The RHE Rattler

Dear Rattler Families,

Thank you for your incredible support, patience, and flexibility last week as we navigated the boil water issues. We truly appreciate our Rattler community and the kindness you showed our staff during an unexpected situation!

We had a fantastic turnout at our PTO General Meeting and Volunteer Meeting! We are so grateful for the many families who are ready to get involved and support our students and staff. We are looking forward to having you on campus throughout the year! Thank you Rattler Dads! We had a nice turn out at recess and lunch on Friday! We love having you on campus. Special thank you to James Gilbert, Ken Seals, and Tom Street for putting together our new picnic table, library shelves, and garden shed!

A few important reminders and updates for this week:

• Lunch Visitors: Beginning today, parents and guardians are welcome to join their Rattler for lunch! Please remember that you may only bring food for your own student, and only your student may sit with you at the visitor tables.
• Morning Drop-Off: For the safety of all of our Rattlers, please do not drop students off in the staff parking lots. Please use our designated car rider lines or park in the lots where a crossing guard is available to help you and your child safely cross. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe during our busy morning arrival!
• Please remember the car rider line is a school zone; please do not be on your cell phones.
• Labor Day: There will be no school next Monday in observance of Labor Day. We hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!
• Curriculum Night: We are looking forward to welcoming you back to campus for Curriculum Night! This is a great opportunity to learn more about your child’s classroom, curriculum, and what to expect this school year.
• Our SEL focus this month will be on Respect!

Thank you for partnering with us and for helping us make RHE such a special place for our students. We are off to a great start, and we are excited for all that is ahead!

Rattlers on the Rise!

Angela Page
Principal
Rough Hollow Elementary

Kinder - 2nd …… 5:00pm - 5:45pm

3rd - 5th ..……… 6:00pm - 6:45pm

Please honor the time for your session as we will need to clear the campus and make it ready for the next group of parent’s cars.

Also, a reminder for all of the returning parents and new information for our new parents, unlike Meet the Teacher, this is a night for the parents. Looking for forward to seeing you!

DISCOVERY/GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM REFERRAL

DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 10/15

Attention LTISD Parents and Guardians,

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 your campus GT coordinator at any time with questions.

• Doors open to receive students from car rider and off of the bus at 7:20am. Instruction starts promptly at 7:40am.
• Riding the bus -

Returning Students WITH Prior Service

All students who received transportation services this past spring (January 2025 to May 2025) do not need to re-register for the 2025-2026 school year. Your child's ridership will be assigned according to the established routes from last year. However, if you have recently moved, you will need to update your contact information in Skyward Family Access using the "Address Change" tile. This form must be reviewed and verified by the campus registrar before any changes are accepted.

Returning Students WITHOUT Prior Service

Returning students who did not utilize transportation this past spring will need to register for services for the 2025-2026 school year. The form is available in Skyward Family Access and includes a simple checkbox asking if transportation services are needed for the student.

Newly Enrolled Students

Students new to the district who have completed enrollment in Skyward Family Access for the 2025-2026 school year and have elected for transportation services as a part of that process do not need to re-register. Please note, the form can be completed and resubmitted multiple times, so it is normal for parents to still see the Bus Registration tile in Skyward Family Access.

• K/1 Parent drop off- Parents of Kindergarteners and 1st graders (and their older siblings) must use Entrance D car rider line. This puts younger children closer to their classrooms. We also have a lot of adult support there to help little ones.
• 2nd-5th Parent drop off - grade students (without younger siblings) should use Entrance B. We will do single lines at both locations in the mornings and afternoons.

Please do not let students out in parking lots without an adult. We have a high number of cars in the morning, and their safety is of utmost importance.

PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR CAR AT DROP OFF AND PICK UP. We have adults to facilitate.

Click the map below to enlarge.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO IS GET CHILDREN HOME SAFELY AT THE END OF THE DAY. This takes time. Someone once asked me why dismissal is slower than arrival. I reminded them that at dismissal, we are matching the correct children with the correct parents. You can't rush that and make a mistake! We have great systems designed for accuracy and safety. It takes a few days to train staff, students, and parents in the system and establish a routine. Patience is the key!!

You will need to set up your SMART TAG information and set your default. Your default is the way your child will go home every day except when you make a change. Changes made through SMART TAG are absolutely OK, but they do slow dismissal down. Please know that when everyone establishes a routine and sticks to it, our efficiency and safety are GREATLY IMPROVED. Contact Emily Bolles at bollese@ltisdschools.org if you need help.

SMART TAG - All families need to create a parent portal account and set your default method of transportation home. You will use this system to make transportation changes during the year.

GETTING HOME - Students can:

• Ride the bus You must register through transportation.

• Be picked up in car rider line - This includes if your child will be picked up by daycare bus. - ALL families will receive NEW car rider tags. LAST YEARS' TAGS WON'T WORK. You will pick up 2026-2027 car rider tags at Meet the Teacher event August 10th or on the first day of school. You MUST have a car tag to pick up a child in the car rider line. Any vehicle that arrives to pick up a child without a tag will be asked to park and come inside and show ID to get your child after the first week of school.

Families who do NOT have kinder or 1st graders will utilize the circle drive in front of the school at entrance "B" at the end of the day. We will do single lines at both locations in the mornings and afternoons.

• Extended Care - Registration for extended care opened July 14th and can be found on the district website here.
  

• Unescorted Walker (Walk Home Unattended). This option is available for 3-5th grade students only who live in neighborhoods adjacent to the school. Younger students may walk home unattended ONLY with their older 3rd-5th grade sibling.
• We will not release children to walk into the parking lot or side roads to meet parents who prefer to skip car rider line. This causes traffic jams and safety hazards.

• Escorted Walkers/Parent walk up - Parents can come to a designated door (door closest to water tank, Door 23) to pick up your children in person. Please form a single file line and show your family issued number to obtain your child. If you do not have a number, you will be asked to go to the office to show ID.

We ask everyone to use crosswalks when walking in the parking lots. This helps the flow of traffic as well as provides safety for pedestrians.

Click the map below to enlarge.

LUNCH TIMES

K- 10:15-10:45

1st- 10:50-11:20

2nd - 11:25-11:55

3rd - 12:00-12:30

4th - 12:35-1:05

5th - 1:10-1:40

Parents and other family members are welcome to eat with their students at a separate table in the cafeteria as space permits after the first two weeks of school, beginning August 31st.

• Students who bring their lunch end up having longer to eat because they do not stand in lines.
• PLEASE send children with items that THEY CAN OPEN.
• Children will remain seated and raise their hands if they need help.
• Students sit at class tables.
• Through the district’s Food Allergy Management Plan procedures will be implemented in all elementary cafeterias to reduce the risk of exposure to common food allergens.

The following guidelines apply to lunch-time visitors:

• May not enter the building more than a few minutes prior to his/her student’s lunch period and must go directly to the lunchroom;

• May bring outside food for his/her student only;

• May not share outside food with any other students; and

• May stay for his/her student’s lunch period only and then leave campus, unless another appointment has already been scheduled.

Visitors who want to dine with his/her student are encouraged to support the healthy school meal program. Adult-size meals are available daily through the Food and Nutrition department. [See Food and Nutrition.]

Visitors for any ARDs or 504 meetings needing to happen during the first two weeks will be permitted. (Meetings will be offered virtually as well throughout the year.)

All visitors must enter through the front entrance of the school and check in in the front office to obtain a badge through the Centegix system. A driver's license is required for check in.

Volunteers who are on campus while school is in session must attend a volunteer training session (date and time TBA) and must agree to follow all of the guidelines outlined in our district's volunteer guidelines. Those guidelines can be found on the district web page in the coming days.

Aug. 28..... First Rattler Rally (practice) Students Only

Aug. 28.....PTO Parent Volunteer Meeting 2:00 RHE Library

Aug. 31.....Lunch visitors welcomed on campus

Sept 7.... Labor Day/Student & Staff Holiday

Sept 8......Elementary Curriculum Night - Parents only please.

K-2 5:00-5:45

3-5 6:00-6:45

Oct. 16th....SAVE the Date- Fall Pictures-- Sorry for the change-- We tried to get an earlier date!