Squire Flyer

It’s time to SHINE, Squires! 🌟

The first week of school is almost here, and we could not be more excited to welcome our Squires and their families back to LTE! Our staff has been hard at work preparing classrooms, planning for an incredible year of learning, and getting everything ready for the very best part—YOU!

We’ll kick off the excitement on Monday with Meet the Teacher, and I can’t wait to see our hallways filled with Squires again! There is nothing quite like watching students walk into their new classrooms for the first time, meet their teachers, find their desks, reconnect with friends, and begin imagining all that the new year will bring. We hope you’ll take your time getting settled, meeting your child’s teacher, and helping your Squire feel confident and excited about the adventure ahead.

Then, on Wednesday, it’s GO TIME! Our doors will officially open for the first day of school, and Team LTE will be ready to welcome our Squires with big smiles, lots of encouragement, and maybe just a little extra first-day energy!

Parents, there is quite a bit to know as we get everyone back into the school routine, so please take a few minutes to read through this newsletter before Wednesday. You’ll find important reminders and information to help arrival, dismissal, transportation, and those first few days go as smoothly as possible. Meet the Teacher on Monday is also a great opportunity to make sure you have everything you need and ask any classroom-specific questions before the big day.

As we begin this new chapter together, I am incredibly grateful and excited to serve our Squires for another outstanding year. We have an amazing staff, wonderful families, and the very best kids. Our classrooms are ready. Our teachers are ready. And soon, our Squires will be back where they belong.

This is the year our Squires SHINE! 🌟 Let’s make it our best one yet!

With excitement,

Amanda Prehn
Principal

I am so grateful to serve alongside our incredible leadership team here at LTE. Assistant Principals Ofelia Valente and Lauren Bryan are back for another round of stellar service to our Squires. Their continued commitment to leading with heart and a passion for ensuring all students succeed is inspiring and greatly appreciated by all they serve. In addition, we are thrilled to welcome the newest member of our team, Counselor Lindsay Pritchett.

Lindsay is incredibly excited to join the Lake Travis Elementary family as the school counselor. Her husband recently retired from 20 years of active-duty military service and their family moved “home” to Texas.

She received her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Learning & Development and minor in Theater and Dance from UT Austin and earned a Master’s in Education in School Counseling form Lamar University. Most recently she worked as a K-5 elementary school counselor in Niceville, FL. She has 14+ years of experience in public education including teaching 3rd grade at Steiner Ranch Elementary, 1st and 3rd grades in Clovis, New Mexico and middle school counseling in Destin, FL for 5th-8th grade students.

Her mission is to empower and support all students to reach their full academic potential, acquire college and career readiness skills and increase social/emotional abilities. She is a highly motivated, dedicated educator, eager to serve her LTE school community!

August 7th- Teachers sent welcome emails to parents at 4 pm welcoming their new Squires and introducing you to your child's new teacher for the 26-27 school year!

If you do not receive an email, please ensure that you have completed the returning student enrollment process and that your child's files are up to date. See details below.

August 10th- Meet the Teacher (see schedule below)

August 10th- Prek and Kinder Popsicle Playdate 1:45-2:45 PM

August 11th - @ 10 am Parent Tech Help Tuesday - see flyer below

August 12th- First Day of School | 7:40AM-3PM

August 12th Tears and Cheers 8:00 AM @ Cafeteria (PreK and K parents)

August 28th- 3rd-5th Grade Student Council Application Deadline

September 7th- Labor Day

September 8th- Curriculum Night for Families @ 5-7 pm

September 11th- Progress Report Available in Skyward

September 21st- Yom Kippur, Student Holiday

October 9th- Student/Staff Holiday

October 12th- Columbus Day, No School

October 16th- Report Card Available in Skyward

October 30th- Student Holiday

November 2nd- Student Holiday

November 6th- Progress Report Available in Skyward

November 23rd-27th- Thanksgiving Break

December 18th-Jan 5th- Winter Break

7:20-4:00 Office Hours Monday-Friday

7:20 a.m. Students may enter the building

7:40 a.m. Classes begin

7:40 a.m. Tardy Bell rings

10:00 a.m. Attendance is taken

3:00 p.m. Students are dismissed

3:15 p.m. Students must be picked up by this time

One of our most important jobs is making sure every Squire gets home safely and the right way each day! At Meet the Teacher, please let your child’s teacher know how your child will go home on the first day of school, during the first week, and as their permanent dismissal method.

All families will also need to register their child’s permanent mode of transportation in our SMART Tag system using the link below. Taking care of this before the first day will help us ensure a safe, smooth, and efficient dismissal for everyone. Please check out our arrival and dismissal options below and be sure you have discussed this with your child so everyone is feeling good about how they are getting home that first week.

Please note that for the first day only we will allow parents to walk their child to class. Parents of PreK and Kindergarten students may do so on Thursday and Friday during our first week only as well. After that first week, all Squires will walk themselves to class. Don't worry- we will have staff on duty to ensure every learner gets their safely!

PreK and Kinder parents will be required to show a photo ID and receive a wristband in order to enter the building on Thursday and Friday. We will have stations posted at the front office during Meet the Teacher and our Tears and Cheers events to pass these out. Don't forget to pick these up if you are planning on joining us that first week.

🔗 Register Your Child’s Transportation in SMART Tag

Thank you for helping us start the year with a safe and successful dismissal routine!

This is the most exciting time of the year, when our Squires meet their teacher for the first time. Please see the flyers below for information on what time to arrive for each grade level. School supplies have been delivered if you ordered through our PTA, but if you are bringing your own, please feel free to bring those on Tuesday.

Transportation will be here, our FANS team will be ready to assist setting up lunch accounts and our fabulous PTA is looking for new families to join our tribe. There's lots to do and see at this event, so I hope you will take your time getting to meet all of the wonderful folks who make our building so special.

We look forward to meeting and greeting all of our new and returning Squires!

New to LTE or just looking to reconnect with friends before school starts? PTA is proud to sponsor a get together to help kick off a great start to the school year. This is a wonderful way for our littlest learners (and their families) to get acquainted.

We welcome you to come have some fun with the Squires!

Your childrens' safety is our top priority here at LTE. We want every visitor to feel welcome here on campus and appreciate your support in ensuring that our students enjoy a safe learning environment throughout the school year. District-wide, every visitor will be required to show a picture ID each time they visit the campus. Get in the habit of grabbing that ID each time you visit us and this will save you time upon arrival.

We will do things slightly differently the first day of school, when all are welcome to walk their child to class, but you will be required to sign in upon arrival at the classroom.

Your picture ID is required after that first day of school to enter our building. Any government issued ID is acceptable, as you were required to provide upon enrollment. Passports and out of state or out of country IDs are fine so long as your ID has a picture. Please know we will work with you upon your arrival at campus to ensure you are connected to our learning community. While this may take a little getting used to, we always aim to make your arrival on campus a positive and welcoming experience for all of you.

If you ordered school supply kits through our vendor, Sprout School Supplies, they have arrived and will be delivered to your child's classroom prior to the first day of school. If you did not choose to purchase ahead of time, you are welcome to shop on your own. Please reference the link below for supply lists by grade.

You and your child may bring those to our Meet the Teacher event or during the first week of school. If you need any financial assistance with purchasing supplies, our school counselor, Ms. Lindsay Pritchett, will serve as your contact to coordinate resources for your child. Together we will ensure all Squires have what they need to succeed!

Counselor, Lindsay Pritchett, can be reached at pritchettli@ltisdschools.org.

It's hard to leave your little learner with us for the first time! If you are a parent of a Pre-K or Kindergarten student (or if you are just having a hard time dropping off those older ones), swing by after you walk your child to class that first day and we will dry those tears and cheer on the new year together. Your principal and administrative team will be there to ensure everyone has a great first day! All parents are welcome to drop by!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we begin a new school year, the health and safety of our students remain our top priority. To help us provide the best possible care, we ask that you notify the school nurse of any medical conditions, allergies, or health concerns your child may have.

Please inform the school nurse if your child has:

• Food, medication, insect, or environmental allergies

• Asthma or breathing conditions

• Diabetes

• Seizure disorders

• Any chronic medical condition

• A need for emergency medication (such as an EpiPen, inhaler, or other prescribed medication)

• Any other health concern that may affect your child's school day

If your child requires medication or emergency treatment while at school, please ensure that all required medical forms are completed and returned to the school, along with any necessary medications in their original, properly labeled containers.

Keeping your child's health information up to date allows us to respond quickly and appropriately in the event of an emergency and helps us provide a safe learning environment for all students.

If your child's medical condition or allergy changes during the school year, please notify the school nurse as soon as possible.

I will be available during Meet the Teacher events to help get to know your child's needs and answer any parent questions. Please stop by the clinic on Monday when you are able!

Thank you for your partnership and for helping us keep our students healthy and safe. If you have any questions or need additional forms, please contact the school nurse.

Sincerely,

Sarah Hoover, Campus RN

Lake Travis Elementary

hoovers@ltisdschools.org

Hello Squire Families,

My name is Ashley Rebold. I am on my 5th year as your LTE school Registrar! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for anything you might need such as enrollment/Skyward help, withdrawals, attendance related concerns, tech support and so much more! I am here to assist our wonderful community.

Additionally, we have a Bilingual Parent Liaison in office that can assist our families in Spanish – Aline Robles Romero who can be reached at roblesromeroa@ltisdschools.org or by phone at 512-533-6355.

New Enrollments

If you have an incoming student who has not been registered to attend school, please register the student online here.

Enrollments and Scheduling Freeze

The District will observe an enrollment and scheduling freeze on August 11th through August 12th. We will not be able to process enrollments or course changes during this time. Thank you for your patience as we work to ensure our students in membership are balanced across the District.

Returning Students and Withdrawals

All returning students must complete the Returning Student Verification form located in Skyward prior to the first day of school. If your family is not returning to LTE this year, please complete the withdrawal form and email it to rebolda@ltisdschools.org at your earliest convenience.

First Day Attendance and “No Show” Policy

Please be aware if your child does not attend the first day of school on August 12th for the full day, they will automatically be unenrolled. According to TEA policy if a student is not present on the first day of school he/she is considered a “No Show.” Upon returning to campus, the Registrar will reactivate your child’s schedule with a new start-date. Please bring your child to the front office if their first day is after August 12th so we can enter them in the system. If you have moved or will no longer be returning, please reach out to the Registrar ASAP to complete a withdrawal form.

Please note: If your child is receiving bus services, it can take up to 72 hours from the time of reactivation until the transportation dept can re-establish a bus route. Plan to drop-off and pick-up your child until your bus information is confirmed

Attendance Policy

The beginning of the year is a great time to familiarize yourself with our Attendance Policy located in our Parent Student Handbook (beginning on page 35.)

In summary, a student is required to attend school for at least 90% of the days instruction is offered. This equates to no more than 17 absences for the school year including both excused and unexcused absences. Failure to attend at least 90% of the school year could result in the student not receiving final credit for grade completion at the end of the school year.

Excused absences go a long way! We understand that things happen! Please be sure to update your child’s Smart Tag for each day your child is absent and email any doctor’s notes to the Registrar to ensure effective communication and documentation. (Smart Tag Guide ENG | SPANISH) Smart Tag alerts the office staff and your child’s teacher(s) of attendance changes. Undocumented attendance will result in an unexcused absence.

You may also view our important dates and holidays for the year to plan vacations and appointments.

I look forward to working with you this year!

Dear Parents,

We present to you the LTE Parent Resource Guide, created to support both new and existing LTE families. This guide will provide important information regarding attendance policies, system tools, every day information and links, health guidelines, volunteering and staff. Whether you're joining us for the first time or have been part of our community for years, this guide is designed to help you navigate the school year with confidence.

Thank you for your support. Aline Robles - Parent Liaison