LL News: 3.10.24 Dr. VanWagoner at PTO, Crooked Tree Art Exhibit, & Reading Month
PTO Meeting This Thursday at 6:30 PM with Dr. VanWagoner: Please join me at the next Long Lake Elementary PTO meeting this Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 6:30 PM in the library to hear a presentation from TCAPS Superintendent, Dr. VanWagoner, about the upcoming bond proposal and future plans for our school building. The bond proposal will be on the August 6 Primary Election ballot. You can also join virtually at https://meet.google.com/rkk-xipj-zss
Crooked Tree Art Exhibit: Long Lake Students exhibited in the Crooked Tree Annual Youth Art exhibit. The exhibit will run from March 15-April 15. Congrats to our exhibiting students:
JK Stremlow: Evelyn Hall
K Westfall Freddie Opperman
K McCall: Peyton Kamm
K DeLonge: Sloan Wood
1st Key: Violet Spinniken
1st Dzierwa: Hazel Agley
1/2 Agley: Eli Yancich
2 Foote: Declan Edgren
2 Brown: Max Rabish
3 Jayne: Caitlin Patterson
3 Morrice: Brinley Rosa
4 Hibbard: Payton Schneider
4 Schoperiay: Jackson Gourley
5 Peterson: Sylvia Bowser
5 Vincent: Avery Simpson
Upcoming Assembly- Thanks to PTO, we have the great opportunity to host JHobbs Music for an assembly on April 5th! Jeremy Hobbs is a local musician who has written songs about perseverance, hard work, and having a positive outlook. You can check out one his songs here. Also you can check out a video of him here.
School Yearbooks: Yearbooks are available to purchase online and many families have already purchased them. The process to order is simple! When you visit the following website: www.ybpay.com. You will need the Long Lake yearbook ID Code which is 15170524. 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 to let us know.
Save the Date Whole School Field Trip- May 30th: We are excited to partner with the Boardman River Nature Center again this year to participate in our All School Field Trip on May 30th. They are organizing and planning specific field lessons to match each grade level content standards. We will be looking for parent chaperones for the date. Please keep an eye out for a permission slip and more information coming home after spring break.
Pit Spitters Reading Program:
Long Lake is participating in the Pit Spitters reading program again this year! The challenge is to read for at least 15 minutes a day for 30 days. You can learn more here.
STUDENT RUN CREDIT UNION: This year Long Lake Elementary is participating in a TBA Student-Run Credit Union! The deposit days are March 13, April 10, and May 8th starting at 9:05 AM. Our Money Magic Club is an excellent opportunity for student to create a savings account and start saving money at a young age! To sign your student up for a Money Magic savings account, please pick up an application from the main office or scan the QR code below. Once your student has an account, they can come to the art room to make deposits on our deposit dates. For more information on the Money Magic Club, please visit https://www.tbacu.com/personal-2/youth-student-accounts/.
PTO INFORMATION
PRINCESS DANCE: Thank you to all those who joined us for the Princess Dance yesterday! It was a magical time! We couldn’t have done it without our volunteers and donations.
SAVE THE DATE: FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT APRIL 19TH: Join us for a family movie night on Friday, April 19th at 6:30 p.m. This is a free event for families. Bring your blankets and water bottles. PTO will provide free popcorn!
POPCORN POPPERS NEEDED THIS THURSDAY MARCH 14th: Bring your friends and meet some new people for a fun evening with some new friends. See the sign-up in the attached link. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F44ACAC29A0FBCF8-popcorn1
PTO MEETING: Our next PTO board meeting is this Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. Please join us in the library for the discussion or join virtually https://meet.google.com/rkk-xipj-zss.
DISTRICT INFORMATION
TCAPS Student Health Center is now open! Through a partnership with Northwest Michigan Health Services Inc., convenient and affordable primary care and behavioral health services are available to all TCAPS students ages 3-21. The TCAPS Student Health Center is open year-round. Health insurance or not, everyone is welcome. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 231.642.5291 or request an appointment electronically. They are open Monday- Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM.
Superintendent Monthly Office Hours Dr. John VanWagoner's monthly open office hours for community members will be held in person on Tuesday, March 12 at 5:00 pm at Horizon Books, 243 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684. The meeting will be located on the mezzanine level (second floor) of the bookstore.
TCAPS Board of Education Monthly Office Hours The Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) Board of Education will host its next monthly “office hours” in person on Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Horizon Books, 243 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684. The meeting will be located on the mezzanine level (second floor) of the bookstore. TCAPS Board office hours provide community members with the opportunity to talk to a school board trustee. This month, Trustee Humphreys is scheduled to attend.
Warm Regards,
Kate Burwinkel
Upcoming Dates:
March 22-31 - Spring Break
April 1- First Day Back to School after Spring Break
April 4- Early Release Day Dismissal at 2:01 PM Dismissal and Bus Drop Off Times
April 11- PTO Meeting 6:30 PM @LL Library (or join virtually https://meet.google.com/rkk-xipj-zss)
April 30, May 1, May 2- Music Informances for Kindergarten and 1st Grades
May 2- Early Release Day Dismissal at 2:01 PM Dismissal and Bus Drop Off Times
May 27- No School Memorial Day
May 30- All School Field Trip to
May 30- PTO Meeting 6:30 PM @LL Library (or join virtually https://meet.google.com/rkk-xipj-zss)
June 7- Last Day of School/ Half Day for Students Long Lake Dismisses at 12:12 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/
SNOW DAY NOTIFICATION: If you don’t receive text notifications for Snow Days and would like to, text the word “Yes” to 87569. The cell phone number must be on file as the primary number with the school.
Related News Articles
Good evening Long Lake Families,
This is Kate Burwinkel with the news for this week.
Our 2024-25 school year is nearly complete and it seems to have just flown by. As I reflect upon this year, I am grateful to so many people. To raise our children, it takes a village and the collaboration of every adult who interactions with them. I am honored to have been a part of Long Lake’s journey this year and I am thrilled to start 2025-26 year together.
As we part for summer, I want to share some exciting planning that is going on at Long Lake! NEW HOUSE SYSTEM AT LONG LAKE NEXT YEAR: Our school theme next year will be incorporating a House System. You might know about this if you've read any of the Harry Potter books. The House System is also used at a famous school called the Ron Clark Academy. Some of our 4th grade leaders created a video introducing this launch next year! Check it out here: Long Lake HOUSE Introduction Video
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: Wednesday, June 11th
Thanks for your interest in learning more about Long Lake Elementary!
SUMMER ENROLLMENT & SCHOOL SUMMER HOURS
TCAPS Elementary school offices will be closed from June 16th-August 15th and emails/messages will be responded to once staff return on August 18th. During summer dates, if you have questions, or are interested in enrolling in our school, a district registration office will be open. The contact for this office is: 231-933-1761. You can find more information here: https://www.tcaps.net/enroll/
LONG LAKE ELEMENTARY JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN/KINDERGARTEN WELCOME & SIGNING DAYAugust 21, 2025 - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
All kindergarten and junior kindergarten students/parents should plan to attend on August 21st. The sign up can be found here. Students will have the opportunity to get to know our kindergarten teachers, see the kindergarten classrooms, tour the building and receive a welcome to kindergarten gift. We will also get to know your child a little more by conducting a 15 minute screener to support his/her needs for the start of the year. The screener helps us balance our classes and know where to start with learning on the first day. The total visit will be about 30 minutes.
LONG LAKE ELEMENTARY OPEN HOUSE/MEET THE TEACHER
August 26th, 2025
Prek & Kindergarten 4:00 PM to 5:00 p.m.
1st through 5th 5:00 PM to 6:00 p.m.
This is a welcome back to school celebration for our entire school community! Students will be able to meet their teacher, tour the building, and connect with other families. We’ll have free giveaways and much more!
LONG LAKE 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!
LONG LAKE TEACHERS AND CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
Each Long Lake Elementary family will receive an email by 1:00 p.m. on August 26th with teacher and class information.
We are getting excited for the start of the 2025-26 year! Thank you again for your interest in our school!
SPRING HAPPY FEET THIS WEEK! The last week of Happy Feet is this week! Join us as we celebrate a strong finish: Volunteer Sign Up
LONG LAKE FAMILY PICNIC MAY 29TH: Thank you to all the families who joined us for our Family Picnic! It turned out to be the perfect weather and great community!
NEW HOUSE SYSTEM AT LONG LAKE NEXT YEAR: Our school theme next year will be incorporating a House System. You might know about this if you've read any of the Harry Potter books. The House System is also used at a famous school called the Ron Clark Academy. Some of our 4th grade leaders created a video introducing this launch next year! Check it out here: Long Lake HOUSE Introduction Video
SAVE THE DATE 2025-26 OPEN HOUSE/MEET THE TEACHER: Please save the date for Open House & Meet the Teacher for next school year on Tuesday, August 26th. Incoming Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten Students will also have a Signing Day to meet teachers and visit campus on August 21st. Please save the date to join us for those events!