Monday Message

(Updated every Tuesday)

This is Mr. Phillips, principal of Lutz K-8 School.

We hope all our leopard families had a nice and relaxing fall break.  We were excited to see all students back on campus today. 

Please be reminded that there are no early release Monday’s until 1/6/25. There will only be two early release Mondays that will take place 1/6/25 and 1/13/25.  The district announced make up days for second semester and we will be sending home new student school calendars to have for your reference.   

Tomorrow there is a PTSA spirit night at Culvers.  Spirit night will take from 5:00 P.M.- 8:00 P.M.

This Thursday is our school wide talent show at 6:00 P.M. in the multi-purpose room.

Progress alerts for students will be going home at the end of this week through next week.

FBLA will be selling World’s Finest Chocolate bars from December 4-18.  If any parents would like to purchase a complete box, please contact Ms. Hall or the front office to reserve your box. 

This Friday is our November den celebration pep rally.  Students are encouraged to wear their den shirt to school on Friday. 

This week we begin FAST PM 2 testing with students. 

This is a reminder to our 5^th grade families that the choice application window for the 2025-202 school year opens today at 5:00 P.M. and will close on Tuesday December 31^st. If your child is already on choice, there is no need to reapply for choice during this window.  All students not on choice in 5^th grade must apply for choice to attend middle school.  To apply, go to hillsboroughschools.org.  Next, click departments, then choice.  Once there, click apply.  The page will then ask for your child’s student number, last four digits of your child’s social security number, and your child’s birth year.  If you do not have a social security number on file, you will click need a choice ID and pin. Once this is completed, you then apply for choice.  When applying, only list Lutz K-8 as a choice.  Do not list multiple school sites.  If it lists that we are a hardship school for the 2025-2026 school year, please still apply as the application will show with the choice office.  If at any point you have any questions, please feel free to contact the front office at 813-949-1452.  Thank you so much and we are looking forward to next school year with your upcoming middle schooler. 

This Friday is college day and students, and staff are invited to wear college gear to school.  This Friday is also Bucs day and we will Raise the Flag to support our home team.  Students and staff are invited to wear Bucs gear to school.

Tomorrow, our middle school volleyball teams compete against Turner Bartels K-8 School at Turner Bartels K-8 School at 6:00 P.M.  Come on out and support our Lutz Leopards!

We want to remind parents that drop off begins at 7:10 A.M. As you drop off students in the morning, please be sure to pull all the way up to help expedite our traffic process. Drop-off in the morning takes place at elementary pick-up point for all students. Once our buses have cleared, we open the front drop-off area for vehicles. Vehicles entering the school from the southbound left turn lane should refrain from blocking northbound traffic on U.S. 41. If you are walking your child up to the front of the school in the morning, please be sure to park at the Old Lutz Schoolhouse as the front parking lot is reserved for teachers. Students should not walk from the parking lot without an adult as this is a safety issue. Thank you for your support with arrival and dismissal.

Please be reminded dismissal is at 2:10 P.M. and 1:10 P.M. on Mondays. It would be best for middle school parents to arrive after 2:15 P.M. as this would help to expedite our dismissal. If you are a middle school parent who arrives prior to 2:15 P.M., please follow the elementary pick-up point line and pull into the grass and staff will inform you when it is time to move to the middle school pick-up point location. Please refrain from parking in the front staff parking lot as this slows down the traffic flow during dismissal and helps to ensure safety for all stakeholders and ensures the car line continues to move smoothly. We are asking all parents to adhere to right turns only when exiting onto U.S. Highway 41. This will help to assist with traffic back-up into the school and will help to ensure a quicker dismissal process.

Lutz K-8 school will remain a closed campus to ensure the safety and security of staff and students. We do have staff members present at drop-off locations to assist with ensuring your students arrive in their classrooms safely. If you are walking students up to the front of the school, please drop them off near the gates to keep our campus secure. We appreciate your attention and understanding to this matter.

We want to remind all parents that our cell phone and uniform policy for students has been updated this school year. Students should be following our uniform policy on campus and the use of cell phones is prohibited at all times unless students utilize a device with a teacher for learning purposes.

Don’t forget to join our PTSA for the 2024-2025 school year. Parents can go to www.lutzk8pta.com to sign-up. On the website you can access information on ordering spirit gear for this school year.

Once again this is Mr. Phillips, the principal at Lutz K-8 school and each day is a new day of learning for leopards!