The Serene Scoop

The first three days of school were filled with joy and excitement! From the moment students walked through our doors, this campus has been filled with energy, excitement, and the kind of joy that is contagious. Thank you for your partnership in making this beginning so smooth. Your support in getting your children here on time, prepared, and ready to learn made all the difference. We are so grateful for the trust you place in us each day, and for the collaboration that helps our school community thrive. We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our teachers and staff, who worked tirelessly to create a safe, welcoming environment where every single student feels seen, valued, and ready to grow.

As we settle into the rhythm of the school year, we are striving to continue to practice one of our core values of extending grace. We don't always know the stories, struggles, or circumstances that others are carrying, and we believe it's important to lead with compassion and choose kindness and understanding in every interaction. Thank you for being part of a school family that values grace as much as growth. We can't wait to see all that this year holds.

Kara Reeh

Principal

Serene Hills Elementary School

Aug. 21st: SHE Spirit Night at Bricks & Minifigs hosted by PTO 4:30-6:30

(A portion of the proceeds will be donated to SHE PTO.)

Aug. 27th: PTO Back to School Bash

Sept. 2nd: SHE Spirit Night All Star Burger hosted by PTO 4:30-6:30

(A portion of the proceeds will be donated to SHE PTO.)

Sept. 7th: Student and Staff Holiday

Sept. 8th: Curriculum Night

Sept. 11th-18th: Sailor Sprint

Sept. 21st-Student Holiday

Ms. Stella, our amazing librarian, will share a fun book with you each week. Check out this week's read!

When Herbie stays home sick with the sniffles, he is initially thrilled to spend the day watching cartoons and playing games. However, by lunchtime, his imagination spirals as he wonders if he is missing out on wild adventures at school

IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE INFORMATION

Official attendance is taken at 10 a.m.!!

Students who are not in the building by 7:40 a.m. must check in at the front office and will be considered tardy. Beginning September 1, students arriving after 7:40 am must be escorted into the building and checked in with Ms. Lei to ensure the safety of all students.

To receive a final grade in a class, a student in kindergarten-grade 12 must attend at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered.

Students may miss no more than 17 school days to meet the 90% attendance requirement.

Pre-K students are subject to compulsory attendance requirements as well as long as they are enrolled.

Walk-ups for student checkouts are not accepted 30 minutes before dismissal.

**Attendance affects our state accountability rating**

ENTERING ABSENCES

Absences should be reported in the district’s SMART Tag absence management system.

Notes from parents may be emailed from the parent’s email address to the school’s campus attendance office.

Notes signed by students, even with the parent’s permissions, will not be accepted unless the student is age 18 or older or is an emancipated minor under state law.

Acceptable documentation must be provided to the campus within 3 days after the absence.

7:20am: Doors open for students to arrive

7:35am: 5 minute warning bell rings

7:40am: School starts! Instruction begins!

An adult must walk in with any student who arrives after 7:40 and will enter through the front office to receive a tardy pass.

3:00pm: School ends

3:15pm: Students must be picked up by this time

This year we encourage all students, staff, and parents to join us in showing our pride in our school and our Lake Travis Community.

Mondays will be Serene Spirit Days. Wear your Serene shirts or any combination of red/white/blue to show your school spirit!

Fridays are for our LT Cavalier Pride! Wear your favorite LT gear or red/black to cheer on the best district in the state!

It is our priority to keep students and staff safe and focused on high quality education. Therefore, we respectfully request that all visitors sign-in at the office upon entering through the front doors and wear a visitor’s badge while in the building. The badge verifies that you have checked in the office, presented proper identification and made clear the purpose for your visit. In addition, you must have a pre-scheduled meeting with your child's teacher in order to have a parent-teacher conference.

For the first few weeks of school, we will not have visitors for lunch. This allows students time to adjust to school procedures as well as build relationships with classmates. The cafe will be open for visitor lunch guests on September 1.

Deliveries of forgotten items to students should be limited to emergencies only so that important instructional time is not interrupted. Parents needing to drop off a lunch or other school items to their child(ren) will be able to do so by dropping the labeled item(s) in the drop box located outside the office area.

Labels should include:

NAME:

GRADE:

TEACHER:

Items will be delivered to the students as soon as possible.

Discovery, otherwise known as Gifted and Talented, is the enrichment program provided for students who have been identified as intellectually gifted and talented. All students are eligible to be selected for the Discovery program at each campus. In order to be identified as gifted and talented, each student must undergo a screening and selection process. The Discovery Program is now accepting parent referrals for GT Screening via Google form.

Elementary Form - For Grades 1, 3, 4, 5

• Second Graders will not need a referral. The entire grade level will be screened in October. More information to come.

• Kindergarten students can be referred for GT testing beginning in January 2027. More details will be shared regarding this process at the end of the first semester.

Secondary Form

Transfer students, who were already identified as GT coming from their previous district, should submit the Google form as soon as possible, as the transfer student screening will be set within 30 days of the first day of school. Parents should send proof of their child's selection/participation in the previous GT program directly to the campus GT coordinator. (This applies to families that haven’t already been in touch with the GT coordinator.)

Parents can submit referrals for screening by October 15, 2026. Testing will occur during the 2nd 9 weeks of instruction. If the referral and permission forms are not submitted by the deadline, the next opportunity for the student to be screened will be the following academic year. Spring screening is reserved for students moving in new to the district after the fall testing window is closed and for kindergarten students.

The forms, program information and campus coordinator names can be found on the district Gifted and Talented page.

Once the request is submitted through the Google form, the campus GT coordinator will contact parents via email after October 15th to share pertinent information.

You are also welcome to contact our campus GT coordinator, Carrie Latimer, at any time with questions.

Serene Hills:

Serene Hills Elementary Homepage

Transportation:

LTISD Transportation

Transfinder

SmartTag

Food and Nutrition Services (FANS):

LTISD FANS

My School Bucks

Menus

Lake Travis ISD Mobile App

LTISD Extended Care Program

The Serene Hills Elementary community commits to engaging every student in innovative, collaborative learning focused on growth and to igniting a passion for learning in which everyone is valued.

Website: https://www.ltisdschools.org/SHE
Location: 3301 Serene Hills Drive, Lakeway, TX, United States
Phone: 512-533-7400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serenehillspto/
Twitter: @SHEsailors