Santa Rita News

Dear Santa Rita Families,

Welcome back to another incredible year at Santa Rita Elementary! I cannot tell you how excited I am to see our hallways once again filled with smiling faces, eager hearts, and the wonderful buzz of learning and laughter. At SRE, we believe that every child is a unique and treasured part of our school family, and it is my greatest joy as Principal to ensure each student feels valued, challenged, and loved every single day.

This year, we are ready for more moments of curiosity, creativity, and growth as our students work toward their personal learning goals. My hope is that you will feel right at home here and that together, we will continue to grow a strong partnership between school and home.

To help keep you informed and connected, you’ll receive our Santa Rita News every two weeks. This will be your go-to resource for upcoming events, opportunities to partner with us in your child’s education, important campus information, and—my favorite part—celebrations of our students’ growth and achievements.

I also encourage you to follow us on Our PTO Page and Facebook for real-time updates, photos, and stories from around campus. It’s a wonderful way to be part of the everyday magic happening at SRE.

Here’s to another year of learning, laughter, and lifelong memories. I’m so glad you’re part of our Santa Rita family!

With excitement and so much gratitude!

Sincerely,

Kendell Luedtke
Principal, Santa Rita Elementary

Open House Nights at SRE
We’re excited to welcome you to our Open House Nights! This is a special opportunity for parents to visit classrooms, meet your child’s teacher, and hear important grade-level specific information. Teachers will share details about daily schedules, routines and procedures, grading policies, and more to help you stay connected and informed throughout the year.

While students are welcome to attend, please note that this is an informational presentation designed for parents, led by our grade-level teaching teams. We can’t wait to partner with you for another great year at Santa Rita Elementary!

Just a friendly reminder that our campus is closed to visitors until September 2nd.

Keeping consistent afternoon dismissal, will support your child in feeling safe and confident at the end of each day. If it is necessary to request a transportation change, please visit our district transportation site . All changes must be made by email before 1pm on the day of the change. This is an LHISD policy. Any transportation change requests after 1:00pm will not be honored. Any emails sent to campus personnel requesting a transportation change will not be accepted.

Parents will get a confirmation email for transportation changes, but please be mindful that it might take time. If they don’t hear back from our receptionist 1pm, you may call the campus to confirm it was received.

Early pickup cut off time is 2:40. If you wish to pick up your child early, you must park in the parking lot and come into the building with a valid ID to check your child out with the receptionist.

Safety is our first priority. Cell phones in school zones and in car lines are not only against the law, it puts our kids and staff at risk. Your cooperation is needed and appreciated.

Please do not park at or near crosswalks as it blocks our ability to see oncoming traffic and creates a hazard for crossing guards and students crossing the street.

The first few days of school are exciting for everyone. We often have 2-3 times the number of cars dropping off and picking up than the rest of the year. Thanks for your patience as we worked through these first couple of days getting back into our routines.

Morning Arrival:

• Please form one lane and do not go around other vehicles or cones or run over our cones.
• Do NOT drop off students in the bus parking lot to avoid our car rider line. That parking lot is reserved for our staff and students with special circumstances.
• Do NOT drop off students by the black Panther walker near Braun and Vista Porta Loop.
• Please follow staff and sign directives.
• It is imperative that you pull all the way forward in the morning before letting your child out of the car. This allows us to try and fill up our parking lot as much as possible and alleviate traffic from Santa Rita Boulevard as soon as possible.
• Please be kind to our staff members and use appropriate language in the presence of children.
• If you are a walker, please cross the street at the designated crosswalk locations ONLY.

Afternoon Dismissal:

• Please form 2 lines in the afternoon. Please remember the inside lane will go straight into the neighborhood off of Vista Porta Loop. The outside lane will turn left down Braun.
• Please remain in your vehicle at all times.
• Please follow all staff directives and signs.
• Please do not come up to the building to receive your child. All students will meet parents at their designated crosswalk and their vehicle.
• Please be kind to our staff members and use appropriate language in the presence of children.

Parents, please remember that you are no longer able to walk your child into the building and to their classrooms. Parents are not able to enter the front vestibule area as well. Thank you for your understanding and partnership.

Parents & guardians, please remember that if your child is not in the building by 7:30am, then your child is considered tardy and must be walked into the building by an adult. We are having students crossing crosswalks unattended and we have students being dropped off on the sidewalk and they don't know their teachers’ names. All SRE staff report to classrooms at 7:30am. After this time, your child is your responsibility due to no available staff supervision.

Attendance emails & attendance calls are going out - please give us up to a week to process/update excused absences before calling to check if they have been taken care of.

Subject: SB12 Annual Notification of Health-Related Services and Parental Consent - Action Item: Complete Opt In or Opt Out Form

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In accordance with the *new* Texas Senate Bill 12, Liberty Hill ISD is providing this annual notice to inform you of the health-related services available to students at your child’s campus during the upcoming school year. SB 12 specifically states that parents must now provide consent for their child to receive any nursing or medical services at school. This includes routine care such as temperature checks, administering over-the-counter medication, or basic first aid. As part of this new mandate, parents have the opportunity to opt in or opt out of campus-based health-related services for their child.

Action Item: To comply with legislative requirements, we ask that you acknowledge receipt of this notice by completing the form at the following link: 2025-2026 Health Services Annual Parent/Guardian Consent (this is the opt-in or opt-out form)

Please be advised that if you choose to opt out of these services, and your child becomes ill or sustains an injury during the school day, the campus nurse will not be permitted to assess or provide care.

Emergency Situations: In the event of an emergency or if someone requires life-saving measures, staff are authorized to provide assistance to the student.

Services that campuses may include (but are not limited to):

• Acute Care: Providing immediate care for illnesses and non- life threatening injuries. (i.e, taking temperature, cleansing a scrape & applying a bandaid, assessing stomach ache, headaches)

• Chronic Disease Management: Assisting students with chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes in managing their health, administering medications, and developing individualized healthcare plans (IHPs).

• Medication Administration: Administering both prescribed and over-the-counter medications as per the physician's orders and with parental consent.

• Preventive Care: Providing or coordinating preventive care, like state-required immunization reminders and resources.

• Promote health education on topics like nutrition and hygiene.

• Care Coordination: Collaborating with physicians, families, and school staff to ensure comprehensive care, advocacy, and communicating health information effectively. (i.e., ensuring all staff are aware of the child's medical needs and the support needed throughout the school day).

• Health Education: Educating students and parents on various health topics, including disease prevention, healthy lifestyles, and managing chronic conditions.

• Mental Health Support: Provide first-aid care and crisis intervention, then partner with and transfer care to the campus counseling department for further support if warranted.

• Identifying and Addressing Health Barriers to Learning: Recognizing health problems that may be impeding a student's educational progress and partnering with education staff in developing plans to address them. (i.e, participating, advocating in IEP/504 meetings)

• Referrals to Community Resources: Connecting students and families with community healthcare providers and social services.

If you have questions about the health‑related services available at your child’s campus or wish to request additional information, please contact us at healthservices@libertyhill.txed.net

We remain committed to supporting your child’s health, safety, and well-being in partnership with you.

Sincerely,

Liberty Hill Independent School District - Health Services Department

EMPATHY:

Understanding and caring about how others are feeling

*Empathy is about sharing an emotion with someone, or feeling the way they feel, even if you aren’t in the same situation.

Example: Have you ever been with a friend who just got a new toy and she’s so excited about it and you get super excited too? If you are feeling excited because you know how great it can feel to get a new toy (even though you didn’t get a toy and you aren’t playing with the toy)… that’s empathy. Being excited with your friend is a kind of empathy.

*Empathy means you see things from someone else’s point of view, or from their perspective.

Example : Have you ever thought a game was really fun but your friend felt it wasn’t fair? If you saw your friend was bothered by the game and understood she wasn’t having a good time even though you were… that’s empathy. You showed empathy by understanding how things felt from her side of the situation.

Families, please check your child's backpack and school items each morning to make sure they have everything that they need. There have been many forgotten items brought to campus after instruction has begun. Here are some tips to support with this:

• Have backpacks packed every night
• Use sticky notes as reminders
• Have students complete an inventory checklist- backpack, snack, water bottle, lunch, etc.
• Have your child develop a routine of organzing items to ensure that nothing gets left behind