Welcome to Serene Hills Elementary
Back to School 2019-2020
Our theme this school year is Learning is a Journey
Meet our leadership team
Julie Nederveld, Principal
Keegan Luedecke, Asst. Principal
Ariana Barrera, Counselor
We are eager to meet your children and support you as we partner together!
Communication
Please reach out to your child's teacher on any questions or concerns you have. Our leadership team, including our counselor, is here to answer questions and support you too.
Tears & Cheers for Kinder parents on the 1st day of school
School Hours
7:20 a.m. Students may enter building and proceed to classrooms.
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.
3:05 p.m. Students must be picked up by this time.
Extended Care is an after school child care option at Serene Hills. You may contact the Office of Community Programs for information regarding registration for this program.
Across Campus Enrichment
There will not be regular Friday assemblies this year. We will have two assemblies each quarter to support school spirit, but feel the benefit of ACE is a more impactful to our students on Friday mornings.
Morning Drop Off Information
Kinder-Second Grader Car Riders
Kindergarteners, first graders and second graders are to be dropped off in front of school in a single file line and will enter main front doors.
Third-Fifth Grader Car Riders
Third graders, fourth graders, and fifth graders will be dropped off in the parking lot adjacent to the playground and enter the main front doors. Carpools or cars with siblings should drop off in the lot of the youngest rider in the car.
There is NO car drop off/pick up along Trophy Drive or the back drive. Please do not pull into the staff parking lot or park across the street. Cross the street only in the marked crosswalks. Student safety is our number one concern, but we need your help with this.
Additional Information
•Please have your child/children ready to exit the car prior to entering the drive.
•Pull all the way up to the sign that says, “Pull Up to Here” in a single line near the sidewalk to drop off your child/children.
•Allow your child to exit anywhere on the sidewalk, rather than waiting until you are directly in front of the doors.
•Staff and safety patrols help with welcoming and monitoring.
•Stay in your vehicle once you enter either drive, just as your would at the airport.
•Please allow enough time for morning traffic (especially on rainy days).
•All car riders should be dropped off from the car rider lane only.
•For the safety of your child, do not let your child exit your car and walk between parked vehicles, as this is not a safe option.
•The car loops are one way at all times, both morning and afternoon.
•Being on time allows your child to begin their school day without feeling rushed. It is also important to model being on time.
Other Transportation Options
• Walkers and bicycle riders will enter the building through the main front doors.
• Bus riders will be dropped off at the back entrance.
Afternoon Dismissal
We are continuing our same arrival/dismissal procedures as last year.
Parents will indicate how students will go home using School Dismissal Manger at https://www.schooldismissalmanager.com. Changes to mode of transportation need to entered before 1:45 p.m. each day. We will start School Dismissal Manager on Monday August 19. Please also add the way your child goes home on the Google Form you received on the teacher assignment email.
Bus Riders
Only buses pick up at the back of the school building. Please do not enter the bus lane at the back of the school. Buses will transport only registered riders. They will no longer transport additional students for sleepovers, scouts, parties, etc. due to lack of available seats. All school buses in LTISD now are equipped with three seat belts to a seat. Students swipe their Smart Tags upon entering and exiting the buses so that parents/staff can monitor their whereabouts. Make sure you register on Smart Tag so that you receive notifications of delays or any issues.
Car Riders
Due to minimal parking area on the streets surrounding Serene Hills and concern for student safety, parents are highly discouraged from parking to pick up students. If you choose to park, you will need to do so only in the parking lot adjacent to the playground. Do not park along Trophy Drive. There have been many near misses because of cars pulled off to the side of the road there. The parking lot on that side of the building is for staff parking only and will not be accessible.
•If your child will be riding home in a car please make arrangements to classify your child as a car-rider and pick him/her up in one of the two drives, Kinder through 2nd in the front drive and 3rd through 5th graders in the lot adjacent to the playground.
Kinder-2nd Grade Car Riders
•Please have your numbered car tag hanging from your rear view mirror when you enter the drive.
•Please remember that cell phones at pick-up is a violation of law and a distraction that could be harmful or deadly.
•As soon as you veer right, form two lines.
•Please remain in your vehicle at all times. Once your child is placed safely in your vehicle, stay in the far right lane and merge into one lane to exit.
•Your car will be loaded once you arrive at the loading zone.
•If you are picking up children who are not outside, pull forward to the far right and wait near the bike racks.
3rd - 5th Grade Car Riders
•Enter the parking lot adjacent to the playground and form two car lines. Fifth graders will be picked up from the left lane and load on the driver side. Third and fourth graders will be picked up from the right lane and load on the passenger side.
•Please move all the way forward to the sign that says, “Pull Up to Here.” This is where students will load.
•Please remain in your vehicle at all times.
•Please do not park in the lot and call your child to your car for the safety of your child. You must enter the line. Once your child is in your vehicle, stay in the far right lane and circle around until you reach the exit to the street.
Escorted Walkers, Bike Riders, and Daycare Bus Riders
•Parents who walk or ride their bike to campus to pick up their child/children may pick up outside the North side (facing Trophy Drive) of the building, which is where the students exit. Please walk all the way up to the doors.
•Students will wait on the upper covered patio until we release them to a parent. Please do not call a child to cross the street when the parent is on one side and the child is on the other.
•Crossing guards are stationed at the corner of Trophy and Highlands Drive and again at Highlands Drive and Lakeway Blvd.
•All pedestrian and bicycle traffic should take these routes to and from school. Cars will not be permitted in the teachers' parking lot.
Unescorted Walkers/Bike Riders
Students with this dismissal designation will be released to walk or bike ride home alone.
Extended Care/Enrichment Class Participants
Students enrolled in these programs will be escorted to the location designated on campus for the program in which the student is enrolled.
Safety, Visitors and Deliveries
As a staff, we conduct frequent safety drills to prepare our students and staff on how to respond in the event of a real emergency. The district provides very detailed emergency procedures which we follow. We conduct walk-throughs, welcome Lakeway police visits, conduct safety audits, attend Safe and Security Team meetings and more.
It is our priority to keep students and staff safe and focused on high quality education. Therefore, we require that all visitors sign-in at the office upon entering through the front doors and wear a visitor’s badge while in the building. The only exception will be the very first day of school. Starting on Thursday all visitors will be required to sign in. The badge verifies that you have checked in the office, presented proper identification and made clear the purpose for your visit. Please return your badge when you leave campus. Please use our RSVP system for large events on campus.
Deliveries of forgotten items to students should be limited to emergencies only so that important instructional time is not interrupted. All items should be left on the cart in the foyer. Please fill out a tag with the child’s first name, last name, teacher name, and grade level clearly written then attach to the item. All deliveries are made at 10:00 AM.
Attendance
We can provide an exceptional educational experience for your child, but he/she must be here on time and stay all day for us to do so.
Arrive before 7:40 and stay until 3:00 every day.
However…
they can’t learn if they are ill, and others will miss learning opportunities if your child is contagious. Do not send your child to school if he/she:
•Is under doctor’s orders to stay home.
•Has had fever over 100 degrees within the last 24 hours.
•Has had diarrhea in the last 24 hours.
•Has pink eye.
Otherwise, we encourage you to send your child to school. If he/she is not well enough to stay the entire day, the nurse will send him/her home.
If your child is unable to attend school, please log in to https://www.schooldismissalmanager.com/login.asp and enter your child’s absence and the reason for the absence. There is no need to call school, simply enter the absence in School Dismissal Manager.
When you take your student to the doctor, please provide a doctor’s or dentist's note stating they had an appointment.
Health Office
A written excuse is required if a child is injured and unable participate in physical education. If a child is excused from PE participation, he/she will also be excused from recess.
Prescription and non-prescription drugs to be administered at school must:
•Be dropped off to the health office and picked up by a parent/guardian.
•Be in the original container.
•Be accompanied by a note if dosage differs from what is on the original non-prescription container.
•Must remain in the health office, not with the student (except for asthma medication and epi-pens with written permission).
Cafeteria Procedures
•Students will deposit lunch money prior to 9:00 a.m. This ensures that the lunch lines run smoothly and are not slowed by students making deposits into their accounts.
•Students may pay by the day, week, month or year.
•Payments will also be accepted online at www.myschoolbucks.com.
•A food allergy form is available on the district website if your child has an allergy that restricts them from certain foods.
On the district website, parents can access a Student Snack Permission Form which allows them to choose how often students can purchase snacks. The options are:
•no restrictions,
•only purchase on certain days, or
•make no purchase at all for your child.
Fill in the blanks on the form, save it to your computer, then e-mail to your student's Cafe Manager as indicated at the bottom of the form.
Without this form, students can purchase at their discretion.
Birthdays will no longer be celebrated in the classrooms with food. Instead each student will receive a coupon on/near his or his birthday to redeem for a special treat in the cafeteria.
District Dress Code and Items That Do Not Belong at School
District Dress Code Prohibits the Following
•Bare midriffs
•Backless or strapless tops/dresses
•Beach wear
•Spandex, biker, or short shorts
•Muscle shirts
•Baggy pants or shorts
•Trench coats or dusters
For safety, no flip flops may be worn at PE. Please send your child with sneakers or lace up shoes for recess and PE.
Items That Do Not Belong at School
•Weapons, including pocket knives
•Toy or virtual weapons
•Tobacco, tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes
•Drugs, alcohol, or drug paraphernalia
•Skateboards, rollerblades, or shoes with wheels
*Rolling backpacks are discouraged.
For a more detailed list, see the district Student/Parent Handbook and the Student Code of Conduct.
Field Trips
Field trips are a good example of memorable school activities that students deeply enjoy. They do, however, require a significant concerted effort on the part of the teacher to ensure our children are safe in a somewhat foreign environment. Having children take private transportation to or from a field trip increases the likelihood that a safety error will be made. Therefore, district policy states that students must ride the bus to and from the field trip. Additionally, policy states that siblings are not permitted to attend field trips. Parents do not ride the bus, but may drive separately if attending.
PTO
We have a wonderful PTO. Please sign up to volunteer. Visit the PTO website at https://serenehillspto.org/home/. Also, check out our new PTO Facebook page.
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Sign up to volunteer
Serene Hills Elementary
#LTWorkofHeart
Website: 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