Academic:
Reading: Jewel Bent; Isla Catlin; Lydia Hodges; Alexis Elliott; Ke’ala Erece; Dafne Castro;
Writing: Audrey Mullins; Morgan Brown;
Math: Ayden Daggy;
Citizenship:
Respect:
Responsible: Lane Pfeifer; Jannet Cabrera; Skyler Esponde;
Cooperate: Wyatt Shepher; Kash Kilde; Snijider Saucedo; Joshua Broderius; Cohen Saavedra; Chloe Cadwell; Tristin Olin;
Kindness: Joey DeRidder; Kamille Gillette; Erandi Murillo; Carlos Lopez; Kayley Sage; Khylan Barr;
Thank you to all the families who joined us for ELL Family Night!! It was an outstanding night, big thank you to our amazing ELL teachers Mrs. Williamson and Mrs. Johnson for all the work they do with all the students.
Academic:
Reading: Aiden Thomas; Sophia Harris;
Math: Steven DeRidder; Liliana Martinez;
Writing: Greyson Fisher; Madison Peters; Gracelyn Dykstra;
Citizenship:
Respectful: Sonja Cochran; Jackie Chen;
Responsible: Christopher Gomez; Victoria Peters;
Kindness: William Sanchez Colores; Daniel Castro Celis; Maryn Smith; Keli Jackson; Landon Rivenes; Andrea Ramirez-Chavez; Dominic Monroy;
“Above and beyond” staff members for Employees of the Month for February are teacher Hanna Burleson and custodian Danny Edgecomb. Employees of the month exhibit positivity, “above and beyond” attitudes and/or have recently completed a task of significance for their building.
Hanna is currently in her fourth year of her LPS career at R.A. Long where she teaches science. She is known to be genuine and compassionate; she takes the time to get to know her students. Her nominator noted that after instructing her students, Hanna observed one struggling with the concepts. She then assisted them individually to ensure student success—this type of effort is what makes Hanna such an outstanding educator.
Danny started his LPS career in 2003 as substitute and transitioned into a permanent custodian position in 2006. Since he first started, he consistently goes beyond his job duties. He takes pride in a job well done. An Olympic team member notes that Danny keeps the floors looking pristine and the windows clean and shiny. If a teacher requests something, he assists immediately and always with a smile. Danny also anticipates the needs of teachers and seeks them out to ask if they are in need of anything.
Academic:
Math: Maria Vazquez; Dimitri Gerritson-Riley; Leighton Hartshorn;
Reading: Josh Rogers; Paige Rogers; Ariana Almanza;
Citizenship:
Respect: Matthew Clarke;
Responsible: Venus Arellano-Cozart; Sarah Greenly;
Cooperate: Nick Rogers; Karlie Lender-Aberle;
Kindness: Alexander Fallis; Ava Luther; Maria Avalos Meza; Joey DeRidder; Alex Peltchie;
Academic:
Reading: Riley Goerke; Joseph Cabrera-Leon; Felipe Murillo Anguiano; Bradley Darnell;
Math: Brendan Farrar; Skii Denison; Fayeth Entler; Morgan Landers; Jasiah Chavez; Gracie Sterner;
Writing: Viviana Tovar-Carino; Adalie Shaw;
Citizenship:
Respect: Reanne Castro-Gongora; Jazmine Losolla;
Responsible: Jeremy Flores-Salinas; Shyla Brannan; Andrew Ramirez-Cifuentes; Alicia Richardson; Jian Li;
Kindness: Karson Crigger; Maiya Kinney; Madison Taylor’forest; Amyra Vollmert; Skyler Esponde;
Strive for Excellence: Samantha Montgomery; Ting Huang
Some pictures of our students participating in our Drop Everything and Read day, being part of our literacy week!!
“Kindergartners learn a lot through play,” said Robert Gray teacher Jodi Hanson, who has been teaching kindergarten for the past 20 years. “They don’t even know they’re learning it.”
Today’s kindergarten classes include forays into reading, writing, counting to 100, counting by 10s, early addition and the beginnings of subtraction.
In Hanson’s class, students set personal goals each day and work in small groups to accomplish them. A goal can be anything from practicing listening skills to writing their names to exploring mathematics. Whatever it is, Hanson makes sure students enjoy the process.
“Kindergarten is the foundation for the rest, and it’s so important to build that love of learning,” she said.
In Longview, helping students achieve literacy early is the top academic priority, and kindergarten teachers are on the front line of that effort.
“I love when they learn to read, when they first realize they can read on their own,” said Tiffany Mejia, who is in her sixth year of teaching kindergarten at Columbia Valley Gardens. “The sparkle in their eyes—that’s my favorite.”
At Northlake Elementary, Alynn Huhta’s students’ favorite lessons include celebrating holidays and working with the animals they receive in science kits—goldfish, guppies, snails and worms.
Each morning, Huhta’s class begins with a routine of greetings, songs and dances. In her third year teaching kindergarten, she says her favorite thing is “the joy and excitement the kids have about school and learning, because it’s a brand-new thing. They learn so much and are excited about everything.”
Sometimes, though, kindergartners need an explanation of what it means to learn.
Mejia recalled the end of one school year, when she told her class to keep practicing their reading over the summer. One of her students replied, “I can’t actually do that. I’m going to Texas.”
Laughing, Mejia said, “I told her, ‘No, actually you’ve learned this skill. You will keep that forever.’”
That’s what kindergarten is all about: helping our students build the skills they will use in whatever future they find—skills they will keep forever.
Register your student for kindergarten today! Early registration gives you first chance at the classroom spots in your neighborhood school. In addition, the March into Kindergarten event on April 12 provides assistance in registration; helpful information on readiness for school; and a chance to meet teachers, the principal, and new friends. March into Kindergarten will be held at all neighborhood schools from 5-6:30 p.m.
Did you hear about all the juggling, tumbling, double dutch and uni cycling that happened at school yesterday? Well its true!! The Extreme Team from Beacon Hill came to our school Wednesday afternoon. Thank you Extreme Team for an amazing performance!!
Local third, fourth, and fifth graders are invited to the R.A. Long Science Olympiad Club’s fifth annual Elementary Science Day Camp on Saturday, March 24, 8am-2pm.
Students will explore a variety of scientific concepts including physics, chemistry, biology, and more. High school students will run experiments and offer hands-on lab activities and demonstrations. This year’s focus is on Forensics with a “whodunnit” mystery. Students will learn to finger print and identify hair samples. Other science hands-on activities include stations for dinosaur digs, chemical reactions, circuits, lasers, rockets, Scratch coding, leaf identification, DNA models and more.
Please complete the registration form and return to R.A. Long High School ASB office during school hours. The cost for the event is $49, with proceeds benefiting the Science Olympiad Club. Students are to bring their own lunch; only light snacks will be provided for the day.
Find out more by visiting @RALScienceOlympiadElementaryDayCamp on Facebook or contacting Hanna Burleson or Gali Gonzalez, R.A. Long science teachers.