THURSDAY EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER

Website: lifeschool.net
Location: 777 South Interstate 35 East Service Road, Red Oak, TX, USA
Phone: 469-552-9200
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LifeRedOak

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lsromustangs/

Hello Families,

Next week, our students will be participating in benchmark testing. To ensure a focused and smooth testing environment, our campus will be closed to visitors on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As many students have been getting sick lately, we ask for your help in keeping everyone healthy:

• Please sanitize your child’s belongings daily.

• Remind your child to wash their hands regularly throughout the day.

We want all our students here at school and ready to learn, so thank you for partnering with us to keep everyone healthy and safe!

New Student Enrollment is Now Open for 2026-2027 - Refer a Friend to Apply to Life School Today

New Enrollment for next school year is now open. If you have family or friends interested in attending Life School next year, please share their contact information by completing this referral form or have them visit Life School Enrollment to apply today.

Spring Picture Day & $3 Free Dress Day

Please note an important date change: our $3 Free Dress Day and Spring Picture Day have been moved to Tuesday, March 17, no longer February 11. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we navigate these adjustments together.

Arrival Safety Reminder

For the safety of all students, please do not drop students off before 7:15 a.m. Prior to this time, there is no staff on campus to supervise students. Early arrival creates safety concerns due to moving vehicles, students being unmonitored, cold weather conditions, and the potential for rough play or fighting. Supervision begins at 7:15 a.m., and we appreciate your partnership in ensuring students arrive when staff are present to keep everyone safe.

Nominate an Outstanding Teacher or Staff Member

We love celebrating our amazing teachers and staff. Is there someone you would like to shout out for demonstrating LifeLeader qualities and making a difference every day?

*Please submit your nominations by March 31st using this link: LifeLeader Nominations.

Life's Finest

Bring a friend to Life’s Finest who is not currently enrolled in Life School and receive a free Lion or Mustang mascot patch. (Good while supplies last.) Check in with your friend at the information table in the Oak Cliff Auditorium lobby to receive your free gift.

Click here to view the February LifeLeader Newsletter. In this edition, you'll find information about Life School CTE programs, ways to build LifeLeader and science skills at home, tips for families whose students are transitioning from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school, and more. If you have not already, please follow our new @LSPartnersforLife Instagram account.

February

12: Cici's Waxahachie Fundraiser Night 4-9

13: No School Friday

16-19: Kindness Week

17-18: Campus Closed to Families for lunches, observations, and volunteers

17: Spring Benchmark Math (4 & 6)

18: Spring Benchmark Math (3 & 5)

18: Wear HBCU or College Shirt with Uniform Bottoms

19: Spring Benchmark Math Makeup Testing

20: No School Friday

23: 100th Day of School

23-26: Lost & Found on Tables

25: Spring Benchmark Science (Grade 5)

25: Campus Closed to Families for lunches, observations, and volunteers

25: Wear HBCU or College Shirt with Uniform Bottoms

26: Lost & Found Donated

26: Birthday Thursday/$3 Free dress Day/LifeLeaders of the Month Announced

26: Spring Benchmark Science (Grade 5) Makeup Testing

26: Last Day to Order Field Day Shirts

26: Chick fil A Fundraiser Night

27: School on Friday for Students & Staff

28: 6th Annual Life's Finest Event- District Fine Art Showcase

As we prepare for our upcoming Spring Benchmark assessments, we want to share key dates and guidelines to ensure a successful testing experience for everyone.

Upcoming Benchmark Dates:

• February 10: RLA Benchmark (Grades 4 & 6) No Campus Visitors

• February 11: RLA Benchmark (Grades 3 & 5) No Campus Visitors

• February 12: RLA Makeup Testing for Math Benchmark (Grades 3-6)

• February 17: Math Benchmark (Grades 4 & 6) No Campus Visitors

• February 18: Math Benchmark (Grades 3 & 5) No Campus Visitors

• February 19: Makeup Testing for Math Benchmark (Grades 3-6)

• February 25: Science Benchmark (Grade 5) No Campus Visitors

• February 26: Makeup Testing for Science Benchmark (Grade 5)

These tests provide teachers with important information about what your child has learned so far and what skills may need additional focus in the spring. To help your child do their best, please make sure they get a good night's sleep and have a nutritious breakfast on testing days. We also encourage students to bring a snack and a bottle of water to stay energized and focused.

Lunch Adjusted Schedule:

There will also be a slight adjustment to lunch schedules to accommodate students who are testing. Grade levels not listed are not impacted and will have their lunch at their normally scheduled time.

• February 10: 5th Grade Lunch 1:30-2:00 and 6th Grade Lunch 12:55-1:25
• February 11: 3rd Grade Lunch 12:20-12:50 and 4th Grade 11:45-12:15
• February 17: 5th Grade Lunch 1:30-2:00 and 6th Grade Lunch 12:55-1:25
• February 18: 3rd Grade Lunch 12:20-12:50 and 4th Grade 11:45-12:15
• February 19, 25-26: No changes to lunch times

• To support our students in maintaining focus during testing, we kindly ask that classroom observations not be scheduled on the dates indicated above.

• Additionally, on the dates indicated above, we request that there be no visitors for lunch across all grade levels, including Kindergarten through 2nd grade to keep the atrium area quiet for students as they are testing.

Thank you for your support in creating a calm, focused environment for all our students. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation!

This month is a great reminder for families to focus on heart health and healthy habits for both children and adults. The heart is a powerful organ that pumps oxygen and nutrients throughout the body—helping kids grow, learn, play, and stay active every day.

From February 16–19, in partnership with our school counselors, we will celebrate Kindness Week! During this week, we’ll explore how taking care of our feelings, building positive relationships, staying active, eating well, and managing stress all help keep our hearts healthy. Learning to care for both our minds and bodies now can benefit our hearts for years to come.

Here are ways parents can help their children build heart-healthy habits at home:

• Schedule regular wellness visits and blood pressure checks

• Encourage physical activity every day

• Provide a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables while limiting processed foods

• Promote healthy sleep and stress management

• Model kindness and self-care—children learn by watching us

Together, we can support heart-healthy habits both at school and at home.

💛 Want to be kind to your body? Start by being kind to your heart! 💖

What a great month February is! Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) this year is the week of February 15 - 20th, with RAK Day being February 17th. We will be having lots of activities showing kindness to others. Be on the lookout for more information closer to the 15th. If you want to help teach your children to spread kindness at home, the RAK website has a parent page with ideas for you, too! Here is the link.

This message is a reminder of our arrival and dismissal expectations. Campus doors open at 7:15 a.m., and instruction begins promptly at 7:40 a.m. Students should be in class and ready to learn by that time. As a campus serving over 1,000 students, morning traffic can be busy, and we ask families to plan accordingly.

A five-minute grace period is provided, with tardies recorded beginning at 7:45 a.m. Traffic delays due to accidents or inclement weather are taken into consideration.

The school day ends at 4:05 p.m. Early releases should be limited to necessary situations whenever possible.

Recently, we have seen an increase in unexcused tardies and early releases, which disrupt instructional time and impact learning. One of our goals is to help students grow as LifeLeaders by building positive habits that will support them as they get older, including the importance of being on time and valuing learning.

Below are the attendance brochure and flyer with additional attendance information.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting a safe, orderly, and learning-focused school day.

Our 4th–6th grade Health Club is hosting fun dress-up days to support their service project! Students may participate by paying $1 per day or $3 for all three days.

• February 2: Wear your favorite football team jersey or shirt in celebration of the Super Bowl 🏈

• March 19: Wear your favorite basketball team jersey or shirt for March Madness 🏀

• April 9: Wear your favorite hat 🎩

Please click the link to pay online only. Cash will not be accepted. Thank you for supporting our Health Club!

This is our limited time BJ’s Wholesale Club founding member offer! We will also have additional gas savings for the first 6 months.

New Club Card memberships are only $15 for 12 months. (Reg. $60) Or you can save BIG on our Club Plus membership for only $50 for 12 months. (reg. $120.) This membership gives you 2% off on most purchases and 5 cents off on gas.

Early Enrollment Bonus:

– Even though the Waxahachie club opens soon, early enrollments receive bonus time — shop online or at the nearest BJ’s right away, and your 12-month membership doesn’t start until Waxahachie officially opens! (side note: this club has a gas station!)

3 Easy Ways to Sign Up

• Scan the QR Code on the Flyer
• Go to link on the flyer - www.bjs.com/partner/lifeschoolredoakelem
• Or Call BJ's at 800-313-8887 and use group code 830033

All the teachers that work the car line daily: These teachers make sure our kids get in and out of the cars safely every day and into school. They are there in the hot, cold and rain to ensure our kids safety and for that I am thankful and believe they deserve recognition.

We would like to recognize LSRO staff for all the amazing things that they do each day for our students. If you have someone that you would like to brag about, please fill out this form and we will share the Shout Outs through the weekly Thursday Exchange.

Want to submit a staff shout out? Click here: Staff Shout-Outs!!!! (Google Form)

We strive to be an inclusive campus that celebrates and recognizes the diversity of our community. If there’s an awareness or appreciation day you’d like us to acknowledge, please email Mrs. Dillard.

February 26, March 17, March 26, April 30, & May 14

Since we are a cashless campus, all payments must be paid online using our payment link. If you want to pay for the entire year, you get 11 Free Dress Days for the price of 10.

CLICK HERE TO PAY!

During morning announcements, we will focus on one LifeLeader Attribute each week and learn what we need to do to develop each attribute so that we can become effective leaders in our school and in our community. We encourage students and families to memorize these statements together and talk about how the attribute is exhibited at home, school and work. We will share the I Will statement in the weekly newsletter and on our campus Facebook page. We look forward to hearing how students are exhibiting the attributes at school and home. Click here to view all 15 LifeLeader attributes.

LifeLeader School Rules - Growing Leaders of Character

During the first six weeks of school, we’re introducing our LifeLeader School Rules to help students grow as leaders of strong character. Every two weeks, we’ll focus on one of the three school rules, reinforcing positive behaviors that support our mission.

We invite you to partner with us by asking your child how they are demonstrating these school rules both at school and at home.

Click here to view the teacher guide with examples of behaviors that align with each rule

Please see below reminders regarding school uniform and dress code:

• Elementary students must wear navy pants, skirts, or plaid jumpers or skirts. Elementary students should not be wearing khaki pants or skirts.
• Elementary students must wear navy or red polo shirts or a white oxford (button-down) shirt with the Life School crest.
• Spirit T-shirts can only be worn on Thursdays. Polo shirts must be worn Monday-Wednesday.
• For more information, please see our Student/Parent Handbook.

All households need to complete the Free and Reduced Price School Meal Application each school year, even if your child does not purchase school meals. The application is available throughout the school year and available to complete again should your family have a change in income or additional family members in the household.

Click here to view the breakfast and lunch menus.

Students and parents are not allowed to use food delivery services to have food brought to school during school hours.

• Breakfast is from 7:15-7:40.

• Any students arriving to the cafeteria after 7:35 will not be able to eat breakfast.

School Hours: 7:40 am – 4:05 pm.

Morning Drop-off/Arrival: 7:15 – 7:40 am.

No student will be allowed to enter the building before 7:15 am.

Students must be inside their classrooms and ready for learning by 7:40 am. Students will be marked tardy beginning at 7:45am.

Click here to report an absence.

Any questions regarding absences, tardies/early pickups please email the Attendance Clerk at attendance.lsro@lifeschools.net.

Attendance is available for you to review at any time in the Parent Portal.

Excessive absences can result in filing with the truancy court and possible expulsion from Life School.

For more information, please see our Student/Parent Handbook.

Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade are prohibited from using the following personal electronic devices during school hours and while on school property:

• Cell phones

• Smart watches (including fitness trackers with texting/calling features)

• Earbuds/headphones (including AirPods)

• Tablets and personal laptops (including iPads and gaming devices)

These personal electronic devices must be turned off and stored out of sight in a backpack or purse during the school day. The use of any of these devices during the school day may result in confiscation and disciplinary consequences. This includes all areas of the school building and property, such as but not limited to classrooms, cafeterias, common areas/hallways, and locker rooms.

Please note: This policy does not apply to Life School-issued devices, which will continue to be used for educational purposes. Students may use a personal device only if:

• It is required by their IEP or 504 Plan; or

• A physician’s order is on file for a medical need.

We appreciate your support in helping us create an environment that allows students to fully engage in learning without unnecessary distractions. If you have any questions or believe your child may qualify for an exception, please contact your campus administrator.

Thank you for partnering with us to support student success!

It's easy! Here's how it works:

• Download the Box Tops app and create a login. Choose to give to Life School Red Oak, our zip code is 75154!
• Buy Box Tops products. With thousands of participating products, there are lots of chances to earn!
• Scan your receipt with the Box Tops app within 14 days of purchase and automatically earn for Life School Red Oak with every Box Tops product you buy.
• You can even link your Walmart account to skip scanning receipts! See the app for more details.
• Spread the word to grandparents, friends, and family! This allows others to earn for our school!

Every Box Tops product counts towards our goal. Let's make a difference for our teachers & students!

To view staff favorites, click here.

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