|
Parent Guide to From A - Z This guide is intended as a service to parents, to provide basic answers to frequently-asked questions. Any policies or announcements from the school administration supersede this guide. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z After School Activities – Students may remain after school for programs including the Old Firehouse Teen Center, clubs, intramurals, SCA or special help by teachers. Late busses are NOT provided every day of the week, and these days may change from year to year. Agenda Book – Each student is provided with an agenda book at the beginning of the year to keep track of assignments. This is funded partially by the PTA and partially by the school’s business partner, Booz Allen Hamilton. Arrival Time – Doors open at 7:15 am. Students cannot enter the building before that time--during inclement weather, Longfellow will open doors at 7:00 am and students wait in the hall until 7:15. Attendance – Call 703-533-2626 before 9:30 am if your child will be absent. Contact each individual teacher to find out about homework and assignments. If needed, your teacher can leave homework assignments in a folder in the guidance office (next to the main office), but you will need to pick it up. Back to School Night – Two Back-to-School Nights are held; one for 7th grade and one for 8th grade. For the school year, 2007-08, the dates are September 17 for 7th grade and September 26 for 8th grade. Longfellow has insufficient parking for this type of event. We strongly recommend that you carpool with neighbors due to limited parking. Backpacks – Students are not allowed to carry backpacks in the hallways, and need to visit their lockers during the day to get needed books and supplies. Band – Longfellow has an award-winning band program (four bands, from beginner to advanced “Symphonic” band). Parent volunteers are needed to help with the fundraiser, and uniform ordering/delivery. Contact the band director if you can help. This website has band information. Click here. Bell Schedule – The five-minute warning bell rings at 7:25 am; Period 1 begins at 7:30 am; dismissal is at 2:20 pm. The full bell schedule is listed in your Directory. Bicycles – Students who are not provided bus transportation may ride bicycles to school. Bike racks are in the courtyard behind the science wing. Blackboard – Is an online resource where students and parents can access homework and classroom assignments. At a minimum, teachers are expected to use Blackboard to post significant assignments, projects and exams. Students should use their agenda books for daily homework assignments. Logon at: http://fcps.blackboard.com with your child’s student ID number [username] and password. Buses – Students provided a bus are strongly encouraged to ride the bus. Late bus service is provided on three days a week (which can vary from year to year). Late buses can leave Longfellow between 3:30 and 4:00, and follow different routes than the regular busses, so don’t be alarmed if your child is late getting home. Students are permitted to ride only their assigned bus. If a student wants to ride home with another student, BOTH parents must send in a note giving their permission. Cafeteria – You must prepay for your child to buy food in the cafeteria. You can do this by sending a check made to Longfellow Middle School that your child turns into the cafeteria, or use the online prepayment service www.myLunchMoney.com. (You will need your child’s student ID. which can be found on his/her report card.) Lunch periods are only 30 minutes and many students find that long cafeteria lines leave little time to eat—many prefer to bring a bag lunch for this reason. Closing (School Emergencies) – To receive e-mail notices of weather delays, closings or any other emergency, subscribe to Keep-in-Touch (scroll down to Keep in Touch in this document). Cable Channel 21 (Red Apple) and www.fcps.edu also announce school weather-related news. The FCPS Hotline number is 800-839-3277. Cluster Office – Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is organized into administrative “Clusters.” Longfellow is part of Cluster I, which includes the Langley, McLean and Herndon “pyramids.” Audra Sydnor is the Assistant Superintendent for Cluster I. E-mail is cluster1admin@fcps.edu. Communicating with Student (during the day) – If a parent must send a message to a student during the school day, please call the office before lunch. Every effort will be made to deliver the message during the lunch period. Only in extreme emergencies will the school interrupt class to deliver a message. Community Service – all 8th grade students are required to perform community service for their Civics classes. National Junior Honor Society members need an additional 15 hours per quarter. The PTA website posts community service opportunities, updated frequently. Click here. Deliveries to Students (during the day) – Lunches and other deliveries will be given to a student during the lunch period only. Lunch periods begin at 10:30 a.m. Directory – A student directory is published by the PTA and sent home with every student (usually in October). This includes important school information. You can buy additional copies in the office. Dress Code – All students are required to dress appropriately for a K-12 environment. Guidelines can be found in the Student’s Rights and Responsibilities booklet. Eighth Grade Party – This is usually the Saturday night before the end of the school year. 8th grade parents plan the event and, traditionally, 7th grade parents chaperone the event. E-mail – is the preferred method of communication with your child’s teachers. Staff will try to respond to e-mails within 24 hours. You can telephone your child’s teacher and leave a voicemail message. Click here for staff directory. Excused Absence – In the state of Virginia, this includes illness, death in the family, medical or dental appointments, and religious holidays. Family vacations are not excused absences. If your child is absent from school, they must contact each teacher to make up homework and other assignments. FCPS – Fairfax County Public Schools – website. Jack Dale is the School Superintendent. First Day Packets – The week before school begins Longfellow schedules several days for students to come WITH a parent/guardian to pick up and fill out important forms for the start of the school year. Check the Longfellow school website for specific dates/times. Parent and student volunteers are always needed to help. Fundraising – The PTA has one armchair fundraiser (i.e. write a check and send it in, nothing to buy)--information on this will be in your registration packets. This is the PTA’s only fundraiser of the year. In addition, the PTA helps to run the Book Fair in the spring--proceeds go directly to the school library. Longfellow Middle School has a magazine sale to fund field trips and other activities. In addition, the music department holds a fundraiser (wrapping paper) for equipment, music, instruments and other expenses. Guidance – Guidance counselors are assigned by Team. Hallway Pass – Students need a hallway pass (located in their agenda book) to be in the hallways during class time. Homework – If a student is absent, they should contact each teacher individually to make up any missing homework assignments. International Night – Every other year, the PTA hosts an international night, where families can share their cultures, including food, dress and entertainment. Intramurals – Intramurals are a part of the after-school program. Information about which sports will have a program will be released in the fall. Keep in Touch (KIT) – is a FCPS-wide system used for communication on important announcements, school closings, etc. Sign up for this service to receive timely information via e-mail from the county and school. To sign up for the FCPS KIT, go to www.fcps.edu. To sign up for Longfellow’s own KIT, click here. Kiss and Ride – Longfellow strongly encourages students to walk or take their assigned bus to/from. Traffic is bad to the extreme on Westmoreland Street and Kirby Road when Longfellow begins and ends school -- traffic delays are not a reason for an excused tardy. If you MUST drive your student to school or pick up at the school, follow the other cars all the way around toward the front entrance (do not cut across the lot) and follow the instructions of the teachers in the parking lot. In the afternoon, parents may not enter the parking lot until the buses have left at 2:30 pm. When exiting the school at “rush hour”, you MUST turn right when leaving Longfellow -- cars making a U-turn at Hopewell Drive across from the school may be ticketed. To get back to Kirby, go right on Westmoreland, right on Haycock, then right on Great Falls Street. Changes to Kiss and Ride procedures are expected in the September 2007 – please be sure to follow any new rules. Lancer Theater – The Theater Department puts on student plays throughout the year. There is also an after school club for Theater. Parent volunteers are welcome to help with the Theater Boosters. Look for information at Back-to-School Night. Langley High School –The PTA Liaison for Langley High School provides information throughout the year on activities, orientation, etc. You also can visit the school website or the PTSA website. Library Media Center – Orientation is provided to all students. The Library is open at 7:20 am for borrowing and returning books and is open on Mondays and Tuesdays until 3:30 pm for research and studying. There are no overdue fines, but lost or damaged books must be paid for at current replacement price. Books are not censored by the school, but there is a county-wide parent committee that will review any books that are called into question. Lockers – Lockers are assigned once the student has turned in several forms in the first day packets. These forms can be completed before the first day of school during the pre-registration times. This is a good time to take care of any locker problems (before the first day of school) since this can be a source of stress for students. Longfellow Lead – This is the student newspaper published four times a year by the Journalism students. You can request a parent subscription by contacting Andrea Duggan. Main Office – Phone number: 703-533-2600 Marshall High School –The PTA has a Liaison for Marshall High School, and organizes a program for parents to explain the IB and Academy programs at Marshall. Visit the school website. McLean High School – Information on high school orientation and other programs will be posted on the Longfellow website. Visit the school website or the PTSA website. MODS–The modular classrooms located outside the gym entrance. Music Programs – Longfellow has excellent music instruction, including an award-winning band program. Parents who would like to help with the music department fundraiser, or uniform ordering/delivery should contact their child’s band, orchestra or chorus teacher. The PTA has a band link on the website for the handbook, schedule and other information. If a parent would like to help organize orchestra and chorus information, these also can be posted on the website—contact the webmaster. National Junior Honor Society - Promotes recognition for students who exhibit outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, service and citizenship. 7th graders with a 3.5 cumulative GPA by the end of the third quarter are invited to apply for membership. While in 8th grade, students complete individual community service (in addition to the community service required of all 8th graders to pass Civics class) while maintaining a 3.5 GPA. Newsletter – the PTA newsletter is now fully electronic via this website. This allows for continuous updating. Please check the website frequently for important information. Old Firehouse Teen Center at Longfellow – After school program, 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm at Longfellow. Parents are responsible for picking up their student in the evening. Contact C. J. Aldrich for additional information. Orientation – Orientation for incoming 7th grade students and 8th graders new to the school is the Friday before school starts—kids go through their regular class schedule (the classes are brief). Buses are available from your base elementary school, students are strongly encouraged to take the bus. Orientation is for students only (no parents). Look for a mailing in late summer with this information. Parking – There is no easy way around this – parking at Longfellow is extremely limited, and may get worse during the renovation at the school. For major school events such as Back-to-School Night, please plan to carpool with neighbors and friends. It is best to let your child walk or take the bus to and from school – traffic going into Longfellow at the end of the school day backs up onto Westmoreland Street and the nearby intersection with Kirby Road. P.E. Uniforms – Students must wear Longfellow PE uniforms. Order forms will be provided at the beginning of the year. Pre-Arranged Absence – Parents should send requests for pre-arranged absences to the Longfellow principal. Make-up work should be arranged directly with the teachers. Prohibited Items – It is prohibited to bring radios, tape recorders, iPods, lighters, disc players, cameras, skateboards, shoes with wheels, musical instruments (other than band and orchestra instruments), beepers, or any dangerous, illegal or disturbing articles to school. Students seen using these items will have the item taken away, and released only to the parent/guardian. Disciplinary action may ensue. Cell phones brought to school must be locked in lockers during the school day. PTA – This is your Parent Teacher Association at Longfellow. Meetings are generally held the second Wednesday of the month, at 7:30 pm in the Library. Use this website for updates on activities and a list of meeting dates. Report Cards – Interim progress reports are mailed halfway through the quarter; report cards are mailed at the end of the quarter. In addition, teachers will periodically e-mail progress reports to parents. Renovation – Longfellow was built in 1960 and had a minor renovation in 1978. The school is slated for a major renovation starting in spring/summer 2009 and lasting 24 months. Stay tuned for updates from the Administration. SCA – Is the student council association or student government, comprised of elected Longfellow student representatives. The SCA is involved in planning school spirit activities, community service and social activities such as after school dances. The PTA has a parent liaison to assist in these efforts SCC – The Safe Community Coalition is a community organization for the McLean and Langley school pyramids and sponsors evening parenting programs and student programs such as the Middle School Forum and the Teen Summit. For more information, visit www.safecommunitycoalition.net. Membership is free and you can sign up to be on the mailing list. School Board Member – Jane K. Strauss is the FCPS School Board member for the Dranesville District. Part of our community from Timberlane Elementary School is represented by Phillip A. Niedzielski-Eichner. Security Resource Officer (SRO) – A Fairfax County police officer is assigned to Longfellow and is frequently at the school. All middle schools and high schools in FCPS have an SRO assigned to the school. SLEEP - (Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal) is an organization started in 2004 by concerned parents to lobby for later start times for high school and middle school students. For more information, go to www.sleepinfairfax.org SOL – These are the state-mandated tests (Standards of Learning) given in the spring. Parents will receive a notice in the mail about the dates of tests. Please make every effort to avoid doctors’ appointments or other absences during this time. Students Rights and Responsibilities – This booklet comes home with your student and includes important information on students’ rights and school rules. Tardy Policy –Time between classes is five minutes, with a “no tolerance” policy on tardiness to class. The third tardy to class results in after-school detention. Teams – Your student is on a team for his/her three core classes (English, Science and History/Civics). Each team has a lead teacher and counselor. More information on Teams can be found on the PTA website. Textbooks – There is no rental fee for textbooks, but students are financially responsible for lost or damaged books. The PTA has traditionally paid for a set of textbooks for each classroom so students can leave their textbooks at home. TJ – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The “High School Options Night” program sponsored by the PTA includes information on TJ and other high school options available to Longfellow students. For news and information watch the PTA web site, and visit the TJ school website or TJ PTSA website. Transportation Office – The phone number for transportation issues is 703-249-7100 (hours are 5:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday). Please note this is the main FCPS Office for Transportation Services and is not specific to Longfellow. After hours, please call School Security at 703-764-2400. Visitors – Visitors to the building must sign in at the front office and wear a visitor’s badge while in the building. Volunteer – Volunteers are always needed and welcomed at Longfellow! A volunteer sign-up form can be found in your first day packet. To find out about more volunteer opportunities, please contact the PTA Volunteer Coordinator, Shanti De Jongh. Who’s Who (Who to call for what?) –
Yearbook – Orders can be placed on-line at www.yearbooksonsale.com. Students can participate in yearbook production as an after-school club. ZZZZZ – SLEEP (Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal) is an organization started in 2004 by concerned parents to lobby for later start times for high school and middle school students. See SLEEP above. Many thanks to Susan Perla, PTA board member, for developing this guide. Updated 6/13/07 |
