The Leopard Tale
January-2021
Principal's Points
Please join me in thanking our awesome CFISD Board of Trustees. Cypress Fairbanks ISD is fortunate to have an amazing school board committed to our students, staff and community. They volunteer countless hours each year working to ensure the success of every student.
CFISD has set aside January as School Board Appreciation Month. Please join us in thanking the following School Board members for the countless hours they give our District and our students. To honor each board member, Andre’ Elementary will dedicate a library book in each member’s name to honor the dedication they show to our students. Thank you again:
Position 1: Tom Jackson
Position 2: Julie Hinaman
Position 3: Gilbert Sarabia
Position 4: Debbie Blackshear - Secretary
Position 5: Dr. John Ogletree
Position 6: Don Ryan - Vice President
Position 7: Bob R. Covey - President
Important Information
Remote Learning Day/Teacher Planning Day
This is a reminder that Friday, January 15th, the District has implemented a teacher planning day/at-home learning day for students. All students will have an at-home independent learning day. On Thursday, January 14th, all face-to-face students will come home with breakfast and lunch along with a learning packet for this day. Teachers will not be available to assist with work on this day.
Stay Connected
We want to stay connected with you! Please visit our website at www.cfisd.net, select schools and facilities, elementary schools, and then Andre’. This will take you to our website. We will also regularly post photos and news on the Official Andre’ Facebook page. To locate our page, search @CFISDAndre. Make sure you follow us on Twitter, @CFISDAndre, as well.
Student and Staff Holiday
In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students and staff will not attend school on Monday, January 18, 2021.
Students and staff return on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
Marking Period 3 Learning Choice
MP3 Learning Choice
If you would like to make a change to the learning option for your child(ren) for the 3rd grading period—from CFISD Connect to On-Campus or from On-Campus to CFISD Connect—the selection window will be open between Monday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 17 for students in grades PK-5 through the Home Access Center. This change will be effective beginning February 1st for Elementary students. A separate questionnaire must be completed for each child needing a change. If your child is continuing with the same learning option for the 3rd grading period, then no action is required.
- Log in to the Home Access Center using your PARENT login/password, NOT the STUDENT login/password.
- Click the “Home” button. Select the “School Links” tab. Click the “Return to School Questionnaire – 3rd Grading Period.”
- You must use the parent login to see the “Return to School Questionnaire – 3rd Grading Period” in the "School Links" tab.
- If you do not see the “Return to School Questionnaire – 3rd Grading Period”, you may have used the student login instead of the parent login.
- If you do not have a parent login, please contact the Customer Care Center at 281-897-4357 or the registrar at your child’s campus.
News From the Nurse
Important Health-Related Information
· All students (grades PK-12) must wear face masks on buses, in hallways, and in common areas. Please ensure that your child has a fresh, clean mask daily, as well as a labeled water bottle.
· Face masks are defined to include non-medical and medical grade disposable face masks and cloth face coverings (over the nose and mouth) that meet the same protection standards as non-medical grade face masks. Additionally, face masks with exhalation valves (vents that allow air to be exhaled through a hole in the material) may only be worn in combination with full-face shields.
Parents must screen students daily (prior to entering a school bus or school) for the following signs and symptoms of COVID-19:
Are you experiencing any of the following in a way that is not normal to you?
o Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.00 F
o Loss of taste or smell
o Cough
o Difficulty breathing
o Shortness of breath
o Fatigue
o Headache
o Chills
o Sore throat
o Congestion or runny nose
o Shaking or exaggerated shivering
o Significant muscle pain or ache
o Diarrhea
o Nausea or vomiting
o Have you had known close contact with a person who is suspected, presumptive or lab confirmed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days?
- Students must stay home if they answer “yes” to any of the above. Students may transition temporarily to the CFISD Connect remote learning option during this period with the ability to keep up with instruction and meet attendance requirements.
- Students who show symptoms of COVID-19 at school will be evaluated by the nurse. The nurse will determine whether that child can remain at school.
- Before a student may return to school, established criteria must be met as stated in the “Students Return to School Protocol” on the District website.
Feel free to reach out to me for any health-related questions or concerns. You can reach me by phone at 281-463-5505 or by email at ursula.staten@cfisd.net.
Healthfully Yours,
Ursula Staten BSN, RN
School Nurse
Free Covid-19 Rapid Testing
All CFISD students and staff are eligible for testing if they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms which are unusual for them, also known as being symptomatic. A CFISD student ID or employee badge must be presented at the testing site for verification purposes. Consent for testing is required, and parents/legal guardians must consent for students under the age of 18.
This test is not designed for asymptomatic individuals who have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive. (Evidence suggests that testing tends to be less accurate within three days of exposure, and the best time to get tested is five to seven days after you were exposed. Tests are even more accurate when patients are exhibiting symptoms. COVID-19’s incubation period is 14 days.)
- Each student being tested MUST HAVE their own appointment time. Multiple students in one family must have multiple appointment slots. The Rapid Test being offered is for those individuals who are symptomatic. Please do not make an appointment for your student unless they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
- Appointment Required: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D45ABAA22A1F8C61-cfisd
- Date of Birth
- School Name
- HIPPA Form (Available at testing site)
- Registration Form
Location:
Old Windfern High School
12630 Windfern Rd.
Houston, TX
- Parking is available on the Bobcat Rd. side of the building.
- Upon arrival, please get in line outside of the double doors, standing ONLY on the designated socially-distanced spots. If all spots are full, please wait in your car until a spot becomes available.
Hours:
Monday-Friday
7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Counselors' Corner
Welcome to 2021! We look forward to a smooth second half of this school year. Thank you to all parents who completed documentation for their children to test for our Horizons program. All testing will be done on our campus, as we will be testing on-line for the first time. Testing will begin the week of January 11 and be completed by mid-February.
Kindergarten results will be received before March 1, and students who qualify will begin the Horizons program at that time. The remaining results will be ready by March-April, and those students who qualify will begin the program at the beginning of the next school year. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Finnerty at 281 463-5548 or Jessica Hooper at 281 463-5564.
This month we will be continuing our guidance program classroom lessons on the topic of responsibility. Please take the time to discuss this life-long skill with your child. It’s so helpful when you get to share all the responsibilities you have with your child. It helps them make a connection with someone they know, and it's what it looks like in real-world applications.
Words From the Library
Welcome to the new year! I hope you enjoyed our Virtual Cookies & Cocoa Family Storytime in December! A special thanks goes out to Ms. Vargas, Perez, Barrera, D.Thomas, Martin, Fleming, Willis, Schuchardt, Garrett, Novacinski, Shoup and Butler for their amazing contributions.
Connect Students: Don’t forget you can request library books online to be picked up at school. Click here to learn how to do it: Requesting library books from the Andre’ Library. Make your request by Friday so you can pick them up the following Wednesday at 4:30 or anytime during school hours.
Face to Face Students: Don’t forget to bring back the library books you checked out in December so you can check out new ones. Here is the schedule for your library day:
Monday: 1st grade; Tuesday: PK, 4th & 5th; Wednesday: 3rd, Turner, Bryant, Perez and Vargas; Thursday: 2nd grade, Franco, Tolopka, and Gassaway.
Notes from the front desk
Absences
If your child is absent, please send a note on the first day of your child’s return to school stating the reason for the absence. Thank you.
Transportation Changes
If a child’s end-of-day transportation changes, the parent/guardian must send a note with the date, necessary changes and parent/guardian signature. If a note is not received, the usual method of transportation will be followed.
For safety purposes, no changes will be made after 3:30 P.M. and PHONE CALLS or E-MAILS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED.
Student Council
Box Tops for Education
Each Student’s Goal= 10 Box Tops in December!
Did you know that Andre’ receives 10₵ for every General Mills Box Tops for Education we collect? Please remember to scan your receipts for Box Tops from participating products. Please see the flyer below for information on how to download the app and scan receipts.
You can still send in box top clips and certificates in a bag or envelope to your child's teacher.
If each student turns in 10 box tops, our school will earn over $1,100! Wow!
PTO
Hello Andre’ Families!
Happy New Year! We have a lot of events and information to share with you as we start 2021!
2020-2021 Yearbooks Presale Ends January 31st!
Our 2020-2021 Yearbook presale is going on NOW! Do not delay ordering our Yearbook! This is one to keep!
Presale cost will be $25.00 through January 31st. $30.00 afterward.
5th Grade Party Committee Needed
We will need a Committee Chair and Volunteers to start planning the 5th Grade Party soon. Please reach out via AndreLeopardPTO@gmail.com to let us know if you are interested.
PTO Needs YOU!
We will have several positions available on our PTO Executive Board for the 2021-2022 School year. Our PTO plays a very important role in supporting our school with fundraisers, teacher appreciation events and student support. We need your support to continue our mission to raise monies for our awesome Andre’ Leopards!
If you are interested, please reach out to Nicole Travis, andreleopardPTO@gmail.com. We will be happy to answer any questions and invite you to our next board meeting on Wednesday, January 20th at 5:30pm.
PTO General Meeting
Our PTO General meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 20th, 2021. We plan to have two meeting times set up through ZOOM. One at 8:30am and one at 6:30pm. Please email andreleopardPTO@gmail.com if you would like to attend and we will send a ZOOM Link as we get closer to the date.
Spirit Shirt Orders
To order, go to www.AndrePTO.MembershipToolkit.com to register and order the PTO Membership Bundle and extra Spirit Shirts! Once completed, the order will be delivered to the school.
We will continue to set up a Spirit Shirt Table at the school each month during drop off or pick up to sell our awesome Spirit Shirts.
PTO Contact Information:
Facebook: Andre’ Elementary PTO – like and share our page to get the most up to date information for the school year!
Twitter: @AndreElemPTO
Email: AndreLeopardPTO@gmail.com
Help Andre’ Earn “Free Money”!
My Coke Rewards: https://us.coca-cola.com/give/schools/
When you make a Coca-Cola purchase, you simply enter the product codes on the website and we get a donation from Coca-Cola.
Amazon Smile: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/56-2612718
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to Andre’ PTO. Please be sure to add Andre’ PTO as your charity.
Kroger Plus: www.krogercommunityrewards.com
Add Andre’ Elementary PTO Inc as your community rewards organization under “My Account.” You will need to confirm your selection if you have signed up previously.
Box Tops: Download the App “Box Tops for Education”. This app uses state of the art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly earn money for our school.
Healthy Bodies
Mark your calendar
1/14- No Place for Hate Activity
1/14- Andre' Achievers
1/15- Remote Learning Day
1/18- MLK Day- Student/Staff Holiday
1/29- End of the 2nd Marking Period
2/5- Report Cards Posted
2/11- Andre' Achievers
2/12- Remote Learning Day
2/15- President's Day/Inclement Weather Day- Student Holiday
2/17- 100th Day of School
About Us
Email: andre@cfisd.net
Website: andre.cfisd.net/en/
Location: 8111 Fry Road, Cypress, TX, USA
Phone: 281-463-5500
Facebook: facebook.com/cfisdandre/
Twitter: @cfisdandre