Lake Forest Elementary School

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Welcome back Lakers! It's going to be an AMAZING year. School begins on Thursday, August 13th, promptly at 8:55 AM. Please remember every Wednesday is early out at 2:10 PM.

Welcome Back Lakers!
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July 30, 2026

Welcome Back!

I hope you have all had a wonderful summer filled with opportunities to relax, recharge, and spend quality time with the people who matter most. I certainly enjoyed slowing down a bit—soaking up time outdoors with my family, taking spontaneous day trips, enjoying a schedule without many plans, and even getting to sleep without an alarm. 😊As refreshing as summer has been, I am truly excited to welcome everyone back. A new school year always brings fresh opportunities, new relationships, and endless possibilities for our students and staff. I can't wait to see all that we will accomplish together. I have no doubt that this is going to be an incredible year at Lake Forest Elementary!

Our schoolwide theme this year is “Every Heart. Every Mind. Every Day.” My vision is that we create a school where every student feels known, every learner is challenged, every family is welcomed, and every staff member works together so all children can thrive.

STAFFING UPDATES:We would like to introduce you to our newest members (and some changes in positions) of the Lake Forest team. Join us in welcoming the following:

Ms. Jessica Weisser and Ms. Kiyah Ramirez: Kinder Teachers
Mrs. Maddie Gugin: SDC TK–2 Teacher
Mr. Ian Koopman: SDC SEL-Focused Teacher
Mrs. Ally Curry: 2nd Grade Teacher
Ms. Bethany Frederici: 3rd Grade Teacher
Mrs. Ashley Carter: 4th/5th Grade Teacher
Mr. Josh Bluefield: SDC 3–5 Teacher
Ms. Rosalyn Van Buren Foster and Mrs. Kirsten Hart: Learning Center Education Specialists
Mrs. Holly Manley: PE Prep Teacher
Mrs. Shelane Dormandy: Student Services Secretary
Mr. Dametris Porris: School Counselor
Ms. Alina Chernyavskaya: 0.2 School Counselor, supporting Mr. Koopman's SDC classroom
We have additional Speech support from Ms. Debbie Lindblom
Ms. Elissa Joy: Summitview Therapist

We have also been hard at work hiring our Instructional Assistants and Instructional Instructional Facilitators (IIFs) for the coming year. Please join us in welcoming:

Diana Cannon: Kindergarten Instructional Assistant
Terri Camy: Independent Itinerant Facilitator (IIF)
Merviana Hughes: Independent Itinerant Facilitator (IIF)
Lisa Cortez: Lake Forest Cafe Specialist

I look forward to seeing you soon! We are very excited to greet you and your children on Thursday, August 13th. Let’s make this the best year yet!
As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Renee Mallot

Principal, Lake Forest Elementary

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TK/K Orientation

We are excited to welcome your new TK/K student to Lake Forest! We will be having TK/K Orientation on Wednesday, August 12th from 9:00-10:00 AM. Please bring your student and begin in the multipurpose room. We look forward to seeing you there! Because TK/K families attend Orientation before school begins, they will not have a Back-to-School Night for those grades.
SDC Open HouseIf you are a family in our SDC Program, our SDC Open House will be on Wednesday, August 12th from 10:30-11:30 AM. You will be receiving an invitation email next week with your child’s teacher and room number. This will be an opportunity to have you and your student meet your child’s teacher and learn more about their program.

Back-to-School Night

Thursday, August 13th, 2026

4:30-5:00 Grades 4-5
5:10-5:25
5:30-6:00 Grades 1-3

We are running Back-to-School Night early this year! The Lake Forest staff is looking forward to meeting you at Back-to-School Night. This is an evening for teachers and parents only…Sorry, all students need to stay at home. It gives the teachers the opportunity to discuss the instructional program for their classrooms, not individual students. You will get information regarding daily schedule, classroom expectations, school-wide expectations, homework policy, parent volunteers and much more. We hope to see you there!

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Important Information about Lake Forest:

Afternoon Pick-Up Procedures:

If you are picking up your child in the afternoon, please wait at the yellow lines to walk on campus until the bell rings at 3:10 PM.

Class Placements

We will be using the Aeries Parent Portal to notify families of their child's class assignment for the 2026-27 school year. In the spirit of protecting each family's confidentiality, a child's class assignment will be available to parents through their Parent Portal account on August 12th after 5:00 PM. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

Class Supply Lists

Here are the links to our supply lists for each grade level. Thank you for helping set your child up for success.

Communication

Communication is essential for a successful school year. Each month, I will be sending out a “Lake Forest Important Dates,” which will have all of the important dates for the month. Each Sunday mid-day (beginning August 9th), you will be receiving a “Lake Forest News Blast.” This is a synopsis of the up-and-coming dates and important information for the week ahead. I will be sending them out through our Catapult system (so you will receive an email and a text), as well as posting them on Class Dojo.

Cross Country

If your child is interested in participating in our Cross Country team with Coach Lucas Hirst, please stop by the office and pick up a Cross Country packet. Practices will begin Monday, August 31st at 8:00 AM, and you must have a Sports Physical completed prior to participating. We will be holding a Parent Meeting via Google Meet on Tuesday, August 25th at 6:00 PM. Here is the meeting link: Cross Country Parent Meeting Link. All forms must be completed and turned into the Lake Forest Office by Friday, August 28th. Here is a link to the Sports Packets online: Sports Physical Form

District Calendar

Here is the link to the School Calendar for this year.

Kindergarten Schedule

Lake Forest offers a full-day Kindergarten program. In order to do so smoothly, we will be starting with a ramp-up half day schedule for 6 weeks. Beginning the first day of school on August 13th, all Kindergarten students will attend school from 8:55 AM-12:55 PM. This schedule will continue until Friday, September 25th. Having a partial day for Kindergarten students helps develop their stamina and sets them up for success. Kindergarten classes will move to a full day schedule (8:55 AM-3:10 PM) beginning on Monday, September 28th.

Morning Procedures

Students are allowed to arrive on campus beginning at 8:40 AM each morning and line up in their class lines. There is no playing on the playground or the blacktop before school starts. Parents, if you are dropping your child off, you may walk them to your line. When the bell rings, all parents need to head off campus, as our students’ learning begins. Thank you for your help with this.

Parent Portal: Data Confirmation

You will receive an email on August 3rd from the Technology Department to complete your Data Confirmation in the Parent Portal. This MUST BE COMPLETED prior to the start of the school year.

Parent-Teacher-Club (PTC):

Join Our Team!!Interested in helping in our PTC? Our first General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18th at 5:00 pm at Lake Forest in the Library. We welcome any parents to come to this meeting.

And, please SAVE THE DATE for our 2025 PTC Gala for Saturday, November 7th at the Serrano Country Club…More information will be coming soon, but mark your calendars for that date!!

School Site Council

Do you want to be involved in our School Site Council? We are looking for a few parent volunteers to serve on this committee. School Site Council is a place where all members of the Lake Forest Community (staff, parents, and community members) can give their input on our School Safety Plan, as well as our budget. If you are interested, please come to the school office. Thank you!

TK Schedules

We have two TK classes this year, and both classes are morning classes. TK begins at 8:55 AM and ends at 12:15 PM each day.

Visitors

When you come on campus, please make sure that you sign in at the office. This will allow us to know who is on campus for safety reasons. Once you sign in, you can pick up your volunteer badge or your visitor sticker. Thank you for helping us with this! 🙂

Volunteers

Lake Forest welcomes volunteers on campus, and teachers enjoy having the extra support of volunteers on campus. If you are interested in volunteering, you must be at least Level I cleared and in some grades, Level II cleared. Please visit the Lake Forest office and pick up a Volunteer Packet. When teachers are ready for Volunteers in their classrooms, they will reach out to their parents and let them know. Usually the first 6 weeks of school is devoted to building procedures and routines before parents are asked to volunteer. Looking ahead to field trips…In order to attend a field trip, you must be Level II cleared. New this year: ALL Volunteers will be required to complete a Mandated Reporter Training: Link for Mandated Reporter Training When you are finished with your Mandated Reporter training, you must bring your certificate of completion to the front office. If you have any questions, please see Joan Pulling in the front office.

Important Upcoming Dates:

Saturday, August 8th: RUSD’s Back-to-School Community Kick-Off 9:00 AM- 1:00 PM
Wednesday, August 12th:

TK/K Orientation 9:00-10:00 AM LF Multipurpose Room
SDC Class Open House 10:30-11:30 AM in SDC classrooms
“Chalk the Walks” 6:00-7:00 PM

We welcome you to come and add motivational messages to the walkway for the first day of school.

Thursday, August 13th:

First Day of School
Back-to-School Night

Tuesday, August 18th: PTC General Meeting 5:00 PM in the Library
Thursday, August 20th: Mandatory Room Parents Meeting 5:30 PM via Google Meet
Friday, August 21st: PTC Picnic in the Park 5:30-7:00 at Lake Forest Park

* This is a very casual event, where families can come play in the park right past school. It gives our families the opportunity to meet new people in ourcommunity.