Back-to-School Hub

Lakota students will begin the 2024-2025 school year according to the following staggered schedule by grade level. This staggered model helps put teachers and students in a smaller group setting and accelerate relationship building.

• Preschool: Preschool phase-in days will occur over two days: 
  • Wednesday, Aug. 21 - Only AM preschool students
  • Thursday, Aug. 22 - Only PM preschool students
  • Monday, Aug. 26 - All preschool students  

• Kindergarten: Kindergarten Phase-in Days will occur over four days, with each kindergartner attending twice during this time period. In addition to relationship building, this approach helps teachers to assess students' current levels and regroup classes, only as necessary:
  • Thursday, Aug. 15 - Only last names A-L
  • Friday, Aug. 16 - Only last names M-Z
  • Monday, Aug. 19 - Half of kindergarten classes (details to be provided by each school)
  • Tuesday, Aug. 20 - Half of kindergarten classes (details to be provided by each school)
  • Wednesday, Aug. 21 - No kindergarten students (data analysis day for staff)
  • Thursday, Aug. 22 - First day that all kindergarten students will attend together

• Grades 1-12: Students in grades 1-12 will begin the year over a two-day period based on the first letter of their last name.
  • Thursday, Aug. 15 - Only last names A-L
  • Friday, Aug. 16 - Only last names M-Z
  • Monday, Aug. 19 - All students together.

Families with students who have different last names and would like their students to attend school on the same day should inform their child’s homeroom teacher of their preferred day once schedules are released in August.

View Lakota's online Academic Calendar

Print Lakota's 2024-2025 Academic Calendar

Lakota uses FinalForms for parents and guardians to efficiently and electronically review and complete most back-to-school policies, forms and waivers, as well as update them throughout the school year. 

Beginning May 10, parents could log into FinalForms via their parent OneLogin account to review and update parent/guardian contact information, emergency contacts, medical information, authorizations for internet and device usage, and more. Once logged in, you will be directed to complete your child's forms, which will include verifying or updating information the district currently has on file. 

• Information from the prior school year will be pre-populated into all forms. 
• For families with multiple students, shared information will be pre-populated across all student forms.
• For assistance, please click the "Get Help"  button located in the bottom right corner of any page to receive support directly from FinalForms.

Learn More About Final Forms

Student fees, returning this year for the first time since 2019, help the district provide each student with most of the consumable supplies (i.e. workbooks, art supplies, paper, etc.) that they will use for daily instruction throughout the year. However, students are required to purchase some additional supplies. 

Lakota uses a free service called TeacherLists to digitally share our back-to-school supply lists in a way that is convenient and economical for families. For students in grades K-8, find your school and grade level below for the OPTION to shop for school supplies online with one-click shopping at major retailers. Families who prefer in-store shopping can use the checkable list right from their device or print the list to take with them.

High school students will receive supply lists from their teachers when school starts. Preschool supplies are not required, but donations are accepted. Visit the school supplies page to learn more about TeacherLists.

Beginning in 2020, Lakota was able to waive all student fees by utilizing federal dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. With these funds no longer available, fees are being reinstated for the 2024-2025 school year. Read more about the return of student fees. 

Student fees help cover the district's costs for providing "consumable" supplies that an individual student will use throughout the school year as part of their daily instruction. Visit the student fees webpage for a breakdown of fees by grade level and activity. Fees will be posted to students’ PaySchools Central accounts (formerly EZPay) after the beginning of the school year around Sept. 1. 

Use Lakota’s interactive attendance zone map to enter your address and view a listing of all the Lakota schools associated with your current attendance zone.

Families have the option to request an alternative school of choice. Requests are not guaranteed, as every application is reviewed against current and projected enrollment counts, and must be submitted to the building principal of the requested school before the last business day in May for the following school year. The exception to this deadline are new residents who move into the district during the school year.

Open houses are scheduled as follows: 

Preschool: Wednesday, Aug. 14

• AM Students (5:00 - 5:30 p.m.)
• PM Students (6:00 - 6:30 p.m.)

Early Childhood Schools (Grades K-2): 

• Kindergarten: Times vary and may coordinate with grades 1-2 schedule; see school calendar for details.
• Grades 1-2: Tuesday, Aug. 13 (5:30 - 7:00 p.m.)

Elementary Schools (Grades 3-6): Tuesday, Aug. 13 (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.)

Junior & High Schools Schedule Pick-up/Orientation (Grades 7-12): Dates/times vary by building; check your school's calendar for details.

View a complete list of arrival and dismissal times for each Lakota school building. For pick-up and drop-off procedures for your specific building, please visit the "Transportation: Arrival & Dismissal" page on your school’s website.

Visit your school website from the "Schools" dropdown on Lakota's website or from the Schools & Locations webpage to view your individual school's calendar for open house, orientation and curriculum night dates, as well as other upcoming building and district-wide events. Other helpful tips: 

• To view multiple school calendars at once, visit the schools tab of the district calendar. Customize your preferences to display any combination of calendars now and any time you visit this page.
   
• From any calendar, you can either subscribe to event alerts or use the iCal feed option to sync selected calendars with your own personal calendar. 
   
• Download Lakota's mobile app and set your school preferences for instant access and customized results to select calendars.

Homeroom teacher assignments and student schedules will be posted on the registration page of your Home Access Center (accessed via OneLogin) according to the following schedule: 

Grades PreK-6

• Homerooms - Monday, Aug. 5 at 3 p.m.
• Schedules - Thursday, Aug. 15 at 8 a.m.

Grades 7-8

• Homerooms & Schedules - Thursday, Aug. 8 at 3 p.m.

Grades 9-12

• Homerooms & Schedules - Monday, Aug. 5 at 3 p.m.

Daily breakfast and lunch menus for August, September and October will be available on Lakota's website by early August. At this time, you can also access printable monthly breakfast and lunch menus. 

Visit the Child Nutrition website to: 

• Report special dietary needs and food allergies; 
• Apply for free/reduced meal prices; or
• Complete an account restrictions form. 

Use PaySchools Central (formerly EZPay) to add funds to your child's lunch account or check the current balance. All remaining balances in EZPay from last school year should be restored to your PaySchools account. 

Families who may qualify for free and reduced meals based on income or other qualifying factors will need to complete the LINQ Connect meal benefits application for the upcoming school year. Regardless of previous qualification, the meal benefits application must be completed on an annual basis.

Please note that we will be accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year beginning July 15, 2024. Any applications submitted BEFORE this date will not be accepted. View more details about free/reduced meal applications on the Child Nutrition website.

The Lakota PaySchools Central online payment system allows Lakota parents to make lunch account payments, as well as check current balances and sign up for "low balance alerts." With this program, you will be able to pre-pay online using any Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. No more sending in checks or cash, which can get lost. Visit Lakota's PaySchools Central page for more information, including user guides.

As a reminder, while not required by USDA, it is the policy of Lakota's Child Nutrition Department to allow students to charge meals when sufficient funds are not available during the student's meal period. This policy allows students to receive a meal at both breakfast and lunch, charging up to $12 for grades K-6 and $13 for grades 7-12. 

Once this charge limit has been reached, students in grades K-6 will receive the menu meal of the day and their account will be charged $3.00.  Students in grades 7-12 will be offered an alternative meal of cheeseburger/hamburger, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables (ex. baby carrots or side salad) and a milk and their account will be charged $3.00.  Students may also choose a cereal, fresh fruit, juice and milk for breakfast at a price of $1.75. Read more about Lakota's meal charge policy.

Yes. With that transition from EZPay to PaySchools, all remaining meal balances in EZPay will be automatically transferred on Monday, July 22. Questions related to student balances can be directed to robin.rathnow@lakotaonline.com. 

Follow these tips to successfully access and set up your PaySchools Central account for the first time: 

• Make sure to log into PaySchools Central through your parent/guardian Lakota OneLogin account.
• If you have multiple PaySchools accounts, you will need to use a different email address for each PaySchools account. You can update your Lakota PaySchools email address with FinalForms, accessed via Lakota OneLogin. 
• When registering your children, you must pick "Lakota Local (Butler County)"; multiple Lakota districts will be displayed.
• Do not try to use the mobile app, as it is not supported currently.
• To avoid the convenience fee applied by PaySchools to credit card transactions, use the ACH/bank account number method to make any payments.

If you continue to experience issues with accessing or navigating PaySchools, please contact your school's office manager for further assistance. 

Research shows that two components - good nutrition and physical activity before, during and after the school day - are strongly correlated with positive student outcomes. From nutritional meal standards and nutrition education to policies about food in the classroom and a comprehensive physical education program, Lakota's Wellness Policy outlines the District's approach to promoting healthy eating and physical activity all school year. Familiarize yourself with this policy before the start of the new school year.

OneLogin is Lakota's customized one-stop shop for parents, students and staff to access all of their online portals like Home Access Center (HAC), Canvas, FinalForms and PaySchools Central, for example. Staff can also log in using the same credentials they use to access their staff devices.

If you need help accessing your OneLogin account, follow these helpful tips: 

• Usernames for parent/guardian accounts normally follow this format: firstname.lastname@lakotaparents.com.
   
• Returning parent/guardian users have the option to reset their password, if required. After selecting "Forgot Password," enter your username (firstname.lastname@lakotaparents.com). The password reset email will be sent to the primary personal email address on file with Lakota (check your junk/spam folder!) Please check any email accounts that might have been provided to Lakota as a primary email address. If your personal email address needs to be updated, please contact your school. 
   
• Parents/guardians of students new to the district will receive an email with instructions for how to access their account a few days after completing the enrollment process. New student account information will also be provided by the school on the student’s first day or mailed to the address on file during the summer months.

Home Access Center (HAC), accessed via a parent's OneLogin account, is a communications portal to assist Lakota students and parents with accessing:

• Individualized academic information like registration, fee and transportation information;
• Student courses and schedules;
• Assignments, test scores and grades;
• Attendance records;
• Report cards for the current school year;
• Student transcripts; and
• Success plans for students on Gifted or Reading Improvement plans.

HAC will reflect new information for the 2024-2025 school year according to the following schedule: 

• Grades Pre-K-6
  • Homerooms - Monday, Aug. 5 at 3 p.m.
  • Schedules - Thursday, Aug. 15 at 8 a.m.

• Grades 7-8
  • Homerooms & Schedules - Thursday, Aug. 8 at 3 p.m.

• Grades 9-12
  • Homerooms & Schedules - Monday, Aug. 5 at 3 p.m.

Visit the HAC landing page for more information about this tool, including a mobile app that allows you to view all information from any mobile device. 

At Lakota, transparent and timely communication is critically important. We deliver important school and district news and announcements primarily via email, but oftentimes by phone and text message as well. 

The beginning of each school year is a great time to review the email address and phone numbers Lakota has on file for all school-to-home communications. Lakota uses FinalForms for parents and guardians to efficiently and electronically review and complete most back-to-school policies, forms and waivers, as well as update them throughout the school year. 

Beginning May 10, parents could log into FinalForms via their parent OneLogin account to review and update parent/guardian contact information, emergency contacts, medical information, authorizations for internet and device usage, and more. Once logged in, you will be directed to complete your child's forms, which will include verifying or updating information the district currently has on file. 

Visit Lakota's communications portal webpage for more information about how to ensure you are receiving important school and district communications.

New this year, ParentSquare is a school-to-home communications tool replacing Lakota's former notification system for sending email, phone and text alerts to all Lakota families and staff.

For the 2024-2025 school year, the platform is being used strictly for mass school- and district-level communications. We look forward to eventually using ParentSquare as a true hub that includes teacher and classroom communication in addition to other custom group messaging, direct messaging and tools like volunteer sign-ups and permission slips.

No action is required to continue receiving important communications at the phone numbers and email addresses parents update via FinalForms. However, to get the most out of ParentSquare and take advantage of options to customize your Lakota communications, parents and staff are encouraged to: 

• Log into ParentSquare (via OneLogin) to set your notification preferences for receiving alerts instantly or via a daily digest. 
   
• Download the free app (iOS or Android version) for on-the-go access to your principal and district-level alerts in ONE place. 

Read the full ParentSquare announcement for more details and resouces about this new platform.

Lakota is proud to partner with Peachjar to share district- and community-sponsored student enrichment opportunities with our families in a digital format. The innovative flyer management program automatically sends district-approved flyers directly to parents' and staff members' inboxes every Wednesday and also posts them to our school websites. Think of it as an electronic backpack for parents! 

A Peachjar account with your own personal username and password is provided to give you the opportunity to manage your account and flyer delivery preferences. However, you do not need to log in to receive or view school digital flyers. A system upgrade, announced in spring 2024, added a new level of customization and convenience for tracking relevant school- and community-sponsored opportunities for our students and their families.

Visit Peachjar's sign up page to access your account.

• Be sure to bookmark Lakota’s website, which presents vital updates and resources like district news, upcoming events, tutorials for online tools and more. Bookmark your school homepage(s) so you can keep up on all the great things happening within your school community too. You can even subscribe to news and calendar alerts, based on your preferences, from the district or school news feeds or calendars.
   
• Follow Lakota’s social media accounts or search for the district hashtag, #WEareLakota, to receive daily updates on important announcements, upcoming events, photos, videos, news stories and more. Be sure to participate in the annual back-to-school photo contest, too. Post your proudest first day photos. Tag them #WEareLakota, then share them with your friends to rack up the votes, or "likes," for a chance to win some Lakota swag!

• Lakota’s mobile app is available in Apple and Google Play stores. The app is packed with more resources all in one place, plus the ability to customize your calendar, news feed and push notifications, based on your personal school selections. To download, search for “Lakota Schools” from your mobile device’s app store. You can also click here from your mobile device to download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play. 

Ohio law requires children to have certain immunizations to attend school. View the current list of required shots. 

All immunization records must be provided to your school nurse before the 14th day of school (Sept. 4, 2024) to ensure your child can continue attending school. Records can be provided in a paper format or emailed/faxed from you or your doctor's office. Visit our Health Services page for a directory of Lakota nurses by assigned school. 

NEW Students: All students new to Lakota this year must send their most recent immunization record to their school’s main office before the start of the new school year. This is a parent’s responsibility; please do not rely on your former school to send the records before school starts.

Incoming 7th Graders: All incoming seventh-graders are required by law to have one dose each of the MCV4 (Meningococcal) vaccine and Tdap (Diptheria, Tetanus & Pertusis) booster vaccine. 

Incoming 12th Graders: All incoming seniors are required by law to provide an updated shot record showing proof of two doses of the MCV4 (Meningococal) vaccine. If the first dose was given on or after the 16^th birthday, a second dose is not required. A record of these updated vaccines must be sent to your school’s main office before the start of the new school year. 

COVID-19 Vaccination: Lakota Local Schools does not require staff or students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. If your student has received the vaccine, you can submit a copy of the vaccination record to your school's nurse to have on file.
 

Note: Parents/Guardians have the right to opt your child out the required vaccines for medical, religious or philosophical reasons.  If you would like to waive specific immunization requirements, you must submit a signed statement by you and/or your doctor stating which vaccines you are waiving and the reasons why. Signed waivers must also be on file by 9/4/2024. Please contact your building nurse for more details.

According to the Butler County Health Department guidelines, if your child has lived in the United States for less than two years and relocated from one of the high burden countries listed below - OR visited one of those locations for more than one month AND is exhibiting symptoms of Tuberculosis - you may be required to give the school proof of having a negative Tuberculosis test (Mantoux Test 5TU PPD). 

 If you are unsure of the requirements given your circumstances, please contact your school nurse. 

Completed athletic physical forms can be uploaded through your student's profile on Final Forms (via OneLogin). Alternatively, junior school athletic physicals can be submitted to your child’s main office. High school athletic physicals can be submitted to your school’s Athletic Office, a coach or a trainer.

When the administration of medication is necessary during school hours, please follow the rules and procedures that apply for administering prescription or over-the-counter medications to students. Select the school medicine form that best applies to your child's need and submit it to your school nurse before the start of the new school year.

Lakota provides busing services to all eligible students to and from addresses falling within their assigned attendance zone, including: 

• Students with disabilities PreK-12 who qualify for special transportation.
• All K-2 students.
• Students in grades 3-6 who do not reside in a transportation exclusion zone (see link below). 
• Students in grades 7-8 who do not reside in a transportation exclusion zone (see link below). 
• Freshman students who do not reside in a transportation exclusion zone (see link below). 
• Lakota does not provide busing to the high school main campuses (grades 10-12).

Click here to check transportation eligibility and exclusion zones by address. Please visit Lakota's Bus Routes landing page for more detailed information.

Every year, Lakota’s transportation department reviews the district’s bus routes for possible efficiencies and opportunities to maximize services and shrink our standard exclusion zones, always working within our financial boundaries. If a student currently resides in an established exclusion zone, but will be receiving services this year as a result of the annual efficiency review, they will be contacted by Lakota’s transportation department. 

By default, transportation for all eligible students is based on the home address listed in our student database. To ease the transition to a new school year and honor families’ requests for alternative pick-up and drop-off locations for transportation, Lakota is asking that families submit transportation requests via FinalForms by Aug. 1 to receive transportation on the first day of school.  

All alternative transportation plans are automatically cleared at the end of each school year, so please update the information in FinalForms before each school year if you’ll require transportation to or from an address different than your home address.

Grades K-2: Early childhood schools request that ALL families complete this information in FinalForms, even if transportation is not needed.

Please honor the deadlines below to receive transportation for the upcoming school year. Note that this is for current families already enrolled at Lakota. New families enrolling will receive transportation information approximately 48 hours after registration is completed.

Bus information will be available in HAC in early August.

Bus route information will tentatively be available on Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. on the registration page of your Home Access Center (HAC) via OneLogin. 

Non-public students, who reside in the Lakota school district where they would normally receive transportation to their assigned Lakota school, may be eligible to receive transportation to an alternate school of choice. The request form must be completed by June 1 to determine eligibility and route details. Visit the Non-Lakota Students Transportation webpage to learn more.

Last spring we decided to consolidate freshman bus routes to gain efficiency in the system to improve the overall effectiveness of the transportation system. The consolidation of routes not only reduces ride times for freshman students, but also allows for drivers to be utilized differently to minimize cancellation of routes and improve the day-to-day experiences for all families.

Although this was our intent, we realize from recent feedback on publicized bus routes that there are some concerns and potential issues with the consolidation of routes. In order to capture feedback in one place, we have created this survey so that families impacted by the consolidated freshman routes can express their concerns or thoughts.

This survey will allow us to review all of the data to hopefully problem solve on how to address concerns prior to the start of school. We’ll review all responses carefully and make adjustments if possible. We appreciate your patience with the new routes as our school year begins on Aug. 15. The survey will close at 4 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2024, but again we are striving to make adjustments prior to the start of school. The survey is available through your OneLogin parent account. If you have questions about accessing your OneLogin account, please contact your school.

We will communicate any changes once we have analyzed the survey results.

To enroll your child, complete the enrollment process in three easy steps: 

1. Visit the online registration portal to create an account and complete your enrollment.
2. Upload the required documents.
3. Select a date and time to review your enrollment application. You must select DONE for your registration to be reviewed and finalized.

Important Reminders

• Immunizations are required for all students to complete their enrollment.
• There are no “in person” appointments. Just wait for your scheduled phone call or email to complete your registration.
• If you are planning to have your student start the first day of school, the entire enrollment process (online registration & enrollment review) must be completed by Friday, Aug. 9.

Visit our Lakota Welcome Center webpage for more details about the enrollment process.

Lakota students have the option to request a school other than the one within their attendance zone. Requests are not guaranteed, as every application is reviewed against current and projected enrollment counts. 

For the upcoming school year, the Alternate School of Choice form must be completed and submitted to the building principal of the school that you are requesting to attend before the last business day in May. The exception to this deadline are new residents who move into the district during the school year.

No, returning students do NOT need to complete the online registration process. If your child is already enrolled, watch for communication from your child's school and complete other back-to-school requirements detailed on this page.