Welcome Back, Longhorns!
We’re so excited to kick off another amazing school year together! Our classrooms are ready, our teachers are eager, and our hallways are waiting to be filled with learning, laughter, and new adventures.
This year’s theme—“Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe”—reminds us that the kindness, positivity, and respect we share help create the warm, welcoming school family we’re proud to be part of. In this newsletter, you’ll find important reminders and helpful tips to make the start of the year smooth and successful. Let’s make it our best year yet!
First Day of School Reminders
Parents WILL NOT be able to walk students into school! This is for safety as we cannot check all visitors in the office efficiently during the first day of school!
MAKE SURE you have communicated first and second day transportation for your student to your student's teacher!!
Buses WILL BE LATE in the morning and the afternoon the first couple of days. Even though the fantastic bus drivers practice the routes, it will take a bit longer when we have students getting on and off the bus! We do our very best to communicate bus changes as we get them. Usually these are sent to us by the bus garage by early afternoon. Sometimes these changes come in as buses are arriving. If this happens, our main focus is communicating changes to staff and students to make sure we are getting our students where they need to be!
Parent Pick up line will take a while to get through the first few days. Many of our students are familiar with our inhouse dismissal procedures, but we have many new Longhorns that will need to learn our procedures. Please be patient with us!
Bus language you will see for bus changes and what they mean!
PLEASE, keep in mind that these changes sometimes are made as we are loading kids and buses are coming in. If this is the case, communication from us may not happen in a timely manner. Our first priority is to make sure kids get to where they need to be safely and efficiently.
1: LATE bus message- your student will ride the same bus number, the bus is just running a little late. Usually this is no more than 10 to 15 minutes late.
2: COMBINED bus numbers- this means that one bus may be out and the garage will combine two bus loads if student numbers safely allowed. For ex: Bus 333 may be out that day, but the garage can safely combine bus 333 students on bus 239 with those students. So, bus 333 students and bus 239 students will come home all on bus 239. Drop off times will be delayed about 10 or 15 minutes because there are more stops to make.
3: DOUBLE RUN bus: This means we are short a driver or drivers and we have other buses will take their route home and then return to school and get another route of students who would typically ride another bus number. Ex: If bus 220 driver is out and there is not a sub driver for that bus, bus 374 will run their bus 374 students and then return to school to get bus 220 students and take them home. The garage tries to be strategic and choose buses that have quick routes and can get back to school quickly. The double run buses usually are back and leave school by 4:15.
***These are just examples and the numbers above do not indicate any known changes at this time.
***Please keep in mind that we have no control at the building level what changes are made and when buses arrive and leave school. We just have to work together to make the best of changes and maintain our goal of getting kids home safely. If you have any concerns about routes, changes or drivers; those need to be taken care of with the bus garage.
As mentioned above, when we know changes, we will communicate them as early as possible. That is all dependent on when we get those message at the school level. Please also remember that if you have feedback about the buses, bus routes, drivers, or bus behavior, that is all addressed with the bus garage.
DAILY Transportation Changes
With over 975 students officially, we are looking at ways to stream line procedures for our front office staff and teachers. We can no longer accepts phone calls to the office, emails, and Apptegy messages. This will streamline the process for families as well.
OCCASIONAL PICK-UPS: If your child is not a permanent pick-up and their transportation is changing for ONE day only, please complete the following form to let us know NOT to put your child on the bus. You will also get a numbered car tag to use.
Fill out the occasional pick-up google form. The form can be found on the Longbranch Apptegy main feed at all time.
https://forms.gle/EX3agQRYNvkjVxA19
The form will turn off at 2:30 p.m. and you will no longer be able to do parent pick-up. We will accommodate only for EMERGENCIES
Parent Pick Up and Drop Off Information
Kindergarten – 5th Drop Off:
Kindergarten – 5th Drop Off: Drop off begins at 8:15 and doors shut at 8:40.
-Turn into the west entrance of Cooper Loop from Longbranch Road. Follow the arrows located on the map below. This will take you behind Cooper
-Please have your student(s) exit your vehicle between the two pairs of yellow triangles “unloading zone”.
-Please exit via Campus Drive.Kindergarten – 5th Pick Up: We will begin dismissing students approximately at 3:30.
-Please have your assigned pick up number tag affixed to the rearview mirror, please enter into the west entrance of Cooper Loop from Longbranch Road. Follow the arrows located on the map below. f member will write down your number and your child will be notified of your arrival.
-If your child needs assistance buckling, we ask that you please pull slowly to the corner to buckle. This is something that you can practice before school starts as well! Please exit via Campus Drive.Fifth Graders in Mobile Classrooms: These student will enter the building through the parent drop off door like all other students, enter in from the buses, travel through the building and then out to the classrooms. There should be no students walking from cars to the mobiles. This is for their safety.
Transportation Link to Look Up Bus Information
You can check bus routes by entering your address. PLEASE continue to check this link as we get closer the the first day of school. They will continue to update routes as they add more students to routes.
FAMILY HANDBOOK
Linked below is our family handbook! This is a one stop shop that gives you all of the information that you will need to know regarding all things Longbranch!
We specifically want to highlight a new piece of legislature regarding cell phones and other electronic devices.
Cell Phones and Smart Watches
Students do not need cell phones or smart watches for any learning purposes during the school day. If a student brings one of these devices to school, the following rules apply:
Devices (phones and watches) must be turned off or set to "Do Not Disturb" before students get off the bus in the morning. The exception is if the student has prior permission from the school nurse to wear or use an electronic device to monitor a health concern.
Devices must remain in backpacks for the entire school day, including recess and lunch.
Students are not permitted to use phones or smart watches to call, text, or message parents during the school day.
If a student needs to contact home, they must be sent to the first aid room and be deemed ill by the health clerk or school nurse and sent home via the front office.
If a student has a teacher warning and there is a repeated offense, administration will be notified and may take further action, including the device being picked up in the main office by the guardian.
Please refer to KRS 158.165 Possession and use of personal telecommunications devices by public school students and the revision in HB 208 if you have questions.
Family Newsletters
I will send out weekly family newsletters each Sunday. The newsletters will always have upcoming events for that week and also upcoming events for the next couple of months listed. PTO will always have a section with any important information and volunteer opportunities. This is also where activities and clubs will be advertised. They are full of important information! The classroom teachers will communicate classroom level information.
Thank you,
Mrs. Stambaugh