LTE Parent Handbook

Categories are alphabetized so scroll down to find more information or use the Table of Contents on the left if viewing on a computer.

8:20 - Tardy Bell - Children arriving at school after 8:20 am should be escorted to the main entrance by a parent/adult. Parents/adults need to talk with someone in the front office on the intercom and the student will then be buzzed in, yet counted tardy. Tardies are calculated by minutes and accumulate and appear on student records as absences.

Drop-off Procedures for Drivers

There are two places for drop off, our bus loop, and our main loop. For morning drop-off, most families may use either loop, but kindergarten families need to drop off kindergartners in the Bus Loop as they will enter the building through the entrance by the Community Garden. Other grade levels commonly using that entrance are 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades.

Drop-off in the main loop - As drivers enter the main parking lot and turn right, they should make two side-by-side lines and then merge as the line turns west. This avoids a long line of traffic on Heritage Hills Circle.

For both drop-off areas

• Pull up to the curb and remain in your car.

• Pull forward as far as possible following the directions of staff before having your child(ren) get out of the car.

• If you have more than one child they all need to get out at one time.

• If a child needs assistance in getting out, please park to assist them and walk them to the walking drop-off area. (Drivers may not get out of the car in a drop-off loop.)

• Students should be ready for a quick and easy drop-off and open and close their doors.

• Be in outer garments as the weather dictates

• Have all things in backpack and backpack on shoulders

• Students will enter the building either through the main entrance or the entrance accessed by the bus loop up the ramp by the Preschool playground. All kindergarten students need to enter the building by heading up the ramp to the back entrance that is monitored by a staff member.

• When leaving the main parking lot pay attention to the "Right Turn Only" sign as no left turns are allowed between 7:45-8:15 am.

Drop-off Procedures for Families Walking their Child to School

• We ask that parents/families please say their goodbyes at our ‘Waiting Zones’ (designated by cones) and avoid entering our supervised areas. Staff members will be on hand to direct students to the entry doors.

• Vehicles may not be parked or left unattended in the drop-off area before, during, or after school.

• Please do not park in spaces marked reserved or handicapped.

There are two places for pickup, our bus loop, and our main loop. For afternoon pickup, only families with a kindergartener may use the bus loop for pickup. Siblings of Kindergartners will be sent to the bus loop as well.

• Kindergartners and their Siblings, Daycare Bus Riders - These students will leave their classroom at 3:05 pm and head to the bus loop to line up.

• Students heading to pick-up in the main loop - These students will leave the building with their teacher and head to the main loop pick-up area so they are there at 3:10 pm.

• Bike/scooter riders, independent walkers - Students who have ridden bikes or scooters, or who are independent walkers are dismissed to the blacktop area at the rear of the school where staff supervises them until they depart.

Children are dismissed only to their parents or adults listed as authorized on the enrollment form. All students must be picked up by 3:30 p.m.

Early Dismissal or Change in After-School Plans - For the protection of your children, parents/emergency contacts must always pick up students from school. Call the school 5-10 minutes before you arrive and park near the flagpole. We will call students out of class and walk them out to your car. If an emergency contact will pick up your student please give the office prior notification. All emergency contacts must be at least 18 years old. If there is a sudden change in after-school plans for your child/children, notify the school office before 2:45 p.m.

Pick-Up Procedures for Drive-Through Pick-up

• As drivers enter the main parking lot and turn right, they should make two side-by-side lines and then merge as the line turns west. This avoids a long line of traffic on Heritage Hills Circle.

• Drive up to the curb and remain in your car.

• Pull forward as far as possible (up to the crosswalk area) and staff members will direct your child to your car.

• Students must enter the car from the curbside.

• Do not park or wait in the loading lanes.

• When leaving the main parking lot make sure to pay attention to the "Right Turn Only" sign - No left turns from 3:00 - 3:45 pm.Please note:

Pick-up Procedures for Families Walking to Pick up their Child from School

We have designated ‘Waiting Zones’ for parents to use during pickup and these zones are marked with cones. Staff members will be located near these areas to find and direct children to their parents. Please exit the school property with your child(ren) as quickly as possible once reunited.

• Bus Loop Waiting Zone - Sidewalk on the east side of the main parking lot marked by cones

• Main Loop Waiting Zone - Near the flagpole and marked by cones

Colorado state law requires students to attend school each day that school is open and our goal is for every student to be engaged in meaningful learning and attend school 100% of the time in order to reach their full potential. We monitor weekly attendance reports and contact families when students have missed four or more days of school and/or when students have missed 10% or more of the days enrolled in school. This includes all absences, excused or unexcused.

Reporting an Absence or Tardy - Families should call the Attendance Line, 303-387-7452, available 24/7, whenever your child is absent or tardy. Families can also inform their child’s teacher about an absence, but the absence is not excused unless the office is notified.

• Excused Absences - Absences are excused when the office staff is notified by the parents that their child will be absent for an illness, appointment (doctor, dentist, orthodontist), and bereavement. We accept notes from doctors to excuse an absence—though not required this is useful information.
• Unexcused Absences - Absences are unexcused if the office is not contacted by families of the child’s absence.
• Unverified Absence/Tardy - If you do not notify us you will receive a call and/or email regarding your child's absence. These calls are made beginning at 8:55 am each day.

Scheduling Routine Appointments - Please schedule routine appointments outside of regular school hours as student attendance is determined by minutes in school, not days or half-days. Even if at the end of the day these minutes add up and appear as absences on your child’s attendance record. If a child attends a regularly scheduled appointment outside of school (i.e. therapy appointments) please provide a note from the provider stating the day of week, time, and duration of appointment to the office to excuse the absences.

Early Dismissal for a Student - For the protection of your children, parents/emergency contacts must always pick up students from school. Call the school 5-10 minutes before you arrive and park near the flagpole. We will call students out of class and walk them out to your car. If an emergency contact will pick up your student please give the office prior notification. All emergency contacts must be at least 18 years old.

Change in After-School Plans - If there is a sudden change in after-school plans for your child/children, notify the school office before 2:45 p.m.

Scheduling Vacations/Time Away from School

We encourage families to schedule vacations during the districts' scheduled days off from school. If this isn't possible and a student will be gone during scheduled school days please notify the office of the dates. Note: If a child will miss 15 or more consecutive days due to vacation they will be unenrolled due to an "extended absence". Families will need to contact the Registrar to re-enroll their child upon returning from the extended absence.

Make-up work

Families should communicate with their child’s teacher as to the best way for personalized learning to continue during an absence.

From BOARD POLICY JIHA - STUDENT POSSESSION AND USE OF PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES (INCLUDING CELLULAR PHONES)

Parent-to-Child Communication - If during the day you need to get information to your child, we ask that you contact the office directly with the details and this will be given to your child immediately.

Child-to-Parent Communication - Students at LTE are expected to let their teacher or the office know if they are feeling sick or need something from home. They should not communicate directly with their parents using smart devices whether it is a cell phone or a smartwatch.

Cell Phone Guidelines - Students turn off their phones and keep them in their backpacks during the school day.

Smartwatch Guidelines

• If smartwatches are used as a communication device students will follow the same procedures as cell phones, placing them in their backpacks for the school day. Exceptions for this would be for students using smartwatches for medical reasons.

• If smartwatches are not being used as communication devices, students may wear them throughout the day.

Teachers collaborate to create class lists and consider many factors when assigning students to the next year's teacher. Classes are formed based on multiple criteria, including student learning needs, gender balance, emotional/behavioral strengths and needs, leadership balance, friendship considerations, and any other unique needs or challenges that may arise. The formation of class lists is a time-intensive and thoughtful process with the needs of children at the forefront.

We do not accept formal requests for specific teachers. Special concerns about your child's placement for the upcoming school year, based on the criteria above, should be directed to your child's current teacher.

Student Dress (Board Policy JICA) - First and foremost we adhere to the district guidelines regarding student dress. Please refer to the DCSD Code of Conduct located on the district website and find the section titled Student Dress. In addition to this please read the following guidelines specific to LTE.

The WHY behind Standardized Dress - An attractive school wardrobe promotes school spirit, improved self-image, and school unity. Students who at first may be reluctant to adopt a uniform wardrobe soon become its biggest proponent as they develop a healthy pride in their school and a sense of belonging. Just as athletic teams' uniforms promote unity and spirit, so does a school wardrobe. Great attention is given to who children are, instead of what they wear.

Standardized Dress Guidelines - Standardized dress consists of any pair of pants, shorts, skirt, dress, sweatshirt, sweater, hoody in solid khaki, black, navy, pastel pink, heather grey, sky blue or white.

• Standard dress or spirit wear is expected every day, Monday through Thursday.

• Free Dress Days are scheduled every Friday (or the last day of school on shortened weeks) and are communicated via the school website. Dress of choice or free dress indicates that students may wear any clothing they prefer as long as it adheres to the Douglas County School District Dress Code.

• Hats of any variety are not acceptable in the building, however, there may be a designated spirit day when we permit this.

• Jeans that are not in dress code colors are not acceptable—blue jeans of any kind are not considered navy or sky blue.

Semester progress reports are available by logging onto a Parent Portal Account.

An EPR is a communication tool that shows if your child is on track to meet end-of-the-year grade-level expectations. These expectations are based on the Colorado Academic Standards. The language used is: 1=unsatisfactory, 2=partially proficient, 3=proficient, 4=advanced

Students are expected to reach proficiency (3) on all of the targets by the end of the year. Progress will be indicated with a number, 1 - 4, which indicates where your student is at the time of the report.

• Students who receive a 4 are advanced in meeting end-of-year expectations and are working on targets beyond where they are supposed to be at this time.

• Students who receive a “3” are demonstrating that they are on track to reach all expectations by year-end.

• Students who receive a “2” on this report have met some aspects of the learning targets, but are behind in meeting the expectations at the time of reporting.

• Students who receive a “2” or less may need additional support to ensure these end-of-year expectations are met.

• Students who have a “*” next to the number on the report card have a learning plan that differentiates instruction and learning targets.

At LTE homework is valued as an important part of the learning process. It supports concepts and skills learned, is personalized, and has meaning and purpose to the learner. Homework may include work that could not be accomplished at school, practice in the application of knowledge and skills, and activities that encourage students to make discoveries and to think critically.

It may include the following:

• iReady reading or math
• Assignments to enrich and stimulate interest in a content area
• Assignments to develop or improve learning and study skills while promoting responsibility

Lifelong Guidelines

• Trustworthiness

• Truthfulness

• Active Listening

• No Put-Downs

• Personal Best (defined by the Life Skills)

Life Skills

• Caring - To feel and show concern for others

• Common Sense - To use good judgment

• Cooperation - To work together toward a common goal or purpose

• Courage - To act according to one’s beliefs despite the fear of adverse consequences

• Creativity - To generate ideas; to create something original or redesign through imaginative skill

• Curiosity - A desire to investigate and seek understanding of one’s world

• Effort - To do your best

• Flexibility - To be willing to alter plans when necessary

• Friendship - To make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring

• Initiative - To do something, of one’s own free will, because it needs to be done

• Integrity - To act according to a sense of what is right and wrong

• Organization - To plan, arrange, and implement in an orderly way; to keep things orderly and ready for use

• Patience - To wait calmly for someone or something

• Perseverance - To keep at it

• Pride - Satisfaction from doing one’s personal best

• Problem Solving - To create solutions to difficult situations and everyday problems

• Resourcefulness - To respond to challenges and opportunities in innovative and creative ways

• Responsibility - To respond when appropriate; to be accountable for one’s actions

• Sense of Humor - To laugh and be playful without harming others

LTE Roar - A student may be recognized with a "roar" for demonstrating Lifelong Guidelines and Life Skills.

Please clearly label items that your student brings to school, especially lunch boxes, water bottles, hoodies, sweaters, and jackets with your student's FIRST INITIAL and LAST NAME so that we can help return the item to your student if they do misplace anything. We sort lost and found items weekly, returning items that are clearly labeled and donating anything left over two weeks.

School Nurse Consultant/Health Assistant

Douglas County School District has a nurse consultant model. The School Nurse has multiple schools and as a result, is not always in the school building. The School Nurse Consultant trains and delegates the administration of medications and some medical procedures to school staff, usually office staff, who have been trained and delegated.

Medications

The use of medications at school is discouraged. Since most medications are available in longer-acting forms, parents are encouraged to administer medication at home. Under no circumstances are children bringing medications to school for self-medicating, even with non-prescription medications such as nose spray, aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol, cold medicine, etc. All prescriptions and non-prescription medications that need to be taken at school require medication release forms that need to be completed by both the parent and the physician. This includes all inhalers, asthma/allergy medications, seizure medications, EpiPens, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen. Families of students who require medication at school should contact our Office and ask to speak to our School Nurse or Health Assistant for detailed information.

Emergencies - Though we strive to prevent emergencies, there are times when it is necessary to reach a parent immediately. You must keep your child's enrollment form updated throughout the school year with current local home, work, cell phone, and emergency alternate numbers. In the event of an emergency, if we are unable to reach you by phone, we will call the emergency alternate numbers and/or physician listed on the enrollment form. The 911 emergency response systems will be called for life-threatening emergencies while all attempts are made to contact you.

Illness/Injury

Illnesses at School

Children who complain of an illness are sent to our health room. It is the policy of the school district to send children home who have a temperature of 100° or more, who have vomited, or who have had diarrhea. If your child's temperature is less than 100° but appears unable to participate in the classroom, you will be contacted. Children should be kept at home until they are fever-free without medication and/or have not vomited or had diarrhea for a minimum of 24 hours, but depending on the symptoms, that time frame may be extended to 48 hours per our School Nurse Consultant.

Injuries at School

Most injuries that occur at school require minimal assistance administered in the school's health room. In the event of a more serious illness or accident, we will first attempt to reach parents at home or work. If we are unable to reach a parent/guardian, we will call the emergency numbers listed on the enrollment form. If neither primary or emergency contacts can be reached within a reasonable amount of time, school authorities will take the necessary steps to ensure the welfare of your child. For any requests differing from this procedure, parents need to inform the school.

Visitations - Parents and other family members are welcome to visit the school for brief periods during school hours.

• Upon check-in at the front office, all visitors must present an ID which will be processed using the Raptor Visitor Management System. The only database that the Raptor system checks IDs against is the sexual predator database. This system does not check any other databases.

• Visitors will be given a sticker to wear that includes the name and photo from the visitor's ID, and the date and time of the visit.

Phone Procedures - Please call the school office at 303-387-7450 between the hours of 7:45 am and 3:45 pm to speak with a staff member. The best way to contact a teacher directly is by email as all teachers check their email at least twice each day. Typically you will hear back from the teacher on the same day you send your email, but certainly within 24 hours. Except in an extreme emergency, teachers are not called to the phone during class time. Please encourage the LIFE SKILL of “organization” by making all after-school arrangements in the morning before you drop your child at school. Students may use the school phone in the office for emergencies. Responsible usage of cell phones involves keeping them turned off and stowed in backpacks during school hours.

Conferences - Parent-teacher conferences are held twice yearly, once in the fall and again in the spring. Parents may request a meeting with a teacher at any time during the year by scheduling an appointment in advance. When parents drop in for impromptu meetings or to ask questions during the school day without an appointment, instruction or instructional planning is interrupted and student learning is affected.

Addressing Concerns - Every so often a question or concern will arise and you will want to contact the teacher for clarification and this is normal. For you to receive the best information, and to allow the teacher adequate preparation, please contact your child’s teacher first. Most questions can be answered and problems cleared up efficiently this way. All teachers check their email twice daily and will respond to you quickly. If you still have concerns or questions after speaking with the classroom teacher, please schedule an appointment with an administrator for a time before or after school for problem-solving and timely resolution to your concerns.

Dropping Off Items at School - Occasionally it may be necessary to drop off an item your student forgot to bring to school. Knowing that “growing responsible citizens ” is our common goal, please consider the possibility that experiencing the natural consequences of forgetting is a powerful learning opportunity. Should you decide to bring in the forgotten item, please drop it off at the office and our staff will make sure your child gets it.

Parent Volunteers - Parent volunteers are a special resource for our school community and are greatly appreciated. Volunteers work in the classrooms, are room parents, help with field trips, make educational materials at home, etc. Due to the responsibility level of volunteers helping in the classroom or on Being There Experiences, we request that younger siblings not accompany volunteers.

Parent Teacher Organization - Lone Tree Elementary’s PTO welcomes all parents to participate. The role of the PTO is to work with the staff and the principal to help provide services and materials for all students. Membership is open to all LTE parents and meetings are held monthly. This group sponsors various activities throughout the year to raise money for school projects. The need for active participation is always present, and your contribution of time and energy is welcomed.

School Advisory Council (SAC) - The purpose of the SAC is to inform, encourage, and provide opportunities for parents and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school's instructional program and improvement processes. SAC members are elected and appointed to represent the community, parents, and staff. Areas of responsibility include:

• Adopting improvement goals

• Adopting a plan to increase student achievement

• Making budget recommendations to the principal

• Reporting on the educational performance of the school

• Discussing safety issues

Information for Use of Campus/Parent Portal - Parent/Campus Portal Login

Parents can access information about their child on the district's information system, Infinite Campus. This is mandatory for you to use as a parent to access attendance, immunization records, and district fees and to see Elementary Progress Reports (EPRs). If you are already set up as a user in Infinite Campus for another child in the district, you do not need to register again.

Please email Shawna Bloom at Shawna.Bloom@dcsdk12.org for any of the following concerns.

• You have questions about your activation code

• You have problems logging in

• You are not receiving our weekly email communication

Recess - Recess is an integral part of the school day and children are expected to participate. During periods of inclement weather, please be sure your child comes to school with appropriate clothing, including boots, hats, gloves, socks, coats, etc. when needed. Label all personal articles with the student's name to encourage responsibility for belongings.

Playground Safety - The safety of all students is of the utmost importance. To ensure safe outdoor play for all, please be aware of the following expectations and take a few minutes to review playground safety with your child:

• Swings -Children may swing one at a time, in a sitting position, going forward only. Jumping off is not allowed.

• Slides - Children may slide one at a time facing forward in a sitting position. Jumping off or climbing back up is not safe.

• Climbing Areas - Children may safely use bars and climbing equipment.

• Balls - Balls are provided for student use, so balls from home are not allowed.

• Children may play with school-issued footballs and soccer balls on the soccer field with supervision.

• Tackling in any sport is not allowed.

South Suburban Park - Students have limited use of the South Suburban Park while under the supervision of school personnel.

Bicycles, Scooters, and Skates - Students may ride their bicycles and scooters and park them in the bike racks. Students should plan to use locks for bikes and scooters and wear safety helmets. Scooters are not permitted inside the building due to space and safety constraints. Helmets may be stored in students’ cubbies. Both bicycles and scooters must be locked to the racks during the school day. Students are to walk their bikes and scooters while on the sidewalk on school grounds.

Siblings on the Playground - There are times across the year when siblings visit, but for the safety of everyone, we need to ask that they do not play on the playground with our other students. Parents are welcome to take their child who is a student outside of the designated playground area to play with siblings while monitoring them.

Pets at School - Pets are not to be brought into the school. DCSD has very stringent guidelines that must be followed with pets, especially fur-bearing animals.

Toys, Cell Phones, Athletic Items, and Personal Electronics - Students may not bring toys, radios, personal electronic items, and other playthings to school. These items tend to disrupt the educational process and are occasionally lost, damaged, or stolen. LTE is not responsible for any lost, damaged, or stolen toys brought to school by students. Cell phones must remain in student backpacks during the school day.

We are committed to protecting everyone at Lone Tree Elementary and the following systems and procedures help support our commitment.

Secure Entry Points

• All doors remain locked during the school day.

• Visitors must enter through the front door, use the intercom to have the doors unlocked, and check in at the front office.

• Doors are monitored during arrival and dismissal times by staff members.

Procedures for Visitors - Visitors include anyone; volunteering in or visiting a classroom, joining kids for lunch, attending a meeting or an event, etc.

• Upon check-in at the front office, all visitors must present an ID which will be processed using the Raptor Visitor Management System. The only database that the Raptor system checks IDs against is the sexual predator database. This system does not check any other databases.

• Visitors will be given a sticker to wear that includes the name and photo from the visitor's ID, and the date and time of the visit.

Procedures for Students

• Students arriving late must have a parent or guardian sign them in at the office.

• Students leaving during the day are required to have a parent or guardian come to the front desk and sign them out before they will be called to the office to meet their parent or guardian.

• Students are not allowed to leave the building with an unauthorized person.

Our shared -food events are limited to our school-wide classroom celebrations—Halloween, Winter, and Valentine's Day Celebrations. One or more students in a classroom or grade level may have dietary restrictions or a severe allergy, especially nuts, so please follow these guidelines for all shared food.

• Items must be store-bought (not homemade) with ingredient labels available

• Food needs to be free of peanuts and tree nuts and not be made in a peanut/tree nut facility

• Items should be individually wrapped to prevent the spread of germs and to practice good hygiene when distributing

If you have any questions about Colorado Measure of Academic Success, please contact the main office at 303-387-7450, or email our coordinator, Melodee Lee, at Melodee.Lee@dcsdk12.org.

CMAS Testing Dates for the 2024-2025 School Year

• Testing window: April 7-17, 2025
• LTE’s testing schedule

• 2024-2025 District Assessment Dates

General Information

Yearly, 3rd-6th grade students take the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. 5th graders also take the CMAS Science assessment. These are academic standards-based assessments designed to measure the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) and are administered under standardized conditions to ensure the reliability and validity of the results.

Planning for Success - Students must be present and on time on the days of testing. Please avoid scheduling trips and appointments for your child during testing times. Also, be sure that your child is well-rested and has had a good breakfast on testing days.

Dates/forms Specific to a School Year - This information will be communicated on a timely basis on our website and in our Community Updates.

Resource Links

• DCSD Assessment Policy (Board File)

• HB15-1323

School Closure and Delayed Start Due to Inclement Weather

Occasionally closing school is necessary due to inclement weather or an emergency. Here are two district resources to check for the most accurate up-to-date school closure or delayed schedule information. Weather-related decisions are made by area, so check the Highlands Ranch Feeder Area.

• DCSD Weather Delays and Closures

• Hotline 303-387-(SNOW) 7669

90-minute delayed start schedule for Lone Tree Elementary

• Drop off begins at 9:30 am

• Instruction begins at 9:45 am

• Lion's Club - 8:00 am

Early Dismissal Due to Weather or Emergencies - Discuss in detail with your child what they are to do if he/she arrives home before you do (i.e. go to neighbors, locate hidden key, etc.). Occasionally, because of unexpected severe weather or other emergencies, it may be necessary for the school officials to dismiss the students before the end of the school day. Children will remain in their classrooms until an authorized adult signs the children out. The teacher will release the child at that time.

Factors Determining Indoor Recess - Recess is an important part of the school day for children, and participation in outside activities is valued, however, the safety of our students is always our first consideration before sending students outside. The safety factors we need to consider include:

• Temperatures, including wind chill, need to be above 20°F.

• Main traffic patterns and play areas for students need to be free of ice

• The area is free of severe weather or other possible outside threats

Severe Weather Procedures including Lightning - The district provides severe weather notification to the front office, and we follow their guidelines for severe conditions indicated on the radar. If lightning is within an 8-mile radius, students will be contained in the building for recess or any other school activity. We use the WeatherBug APP—we encourage parents to use these tools to self-monitor conditions.

Red Flag Dismissal Procedures

If severe weather happens during dismissal, we will suspend normal dismissal procedures and implement our Red Flag Dismissal Procedures.

• By 2:50 pm we will:

• Place red flags at the entry point to both pickup loops designating that parents need to enter the building to sign out their child

• Send out a mass email announcing a Red Flag (lightning) dismissal

• Parents need to park and enter our building at either the main entrance or the Kindergarten entrance and once inside proceed to the appropriate classroom to sign out their child.

• Students will be monitored until an authorized adult (at least 18 years old) signs them out.

• Walkers and bike riders will be allowed to call home at 3:15 pm

• Supervision ends at 3:30 pm so all students need to be picked up by that time

• Students registered for Lion's Club for the day will go there as usual until released

Fire and Tornado Drills - Fire and tornado drills are conducted regularly for the safety of students and school personnel. Maps are posted in every classroom outlining these emergency procedures. Please be assured that your child's welfare will be attended to in the event of an emergency of this nature. Our staff is trained to respond to a crisis and a detailed crisis plan is available in the office.