Lion Families,

We're excited to announce that STAAR testing has concluded for the year! We know this can be a stressful time for students, so a big congratulations to them for putting in their best effort.

As we enter the final stretch of the school year, with only 11 days left, we'll be sure to keep you updated on all the end-of-year celebrations and important information in the coming days.

In the meantime, fantastic job to all our students for finishing STAAR testing! We're proud of your dedication and hard work.

Also, this is a friendly reminder about tonight's exciting event - Perot Museum STEM Night! We're thrilled to welcome you and your family for an evening of exploration and discovery from 6PM - 8PM.

Here's what awaits you:

• Interactive STEM activities: Engage in hands-on learning experiences led by museum educators and our own school faculty.
• A world of wonder: Witness the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math firsthand.

This is a fantastic opportunity to spark your child's curiosity about STEM fields and create lasting memories together as a family. Food trucks will be onsite for dinner options.

P.S. Don't forget to bring your sense of wonder!

Sincerely,

Principal Stovall

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week. We would love for you to show appreciation to your child’s teachers with some of their favorites. Click here to view our Teachers’ Favorites.

May 2 - Perot Museum Parent STEM Night

May 3 - No School

May 6 - 9 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 6 - 9 - College & Career Week

May 8 - School Nurse Appreciation Day

May 9 - Kinder Round-up/Open House

May 10 - No School

May 13 - Muffins with Misses (See flyer below)

May 13 - Career Day (See flyer below)

May 15 - Kinder & 6th Graduation

May 16 - Field Day/Birthday Thursday/$3 Free Dress Day

May 17 - No School

May 20 - End of Year Awards (Time TBD)

May 22 - Last Day of School, End of the Year Parties

We are excited to invite you to our Career Day at LSOCE! If you or someone you know is interested in sharing information about your career with our students, please complete the form using the link below:

https://forms.gle/a4kB9meCgrKtDWXLA

Thank you so much! We look forward to connecting with each of you!

Counselor Washington

Students may wear jeans with a school spirit shirt or college shirt for $1.

Students are required to have 3 new immunizations for entry into 7th grade. The 3 shots that are required are listed:

1) Td booster

2) 2nd varicella

3) Meningococcal

These immunizations are required by Wednesday July 31,2024 . If your student does not have these shots, they will not be allowed to attend school as of Monday August 5th, until records are received. Please make arrangements to get required immunizations by the first day of school.

If you have any questions please contact Erika Griffin RN at 214-376-8200 ext 5311. Records maybe dropped off or emailed to Erika.ford-griffin@lifeschools.net

As the school year progresses and students continue to bring their belongings to school, it's inevitable that some items will be misplaced or lost. Our lost and found is a valuable resource for recovering lost items, and we encourage all parents to check it regularly.

Our lost and found is located in the cafeteria and is open during school hours (7:15am - 4:40pm). We have a wide variety of items, including clothing, lunchboxes, books, and toys. We make every effort to identify and return lost items to their rightful owners, but we need your help.

Please take a few minutes to check the lost and found whenever you visit the school. You may be surprised to find what's there!

Reading Together.....

Research consistently shows that reading aloud to children has a significant positive impact on their literacy development and overall academic success. Set aside time daily or weekly to read-aloud with your student. You can use our LifeLeader Literacy Connections to discuss the stories you read together. Share with us on social using #LifeLeadersRead.

In the event a student does not perform satisfactorily on his/her math and/or reading STAAR test, we will provide Accelerated Instruction Summer School. Upon receiving STAAR scores, we will begin contacting parents to inform them of the Summer School requirement for their student. Summer School is free to Life School students who did not pass their Math and/or Reading STAAR tests.

Life Habits Conversation Starters

We’re committed to supporting all students' social-emotional behavioral (SEB) and LifeLeader development. Join us in supporting the growth by scanning the QR code for weekly conversation starters to reflect on SEB and LifeLeader skills with your child.

New Enrollment is Now Open

New Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year opened February 1st. Parents, this is the time to enroll your new kindergarten students or other siblings you wish to attend Life School next year. If you have family or friends that may be interested in attending Life School, please encourage them to apply by clicking here or pass along their contact information by completing this referral form.

Powerhouse Before and After School Care is accepting new enrollments for the remainder of the Spring 2024 semester!

From now until March 31st, if you are currently enrolled in Powerhouse and you refer a friend, you and your friend can get one week of free childcare! Check with your local campus Powerhouse Site Director for all the details! Visit https://www.phkidstx.com/ to enroll.

Sign Up for Parent Portal

Parents are encouraged to sign up for Life School Parent Portal by clicking here. The Parent Portal will allow parents to monitor attendance records and student grades throughout the year.

Sign Up for Partners for Life Parent Organization

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.

At Life School we believe parents are their child’s first educator. It is important to partner together for your child’s education. Thank you for partnering with us to help your child be the most successful they can be!

We invite you to visit campus to volunteer, eat lunch, or conduct classroom observations. Student safety is also our number one priority each day. Please see the below guidelines for visiting our campus.

When visiting campus, please follow the below procedures:

• All visitors to the school must report to the receptionist upon arrival at the school. They will be required to sign-in with the receptionist and will be issued a visitor’s badge, which must be worn at all times while in the school or on school grounds. The visitor must return the badge to the front desk and sign out before leaving the building.

• You are only permitted to visit the areas you are checked in for. Parents are not to walk freely around the building or visit classrooms, unless a classroom observation has been scheduled with the teacher. Please limit your student interaction to only your child.

• Please do not disrupt the orderly conduct of classes, school programs or other school activities.

• Schedule conferences with teachers prior to arriving on campus. Teachers are not expected to take class time to discuss individual matters with visitors.

Guidelines for volunteering on campus:

• All visitors to the school must report to the receptionist upon arrival at the school. They will be required to sign-in with the receptionist and will be issued a visitor’s badge, which must be worn at all times while in the school or on school grounds. The visitor must return the badge to the front desk and sign out before leaving the building.

• Parents can be checked in after 9:00 am to volunteer on campus.

• Parents are welcome to volunteer on Thursdays, if a previous arrangement was made between the parent and the teacher.

• Parent volunteers should work in the atrium or hallway, not in the classroom, unless instructed to do so by the classroom teacher.

Guidelines for classroom observation include the following:

• All visitors to the school must report to the receptionist upon arrival at the school. They will be required to sign-in with the receptionist and will be issued a visitor’s badge, which must be worn at all times while in the school or on school grounds. The visitor must return the badge to the front desk and sign out before leaving the building.

• Parents can be checked in after 9:00 am to observe in a classroom.

• A maximum of two parents are allowed in the classroom at a time.

• Only parents/guardians are allowed in the classroom.

• There should not be any conversation with other observers or with the students.

• Please take a seat in the back of the room. Please do not sit next to your child’s desk.

• If you wish to discuss your child’s progress, please refrain from conversing with the teacher until after school or by appointment. It is very important that the teacher’s undivided attention be on the students.

• It is strongly recommended that the parents call in advance on the morning of their observation to ensure that a substitute is not in the classroom.

• Classroom observations should be limited to only 30 minutes. Classroom observations are for parents/guardians only.

Guidelines for eating lunch with your child:

• Parents are welcome to join their child for lunch starting after Labor Day.

• All visitors to the school must report to the receptionist upon arrival at the school. They will be required to sign-in with the receptionist and will be issued a visitor’s badge, which must be worn at all times while in the school or on school grounds. The visitor must return the badge to the front desk and sign out before leaving the building.

• Parents can be checked in after 10:00 am to eat lunch with their student.

• Parents/Guardians are welcome to eat lunch with their child on campus. Parents may only bring lunch for their own children. Students and parents may not bring in or give away food to other students during lunch times. Parents may eat lunch with their child in the atrium at the provided cafeteria tables.

• Students and parents are not allowed to use food delivery services to have food brought to school during school hours.

• Parents may only eat lunch with their student.

• Parents and visitors are not permitted to take pictures or record video while in classrooms. Recording and taking pictures of field trips, special programs, or events are allowed.

Please see pages 60-62 of the Student/Parent Handbook for more information

Please click here to view our update Parent Compact/LifeLeader Partnership Agreement.

All families need to complete the Free and Reduced Price School Meal Application each school year, even if your child does not purchase school meals. Information collected through this application process provides opportunities for additional state and federal funding for our school operations.

Click here to view the breakfast/lunch menus.

Breakfast is served each day from 7:15-7:40 and is free for ALL students.

Click here to sign Up for My School Bucks, our online lunch payment system.

Parents are able to access their student's grades and attendance anytime using the Parent Portal. Click here to sign up and access your child's information.

Specials Grades: Our specials teachers will only give conduct grades this year. (Conduct Rubric Coming Soon)

Late Work 3rd-6th Grade: All late work must be turned in within 3 days of the assigned due date. Work received after this time will not be accepted. For each day late -10 points will be deducted from the final grade. The maximum grade allowable for late work turned in on the 3rd day will be a 70.

Retesting 3rd-6th Grade: A student/parent may request a retest opportunity if a student receives a failing (below 70) test grade. This request must be made within 3 days of the grade being posted in Parent Portal. Open book quizzes and projects that fall into the testing category will not be eligible for retesting. District wide assessments are not eligible for retesting, per district policy. The maximum grade allowable for retests will be a 70.

Please label your child's backpacks, water bottles, lunchboxes, jackets, and other items with their name. Our Lost & Found is in the cafeteria. As a reminder, on the last Thursday of each month, any items not claimed will be donated. So, please come and check our lost and found if your student has any missing items.

Below is our district's policy of any personal telecommunication devices. Please understand that cell phone and/or smart watch use falls under the following district policy that can be located, in full, on page 57-59 of the Life School Student Handbook on our website.

Use of Personal Telecommunications Devices

For safety purposes, Life School permits students to possess cell phones while on school property or during school-related activities. However, these devices must remain on silent during the instructional day and shall not be visible during classroom instruction. A student must have approval to possess other telecommunications devices such as notebook computers, laptops, tablets or other portable computers.

The use of cell phones or any device capable of capturing images is strictly prohibited in locker rooms or restroom areas while at school or at a school-related or school-sponsored event.

Parents should not call or text their children and expect an immediate response during the school day.

Telecommunication Device Penalties

Students who violate this policy shall be subject to established disciplinary measures, in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

• 1st Offense –Return cell phone/telecommunication device to the parent or guardian at the end of the school day plus pay a $15 administrative fee.
• 2nd Offense –Return cell phone/telecommunication device to the parent or guardian after end of third school day from time of confiscation and pay a $15 administrative fee.
• 3rd Offense – Student is not permitted to have a cell phone/telecommunication device at school for the remainder of the semester, or if confiscated during the 2nd or 4th nine weeks, the student may not be permitted to possess a cell phone/telecommunication device the following semester.

Any student violating this policy or refusing to turn over an improperly used or exhibited electronic device to school staff will be subject to disciplinary penalties in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. Life School will not be responsible for damage to or loss or theft of confiscated items.

• LSOCE Newsletters

• District Parent Resources Page

• 2023-2024 Life School Calendar

• 2023-2024 Student/Parent Handbook

• Before & After School Care

• Free & Reduced Lunch Application

• LifeLeader

• My School Bucks

• Parent Portal

• Partners for Life Parent Organization

• Safety & Security Newsletters

• Uniform Vendor Information

Ready to Learn...Ready to Lead...Ready for Life!

Email: quanesha.stovall@lifeschools.net
Website: https://lifeschool.net/schools-campuses/oak-cliff-elementary-school
Location: 4400 South R L Thornton Freeway, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 214-376-8200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifeoakcliffelem
Twitter: @PrincipalStovall