Longwood School
Welcome longWood lions to another school year!
I am so excited to welcome our families back for the 2025-2026 school year. For those families that are new to Longwood Elementary, I wish you a very warm welcome. I hope that you all have had a fun and relaxing summer.
As we begin the new year, one of our main priorities will be to ensure our students feel safe, happy, and cared for in school. We remain committed to providing a safe environment while creating a successful learning experience. Throughout the year I will keep you updated with our monthly newsletters and our weekly Lion News updates posted to Longwood’s School Dojo.
We are grateful to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated team to support our students and mission and look forward to our continued partnership with you to make the school year enjoyable and productive. We are committed to providing the same level of connectivity and care, along with the academic rigor that is necessary for our students to achieve at high levels this school year.
We are truly looking forward to continuing or beginning the Longwood journey with you and your child. We appreciate the opportunity to serve the families of our district and hope to continue the strong partnership between home and school. We have great aspirations for a wonderful school year, and I am confident that our Longwood spirit and positive energy, teamwork, and dedication to excellence for our Longwood Lions will guide us through another successful school year.
And as always, please reach out to your child’s teachers for any questions or concerns. You may also contact me with questions and concerns as well. I can be reached at the school number (708) 757-2100, or by email cmayze@ brookwood167.org
Thank you for your parTnership!
Sincerely,
Carnisha Mayze, Principal
August Newsletter
Attendance/ Absences/Tardies
To ensure that our students excel academically, they must attend school daily and be on time.
When students are tardy, they miss valuable instruction, primarily in reading and language arts.
Attendance will be tied to our school’s PBIS expectations, allowing students to earn rewards and participate in fun activities.
When your child must be absent or picked up early, please inform the front office.
School Office: (708) 757-2100
Reporting An Absence
To report absences, please call the attendance line at (708) 756-2872.
Please call the school before 8:30 a.m. to report your child’s absence.
Please leave the following information:
• Students full name with spelling of the last name;
• Reason for absence/tardy/early release;
• Your name and relationship to the student;
• Please call the main number (708) 756-2872 at least 45 minutes before early dismissal.
For your student to be EXCUSED, you must sign them in and out in the main office; otherwise, their absence will be marked as unexcused.
Official attendance will be reported every morning at 9:00 a.m. If your child joins a teacher’s classroom late, they will be marked tardy in PowerSchool, and you will be notified through the Principal’s Classdojo.
school hours
8:30 a.m. unTil 3:10 p.m.
sTudenTs should noT arrive earlier Than 8:00 a.m.
student safety/drop-off & pick-up procedures
Students should arrive at school no earlier than 8:10 a.m. and be picked up after school no later than 3:15 p.m. If a student is being dropped off or picked up, the driver must adhere to the Longwood arrival and dismissal procedures that the Principal will communicate.
Drivers must NEVER go the wrong way, as this is unsafe for students and staff. Please do not enter the parking lot during dismissal.
Thank you for being so cooperaTive!
communication & information
Our teachers do an excellent job of communicating with families.
here is where you can stay informed Proactively:
• School and District Website - www.brookwood167.org
• ClassDojo—It is essential that you sign up for the Principal’s ClassDojo. If you have not already joined, an invitation will be sent to you during the first week of school. You will need either your phone number or email address to join.
• A phone call or an email is an efficient way to communicate with your child’s teacher. Please remember that our teachers are with students throughout the day and will return the call/email as soon as possible. At times, this may be the next school day.
If In Doubt, Please Keep Them Home And Try Again Another Day!
There are some hard and fast rules that all parents should stick to when it comes to illness and keeping your kids home. If your child has any of the following symptoms, it’s time to let the school know they won’t be at their desk:
Stay or Go? When to Keep Your Child Home From School... symptoms
• Fever (many schools require children to be fever free for 24 hours without medication before going back to school)!
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• A rough night (for example, if your child was up all night coughing or having trouble breathing)
• Listlessness, lethargy
• No appetite
• Pink eye
• Fever of 100.4 or higher
• New onset of moderate to severe headache
• Shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat
• Nausea Vomiting, diarrhea
• Abdominal pain from unknown cause
• New congestion/ runny nose
• New loss of sense of taste or smell
• Fatigue from unknown cause
• Muscle or body aches
If you answer “YES” to any of the above, your child MUST stay home!
Please call the school to report your child’s absence (708) 756-2872
poWerschool
Longwood teachers in Grades 2-4 use an online grading system called PowerSchool that they update weekly. We encourage you to check your child’s progress regularly. This program is completely confidential; therefore, you will need an access username and password to see your child’s progress. If you need your username and/or password, please contact the school office at (708) 757-2100.
There is a PowerSchool app available for your cellular phone that makes it easy for parents to stay updated on their child’s progress. We are asking that families download this app to have up to date information regarding their child’s progress
technology help line
If your child is having any Technology problems connecting to their teacher’s Google Classroom, please contact our “Help Desk” at (708) 300-3553 or email our help desk:
helpdesk@brookwood167.org
Please leave a detailed message with your name, your child’s name, phone number and the issue you are having with the device.
paper tutoring parent resources
As a parent or guardian, you know that learning shouldn’t stop when students step outside the classroom!
With Paper™, students get access to “FREE”, unlimited, and 24/7 academic support from fully vetted tutors. All Paper tutors are experts in their own academic areas, and students can get support in over 200 subjects in four (4) languages.
As a reminder, Paper Tutoring is a resource that can be used at home to help students with their assignments.
school supplies
Once again, our Superintendent and Board of Education has decided to provide our students with a set of school supplies to use at school and a set to use at home!
Your child will be bringing home a school supply kit. Please let us know if your child has not come home with a home kit.
If your child needs any additional resources or supplies for any of their classes, please contact our school office at (708) 757-2100, so we can help provide them with all necessary and needed materials.
mtss coordinator
ms. ross
welcome to the new school year!
My name is Chanae Ross and I am honored to serve as the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) Coordinator for Longwood Elementary School.
This will be my fourth year in this position. I look forward to collaborating with the District staff and families in support of our students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional growth.
I am confident that through these interactions, positive relationships will continue to flourish. I am excited about the new school year, and I cannot wait to see everyone on the first day of school!
Again, Welcome back!
Chanae Ross | cross@brookwood167.org
Breakfast/lunch
We will be sending home the breakfast and lunch menu for the month of September. We will send home a menu each month so that you will know ahead of time what is being served and plan accordingly.
Breakfast: Breakfast is served each morning from 8:10 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria.
Lunch: Hot lunch is “FREE” for all students. This includes entrée, fruit, milk, and dessert. If you pack a lunch for your child, please keep a healthy choice of foods.
parenTs will noT be allowed To bring Their child fasT food!
Contact Janice Machnikowski, Food Services Manager, at (708) 758-5190 if there are any questions.
classdojo / a free communication tool for schools & parents
Please Join our classdoJo & stay informed!
Healthy communication between the school and home is essential; we are working to provide numerous ways for this vital communication.
To help suppress paper usage, we will continue providing information as much as possible using digital communication.
we encourage you to do the following to helP us communicate with you:
• Please ensure we have an accurate email address. If you are not receiving Dojo messages from us, it probably means we have incorrect information on our end.
• Please sign up for the digital tools that Brookwood School District and the school have provided.
• these include:
• Class Dojo
• Power School Parent Portal
Teachers provide feedback to students for any skill, like “Working hard” and “Being curious.”
From the mobile app, parents can view their child’s feedback and can message directly with teachers and school leaders.
Please join my ClassDojo so you can stay informed of what is happening at LONGWOOD SCHOOL.
If you would like to join, please accept the invitation that we emailed to you or texted you, or contact the school at (708) 757-2100, email, cmayze@brookwood167.org
All you will need to provide is your cell phone number or email address.
geT involved and sTay informed!
pBis starts noW!
Positive Behavior intervention & suPPorts
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (P.B.I.S.) will again be at the core of our climate and culture.
we have three (3) goals:
• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
With our goals front and center in our minds every day, we plan to enjoy a positive environment in every area of our school.
challenging thoughts to consider:
• How can our three (3) Behavior Goals make a difference in our students’ behavior outside of school?
• If our families begin the conversation now, will our Lions return to school ready to thrive with positive behavior?
Let’s help our students remember to be Safe, Respectful, and Responsible in all walks of life, especially while at school. Start the conversation now and keep it going all year long. We will certainly do the same here at Longwood School.
Champions is a Before & After-School Care Program available to our Brookwood families. Please get in touch with Champions as soon as you can to secure your spot.
Space is limited!
Champions Family Support
Phone: (800) 246-2154
ChampionsHelp@kc-education.com
precious instructional minutes
8:30 a.m. - 3:10 P.m.
It is crucially important that we maximize instructional time for all students. Instruction begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. on normal dismissal days.
To be clear, in order for teachers to begin active instruction at 8:30 a.m., all students must be seated and ready to receive instruction at 8:30 a.m. Our doors open at 8:00 a.m. for students to enter the building, receive optional breakfast (free To all sTudenTs) and prepare for the day.
When our students arrive prior to the start of instruction, our learning environment begins with a calm focus. Students who enter the classroom after the start of instruction are generally in a hurried rush, slightly discombobulated, and they suffer lost learning opportunities. Thus, it is crucially important that all students enter the building in a timely manner and are ready to receive instruction by 8:30 a.m.
On the other end of the school day is the opportunity to maximize learning by continuing instruction through 3:10 p.m. This will mean students will NOT walk out of the building promptly at 3:10 p.m.
On the contrary, students will need a few minutes to gather their belongings and safely exit the building. As our student body consists of the youngest students in our District, it is important to be mindful of the need to be patient as they learn to be both responsible for their belongings and safe during the dismissal process. We promise we won’t tarry unnecessarily! So, please be patient as our dismissal procedures will not begin until 3:10 p.m.
every minuTe of The insTrucTional day is valuable!
While we are understanding extenuating circumstances, we highly discourage habitual late arrivals and early dismissals. We are here to educate our Lions. We appreciate all efforts given by our families to help us protect the precious, few instructional minutes we have with our students.
health tip...
One precaution to help stop the spread of germs is to not share personal items. Some of these include water bottles, lip balms, hats, hairbrushes, and EarPods.
These items should only be used by the individual who they belong to.
reminder regarding medications...
If your student needs medication to be administered in the school setting, the medication and accompanying doctor’s orders must be provided by a parent or guardian to the school nurse.
Medication should NEVER be sent in with the student. No medication may be given without a doctor’s order. This includes inhalers, emergency epinephrine (EpiPen), daily medications, antibiotics, eye/ear drops, cough drops, over-the-counter medication, or any other form of medication.
Visitors
If you need to come into the school for any reason, you will need to have a current Driver’s License that will be checked in our Raptor Security System.
Raptor® provides a line of sight as to who is always in our school. The system provides school and Districtwide reporting for all visitors, volunteers, and contractors that have signed in/out of our buildings.
This is imporTanT for safeTy reasons.
uPcoming imPortant dates
August 14th Back to School Bash at Brookwood Middle School | 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
August 21st First Day of School | 1st - 4th Grades
Kindergarten Orientation | 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Pre-K Orientation | 1:00 p.m.
August 22nd First Day of Pre-K and Kindergarten
August 26th 2:00 pm | Student Dismissal
August 28th 2:00 pm | Student Dismissal
September 1st Labor Day | No School
September 4th 2:00 pm | Student Dismissal
Longwood and Hickory Bend | Open House | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
September 9th Pre-K Screenings
September 10th Pro-Kids Family Night | 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
September 15th Hour of Power After School Activities Begin | 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
September 22nd Fall Fundraiser Begins | Taffy Apples
September 24th School Improvement Day | 11:30 a.m. | Student Dismissal
September 25th Fall Picture Day
October 2nd Hispanic Heritage Night | 5:30 p.m.
open house
jornada de puertas aBiertas
champions | Before & after school
fall picture day
dia de fotos de otono
hispanic heritage night
hispano noche del patrimonio
mission statement
Brookwood school district 167
Brookwood School District 167, in partnership with parents and community, will create a learning environment in which all students excel at becoming lifelong learners and decision makers.
we Believe:
• Families shape their children’s motivation, confidence, and academic success by being interested and involved in their overall development.
• All students are unique and should be challenged to the highest level of academic and artistic excellence.
• In the importance of staff development opportunities based on best practices and educational research.
• In educating our children in a safe and nurturing environment with access to state-of-the-art technology.
• The school system should teach students to think critically enabling them to become contributing citizens in our global society.
• In continuous improvement in all aspects of the school system to foster a culture of excellence, accountability and integrity.
• In responsible stewardship of financial and physical resources.
our Vision
Brookwood school district 167
Our overall Vision is to improve the achievement of all students, regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender, or ability levels (disabilities).
We share the accountability of student achievement throughout the school.
We believe in using research-based practices to achieve our goals.
We promote school and community involvement because we believe that these partnerships help us meet the needs of all our students.
we are committed to:
• Providing students with highly qualified teachers
• Providing our staff with professional development
