Dear Lake Travis ISD Parents and Guardians,

According to our records, earlier this spring you successfully checked out a Chromebook and/or mobile WiFi hotspot to support your child’s online learning during our school closure. Please note, in an effort to support continued learning and access to instructional materials online throughout the summer, families will not be required to return those devices until the start of school in August. We will reach out to you later this summer with instructions on how to return those devices.

However, Lake Travis High School seniors and other students who will not be returning to LTISD schools in the fall must return devices between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, June 1-4 to the Lake Travis ISD Technology/Distribution Center located at 16101 W. SH 71, Building B.

Questions or concerns should be addressed via email to the LTISD HelpDesk at helpdesk@ltisdschools.org. We wish you and your family a safe and relaxing summer!

Sincerely, 

Chris Woehl
Executive Director for Technology & Information Systems Services

May 7, 2020

Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,

As we approach the final days of the current school year, we must also begin to look towards summer and make decisions that are in the best interest of our staff, students and school community. With that in mind, due to the continued uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, we will offer our academic summer school programs for eligible students online.

Additionally, with the health and wellness of staff and students as our guiding principle, we are suspending our 2020 Summer Camps and Summer Squires programs through June 30th. In the meantime, we will assess whether or not our district can safely and feasibly offer some level of recreational programming in July. We are monitoring developments daily and will communicate updates as quickly as possible. We acknowledge the hardship this places on parents to find other child care services and understand this is an inconvenience. We also recognize the impact on our many instructors and coaches who earn additional income through our summer programs. However, please understand that this decision was not made in haste. Our Office of Community Programs will begin processing refunds to families who had previously enrolled in our Summer Camps and/or Cavs Course. 

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding summer school, you may contact your campus principal. For questions or concerns about our Summer Squires or Summer Camp programs, I encourage you to contact the Lake Travis ISD Office of Community Programs at communityprograms@ltisdschools.org, or at 512-533-6011. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this time.

Sincerely,

Brad Lancaster, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

May 6, 2020

Dear Lake Travis ISD Parents and Guardians,

As we prepare to conclude the 2019-2020 school year in unprecedented fashion, district and campus administrators have been planning for the pickup and return of student items. To assist in this endeavor, and as they continue to meet their responsibilities pertaining to online instruction, our teachers and staff are spending time this week in their classrooms and other work areas gathering student belongings for pickup.

Between May 11-13, parent pickup of student items—including medication if needed—will occur at each elementary campus via drive thru style according to student last names. At our secondary schools, students or their parents will be allowed to enter the building in limited numbers at a time to return items such as calculators, instruments, library books, textbooks and uniforms, as well as to retrieve all personal belongings, as needed. Additionally, there are specific procedures for athletics and fine arts including the clearing of lockers and return of equipment, instruments and uniforms. Your campus principal will provide additional details via email. Individual dates, times, and details for pickup and/or return of items have been staggered to assist with limiting interactions as much as possible and will vary by campus. Therefore, it is imperative that you read the email from your campus principal and visit our school websites prior to coming to campus next week.

In order to allow students to remain engaged in online learning throughout the summer, the return of district-issued technology devices including mobile WiFi hotspots and Chromebooks will be arranged at a later date.

All schedules and arrangements have been carefully and specifically designed with the health and safety of our staff, students and parents in mind. Staff will be wearing Personal Protective Equipment during item pickup, and we strongly encourage our families to take the necessary precautions as well. Hand sanitizer will be available for middle and high school students throughout the building, and all campuses have hand washing stations available outside for use. Please be reminded, if you or your child is sick, do not come to school for item pickup or return. You are encouraged to contact your campus principal and make alternate arrangements for your family.

Please understand, the process for student item pickup and return will occur during days of online instruction. As a result, many teachers will not be present at school. While parents and students will be tempted to visit with staff and other students during item pickup, I ask that you please continue to practice social distancing and proceed through our process with promptness and consideration for others around you. Furthermore, our school principals are planning end-of-the-year farewell activities.  Specific details for those events are forthcoming.

Once again, campus pick-up and drop-off plans are posted on each corresponding school website. Should you have questions or concerns, please contact your child’s school principal directly. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Brad Lancaster, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

April 22, 2020

Dear Lake Travis ISD Parents and Guardians,

On March 25, 2020, the Texas Education Agency provided school districts with guidance on grading during school closures resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, TEA officials noted that districts may temporarily modify grading policies to account for providing instruction in a distance learning format, emphasizing that evaluation of student work, assignment of grades and award of credit be applied fairly and consistently. Furthermore, the agency indicated that modified policies must focus on students’ demonstrated proficiency in the essential knowledge and skills for each course.

The following day, we officially launched our LTISD Online Learning platform for all students in grades PK-12. We will continue to provide online instruction until the date in which our district resumes normal operations or until the end of the 2019-2020 school year, whichever is earlier. To support this unprecedented endeavor, certain temporary modifications to the District’s current instructional grading and promotion/retention requirements were needed in order to alleviate academic pressure on students and facilitate the most equitable transition to online learning. During tonight’s school board meeting, our trustees authorized me to make these temporary modifications, specifically to board policies EI(LOCAL), EIA(LOCAL), EIC(LOCAL), and EIE(LOCAL).

The modifications to these board policies allow me to implement administrative guidelines that address grading, calculation of class rank, and promotion/retention standards. These guidelines will remain in effect until the completion of the 2019-2020 school year, whether or not we resume normal operations. The guidelines are posted under the ‘Online Learning’ section of our LTISD website at www.ltisdschools.org/covid19.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support during this time as we work to best meet the needs of our students. Should you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to contact your child’s teacher or school principal directly.

Sincerely,

Brad Lancaster, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

April 17, 2020

Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,

As you may already know, Governor Greg Abbott earlier today announced the “opening of Texas” will begin to occur in various stages. However, he also indicated all public and private schools will remain closed through the remainder of the current school year. Please note, the current school year will not be extended into the summer.

While LTISD buildings and facilities will remain closed, we will continue to engage our students through our online learning platform. We will also continue to provide essential operations as needed including grab and go meals, cleaning and custodial services, and other critical functions. As we have done throughout the closure, all district employees will continue to be paid, and I fully expect our employees to continue to be paid next year as well.

Additionally, the governor’s order results in the cancellation of all LTISD events scheduled through Friday, May 22, our final day of instruction for the current school year. These cancelled events include our Lake Travis High School graduation ceremony originally scheduled to be held Friday, May 22 at Cavalier Stadium. Instead, LTHS staff will provide a virtual ceremony for our seniors and their families on Friday, May 22, and plans are in progress for an alternate graduation event to be held in person on Saturday, August 1 at the HEB Center at Cedar Park.

I know you have many questions regarding the return of school-issued items such as books, uniforms, technology devices and other materials, the pickup of personal belongings, and the status of summer school, camps and other such programs. I will be hosting another Facebook Live event late next week where I will attempt to answer these and other questions. Additional details for the event will be shared with you next week.

In the meantime, I ask for your continued patience, flexibility and support. Please know I will keep you updated with any developments. I wish you and your family much health during this time.

Sincerely,

Brad Lancaster, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

April 15, 2020

Dear Students, Parents and Guardians of the Lake Travis High School Class of 2020,

Normally, this is the time of year when I send my first senior parent letter outlining important dates for our soon-to-be graduates as they begin to wrap up their high school career at Lake Travis. We know it is an understatement to say that the spring semester has been challenging. Under the guidance and support of our district’s administration, I want you to rest assured that my staff is doing everything possible to make the best of the unique situation we find ourselves in as the Cavalier Nation.

Graduation is an important milestone, and we are going to attempt to honor that tradition with an  adjusted celebration. Our hope, however slim it may be, is to hold our graduation ceremony as previously scheduled on Friday, May 22 at Cavalier Stadium. However, should May 22 not be an option due to restrictions on public gatherings, I would like to share our contingency plan for graduation.

A committee of LTHS high school parents, teachers, and administrators recently met to discuss viable options and contingency plans for our graduation ceremony. During tonight’s school board meeting, I presented the committee’s recommendation to offer a virtual graduation on Friday, May 22 as well as an in-person ceremony to be held Saturday, August 1 at the Cedar Park Center. Although the in-person ceremony will be later this summer, our hope is that most of the LTHS Class of 2020 will choose to celebrate with us before graduates matriculate to the next stage in life.

Obviously, our contingency plan for the August 1 in-person event will be guided and ultimately determined by any health orders mandated by state and/or county officials. Please note, however, the virtual ceremony will be provided Friday, May 22 regardless of restrictions on public gatherings. Information pertaining to the virtual ceremony will be shared with students and parents soon.

Thank you students and parents for your patience, understanding and flexibility during this unprecedented time. Nonetheless, we are proud of your perseverance and look forward to celebrating your success.

Sincerely,

Gordon Butler
Principal, Lake Travis High School

March 24, 2020

Dear Lake Travis ISD Parents and Guardians, 

Through this communication, LTISD Learning & Teaching Services hopes to give you the tools and guidance necessary to ensure that profound learning experiences take place as we begin LTISD Online Learning on Thursday, March 26. We also want to assure you LTISD understands the circumstances many of our families are going through right now, including the fact many of our students may be responsible for watching their younger siblings. We pledge to be flexible and work with our families to ensure the exceptional education we are known for still takes place during this time.  We encourage you to keep in touch with your child(ren)’s educator(s) throughout our Online Learning process to let them know how learning is happening in your home. Here is some information about Online Learning our families should know:

What is LTISD Online Learning? 
LTISD Online Learning is an educational learning experience in which there is a physical separation of educators and learners during instruction. These learning experiences include the facilitation of educator to learner, as well as learner to learner communication opportunities. 

What does Online Learning mean for my child?
This means your child will be working through daily learning experience in order to support all areas of their learning. Educators will design the experiences using online resources. Schoology is the district adopted learning management platform which integrates with state-adopted online textbooks.

What will be taught during LTISD Online Learning?
We are working to ensure consistency within instruction across the district and adhering to our Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). We will be continuing with our 2019-2020 scope and sequence of coursework; however, the delivery will now be virtual. We will be prioritizing core classes (Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies) initially, and will begin incorporating electives into the weekly online learning experiences.   

What if my learner receives specialized services through Special Education, 504, Dyslexia, English Language Learner, Dual Language or Gifted and Talented?
We are working to ensure access to instruction for learners with a variety of needs. We are continuing to take guidance from the state and federal government in meeting these needs. While the main instruction will be guided by the general education teacher, specialized services and support will be provided to each learner based on their individual needs. Along with instructional activities, we are designing ways to continue to provide therapies in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social skills, behavior consultation, parent training, and counseling as a related service. Each individual program will work in collaboration with educators and families to be sure that learning plans meet the needs of our learners in light of the current circumstances. 

Course Assessments and Grading
These circumstances will require a modification in how assessments (including daily assignments, homework, quizzes, and tests) are designed and delivered. The type of assignments, the number of assignments, as well as the number of quizzes/tests and how they are delivered and assessed will necessarily be reduced to limit the amount of time required for students to prepare for and complete. We are striving to ensure a healthy balance of 1.) online and offline learning experiences, 2.) physical activities and mindfulness brain breaks, and 3.) academic and social-emotional needs of your child.

Online Learning Considerations

• Accessibility - It will be important for you to assist as needed logging into your devices and ensuring your child is accessing the learning provided. Younger learners may need more support with logging into and navigating through the various applications for learning as they get started. 
• Monitoring and Discussing the Learning - It will be important for you to monitor your child’s learning as well as monitor them when they are using their devices. 
• Reading Communication from Educators and Reaching Out - It will be very important for you and your child to be knowledgeable of the communication happening with emails to parents as well as daily messages or agenda items for learners within their schedules. We are asking that you please reach out to your educator if you are having issues with accessing the learning experiences as well as to submit a LTISD Helpdesk Ticket if you are having issues with your device or wireless access.  

Schoology How To’s and Access, Log-in, Navigation to Online Resources
To ensure we have given all of our families and learners the time to get acclimated with this new type of online learning, we encourage you to review the help resources to access the learning management system Schoology, as well as the online resources through our student learning portal necessary to help support their overall learning.  If you need assistance logging in or working with Schoology, please email Schoology@ltisdschools.org, and we will assist you as soon as possible.

• Schoology

• Parent Guides to Learning Technologies

• LTISD Student Learning Portal

For information on additional topics including wireless accessibility/free internet access, library resources, updates from the Texas Education Agency, State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), AP® courses and testing, UT OnRamps and Austin Community College Dual Credit, visit the Online Learning section at www.ltisdschools.org/covid19.  

We ask for your patience, flexibility and support as we introduce a new era of learning and the exciting opportunities ahead for our teachers, students and families!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Deterra
Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching Services