⭐May 9 - May 20, 2022 ⭐

Upcoming Events:

May 10 - 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Math STAAR (No volunteers or visitors allowed on campus.)
May 10 - General PTO Meeting 6-7PM
May 11 - 3rd and 4th Grade Reading STAAR (No volunteers or visitors allowed on campus.)
May 12 - 5th Grade Science STAAR (No volunteers or visitors allowed on campus.)
May 16 - School Board Meeting 6-10PM
May 17 - 5th Grade Reading STAAR (No volunteers or visitors allowed on campus.)
May 23 - 3rd-5th Grade Award Ceremonies
May 24 - Pre-K-2nd Grade Award Ceremonies
May 25 - End of Year Class Parties
May 26 - 5th Grade Picnic and Celebration
May 26 - Last Day of School! 🥳

Reading/Writing:
Reading- We are finishing our review of all the reading genres we have learned this year through a fun Rockin' Review.

Writing- We will continue reviewing, revising and editing for passages, using CUPS and ARMS.

Social Studies:
We are looking at industry, oil, and the railroad coming to Texas.

Math:
We will our Rockin' Review STAAR Camp with one last day of fun!

Science:
We will be learning about traits and adaptations.
Reminders

⭐STAAR Testing Days⭐

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of the school year! The 4th grade students will be taking the math and reading STAAR exams on Tuesday, May 11th and Wednesday, May 12th. Here are a few reminders for students:

Be sure to get a good night's sleep. 😴
Eat a good breakfast. 🍳
Bring a snack (nothing sticky or messy, please) 🥨
Leave all cell phones, smartwatches, regular watches, and other devices at home. ⌚📱
If your student does not have working headphones at school, please send a pair on Monday, 5/9. 🎧

Purple Walker Student Safety & Procedures

This year the purple walker group is our largest group of students and we are having safety concerns. We ask that all parents please follow the SRE guidelines and procedures for walkers. They are listed below:

ALL students MUST cross at the crosswalk ONLY.

If you park along the street on Mirabeau Way, we ask that you either walk up to the crosswalk to meet your child or wait until your child is crossed at the crosswalk and walks down the sidewalk to you.
Please do not park and yell for your child to cross the street. It is a school grounds requirement that students must be crossed at a crosswalk and this has caused students to run out into traffic.
Please be respectful to our teachers as they are following LHISD guidelines.

LHISD SROs want all parents to know that you must abide by painted lanes that are on the public street for where to park. They will begin giving out tickets.

Morning Drop Off, Parking, & Afternoon Dismissal Procedures & Routines

Morning Procedures:

Please be mindful that we do not have staff on duty to monitor students until 7:10. If you arrive before that time, please stay with your child until the doors are unlocked and there are staff members on duty.

Morning drop off is a ONE LANE process. DO NOT run over our cones, drive around the cones or other cars. It is imperative that you stay in one lane in the morning. Students are exiting from their vehicles on the curb and passenger side, and we do not want anyone to get hit or hurt.

The front 4 parking spots next to the handicap parking is available for parents that want to PARK and WALK their child to the crosswalk or front doors. This is a great option for students that may need a little more assistance getting out of their car.

If your child is unable to independently unbuckle their seatbelt/car seat, please PARK and WALK them to the crosswalk.

DO NOT use the front parking lot as a "STOP and DROP" location. Parents are not permitted to pull in the parking lot and have your child jump out the car door and drive off to avoid the car rider line.

There are only 2 options for morning drop off: 1) Enter the car rider line 2) PARK in the 4 vacant parking lot spots and WALK your child to the crosswalk or to the front doors of the school building.

If you are not walking your child to the front doors, please use the car rider lane. Please make sure to allow plenty of time for a safe morning arrival.

Afternoon Procedures:

Please make sure to have your car tag displayed.

Pull all the way forward and put your vehicle in park. Once Mrs. Luedtke raises the GREEN card, do not move your vehicle forward. We have several cars that are rolling when the students are walking, and that is not safe.

DO NOT call or motion your child to come to your vehicle before they are released. They must remain with the staff members until all cars have stopped and are in park.

Please wait in your vehicle. DO NOT get out of your car. We have several staff members that will assist your child with opening doors and buckling seat belts.

If you do not have your car tag, you MUST have a valid I.D. for verification. If you do not have your car tag or I.D., your child will not be released to you.

Tardy Procedures:

The tardy bell rings at 7:40

If your child is tardy you MUST walk your child into the office to receive a tardy pass. This is an LHISD policy. Do not drop them off in the parking lot or at the front sidewalk as we have no staff working outside at that time and your child is unsupervised on campus grounds.

Handicap Parking Spots:

Please do not park in the handicap parking spots unless you meet the new January 1, 2022 SB- Disabled Veteran Plates and Parking Privileges. This document is posted below.

LHISD SRO's will be monitoring this.

COVID Positive Student Return Dates

Please be aware that LHISD has a 10 day quarantine policy for students. We understand that the doctor may provide you a return date for school, but all campuses follow the return dates given by the LHISD Health Department team. These return dates will shared with you from the campus nurse. If you have any questions regarding return dates please call Nurse Kelly.

Panther Partners

The LHISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase pay rates for Substitute Teachers, also known as Panther Partners. We would be unable to meet our target level of excellence in our classrooms without our Panther Partners.

Each day we have unfilled vacancies and could use your help. If you would like to become a Panther Partner or know someone who would be interested. Please use or share the link below.

LHISD Panther Partners

Other Useful Reminders:

🧁Elementary Birthday Policy

We love to celebrate student birthdays here at Santa Rita! However, we do have birthday policies in place to protect students who may have food allergies and policies regarding party invitations. Additionally, this year, we are asking that all birthday treats be store-bought and individually wrapped. You may also provide non-edible birthday treats in lieu of food items. Below is LHISD's Elementary Handbook policy regarding birthdays.

"Birthdays: Please coordinate with your child’s teacher one week prior. Parents are welcome to bring commercially prepared baked goods or non-edible ‘goodies.’ Treats will be shared at a prearranged day and time agreed upon by the teacher based on the policy of each individual elementary school. Please do not send balloons or flowers to your child’s classroom as it causes a distraction to the instruction day. As a district, we value the inclusion of all. For this reason, IF you send birthday party invitations to school to be distributed, you MUST invite all students in the classroom."

For information on other policies, please visit the Elementary Handbook.

🍽️PARENTS MAY JOIN THEIR CHILD FOR LUNCH

Starting November 2nd, parents may come and eat lunch with their child in the cafeteria. If you wish to join your child for lunch, you and your child will sit at the V.I.P tables located on the staging map below. All parents will be required to check in at the front office to receive a visitor badge. You must have a valid photo I.D. to be scanned in to receive your visitor pass. This is a district requirement to enter the school building. Please be advised that if you do not have a valid photo I.D., you will not be able to enter the building.

Parent Guidelines:
Parents/Guardians will only have access to the cafeteria
Students will arrive and exit the cafeteria with their teacher
Parents/Guardians may not walk students back to class or to other parts of the building
Parents/Guardians may ONLY sit with their personal child. Other children can not come join you
Parents/Guardians may only bring and or purchase food for their personal child

Peanut-Free Zone

We have several 4th grade students with peanut allergies. In order to keep everyone safe, please save the peanut snacks and lunch items for home. Thank you for helping us keep the classroom safe for all of our friends~

Transportation Changes

All transportation changes need to be submitted to the office no later than 1:00pm. Please visit the LHISD Transportation Change Request site before sending the notice to the SRE transportation change email. We are asking that parents remind their students to always go to their normal dismissal location unless they have a note from the office. Thank you!

Car Rider Tags

All students should have a car rider tag on their backpack, even if they do not typically go home as a car rider. If your student is a car rider one day in the future, this will help us make sure they get home safely. If you did not receive a car rider tag for your vehicle, please let us know.

🧥 Labeling Jackets and Water Bottles

Jacket weather is here! (Well, sometimes. Texas weather can be so unpredictable!) Just to be safe, please make sure your student's jackets and water bottles are labeled with their first and last name. This will help us reunite lost jackets and water bottles with their owners. 🙂

Please don't forget to send a water bottle to school with your child each day. The bottle filling stations are operational, but all water fountains have been switched off out of an abundance of caution.

Chromebooks & Headphones

Our Chromebooks have been delivered! The computers will stay at school this year, but we will use them frequently in class to expand and enhance the learning experience. Please make sure your student has headphones or earbuds in their backpack each day.

Weekly Spirit Days

Mondays are College and Career Days! Wear your favorite college or career readiness shirt! Fridays are Panther Spirit Days. We can't wait to see your purple and gold! 🥳

SRE May Trait of the Month: Self-Control

Self-Control:

Being in charge of your thoughts, feelings, and actions…and doing what you should

Steps for practicing self-control:
Stop…calm down with deep breaths. Consider everyone’s feelings, including your own!
Think…What is the problem? What are your options? What would the consequences be from your actions?
Choose…make your choice, and talk to someone for support, if needed.

Specials Rotations:

Monday, 5/9	Tuesday, 5/10	Wednesday, 5/11	Thursday, 5/12	Friday, 5/13
Orange	No color day	No color day	No color day	Yellow
Monday, 5/16	Tuesday, 5/17	Wednesday, 5/18	Thursday, 5/19	Friday, 5/20
Green	No color day	Blue	Purple	Red

Chapman	Cravens	Garner	LeCaptain	Malone	Schultze	Styskal
*Art/Music/Spanish	Music	Art	PE	PE	PE	Spanish
PE	PE	PE	Music	Spanish	Art	PE
*Art/Music/Spanish	Spanish	Music	PE	PE	PE	Art
PE	PE	PE	Spanish	Art	Music	PE
*Art/Music/Spanish	Art	Spanish	PE	PE	PE	Music
PE	PE	PE	Art	Music	Spanish	PE