LL News: 8.14.24 Summer Welcome Message
Dear Long Lake Elementary Families,
It’s an honor and great pleasure to welcome you to the 2024-25 school year! I hope that your family has had a good mix of fun and relaxation these last few weeks. This year, our school theme is Panther Pride! We will be digging deep into what it means to be a Panther and work to celebrate successes of our students as they demonstrate our Lifelong Guidelines. I would also like to welcome all our new families to our school community! We’re excited to share with you all that Long Lake has to offer! We believe that you will soon feel as we do, that Long Lake Elementary is a special place to be!
This time of the year is so exciting and full of new possibilities! August is a time where teachers and staff attend trainings, plan lessons, and prepare classrooms for students. It’s clear in my interactions with staff that they are eager to welcome their new students and begin this year’s journey with them. As in past years, I plan to share our Long Lake News with families weekly on Sunday evenings. This will come in the form of a quick phone message and an email with updates for the week. You can also access the weekly message on our school website https://www.tcaps.net/schools/elementary-schools/longlake/ These messages will begin the first week of school. In the meantime, below you can find information about our welcome back events and preparing for the first day. We hope that you are able to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
OPEN HOUSE: We are excited to kick off the school year with our annual Open House and Meet the Teacher event on Thursday, August 29th! Preschool and Kindergarten families will gather between 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Preschool will meet at their side entrance door). 1st through 5th grade families are welcome between 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Jr. Kindergarten will have individual time slots during the day on Aug. 29th and GSRP will host a separate Open House/Meet the Teacher event closer to their start date. During Open House, families will be able to meet teachers, tour the building, visit with our fabulous PTO group, and pick up an envelope of goodies ahead of the first day of school. Each teacher will have a table outside to connect with students and families. We hope you can join us!
CLASS LISTS: Families will receive teacher and class information via email on August 29th by 1:00 PM ahead of Open House. Please make sure that we have an accurate email address for your family in our Powerschool system. You can update that information by calling 231-933-7800.
SUPPLY LISTS: Each of our teaching teams created a list of school supplies to support your child’s learning this year. You can find the supply lists here. Thanks in advance for your generosity!
LUNCH APPLICATION: We have heard that breakfast and lunch will be free to all students again this school year thanks to funding from the state of Michigan! However, we also ask all families to submit a free and reduced meal application because this helps us receive grant funding to hire additional tutors, aides, and intervention resources for our school. The quickest and easiest way to submit an application is on the TCAPS website. To complete it online, click here: http://traversecity.familyportal.cloud/ Again, we kindly ask that ALL families fill out the form. Even if you are not eligible for free or reduced meals, that information helps us secure grants and other staffing for our school. You can also pick up a paper form from our school front office and turn it in before the start of the school year.
SCHOOL DAY: This year, our school day starts at 9:05 AM and ends at 4:02 PM. Students can arrive as early as 8:50 AM each morning. We do not have supervision for students before 8:50 AM, so if you are needing to drop off before this time, please inquire about our Extended Day program. When students arrive, they can go directly to the classroom or stop in the cafeteria for breakfast. This document with dates for early release and half days might be helpful for families to bookmark. We will have copies of this in the Open House envelopes for each student.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: The first day of school can bring a lot of emotions: excitement and nervousness! If this is your oldest child embarking on school, that makes it even more of a big deal! Please know that we take great pride in caring for our students! Additionally, safety is of the utmost importance to us! Given this, unfortunately we’re not able to have parents in the wing hallways during drop off and pick up (even on the first day of school). We ask that parents drop students off at the front door before 9:05 AM. As you can imagine, the first day can bring a level of nervousness for all students and having more people in the hallways makes it more difficult for students to find their classrooms. We will have MANY extra staff members on hand to help students find their classrooms on the first week of school. Thank you for your understanding and support!
TRANSPORTATION 2024.25: Bus Transportation is not automatic for students. If you are in need of transportation for your child this year and have not already requested a bus through the parent portal, please call our school office ay 933-7801.
BACK TO SCHOOL TEACHER WORK DAYS: Please consider donating a food item for our fabulous teachers during the week of August 26th. Our wonderful PTO is coordinating efforts to nourish our teachers during their meeting days. The link to donate an item can be found here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F44ACAC29A0FBCF8-welcome Items can be dropped off at the front office between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
POPCORN SPONSORS: Please consider being a popcorn sponsor this year for popcorn Fridays. School-wide popcorn Fridays starting in September. As a $100 donor, your business logo will be posted in the front window of the principal's office, viewable to all who enter the school or use the car line. If you are interested, please complete the form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd2i-jkNTkybfAD6LWn6Fixc6bktFMOM0uHWxOzl1oZ_L_OHg/viewform?usp=sharing Deadline is September 30th.
PTO BOARD TREASURER OPENING: The PTO Board will have a board opening for the Treasurer position for the next school year! If you would like to get involved with the PTO and have a desire to be part of a great volunteer group, please email your interest and any questions to longlakepto1@gmail.com. All candidates will be considered and will be voted on at a future PTO meeting.
Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP): If you have a child who will turn four years old before September 1st, please check out information below on a free preschool option! Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is a FREE state-funded preschool program for eligible children who turn four years of age on or before September 1st. For more information, please call Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency at 231.346.2116 or 800.632.7334 or complete 0-5 Child Development Pre-Application Form
We look forward to welcoming students back soon!
Warm regards,
Kate Burwinkel
Principal
Long Lake Elementary
Upcoming Dates:
August 22- Signing Day for Kindergarten Students
August 29- Class Lists will be emailed to families
August 29- Open House: PreK-Kinder 4:00-5:00 PM 1st-5th Grades 5:00-6:00 PM
September 2- Labor Day No School
September 3- First Day of School
September 12- PTO Meeting in the Library at 6:30 PM
September 6- Half Day of School Long Lake dismisses at 12:12 PM
October 3- Early Release Day Long Lake dismisses at 2:02 PM
Stay Connected:
WEBSITE: http://www.tcaps.net/schools/elementary-schools/longlake/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LongLakeElementarySchoolTCAPS
PTO FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Long-Lake-Elementary-PTO-305155839569856/
School Phone Number: 231-933-7800
Long Lake Principal: Kate Burwinkel burwinkeka@tcaps.net
Long Lake Administrative Assistant: Sandy Griffin griffinsa@tcaps.net
Long Lake Administrative Assistant: Dawn Blamer-Aspenleiter blamerda@tcaps.net
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LONG LAKE SPRING BOOKFAIR NEXT WEEK: April 29th-May 2nd! Thank you for choosing to support Long Lake. You can shop online or in person during the bookfair hours. When you check out, 25% of your purchase total will be credited to Long Lake for use in expanding our library collections! https://www.brilliant-books.net/thank-you-supporting-long-lake-elementary
Parents can shop any time during these hours!
Tuesday, 4/29 from 8:40am-4:45pm
Wednesday, 4/30 from 8:40am-4:45pm
Thursday, 5/1 from 8:40am-4:45pm
Friday, 5/2 from 8:40am-9:05am
SPIRIT WEEK: We’re excited to celebrate a Spirit Week at Long Lake this week! ! This is in connection with a Mix it Up Lunch Day on Wednesday where students get to mix up where they sit in the cafeteria and meet new friends!
HALF DAY FOR STUDENTS THIS FRIDAY: This coming Friday, April 18th is a half day for students. Long Lake students dismiss at 12:12 p.m.
SPRING PICTURE DAY: Spring picture day is Friday, April 18th. Only students with pre-paid online orders or payment in hand will have their pictures taken. Online orders MUST be placed by 10:00 a.m. on picture day (the online site will close after that time). If you would like your student's picture taken, please place an online order on or before April 18th at 10:00 a.m. The website for placing orders is mylifetouch.com and the Picture Day ID is EVT3NNMGW.
SCHOOL YEARBOOKS: Yearbooks are available to purchase online and the deadline to order is April 21, 2025. To order, visit the following website: www.ybpay.com ID Code: 15170525. The cost is $12 per yearbook. We do have funds available to help families in need. If your family would benefit from a scholarship for a yearbook, please complete this form or contact the school office.
EARLY RELEASE THIS WEEK: This Wednesday, April 9th is an early release day for students Long Lake dismisses at 2:02 p.m. Dismissal and Bus Drop Off Times
PTO BOARD MEETING: Please join us for our monthly PTO board meeting this coming Thursday, April 10th at 6:30 p.m. in the library.
SPRING PICTURE DAY: Spring picture day is Friday, April 18th.
Our TCAPS community mourns the loss of School Board Trustee Holly T. Bird who passed away April 2. Trustee Bird began her role with the Board of Education on January 1, 2023, and served on the curriculum, finance, and sustainability committees during her tenure.