage in bullying behaviors are not following Longfellow PRIDE and their misbehavior may result in a referral to the principal. All bullying behaviors must be properly reported in order to provide students with support. Our consequences for bullying are less about discipline and more about a learning experience. Students who are involved in bullying situations may begin meeting weekly with a "steps to respect coach" in order to work on activities geared to build empathy and increase conflict resolution skills.
The Steps to Respect Program suggests that the students have the ultimate power in preventing bullying and that students need to learn that they are the ones with the most power in preventing bullying.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
National School Counseling Week, Feb. 6–10, 2012
National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated from Feb. 6–10, 2012, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.
"School counselors work with all students to remove barriers to learning by addressing students’ academic concerns, personal/social skills and career awareness in post-secondary options,” said Kwok-Sze Wong, Ed.D., ASCA executive director. “Comprehensive school counseling programs help to increase student achievement and provide a much-needed resource for students, parents, teachers and administrators. School counselors are integral to student success."
Parents or community members with specific questions or concerns about school counseling programs should contact the school counselors at their local schools. More general information can also be found on ASCA's Web site, www.schoolcounselor.org.
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is a worldwide nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, VA. Founded in 1952, ASCA supports school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and career development so they not only achieve success in school but are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. The association, which is the school counseling division of the American Counseling Association, provides professional development, publications and other resources, research and advocacy to more professional school counselors around the globe.
LET'S CELEBRATE THE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROFESSION!
LET'S CELEBRATE THE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROFESSION!
Monday, January 30, 2012
WHAT A WONDERFUL WINTER AT LONGFELLOW!
ADOPT-A-FAMILY 2011
Adopt-A-Family was a big success this year because many Longfellow families worked together to “adopt” 6 families from the Longfellow herd!
When a family is “adopted” they are able to anonymously send a wish list of items they may need or want over the holidays. The “adoptive” families work together to collect these items so that I can deliver the items before winter break.
Even though the families involved do not know who the “adopted” families were– I hope they know that they made a positive impact this year…
Thank you to the families who participated!
Always Continuing to Celebrate Diversity!
This school year feels like it is going so fast! I haven’t even had a chance to update you all on our CELEBRATING DIVERSITY MONTH (which was in October)!
Celebrating Diversity Month was all about encouraging students to learn about themselves and others. Diversity is defined as being different or varied. Our school is very diverse. Sometimes you might feel uncomfortable when someone is very different from you. It is important to learn more about people who are different from you so you can understand them and get along. We should be careful not to make judgments about a person until we get to know them better. Sometimes it helps to get to know someone by finding things you have in common. Our school is diverse – but we still have many similarities! We are all Longfellow Longhorns!
Another part of celebrating diversity month is helping students to think about their culture as well as cultures of others! Culture can include things like: traditions, family members, race, gender, religion, disabilities, beliefs, and more.
All classes participated in activities and listened to stories related to celebrating diversity. The 3/4 graders got to attend a presentation by Marcio (a Longfellow parent)! We all appreciated him taking the time to talk to us about his culture (see video). The 5/6 graders got to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder presented by Taresa Fetzer (our autism consultant from Grant Wood AEA).
On October 18th, Longfellow joined schools across the nation by participating in MIX-IT-UP-AT-LUNCH. On this day students were assigned seats during lunch in order to play a game to get to know each other better. Each class discussed how they felt about MIX-IT-UP-AT-LUNCH day and most students felt like it helped them to get to know someone they might not have given a chance before. Other students felt uncomfortable at first, but could understand how this is helpful for students who often feel left out. Thank you to our “MIX IT UP MONKEYS” and our Longfellow parent volunteers for making MIX-IT-UP-AT-LUNCH day possible!
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