New Families

Welcome to Santa Rita! By sending your child to Santa Rita Elementary School, you are joining a diverse and active community! We are happy to have you here. Starting a new school can be a very overwhelming experience, so here are a few resources to help you:

Get Connected!

Subscribe to the (unofficial) Santa Rita Parents Google Group (SR-Parents) and (unofficial) Whatsapp group (use QR codes at New Family Playdates) to get connected to other Santa Rita families. These community-created groups are a great way to meet other parents and learn about school, neighborhood, and community events. When school starts, your Room Parents will send out additional links for the grade/class to connect.

Before school starts, we have some playdates where you can meet other families.

2025-2026 New Family Playdates (please contact darcy@santaritapta.org with any questions)

• Saturday July 19 at 3:30pm - at Santa Rita (big playground behind the school)

• Saturday August 2 at 10am - at Del Medio Park

• Sunday August 10 at 3:30pm - at Santa Rita  (big playground behind the school)

Sign Up to Volunteer!

There are many ways to volunteer to support Santa Rita! Please use this link to express interest in volunteering opportunities.

You can also join the Santa Rita PTA, which is a parent-run organization that supports Santa Rita students and works to ensure their success. Stay tuned for the 2025-2026 Back-To-School donation link where you can choose to donate and join the PTA. 

Get ready for the first day of school!

The first day of school in 2025 will be Wednesday, August 13, 2025.  Stay tuned for special back-to-school coffees/socials that same week! Class lists will be posted on Friday, August 8th at 4:00pm.

Preparing for school

• If you have registered for school through LASD, your email address should already be receiving emails. 

• Class lists are sent (via email) and posted (on the window of the Front Office at Santa Rita) on the Friday before school starts. This is how you will know which teacher and which classroom to go to on the first day.

• Kindergarten will have an Orientation on Monday, August 4 in Room 7 (check your email for the sign up link if you are a Kindergarten family)

• TK will have an event on Tuesday, August 12.

On the first day of school

• All classroom supplies are already in the classroom, funded by parent donations to the PTA. Each student should bring:

  • A backpack

  • A water bottle (optional)

  • Lunch (optional - breakfast, morning snack, and lunch are all freely available with the universal lunch program - menus are here)

Drop-off

• From 8:10-8:30am students in Grades 1-6 may be dropped off and play on the main playground (an adult from the school is supervising during this time)

  • Kindergarten students may play on the TK/Kindergarten playground before dropoff and must be supervised by their adults until 8:30am when their classroom opens.

  • TK students may play on the TK/Kindergarten playground before dropoff and must be supervised by their adults until 8:45am when their classroom opens.

• If you drive and do curbside dropoff (Grades 1-6), please follow the procedures on this page. If you want to walk your child into school, park in the parking lot.

• Many students walk or bike to Santa Rita! There are bike racks on the North and South sides of the school. Information on the best walking and biking routes is here.

• A bell will ring at 8:28am to signal the (grade 1-6) students to line up on the blacktop with their class. 

• If you are late (after 8:30am), the student should go to the front office to get a blue slip (this helps the school know which students are at school). 

Pick-up

• Check the bell schedule to know what time each grade finishes school

• TK and Kindergarten students will come to the gate near the TK/Kindergarten playground and the student can go when they see their adult(s).

Familiarize yourself with the school schedule and calendar

• LASD 2025-2026 calendar

• Bell schedule

• Most weeks have the same school day length for all days except Thursday, which ends earlier. A few times each year there are “minimum days”, where school ends right after lunch.

• Kindergarten and TK have shorter days for the first few weeks of school, then shift to their regular schedule.

Consult Helpful Websites

• Daily Schedule 

• Santa Rita Calendar (please subscribe)

• Santa Rita After-School Care Options

• Kindergarten Information Page

• LASD 2025-2026 calendar

• LASD New Family information 

If you have any questions, please contact the school directly or email the New Family Coordinators:

Paula Contreras paulacontrerax@gmail.com

Fernanda Dias Oliveira fernanda.dias.oliveira@gmail.com

Updated 29 July 2025