The Serene Scoop
Serene Hills Elementary School --- Oct. 14, 2021
This week flew by! I can't believe we're already in the middle of October! As Anne of Green Gables said, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." I hope you and your families are able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall weather this weekend.
A couple of reminders:
*If you need to make a change to your student's dismissal, please use this link.
*For students birthdays, we cannot pass out cupcakes or other treats to the entire class. If you'd like to bring a treat, it can only be for your student. Birthday students also receive a treat from the cafeteria.
*Oct. 29th will be a food exemption day and Book Character Dress-Up day, but we are not having parties. However, the teachers may choose to involve food in their lessons that day.
*Masks: We have run out of student sized masks. Please send your student with an extra in case their mask becomes dirty or lost.
Details about visitors returning to campus (Yayyyyyy!!!) are below.
Warmly,
Keegan Luedecke
SHE Principal
Upcoming Dates:
Oct. 18th: PTO General Meeting featuring Mr. Norton, LTISD Superintendent
Oct. 27th: Track & Field 2nd Grade - 5th Grade
Oct. 28th: Track & Field PreK - 1st Grade
Oct. 29th: Book Character Dress Up Day
Nov. 1st: No School- Teacher Professional Development Day
Nov. 2nd: Election Day
Nov. 8th-12th: Kindness Week
Nov. 16th: Fall Photo Retakes
Nov. 22nd-26th: No School: Thanksgiving Break
Next Week in Second Step:
Learning means doing something new every day. Sometimes when we’re doing something new, we get stuck and don’t know what to do. If we get stuck, we can use a skill for learning—being assertive—to ask for help. Being assertive means asking for what you need or want in a calm, firm, respectful way. Face the person you are talking to, and keep your head up and shoulders back. When you can’t figure out what to do in class, remember to be assertive and ask for help.
Oct. 18th: PTO General Meeting with Guest Speaker, Mr. Paul Norton!
When: Monday, October 18 · 11:30am – 12:15pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/wck-wctg-jzr
Or dial: (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 378 082 242 1337#
We hope you can all tune in!
Update on Visits & Volunteerism at SHE
Beginning Monday, October 18, 2021, visitors will be allowed back on elementary campuses in the following capacities:
- Library volunteers (must be scheduled and approved with the librarian)
- LTHS PALS program
- LT Mentors
- PTO Meetings/volunteers
- Lunch visitors as space permits
- Garden Volunteers
All visitors and volunteers must be scheduled in advance.
All visitors and volunteers must "Raptor" in in the front office.
All visitors and volunteers must stay in designated area that has been scheduled.
We look forward to having volunteers! Specifically, at this time, we are able to have library volunteers to help shelve books and to help with our upcoming Book Fair. We will be able to welcome mentors through the LT Mentor program, and PTO's can now have meetings on campus if preferred.
At this time we are not asking for parents to volunteer in the classroom. Volunteering to help with take home projects can be a huge help though!
I am also excited to announce that our high school PALS program will start again soon. PALS is a high school program designed to connect high school students mentor and support our elementary students.
LTISD Volunteer Program
Program Description
- Volunteers can perform any job that does not require working alone with students. Note: If volunteers plan to work alone with one or more students, they must agree to a complete criminal background check to be conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Inquire with the campus Volunteer Coordinator for more details.
- Volunteers will be required to Raptor in with a driver's license each time they visit.
- Volunteers will be required to sign a Confidentiality Pledge each school year.
- Volunteer opportunities are available as soon as the campus is ready to receive assistance.
Please contact your campus Volunteer Coordinator or GW Byers, Community Relations Liaison, at byersg@ltisdschools.org or 512-533-6099 if you would like to become a Volunteer!
SHE Lunch Visitor Campus Plan
- Space permitting, parents are welcome to join their children for lunch starting Monday, October 18, 2021.
- All visitors must sign in at the front office with the Raptor systems with a driver's license.
- Visitors will be able to enter the building AT your child's lunch time, but not sooner.
- Visitors and their children will sit in a separate designated area (tables along the windows) with their children only.
- Please remember that visitors cannot provide food for other students during lunchtime.
- Visitors may go to the lunch room only but may not go to the classroom or to recess during your visit.
Student Led Clothing & Toy Drive!
5th Grade Students are collecting clothes & shoes (any size) & toys for the Arms of Hope & Mission Impossible organizations.
Please donate your gently used or new clothing and toys to benefit those in need.
It feels good to give to others!
NEW! COVID Reporting Forms
In accordance with our Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan, parents must report a student who is test-confirmed COVID positive to the campus nurse and/or campus administrator:
To report a positive student COVID-19 case, please click here.
Additionally, in accordance with rules published by the Texas Education Agency, any student living in the same household as a COVID-19 positive person will be required to quarantine and may not re-enter school until 10 days after their date of last exposure to the positive individual. If a student begins exhibiting COVID symptoms or tests positive, the student must remain off campus until the applicable re-entry criteria have been met:
To report a LTISD student household close contact, please click here.
Thank you for your support as we work together to keep our community safe and healthy.
School board calls tax rate election for November
The Lake Travis ISD Board of Trustees has called a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE, set for November 2.
The purpose of a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election is to ask the community to consider approving a tax rate to maximize funding. If passed, the proposal would allow Lake Travis ISD to keep an estimated $3 million locally without increasing the total tax rate.
The Lake Travis school district is funded primarily through local taxes and state funds. Local taxes are collected and go into two different funds: Maintenance and Operations, or M&O, and Interest and Sinking, or I&S. The M&O side pays for everyday district operations including salaries, books and building maintenance, while the I&S side is similar to a mortgage and can only be used to pay the debt on voter-approved school bonds. Bonds pay for new school construction and other capital improvements.
The board has set the total tax rate at $1.2301, $0.8826 for M&O and $0.3475 for I&S. If voters approve the $1.2301 total tax rate, our board—by resolution—has already approved reducing the I&S tax rate by two cents, from $0.3475 to $0.3275, and increasing our M&O tax rate by two cents, from $0.8826 to $0.9026. The result of this exchange will generate an estimated $3 million annually for Lake Travis ISD, and doing so will not affect our total tax rate. The revenue is not subject to the recapture system of school funding, commonly known as “Robin Hood.” Funds will be used to sustain additional instructional support positions for students and staff and tutorial services for accelerated learning once federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds are depleted.
If the VATRE does not pass, Lake Travis ISD will not be able to retain $3 million locally. Instead, those funds will be sent to the state under Robin Hood. Whether the tax rate election passes or fails, there will be no increase to our district’s total tax rate.
It is important to note there is a difference between the tax rate and a homeowner’s overall tax bill. Although the school district’s tax rate will not change as a result of the election, an increase in property value will inevitably result in an increase in a homeowner’s tax bill.
The LTISD board of trustees has called for the Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election, however, the voters are the ones who decide the outcome of the election. All eligible, registered voters are encouraged to become informed and exercise their right to vote in this election. Early voting begins Monday, October 18 and continues through Friday, October 29. Election day is Tuesday, November 2. Voting locations and additional information can be found on the District’s website at www.ltisdschools.org/vatre.
Substitute Teachers Desperately Needed!
Useful Links:
Useful Links:
Serene Hills:
Serene Hills Elementary Homepage
2021-2022 School Supplies Lists
Transportation:
Food and Nutrition Services (FANS):
Serene Hills Elementary School
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