Dear LWES Families,

It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of the school year, and believe it or not we are already preparing for next year. As such, I am writing to inform you that our start/dismissal times for 2024-2025 will be different from this year.

Effective Monday, August 26, 2024 for the 2024-2025 school year, our new times will be 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.  LWES will open their doors for students at 8:30 a.m. to allow time for breakfast.  The late bell will ring at 8:45 a.m.

Across the school district, 11 schools will have adjusted start times to increase bus efficiency and eliminate single tier buses, alleviate traffic congestion at respective campuses or neighborhoods, and address community and school administrator’s concerns.

Changing school times may present an inconvenience to many families as they adjust childcare and work schedules. I know all that goes into managing family schedules and appreciate your collaboration. Considering the challenges we had earlier this school year with transportation, we apologize for the inconvenience but please know that this adjustment was carefully reviewed and is important to maintaining strong operations. 

It was critical that we provided this information to you as soon as possible so that you can plan ahead for the upcoming school year. Some adjustments will help ensure we are using our buses efficiently and that transportation costs can be managed effectively, while others are necessary to alleviate congestion during arrival and dismissal. 

Following the current school year, new times will be reflected on our school website and on the HCPSS website. I will continue to remind families about the new times this summer and leading up to the start of next school year.

Thank you,

Connie Stahler

Principal, Laurel Woods Elementary