Welcome Back to School Bobcats!

August 6th, 2024

Welcome to Santa Rita!

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Welcome Letter from Principal Khalid!

Dear Santa Rita families,

I hope this finds you all well and that you are enjoying the final few weeks of summer. The excitement and anticipation of a new school year is upon us! As I begin my first year as a Bobcat, I look forward to seeing all our students’ smiling faces on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 14th.

I am honored to introduce myself as Santa Rita's new principal and join this wonderful school community. I look forward to partnering with parents, teachers, and staff to support all students in achieving their social, emotional, and academic goals.

I have been working with children for the past thirty years. I have held various positions throughout my education career. I have served as an elementary teacher, teacher on special assignment, vice principal, and principal. Working with children and supporting my community gives me purpose and meaning.

In addition to my educator role, I am the mother of two lovely young ladies. My daughter Norah is 18, and my daughter Sarah is 17 and in the twelfth grade. Norah attends West Valley Community College and plans to transfer to San Jose State next year. Sarah will be finishing her final volleyball season in the fall. My husband Joe and I have been married for 19 years and enjoy cooking, traveling, and hiking.

I believe all children deserve to attend a safe, enriching, and supportive school that strives to inspire a passion for learning. With our school community, we will work together to provide opportunities that will support students in reaching their highest potential. I am committed to meeting all students' needs and interacting with staff, parents, and community members.

I look forward to building relationships with students, staff, and community members throughout the school year to support Santa Rita School's amazing culture.

My door is always open. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime. I look forward to becoming a Santa Rita “Bobcat”! As always, our devoted professional staff has already begun planning and preparing for the arrival of our Bobcats. Our top-notch office team is registering new families, ordering needed materials and updating student files. Our hard-working, conscientious custodial staff have spent the entire summer thoroughly cleaning the facility, and our amazing and much-appreciated PTA is gearing up to welcome families and offer other exciting events and programs. Together, we universally embrace the common goals of nurturing responsible, caring students and promoting high levels of rigorous, personalized teaching and learning to ensure each student realizes his/her fullest potential in innovative learning environments. I am excited to partner with families and staff to create the most engaging, supportive, rigorous, and joyful year as we progress.

Each new year potentially comes with new faces and additions to our staff. We continue attracting the best to our district and maintaining our current top-notch educators.

Here are some items of importance as we approach the new school year…

2024-25 Bell Schedule
LASD 2024-2025 School Year Calendar
Class assignments will be emailed on Friday, August 9th, after 4:00 pm.

As we approach the new school year, I know students eagerly anticipate who their teacher will be. It is important for you to know that a great deal of time, effort, and thought has gone into the student placement process for the 2024-2025 school year. We have done our best to ensure classrooms are academically and socially balanced. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level to serve all of our students best. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities. Therefore, please understand that I will not be moving or reassigning students.

Arrival and Departure

There is no student supervision before 8:10 a.m., students in grades 1st through 6th should arrive at school between 8:10 and 8:30 a.m. Students arriving before 8:10 a.m. must remain on the benches at the front of the school. Students arriving later than 8:30 a.m. must check in at the office to pick up a late attendance slip ("blue slip") to ensure our attendance records are accurate.

Students in grades 1-2 are dismissed at 2:40 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 1:25 pm on Thursdays; students in grades 3-6 are dismissed at 3:00 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 1:45 pm Thursdays. Students in the younger grades not enrolled in after-school enrichment are not allowed to be on the playground or in classrooms between 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm to avoid disrupting the older grades. Students waiting for older siblings must stay quietly on the benches at the front of the school and be under adult supervision. There is no playground supervision after dismissal; the public may use the playground and fields after 3:15 pm.

Universal Meal Program

LASD participates in the California universal meals program and all state school districts. We will be providing breakfast and lunch daily, and there is no charge for meals. Each month, we will provide a menu of meals, with two or more options for breakfast and lunch. Students may bring their own home lunch to school; however, no outside vendors will be allowed on campus, including deliveries from outside vendors (i.e. DoorDash or similar service or parent drop off of local food vendors). The monthly menus are on both the District and Santa Rita websites. Breakfast will be served from 8:10-8:25 am at the Santa Rita Servery.
Please note: It would be extremely helpful if you would discuss the menu with your child.

Finally, I would like to share an article with some Back-to-School Tips. Though many of the tips seem obvious, they are good reminders about sleep, making the first day easier, safety tips for getting to and from school, building good homework habits, and supporting your child throughout the school year.

I eagerly await the opportunity to meet and greet students and families and begin our new journey. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Denise Khalid

dkhalid@lasdschools.org