Land O' Lakes High Gator Gazette
2024 Back-to-School Newsletter
Consistently Recognized as One of the Best High Schools in the Nation
Welcome to Lando, Home of the Gators!
We take immense pride in being a beacon of excellence within our community. Our commitment to providing top-tier education has consistently earned us recognition as one of the finest schools in the nation. We look forward to partnering with you and your family on this exciting educational journey.
We understand that this time of year can feel overwhelming for both students and parents. To support you, we’ve created this newsletter to share essential information for a successful beginning.
Key Points:
- Stay Informed: Regularly check this newsletter for updates.
- Contact Us: If you have any questions, please call (813) 794-9400. Our staff is here to assist you.
Thank you for being part of our school community. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead!
Our vision is for all students to achieve success in college, career, and life.
Land O’ Lakes High School graduates emerge with a commitment to global understanding embodying respect and compassion toward the uniqueness of others, equipping them for lifelong learning as inquiring thinkers who take personal and civic responsibility.
Students and their families are invited to visit our school during this year's open house. Discover our beautiful facilities, meet our dedicated faculty, and learn about our unique program offerings. Before the event, students can conveniently access their course schedules through myStudent. Please note that we won't be printing physical schedules at the school, but worry not—maps will be readily available at the entrance doors. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to experience all that our school has to offer prior to the first day of school.
Steps To Access Online Info Account & e-Learning
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.
District News
Monitor Your Student
Setting up a myStudent Parent Portal Account
Student schedules, emergency cards, and parent consent forms will be available via the parent portal on 7/31/24. Create a parent portal at https://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/parents.
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
Office for Technology Resources
Need help or tech tips from a member of the district staff? Use this link, then select a choice from the quick launch bar on the left-hand side of the screen or use the search bar at the top of the screen to search for a specific file or folder.
Parent Contact Information
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.
Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up
- Lane Usage:
- Right Lane: Use the right lane for dropping off or picking up students.
- Left Lane: Traffic in the left lane should continue moving at all times. Visitors parking should use the left lane.
- Designated Drop-off and Pick-up Area: Please use the loop at the front of the school for drop-off and pick-up.
- No Entry to Student Parking Lots or District Complex: Avoid entering student parking lots or the district complex for drop-off or pick-up.
- Flagpole Procedure: The first car in line should move forward to the flagpole before stopping to drop off their student(s).
- Right of Way: Always yield to school buses and emergency vehicles.
- Campus Speed Limit: Drive at a maximum speed of 15 mph while on campus.
- Parking Spaces: Reserved for staff and visitors.
You can drop your student off as early as 6:15am, and pick them up as late as 2:00pm to avoid long lines and traffic.
Positive Behavior Rewards
This year our school will be using Positive Behavior Awards to recognize students as they follow our school expectations. This program allows your student to earn badges during the school day as they demonstrate actions that reflect our school expectations.
Our school expectations are for students to be REAL (Respect-Engage-Act-Lead) Gators! Each expectation equals one “badge”.
What are Positive Behavior Awards?
Positive Behavior Awards occur daily as students demonstrate the school expectations. Staff members will recognize their effort by awarding the student with a badge that matches the school expectation they displayed. Opportunities to earn badges will take place throughout the day. Students will have opportunities to “spend” their badges or save their badges. At our school, students can spend their badges in teacher classrooms and/or the school store.
Parent Access to Positive Behavior Awards: The Positive Behavior Awards system will be stored in the Parent Portal; this is the same portal that holds student information such grades and attendance. You can also access Positive Behavior Awards information using the MyStudent Community App.
Parent Portal Access- Click on the “News” tab to see what badges were awarded to your student. You can view the number of available badges and spent badges your student has earned.
MyStudent Community App Access- Click on the “more info” tab to access news to see what badges were awarded to your student. You can view the number of available badges and spent badges your student has earned.
This program will go live at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
School Supply List
The following items may be needed for class. Teachers will be providing a supply list on their course syllabus that will be made available the first week of school.
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
Stay Healthy
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.
Volunteer Update
All volunteers will be required to complete a Level 2 background screening every 5 years. This background screening will review records in the state of Florida as well as the national FBI database. The cost for this screening is $41.25 and volunteers will be responsible for paying this cost. The District will pay the yearly monitoring fee for each volunteer. Those seeking to fill this vital role at the school should complete the 2024-2025 Volunteer Programs Application at www.pasco.k12.fl.us/hreq/page/volunteer. Questions regarding the volunteer application and background screening process can be directed to volunteers@pasco.k12.fl.us.
Respect and Civility Statement
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)
Student Drivers and Parking
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 goes live the week of July 15 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.
Football Gators
Fine Arts
School Dances
Excused Absence Reporting
CLICK HERE for the reporting link. This is located in the school's website.
Student Code of Conduct, Discipline, and Rules of Dress and Appearance
School Buses
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 813-320-2562.
Additional information about bus transportation on the website.
Requesting a Schedule Change
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.
Culinary Academy Parent Meeting
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).
Senior Pictures
Yearbook and School Pictures
Yearbook and School Picture Information
School picture day for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. If your student will not be at school that day, there will be a picture make up day on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. Any student who misses both days would have to contact Gigante to get their photo taken before the end of the first semester to make the yearbook.
Senior photos must be taken at the Gigante Productions studio in order to make the yearbook. There is a $29 sitting fee that includes items for the formal pose and a casual pose in clothing that meets the school's dress code. There is no obligation to buy these photos, but you will be able to choose both a formal and casual photo for the yearbook as both pictures are included in our book. The deadline for senior pictures to make the yearbook is December 7, 2024. Make your appointments now before they fill up. https://www.giganteproductions.com/senior-sessions
Yearbooks are on sale through RYCOR for the pre-sale price of $65 until October 31, 2024. They will then go up in price to $75. Then, prices will go up one more time on March 1, 2025 for the last chance sale. Buy yours early to get the best price.
If you are interested in purchasing a senior tribute ad for your graduating senior, they will be on RYCOR as well, but you must also fill out the order form with instructions on RYCOR, or it can be found on our website under the yearbook tab, and email it to llabarba@pasco.k12.fl.us to finalize your purchase.
Swamp Talk News Show
Stay informed by subscribing to our Swamp Talk news show on YouTube. There are typically two shows per week with additional special content as well. https://www.youtube.com/@LOLHSSwampTalk/featured
Shows will start back up in September. 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.
FortifyFL is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials.
2024 Back to School Sales Tax Holiday
Consumers can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax during the 2024-2025 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. Passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the sales tax holiday begins July 29, 2024 and runs through August 11, 2024.
School Health Services
School health services are public services provided to all Pre-K through 12th-grade students. The school health team comprises registered school nurses, licensed practical nurses, and clinic assistants. The school health team, which the registered school nurse leads, provides the following services but are not limited to: nursing assessments (RN), health evaluation (LPN/clinic assistant), medication administration, management of complex or chronic health conditions, review of records for immunization compliance, management of emergency health needs, health screening, health counseling, identifying medical needs, and coordinate referrals to health care providers. The school health team's primary goal is to promote health and wellness, keeping students in school and ready to learn.
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
Land O’ Lakes High School Clinic will have the Healthy Student program option for the 24-25 school year for some over the counter medications available in the clinic. For your student to participate, please complete the paper permission form and turn it in to the clinic at school or email completed form to wsutyak@pasco.k12.fl.us. If you have any questions, please call the clinic beginning August 9th when the clinic staff are on campus.
Medications needed at school and medical management forms for students with medical needs such as severe allergies, diabetes, asthma, or seizures may be turned in beginning August 9th to the clinic. Copies of the forms were mailed home at the end of school in May or you may obtain a copy at https://pasco.k12.fl.us/health/page/forms.
Our school health team is looking forward to a great school year!
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Meals Program
Pasco County Schools Food & Nutrition Services is proud to again be implementing a program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for this 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. 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.
Microsoft Student Advantage Program
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.
School Advisory Council (SAC) 2024-25
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.
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.
Road Construction Project Update
College and Career Resources
Mrs. Colon is our College & Career Specialist who assists students with their post-secondary planning including career exploration, college information and applications, financial aid/scholarships, SAT/ACT testing information, connecting with Military recruiters and employers, and more. Make sure you’re checking the school website, your email, and following her social media accounts for announcements and information such as parent nights, scholarship opportunities, college/career-related events and field trips.
Email: sfraneco@pasco.k12.fl.us
Twitter: @LOLHS_CRC
Facebook: LOLHS College & Career
Instagram: lolhs.college.career
Helpful Resources:
Xello: Found on your student’s myPascoConnect portal. Students can use this platform to take different assessments to help with exploring career interests, research the “right fit” colleges and search for scholarships.
Big Future through CollegeBoard: A great resource to help students with their college plans.
SAT Exam Information and Registration: www.collegeboard.org/sat
ACT Exam Information and Registration: www.act.org
Bright Futures and other State of FL Scholarships: www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org
LOLHS Clubs
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. Rich Batchelor at rbatchel@pasco.k12.fl.us for more information regarding clubs.
PSAT
LOLHS will offer the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in October. We pay for all sophomores (10th graders) to take the assessment. Freshmen and Juniors are invited to pay to take the assessment, more details will be emailed out later in the fall.
Earning a 430 or higher on the mathematics section of the PSAT/NMSQT can be used as a concordant score for the Algebra 1 EOC graduation requirement.
You may visit https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10 for more information, including practice tests and sample questions, as well as https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/taking-the-tests/test-day-checklist/approved-calculators for more information on the calculator policy.
If your child requires a testing accommodation, please complete the Consent Form for Accommodations Request that can be found at https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/pdf/ssd/ssd-consent-form-accommodations.pdf. Parent consent must be returned to Student Services or Assessment Coordinator (Jennifer Gaete jgaete@pasco.k12.fl.us) by Friday, August 16, 2024.
School Athletics
Student Athletics Interest
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.
Additionally, all volunteers must complete a new application each school year.
Cross Country Teams
Students that are interested in joining our cross country team for the upcoming school year can reach out to the coaches listed below for more information.
Boys Cross Country Coach Mike Zwijacz
Girls Cross Country Coach Kyle Simcox
Volleyball
Girls volleyball tryouts will be held July 29- 30 from 8:30am-11:30am. Players must attend each day unless notified otherwise. Make sure to complete all athletic paperwork in order to participate.
Question please reach out to Coach Emily Frazer at efrazer@pasco.k12.fl.us
Swimming
Swim team's conditioning dates are Tuesday July 30, 11am-1pm and Wednesday July 31, 2:30pm-4pm for anyone interested in participating. Tryout Dates are August 5-9, 2:30pm-3:30pm. This will all take place at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Pkwy, Land O' Lakes, FL 34639.
Girls Soccer
Lady Gators Soccer will have an organizational meeting on Tuesday, August 27 for prospective student athletes in the Lower Cafeteria at 1:45pm. All interested players should attend.
Prior to the meeting Mach forms for athletic interest can be submitted along with submission of athletic forms on Home Campus. Links can be found on the school website.
Coaches should be available at the Open House. If you have any questions, you can reach Coach King at vking@pasco.k12.fl.us.
Softball Meeting
Additional questions should be sent to Coach Wilkins: mwilkins@pasco.k12.fl.us
School Administrative Team and Email Addresses
Tracie Beerman, Assistant Principal for 9th grade tbeerman@pasco.k12.fl.us
Sherry Nienaber, Assistant Principal for 10th grade snienabe@pasco.k12.fl.us
Richard Batchelor, Assistant Principal for 11th grade rbatchel@pasco.k12.fl.us
Heather Wall, Assistant Principal for 12th grade hwall@pasco.k12.fl.us
Sarah Marriott, Assistant Principal for IB smarriot@pasco.k12.fl.us
X (Formerly Twitter)
Land O' Lakes High School
Website: lolhs.pasco.k12.fl.us
Location: 20325 Gator Lane, Land O' Lakes, FL
Phone: 813-794-9400
X: @lolhsprincipal