Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome back to a brand new school year at Lake Asbury Elementary! We hope your summer was filled with joy, rest, and memorable moments with loved ones. As we begin this exciting new chapter, we are thrilled to welcome both returning families and those joining our school community for the first time.

At LAE, we believe that education is a partnership between school and home. Your involvement, support, and encouragement play a vital role in your child’s success, and we are grateful to walk alongside you on this journey. Our dedicated teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment where every child can learn, grow, and thrive.

This year, we look forward to strengthening our connections, celebrating our students' accomplishments, and continuing to build a positive, inclusive school culture where every student feels valued and inspired to do their best.

Thank you for being an essential part of our school family. We can’t wait to see the wonderful things this year will bring!

With excitement and appreciation,

Principal Heather Meadows (formerly Roche)

Meet the Teacher

Please join us at the following times to meet your child(ren)'s teacher:

Friday, August 8th

Single Scholar Families 1:00-2:00 (for families with only ONE child that attends LAE)

Sibling Families 2:30-3:30 (for families with MORE THAN ONE child that attends LAE)

Dismissal Information

Parents and guardians will be asked to fill out a form indicating how their child will go home from LAE each day. We will have these forms available at "Meet the Teacher" and a digital version is also linked below. We kindly ask that you fill out the digital version as soon as possible, and complete the paper form at "Meet the Teacher" as well. For your information, the following choices are available for student dismissal during the 2025-2026 school year:

Car Riders:

Sandridge Car Riders (This location is for students that have SIBLINGS at LAE)(Right turn onto Sandridge only upon exiting) Please display your car tag to assist in the process. Loading for all grades will begin at 2:45.

Henley Car Riders (This location is for students that are “ONE CHILD ONLY” and have NO SIBLINGS at LAE and VPK including VPK siblings): Please display your car tag to assist in the process. Loading for VPK will begin at 2:35. K-5 will load starting at 2:45.

Walkers/Bike Riders:

Sandridge: Students will be escorted to the Lake Asbury Junior High School sign on Sandridge Road, and will continue walking on their own from there. You may NOT park in the junior high parking lot and cross traffic to meet your child; if you intend to come in a car, you must register your child to be a car rider (see above).
Glenhaven/Lake Asbury: Students will be escorted to this area after buses leave our bus loop. This group crosses Sandridge in the direction of the Winn Dixie plaza.
Meadow Lake: Students will be escorted to the gate on the far back side of campus.

Bus/Daycare Riders: Please ensure you let us know what bus your child will be riding or which daycare your child attends.

YMCA Pryme Time: YMCA afterschool program is available for a fee and meets daily in our cafeteria. Contact the Dye-Clay YMCA on Moody Avenue for more information or to register your child.

Please fill out the digital form now to help us prepare car-tags for the first few days of school:

Click HERE for the 25-26 Dismissal Form

Dismissal Maps

Below is an aerial shot of our campus with each dismissal zone area marked. Please take a close look at each map and read the information, especially pertaining the zone you will be utilizing for your scholar(s). The safe dismissal of almost 1,000 students is our top priority and we thank you, in advance, for adhering to our policies and procedures.

Below is a map specific to the Sandridge Car-Rider dismissal zone. This location is designed to serve parents with multiple children that attend LAE, or as we call it "SIBLING GROUPS." This area is also utilized by families that car-pool. Parents are expected to display their car-tags (provided by the school) and remain in their cars during loading. School staff will assist with loading scholars. Once your car is loaded and you are ready to leave, we ask that you please turn on your emergency hazards so that we have a quick visual that you are ready to exit.

Below is the map for the Henley Car-Rider dismissal zone. This area is used for parents who have only ONE child at LAE, or "SINGLETONS." VPK car-riders also dismiss in this area. Parents are expected to display their car-tags (provided by the school) and remain in their cars during loading. School staff will assist with loading scholars.

Below is information for parents who intend to utilize the Glen Haven, Lake Asbury, and Henley crosswalk for bike-riders and walkers. If you are planning to wait on our campus to meet your child in this area, you be will be required to have an identification tag with you, similar to the car-tags we use for car-riders.

Below is the map with information for Sandridge bike-riders and walkers. There can be absolutely no parking in the parking lot if you are intending to have your child use this dismissal zone.

And, finally, the map below provides information about Meadowlake bike-riders and walkers.

Bus Transportation Information

Bus Registration for the 2025-2026 is now open!

Beginning with the 2025–2026 school year, the Clay County District Schools Transportation Department will implement a new opt-in registration process and a bus tracking program to enhance the safety, visibility, and efficiency of our transportation services.

This new system will help us accurately identify students who need transportation and support the development of more efficient bus routes as our county continues to grow. We understand that transitioning to new systems, including a new app, may require some adjustments. However, your cooperation is essential in ensuring we continue to provide safe and reliable transportation for all students. During this transition, please note that if your child is moving to a new school, has changed their address, or is enrolled in a Summer School Program, registration will not be available until the third week of July.

Please also be aware that students who live within 2 miles of their zoned school are not eligible for bus transportation unless a district-approved hazard has been identified. Florida Statutes and Rules: 6A-3, 1006.23, and 1011.68.

If you believe your child qualifies for a hazard exemption, please complete the necessary form at sdcc.mybusplanner.com.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Clay County District Schools Transportation Department by emailing routing@myoneclay.net or calling 904-336-0001, option 2.

Thank you for supporting student transportation!

Rainy Day Dismissal Information

When we experience a severe weather event that includes lightning, we are required to hold walkers and bikers for 30 minutes after the last lightning strike if the weather is still unstable. If there is a passing storm and the weather clears, usually we will release scholars as soon as it is safe. Our first priority is scholar safety. At the beginning of our severe weather dismissal, if we are able to do so, we will send out a parent link message to alert you. We also post information to Facebook. We have experienced a lightning strike in the past that disabled our internet and phones. Power outages may also affect this ability. NOTE: If lightning is in our immediate area, we will not begin the dismissal process until it is safe to do so.

Pick-Up Information

Parent Pick-Up - There will be a staff member who calls for your child if you are in either pickup location. Students will not be put into vehicles if lightning creates a safety concern. We will wait until it is safe for personnel and students to be outside. Please be patient and stay in your car.

Walkers/Bikers - Glenhaven & Henley walkers will be moved into the cafeteria only after all buses have left campus. Use the bus loop as a parent pick up area. Please wait until all buses are clear before pulling into the bus loop.

Please use the Henley parent pickup to collect your Meadowlake walkers.

Sandridge walkers will be in the 2nd grade building closest to the gate by the media center. Please either go through Sandridge Car Parent Pick up or park and walk to the gate and a staff member will call for your child.

During heavy rain where lightning isn’t present, we will follow the above procedures, but hold walkers and bikers until the rain is down to a slight drizzle.

Kindergarten Staggered Start

To provide a personal introduction to school, we will be participating in Staggered Enrollment. Your child will spend the first day of school with a small group of approximately 8-10 students. Here is how it works:

If your child turns 6 years old on or before January 31, 2026, s/he will come to school on Monday, August 11th, but will stay home on Tuesday, August 12th. S/he will return to school on August 13th.
If your child turns 6 years old after January 31, 2026, your child’s first day will be Tuesday, August 12th and every day thereafter.

The First Days of School...

Parents and guardians are welcomed and encouraged to walk their child(ren) to class on the first two days of school: Monday, August 11th and Tuesday, August 12th. To ensure everyone's safety, we will only permit visitors to enter and exit through the gate to the left of the media center in the front parking lot. Gates will be open at the following times:

8:00 for students that eat breakfast at school (Parents and guardians will be asked to wait outside of the cafeteria as we do not have the space for visitors inside the cafeteria)
8:15 for students that do not eat breakfast at school and rather go straight to their classrooms

State Testing - Parent Letter

Students will begin their first round of state testing on August 26th. Please take a few minutes to read the parent letter linked below to learn about what this means for your child:

Official Parent Letter - State Testing 25-26