We know that navigating the start of a new school year can be overwhelming and difficult for students and parents. So, this newsletter was created to share information that we believe is the most important for a successful start. If you need to speak with a member of of staff, please call (813)794-9400 and someone will be happy to assist.

Please continue to visit this newsletter as additional information may be posted up to the first day of school.

Follow us on X: @lolhsprincipal @LOLHSathletics @LOLHSband @LOLHSIB @lolhsjournalism @LOLHS_CRC @LOLHSTDClub @LOLHSCheer @LOLHSSoftball @LOLHSglax @LandDive @NHSLOLHS1 @lolhshockey

myPascoConnect: This is the platform where students find all of their school apps. Use the Local Student ID and Student Password to log on. Email Mrs. Sybert, Data Entry Operator, at jsybert@pasco.k12.fl.us if you need this information.

myStudent: This is the app that you use to get your schedule, track grades, and see attendance information. To find a student's classes, open the “Class Schedule” tab on the left side of the screen. Other information is easily accessed from the home screen.

myLearning: This is the app used to access class coursework for the upcoming school year. Each class has its own course that must be started by the first day of school. Open the "Courses" tab on the left side of the screen. Match the name of each class from what is listed on myStudent. Accept each course.

1. Navigate to the Pasco County Schools Website

2. Select the PARENTS menu

3. Select Check Grades under the PARENT LINKS menu area located on the right side of the screen

4. Click the Link to register a new account or add another student to your account

5. Follow the appropriate prompts for Registering, Add a Child or Password help

6. You will be required to enter the Parent PIN #, Student ID and Student’s Birthdate

7. Select Add Student

We want to remind parents/guardians of the importance of updating their demographic information for the new school year if there have been changes. This information is essential for us to provide you with important information throughout the school year, and to contact you if we have a critical incident at the school. We also use this information to communicate with you about your student's progress, and to ensure that they are receiving the needed services and support.

Your demographic information includes things like your address, phone number, email address, and other emergency contact information. You can do this by logging into your myStudent Parent Portal account or by contacting the school office if you need assistance. Also, please check all of you email inboxes for school mail. Sometimes our messages get delivered to spam or other unused mailboxes. If that is the case, you need to change your preferences so that our messages arrive to the main inbox.

The following items may be needed for class. Teachers will be providing a supply list on their course syllabus.

Classroom Supplies

Backpack

3-ring binder

Notebook dividers

Pocket folders

Spiral notebooks

Colored pencils

No. 2 pencils

Erasers

Pens

Highlighters

Markers

Pencil sharpener

Pencil case

Glue stick

Paper clips

Scissors

Stapler

Lined notebook paper

Graph paper

Computer printer paper

Organizer/planner

Locker organizer (if renting one)

Personal Hygiene Products

Tissues, hand sanitizer, water bottle, cleaning wipes, band-aid bandages, female hygiene items

Students should frequently wash their hands throughout the school day. They should clean their work space, lunch area, and materials. It's best practice to use a filled water bottle that is brought from home, or use fill stations located throughout the building.

If a student has a contagious illness or a fever they should remain at home until they are well. A contagious disease is one that can be spread by close contact. Examples include: COVID, flu, vomiting, diarrhea, colds, strep throat or pink eye.

The education of a child happens only through a partnership between the student, School and District personnel, parent(s) or guardian(s), and the community. Partnership is an active state that includes sharing responsibilities, having meaningful communication, and welcoming participation. People will not always agree, and that can make partnerships difficult. Partnerships are most powerful when we agree on how to disagree. All stakeholders must remain civil in their discourse. The purpose of this policy is to provide rules of conduct for students, employees, parents, and visiting members of the public which permit and encourage effective communication between all stakeholders, while at the same time enabling the Board to identify and deal with those behaviors that are inappropriate and disruptive to the operation of a school or other District facility. It is not the intent of the Board to deprive any person of his/her right to freedom of expression, and nothing contained in this policy is intended to restrict or chill an individual's free speech rights as determined by the forum in which the speech occurs. Public participation at school board meetings shall continue to be governed by Board Policy 0169.1 - Public Participation at School Board Meetings.

(F.S. 1001.41(2), 1006.145, 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq., 29 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 29 U.S.C. 794 et seq., 41 U.S.C. 1983, Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000 et seq., 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq)

Parking in a school lot is a privilege. All vehicles must be registered to park in a school parking lot. This occurs by completing the parking application that is posted on the school's website. Only students that have a school issued pass are authorized to park in the assigned student lots.

Parking tags will be distributed by the last week in August. Vehicles that are not registered, that are inappropriately or illegally parked, or parked so as to cause a safety hazard, may be warned, booted, or towed at the owner’s expense.

Students are not allowed to visit their vehicle or the lot during school without permission obtained in the front office. Reckless driving, speeding, loitering, and excessive noise are prohibited. Parking tags are non-transferable. Violations of any school policies will result in the loss of parking privileges.

If you are a new student athlete interested in playing a sport, please complete this interest form. An email will be sent to the coach to contact you with more information.

New athletic forms must be completed each year. Check the school's website for the newest version that will be available after July 1.

CLICK HERE for the reporting link. This is located in the school's website.

All students who are absent will be marked “unexcused” (U) until the parent/guardian notifies the school in writing and justifies the absence with one of the acceptable reasons as defined below. • Failure to do so within three (3) school days will cause the absence to be recorded as “unexcused”. • In the case of excessive or extended absences, which are claimed to be due to illness, upon request of the principal or designee, a parent must provide documentation (doctor’s statement) of a student’s illness. • Excessive or extended absences are considered five (5) in one calendar month or ten (10) in one semester, or a history of excessive absences per period as defined below under Student Consequences for Unexcused Absences. Absences that meet this threshold as defined above will require a doctor’s note. If doctor’s notes are not provided, absences will be marked as unexcused (Source: Portion from District School Board of Pasco County Secondary Student Code of Conduct).

You can access the Student Code of Conduct HERE. Rules of dress and appearance start on page 14 of the document. There are updates that go into effect this fall. In additional to the items listed that are considered inappropriate for the school environment, our school will not allow pajama pants, a standard flag worn as apparel, pillows or blankets during the course of the school day.

Bus passes are posted in myStudent. No one at the school is able to make changes to bus stop times, stop locations or routes. Please direct all questions or concerns directly to the transportation department.

To assist families with questions and concerns, the Transportation Call Center to assist families. Call 813-794-2500.

Additional information about bus transportation on the website.

Students can request a schedule change during the first week of school. Schedule changes will not be considered if the course a student was placed in was requested or selected as an option during the registration process. Changes will only be granted for one of four reasons below:

1- The student has already successfully completed the course,

2- The student has not completed a prerequisite course that is needed, or

3- The student is a senior that needs a course to meet their graduation requirements.

4- The student’s schedule is incomplete or requested courses are unavailable.

All schedule change requests will be reviewed by grade level school counselors and the grade level administrator. Only requests submitted via the schedule change Mach form will be reviewed for potential approval. Students must provide a valid school email to be considered for change.

Students must indicate the specific rationale behind their request. Request will not be reviewed to change to a specific teacher or lunch time. The school master schedule and teaching assignments are based on student request. Due to very tight allocations schedule change request will be kept to a minimum.

There will be an evening meeting for all of our incoming students and their parents/guardians to discuss the expectations and the ins and outs of the program. The date and time will be provided with the class syllabus.

Questions about the program can be directed to Chef Instructors: Jessica Cooper (jgomes@pasco.k12.fl.us) and Christine Stansbury (cstansbu@pasco.k12.fl.us). If your questions is about enrollment or acceptance into the academy, please direct your questions to Assistant Principal Richard Batchelor (rbatchel@pasco.k12.fl.us).

SCHOOL PICTURE DAY

Underclass pictures for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be Thursday, September 7, 2023. [Make up picture day is Thursday, October 12, 2023 for students who missed the September date, or would like a re-do.] You will be able to view and order student photos through Gigante Productions website https://www.giganteproductions.com/

SENIOR PORTRAITS

Seniors should contact Gigante Productions to schedule their time to take senior portraits at their studio. Both a formal and casual photo must be taken as both will be in the yearbook. Students may not submit their own photos. There is a sitting fee for the Traditional Session of $25, but students are not required to purchase photos. You may choose to take more photo poses for additional pricing. Deadline to take senior photos and be included in the yearbook is December 2, 2023. Schedule your appointment as soon as possible!

OPTIONAL - Senior Tribute Ads are available in our yearbook. This is space in the yearbook for a personal note to your senior with the use of your own photos. There is limited space, and we do sell out! If interested, check out the options on Rycor and fill out the order form. You must also submit the completed order form and email or drop it off at school (attention: Mrs. LaBarbara) so that we have your contact information. Be sure to read the order form carefully. If you have questions, email Mrs. LaBarbara at llabarba@pasco.k12.fl.us

YEARBOOKS

Yearbooks are currently on Pre-sale for $65 through Rycor. They can also be purchased through the publishing company Walsworth at https://yearbookforever.com/. The Alligate yearbook is a student produced yearbook that chronicles the memories of the Land O' Lakes High School community. The Alligate staff strives to make the yearbook something that is inclusive and reflects the viewpoints and stories of the entire school community.

IMPORTANT: The regular sale price is $75 starting November 1, 2023 -until sold out. Late sales are $85 for any extra books sold after February 28, 2024. The yearbook is likely to sell out once online purchasing closes, and we may not have additional copies to sell. Please use this feature to purchase a yearbook early to reserve a copy and to pay the low introductory price!

OUR GATOR TV NEWS SHOW

The Swamp Talk news show crew is working hard to get out our Gator news at least twice a week. We strive to provide important information, newsworthy segments with a splash of fun! Check out and subscribe to our YouTube Channel @LOLHSSwampTalk to get notifications each time a new episode is uploaded.

We welcome your ideas and footage to include in our programming. Please send any requests or content to llabarba@pasco.k12.fl.us along with the who, what, when, where and contact info for the content.

Consumers can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax during the 2023-2024 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. Passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the sales tax holiday begins Monday, July 24 and extends through Sunday, August 6. A second exemption period will begin Monday, January 1, 2024 and extend through Sunday, January 14, 2024. The Department of Revenue created this webpage to provide information and promotional materials for consumers, businesses, and other interested parties.

The 23-24 Healthy Student Program will be active in the LOLHS clinic. This is an optional program that allows the clinic assistant or nurse to give select over-the-counter medications to students with parent permission. Parents will be notified when students utilize the program. An information letter and application are provided just under this post (pdf files). Completed applications should be turned in to the clinic.

Please access your parent portal to update emergency card information and complete parental consents for this school year.

Pasco County School Health forms for medications, diabetes, asthma, severe allergy, etc, may be accessed at https://pasco.k12.fl.us/health if needed. If you have any questions, please contact our school nurse Wendy Sutyak- wsutyak@pasco.k12.fl.us

Pasco County Schools Food & Nutrition Services will be implementing a program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2023-2024 School Year. This is great news for all students as they are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to their household for the 2023-2024 school year. No further action is required of families. Each student(s) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application.

Pasco County Schools provides the Microsoft Student and Staff Advantage program, which allows all students and staff to download and install Microsoft Office software on up to 5 personal devices for FREE! Who is eligible? All students currently enrolled and all staff members currently employed by Pasco County Schools. Simply login to myPascoConnect, click on Office 365 and choose ‘Install Office’ in the top right corner. When prompted, please enter your full email address and your myPascoConnect password. (i.e. student: ######@student.pasco.k12.fl.us, staff: xxxxxx@pasco.k12.fl.us).

In addition to Microsoft Student and Staff Advantage Program, Pasco County Schools is proud to announce Windows 10 for Education is available at no cost for students and $19.99 for employees. Also available are various versions of Microsoft Office for students and employees priced at $19.99. The software does not expire and is still available to be used after you retire/graduate. In addition, you can download dozens of other great software titles at a reduced cost via our web portal, https://pasco.onthehub.com.

The SAC is a means for community/parent involvement in and support of the schools. It is composed fo the principal, teachers, educational support employees, parents, business and community partners, and students. It is representative of the ethnic and economic makeup of the community it serves, and it participates in identifying school needs and developing plans for meeting those needs. Additionally, the SAC assists in the evaluation of the school's Success Plan.

The SAC typically meets once per month starting in August, where it then provides recommendations on the goals of the school and proposes strategies to accomplish them. It also prepares and distributes school information to the greater community. A large part of the SAC's responsibility involves voting on how to spend allocated funding to accomplish various student-centered goals and projects. This is why attendance for SAC members is so crucial to its success.

Teachers, educational support personnel, parents and students are elected members of the SAC. Students serve for one year while other members typically serve for two years. Business and community representatives are appointed by the principal.

If you are interested in joining SAC for the upcoming school year, please complete this form; you can email AP Sarah Marriott at smarriot@pasco.k12.fl.us if you have any questions.

The construction on Gator Lane should be coming to a conclusion prior to the first day of school. The project includes the addition of a lane coming in from US 41 and an additional lane leaving the campus headed towards US41. There is also a new sidewalk on the south side of Gator Lane. The intersection improvements are set to be tentatively completed during the spring of 2024. Therefore, vehicles will be using two lanes to exit. Upon its completion, there will be a dedicated lane for left turns, right turns, and straight traffic.

Our school's list of clubs is subject to change due to student interest and adult sponsorship/supervision. During the first few weeks of the school year, students have an opportunity to create new clubs by submitting a completed application. We highly encourage students to get involved. Studies show that students who are engaged in school organizations feel more connected and excel in the classroom. Contact AP Mr. Batchelor at rbatchel@pasco.k12.fl.us for more information regarding clubs.

Volleyball tryouts are August 1 and 2. Players must attend each tryout date in order to be consider for the teams. Time: 8:30am to 11:30am in the school's gym.

Please make sure that all athletics clearance forms are completed and submitted to home campus.

Students that are interested in joining a cross country team for the upcoming school year can reach out to the coaches listed below for more information. You can alsofollow the teams on Twitter: @loldistance

Boys Cross Country Coach Mike Zwijacz

mzwijacz@pasco.k12.fl.us

Girls Cross Country Coach Cesar Castillo

ccastill@pasco.k12.fl.us

There will be a softball informational meeting on Friday, August 11 in room 801 at 1:45 pm. The agenda includes will fall ball, conditioning, and fundraising. Students that attend will need to secure a ride home after the meeting.

Additional questions should be sent to Coach Wilkins: mwilkins@pasco.k12.fl.us

Ric Mellin, Principal fmellin@pasco.k12.fl.us

Sherry Nienaber, Assistant Principal for 9th grade snienabe@pasco.k12.fl.us

Richard Batchelor, Assistant Principal for 10th grade rbatchel@pasco.k12.fl.us

Heather Wall, Assistant Principal for 11th grade hwall@pasco.k12.fl.us

Tracie Beerman, Assistant Principal for 12th grade tbeerman@pasco.k12.fl.us

Sarah Marriott, Assistant Principal for IB smarriot@pasco.k12.fl.us

Consistently recognized as one of America's best high schools. Rated A & a School of Excellence by the Florida Department of Education. An International Baccalaureate and Cambridge World School.

Website: lolhs.pasco.k12.fl.us
Location: 20325 Gator Lane, Land O' Lakes, FL, USA
Phone: 813-794-9400
Twitter: @lolhsprincipal