Welcoming our little lions to elementary school

Hop into Kindergarten - Welcome Event for Incoming Kindergarteners and Their Parents

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - 5-6:30 pm at Longfellow Elementary School at 425 W. 7th Street, Salida

What to expect from the evening - LES staff will answer your questions, you will check out the school, meet the kindergarten team, and learn more about curriculum, schedules, and events. Staff will be available to help with online registrations, answer health office questions, and more.

Registration:

Children must be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2025 to register.
All students need to be registered for school. Required documents include:

• Birth Certificate

• Proof of Residency in Salida School District

• Immunization Records

You can register online on the district website.

You will be assigned a login to Infinite Campus (IC) when you register your student online. If you misplace your login info, just call the office. All LES messages (including weekly updates from our principal) are sent via IC. You can also use IC to track attendance, check grades and more. This app is used by all Salida School District buildings. You may login into Infinite Campus on your computer or through the app.

Parent Orientation: Tuesday, August 5, TBD

Meet and Greet: Friday, August 8, TBD

If you are not able to attend one of these events, please call the office at 719.530.5260 to set up a tour with our principal or dean. We are happy to accommodate tours after school hours.

New in fall of 2025 - Little Lions Tiptoe to Kindergarten

‘25-’26 kindergarten students will attend half days the first week of school (Aug. 11-14.) There will be 2 sessions: 8:10-11:30 and 12:30-3:50 AM/PM assignments will be determined by last name. A-K will be a.m., L-Z will be p.m.

Students won’t be eating lunch their first week at Longfellow. Instead, they will have a snack in the cafeteria so they can get used to the larger space. When they attend full days, your student can eat school lunch or bring their own from home.

Buses will run their normal routes before and after school. Parents will need to pick up and drop off mid-day because buses do not run at that time. If you have bus questions, call 719-530-5231.

After the week of half-day classes, kindergarteners will begin regular school hours from 7:30-3:50 starting Monday, August 18

Why? The first week of school is always busy and emotional. Our goal is that every child has a successful transition to kindergarten. Smaller class sizes will allow teachers an opportunity to build relationships and provide meaningful student and family engagement. 1/2 days will give students a chance to adjust to an academic schedule, longer days, and new routines.

Connect! August 11-14, Longfellow Parent Association (LPA) will offer times of connection after you drop off your kindergartener. From 8-8:30 or 12:30-1, take a breath, get to know other parents, and see how you can get involved at Longfellow.

Frequently Asked Questions - From Parents

Will I get a chance to talk to my child’s teacher before school starts? Class assignments will be posted in Infinite Campus on Monday, August 4, 2025. Meet and greet will be on Friday, Aug 8, 2025. Parents and students can visit the classroom and meet their teacher at the meet and greet.

How do I communicate with my child’s teacher throughout the school year? Teachers send home monthly newsletters with learning targets and upcoming events. SeeSaw and ClassDojo are digital platforms teachers use to communicate with parents. Each Thursday, folders are sent home with students containing completed work and paper notices for upcoming events.

What does drop off and pick up look like? Kindergarten students can ride the bus to and from school or have parents drop them off and pick them up. Kindergarten students may arrive starting at 7:50 and enter through the doors on the corner of West 7th Street. If arriving after 8:15, please enter through the front doors of the school. The school day ends at 3:50. Teachers will escort their students out the doors on W. 7th Street.

What if my child has an accident at school? Will someone be able to help? Can I leave a change of clothes in their bag? Please keep an extra pair of clothes in their backpacks, not only for accidents but also for spills. Students will be sent to the nurse’s office if they need help to change their clothes.

How does hot lunch work? Do I send my child with money? At this point, we are planning on having free breakfast and lunch for all next year. Students do not need to bring money for lunch.

Are there any rules on what can/can’t be brought in a lunch box? How do snacks work? Longfellow encourages parents to pack a healthy lunch for their child and only send water to drink. Students will need to bring at least 2 healthy snacks to school each day.

What do playground times look like? Will my child know who to go to if they get hurt? Kindergarten students have 3 recesses per day.15 minutes in the morning,15 minutes at lunch and 15 minutes in the afternoon. Our school nurse is on-site to help children who get hurt on the playground.

What specials will be offered? Are there any rules on shoes for gym? Specials include PE, music, art, library and technology. Sneakers are suggested for PE.

What type of tablet/screen time will be part of instruction? Each kindergarten classroom uses a SMART Board and may use iPads for special learning activities.

Can parents come into the building? Parents are asked to say a quick goodbye at the door, but are not allowed in the hallways or classrooms. Please communicate with your child’s teacher if you are interested in volunteer opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions - From Kids

Are there blocks to play with? Yes, kindergarten classrooms have blocks and other toys to play with during free play time.

Do you go on walks? Yes, when the weather is nice. Do you play outside? Longfellow has a fun playground you can play on during recess! There is a dry river bed, blacktop with basketball hoops, tetherball, a soccer field, swings, slides and a fun play structure to climb on.

Where do you eat lunch? Each grade level eats together in the cafeteria.

Do you read stories? Story time is one of the kindergarten teacher’s favorite activities. Each classroom has their own library for children to use during quiet time or centers.

Do you write in kindergarten? Yes, learning how to write letters and numbers is a big part of kindergarten. First, you learn how to write individual letters, then you learn how to string them together to make words and sentences.

How many teachers will I have? Kindergarteners have 1 homeroom teacher. There are 5 specials teachers: PE, art, music, library, and technology.

What will we do in kindergarten? Kindergarten is full of learning! First, we start by learning about ROAR which is Longfellow’s positive behavior system in all areas of our school. R- respectful O-ownership A- always safe R- responsible In literacy, we learn about the letters in the alphabet and the sounds they make. Then we learn how to write those letters to make words and sentences. In math, we learn about counting, adding, subtracting, patterns, sorting and attributes.

Do we take a nap? Most kindergarten teachers have a “quiet or rest” time incorporated into their daily schedule.

What will you do if we miss our family? We start the year with reading The Kissing Hand and talk about it on an individual level.

How much math will we do? Throughout the day, every day.

How many kids are there? There are 5 kindergarten classrooms with a range of 17-20 students per class. Longfellow Elementary has a schoolwide population of 460 students, kindergarten through 4th grade.

How long is the school day? 7:50-8:15 is the soft start for kindergarten students. Breakfast is served from 7:50- 8:10. Tardy bell is at 8:20 and school is dismissed at 3:50.

What do the teachers look like? Friendly and loving.

What are the teacher's names? Mrs. White, Mrs. Davis, Ms. Holden Ms. Ruiz, and Mrs. Johnson

Will there be homework? Individual teachers do different things. Some examples are reading a book with family, reviewing work completed in class, and getting a good night's sleep.