

THURSDAY EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER
January 23, 2025
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Parents & Families,
Students do have school tomorrow, January 24.
Next week is our Book Fair. See below regarding information for setting up an E-Wallet for your student.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars!
- January 24: School for Students & Staff
January 31: Last Day to Enroll your child for Next Year
- February 1st: Open enrollment starts for new students. Spread the word to your friends and family—we can’t wait to welcome more amazing students to our school community!
Student Badges for Breakfast
To help the breakfast line move more quickly and efficiently, we will begin attaching badges to the backpacks of students who eat breakfast. These badges will allow the cashier to quickly scan each student, speeding up the process and giving students more time to enjoy their meal.
We appreciate your cooperation and support in making this process as smooth as possible for all students!
Future Chef Competition
Does your child love to cook? Encourage your child to get involved and cook up something amazing!
Our Annual Future Chef Competition is right around the corner! This is a fantastic opportunity for young chefs to showcase their skills and creativity in the kitchen.
Submit your child’s recipe by February 12th to join the fun!
Click here to submit your recipe.
Nominate an Outstanding Teacher or Staff Member
We love celebrating our amazing teachers and staff. The District is accepting nominations for teachers and staff to receive a LifeLeader Award at our annual end of year awards ceremony. Help us celebrate our amazing teachers and staff by submitting a nomination by March 31st: LifeLeader Nominations
Re-enrollment Begins January 1st
Life School re-enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year has begun and will continue until January 31, 2025. With the 4-day school week calendar, we are experiencing increased interest in enrollment. Please check your email for re-enrollment instructions so you can act quickly to reserve your child's seat for next year. Please contact Irina Rodriguez at EnrollmentLSRO@lifeschools.net if you have any questions.
Advanced Level Classes for Students For Enrolling 7th Graders
Counselors are beginning course selection conversations now and in the coming weeks. Click here for information regarding advanced level classes for middle and high school students.
Order a Yearbook-Before January 31st
Be sure to order your child's yearbook before January 31st!
Refer a Friend to Apply to Life School Today
Enrollment for new students will begin February 1, 2025. 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 and request information.
Space is also still available this school year on some Life School campuses. If you have family or friends interested in attending Life School, please encourage them to apply today or pass along their contact information by completing this referral form.
Curriculum Review: Share Your Feedback
We’re excited to announce that our district is currently reviewing High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) to support student learning. As part of this process, we want to hear from you!
You are invited to visit the Life School Curriculum Review Website to:
Explore an overview of the curriculums we are considering.
Learn more about the specific resources under review, including Bluebonnet, Savvas, William H. Sadlier, Accelerate Learning, and STEMscopes.
Share your thoughts by completing the Curriculum Feedback Form directly on the website.
Your feedback plays an important role in helping us select the best materials for our students. The feedback form is quick and easy to complete and will remain open until Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January 24-School for Students & Staff
January 27-30-Scholastic Book Fair
January 27-30-Lost & Found on Tables
January 30-Birthday Thursday/$3 Free dress Day
January 30-Lost & Found Items Donated
January 31-No School for Students or Staff
January 31-Last Day to Order your child's Yearbook
February 1-Open enrollment starts for new students
February 3-7-National School Counselors Week
February 4-Reading Language Arts Benchmark (Grades 4 & 6) No Campus Visitors
February 5-Reading Language Arts Benchmark (Grades 3 & 5) No Campus Visitors
February 6-Makeup Testing for Reading Language Arts Benchmark (Grades 3-6)
February 6-Chick-fil-A Red Oak Spirit Night, 5:00-8:00
February 6-Family Night-Literacy, 6:00-7:00
February 7-No School for Students or Staff
February 10-13-National School Resource Officer Appreciation Week for LSRO
February 12-Spring Pictures/$3 Free Dress Day
February 13-Progress Reports available to families in Parent Portal
February 13-Cici's Waxahachie Spirit Night
February 25-Math Benchmark (Grades 4 & 6) No Campus Visitors
February 26-Math Benchmark (Grades 3 & 5) No Campus Visitors
February 27-Science Benchmark (Grade 5) | Makeup Testing for Math Benchmark (Grades 3, 4, & 6) No Campus Visitors
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Life School Red Oak January 27-30. Click here to set up an EWallet or order books online. For those unfamiliar with eWallets, they are a digital payment account for purchases at the Fair. Students can shop without cash using eWallet! Funds are added by parents, family, and/or friends and are available to use immediately.
Book Fair Hours:
Monday-7:15-3:00
Tuesday-7:15-3:00
Wednesday-7:15-3:00
Thursday-7:15-12:30
Lost & Found
Our Lost and Found is quickly filling up! Next week, from Monday to Thursday, we will have lost items displayed on tables just inside the main entrance. Please remind your child to check for any missing belongings. Any items left unclaimed by Thursday afternoon will be donated. Thank you for helping us keep things organized!
Spring Benchmark Testing, 3rd-6th Grade
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.
Campus Closures to Visitors:
Due to Spring Benchmark testing for 3rd-6th grades, our campus will be CLOSED to parents and visitors on the testing days that are listed below. Parents will not be allowed to eat lunch with students, do parent observations, or volunteer on major testing days. On designated Makeup Testing days the campus will be open to parents or visitors. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to create a focused and conducive testing environment for our students.
Test Preparation:
To ensure your child performs at their best, please assist us by ensuring they get enough sleep and have a nutritious breakfast. Please have your students leave their cell phone and smart watches at home on testing days. We encourage students to bring snacks and a bottle of water on testing days. Some good examples are peanut butter/cheese crackers, goldfish crackers, pretzels, nuts, granola bars, trail mix, & a few peppermints.
Upcoming Benchmark Dates:
February 4: Reading Language Arts Benchmark (Grades 4 & 6) No Campus Visitors
February 5: Reading Language Arts Benchmark (Grades 3 & 5) No Campus Visitors
February 6: Makeup Testing for Reading Language Arts Benchmark (Grades 3-6)
February 25: Math Benchmark (Grades 4 & 6) No Campus Visitors
February 26: Math Benchmark (Grades 3 & 5) No Campus Visitors
February 27: Science Benchmark (Grade 5) | Makeup Testing for Math Benchmark (Grades 3, 4, & 6) No Campus Visitors
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding during this testing period. Your partnership is invaluable in fostering a positive learning environment for our students.
LSRO Love for Literacy Night
Thursday, February 6 6:00-7:00
Does your child love to cook? Encourage your child to get involved and cook up something amazing!
Our Annual Future Chef Competition is right around the corner! This is a fantastic opportunity for young chefs to showcase their skills and creativity in the kitchen.
Submit your child’s recipe by February 12th to join the fun!
Click here to submit your recipe.
Life's Finest Showcase
- Shout out to Ms. Gaynor for how fast and efficient she is during the morning drop-off line. Despite the cold, Ms. Gaynor is quick to open doors, greet parents and students, and quickly move the line forward. Thank you for being on it in the mornings!!
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)
Life Habits
Every day we have Life Habits time that is focused on building social, emotional and behavioral skills. Each week we will post Life Habits conversation starters in our newsletter that are aligned with the Life Habits lessons from the week. We will also have signs in the pick up line for you to access the questions of the week. We hope you enjoy hearing about what your child is learning at school.
DEVELOPING LEADERS AT LSRO
Weekly I Will Statements
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.
BREAKFAST & LUNCH
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.
Breakfast is served each day from 7:15-7:45.
PARTNERS FOR LIFE
Make sure you sign up to be a part of our Partners for Life parent organization to receive the most up to date opportunities to engage on campus. After you sign up, be sure to become a fan of our campus.
STAFF BIRTHDAYS
Tracie Perkins-January 6th
Tamara Greer-January 11th
Andrea Swanner-January 11
Tabatha Chovanetz-January 14
Jennifer Jordan-January 18th
Cindy Sons-January 25th
Rhonda Hopper-January 26th
Issac Pena-January 28th
Caylee Tracy-February 8
Tammy Lowe-February 13th
Katie Ostrander-February 14th
Karina Martin-February 15th
Tammy DeYoung-February 16th
Ellen Saltzman-February 17th
Keisha Cornell-February 17th
Sabrina Holmes-February 21st
Preslee Moody-February 22nd
Elisabeth Ramirez-February 23rd
Lisa Pitt-February 25th
Kathryn Soliz-February 27th
To view staff favorites, click here.
LIFE SCHOOL & LSRO IMPORTANT LINKS
Previous Thursday Exchange Newsletters
- Welcome Back Newsletter
- LSRO Important Information Newsletter
- August 8, 2024
- August 15, 2024
- August 22, 2024
- August 29, 2024
- September 5, 2024
- September 12, 2024
- September 19, 2024
- September 26, 2024
- October 3, 2024
- October 17, 2024
- October 23, 2024
- October 31, 2024
- November 7, 2024
- November 14, 2024
- November 21, 2024
- December 5, 2024
- December 12, 2024
- December 19, 2024
- January 9, 2025
- January 16, 2025
- January 23, 2025