Lithia Springs Families,

It is with great excitement that I welcome you back to Lithia Springs Elementary School for the 2023-2024 school year! Our school theme for this year is “Peace, Love, Lithia Springs”, which speaks directly to the strong community and vision that not only our staff, but also our students, families and community have for our amazing school. Mrs. Duggins and I are so excited to begin our 2^nd year here at Lithia Springs! Last year, we had the opportunity to learn so much about our school. From the traditions, the excitement, and the dedication our school community has to ensuring that Lithia Springs continues to be the gem of the school that it is! We look forward to continuing our established traditions and beginning new ones this school year!

School begins Thursday, August 10. The instructional day is from 7:40 A.M. to 1:55 P.M., with Mondays being early release days at 12:55 P.M. For the safety and supervision of our students, they may be dropped off beginning at 7:10 A.M. Any student arriving to school after 7:38 A.M. must report to the Main Office with their parent or guardian to receive a tardy pass. The Lithia Ridge gate will close each morning at 7:38.

We recognize what a big event the first day of school is not only for our students and teachers, but also our families. The first day of school, you will be permitted to walk your child to their classrooms between 7:10 and 7:35 as they begin their school journey for the 2023-2024 school year. In order to provide the utmost safety for our entire school community, including students, families and staff, all visitors on campus MUST have a visitor sticker to walk their child to class on the first day of school, August 10. We will be following the guidelines below to ensure everyone who comes to our campus has been screened and approved.

Please come to the Main Office on one of the following dates and times to scan your photo identification. Once your ID has been scanned and approved, you will be provided a visitor sticker with school personnel initials on it that will let school staff know you have been prescreened. You MUST have this sticker visible to walk your child to class on the first day of school, August 10, for the safety of our Lithia Springs community. You can obtain your Visitor’s pass between 7:30 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. on Friday, August 4, Monday, August 7, Tuesday, August 8, or Wednesday, August 9.

Beginning Thursday, August 11, Lithia Springs is a closed campus, which means we will not allow parents to sign in and walk their child to class in the mornings. We have staff members at all entry points, hallways and throughout the building to ensure all students arrive to their classrooms safely in the mornings.

In the event that you need your child to leave school early due to an appointment, you must go to the Main Office and present a valid government issued ID, and your name must also be on the student's emergency card. If you need to pick up your child early, you can pick up before 12:25 P.M. on Mondays, and before 1:25 P.M. on Tuesdays to Fridays. For the safety of students, under no circumstances do we accept transportation changes by phone. All transportation changes must be written in a note to the classroom teacher and signed by the parent or legal guardian.

During arrival and dismissal for car riders, please remain in your car and continue to the designated drop off/pick up point. For student and parent safety, please do not park and walk your child to the entrance in the morning, and please do not park and walk up to pick up your child in the afternoon. We will be following a new traffic pattern in the afternoon for car riders to alleviate some of the wait times for our families. The detailed map and directions will be available on our website and at Meet the Teacher. Kindergarten students who ride the bus must have a green tag attached to their backpack, and an adult must be at the bus stop for the student to exit the bus. Kindergarten students who are not picked up at the bus stop by a parent or guardian will be returned to school.

We look forward to working together to make this school year the best experience for you and your child. Please visit our website at https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/lithiasprings for additional information on the opening of the 2023-2024 school year.

Sincerely,

Amber Cronin, Principal