Cypress Happenings
February 4, 2016
Upcoming Valentine Celebrations
Please remember that our Valentine celebrations are on Wednesday, February 10th this year. If you plan to attend and have not yet pre-registered, please do so at the following link by noon on Monday, Feb. 8th. For your convenience, I have also included the times for each grade level's celebration below.
http://classroom.leanderisd.org/default.aspx?ErikaDohanich/ValentinesDayParties
Kindergarten 11:00 - 12:00
1st Grade 12:00 - 1:00
2nd Grade 1:15 - 2:15
3rd Grade 1:30 - 2:30
4th Grade 1:35 - 2:35
5th Grade 1:05 - 1:45
7 Habits Flash
The 7 Habits’ focus next week for Habit 4 ~ Think Win-Win is - I make deposits in others’ Emotional Bank Accounts and give at least one bucket-filler a day. At home, you can help support this by talking with your child about how being kind and building others’ up is a win-win because it not only makes the other person feel good about who they are, but they feel good inside as well. You could also challenge your child to give each person in the family at least one bucket filler a day.
With a full heart and much admiration I share the following...
The next sections of this newsletter highlight the INCREDIBLE efforts some of our student leaders are currently involved in. To say that our Cypress students are making a positive difference in the world would be an understatement. I am in awe of the positive and caring focus of each of these initiatives and the passion behind their leadership efforts! Our Cypress students are REMARKABLE - each in their own INCREDIBLE way! Your support of these efforts is greatly appreciated by these students and the future recipients.
Cypress students are WORLD CLASS leaders that are making a positive impact on our community and world!
Catch a Smile Student Initiative
Speaking of a Win-Win, we have a couple of 4th graders that have begun a Win-Win initiative that they’ve titled Catch a Smile to help each of us share a smile and a positive thought with others. These young ladies have already presented to our entire faculty and several classrooms and will share their initiative with many educators at the Leader in Me Symposium in Austin this next week. Their presentation includes the steps each of us can take to make a Catch a Smile and how this small personal token can make a difference for someone. The token given to them can then be passed on to another or they can make one of their own to give out. If your child has not heard of this, ask them to ask their teacher as their teacher will be able to reach out to these students in Mr. Kane’s class for support.
In closing, when I asked one of these young ladies to give me some information to include in the parent newsletter, she shared a Catch a Smile quote and thought with me that I want to share with you…"Never stop following your dreams!" I did and you should too :)
Donations for the Texas Humane Heroes Animal Shelter
Student Support of Operation Gratitude
Two of our 4th graders are working on a service project. They are collecting items to be sent to Operation Gratitude, which is a non-profit organization that sends care packages to military troops, veterans and their families. Please help them by donating one or more of the following items by Feb. 19. Donations can be placed in the box located in the downstairs foyer area. Some suggested items are: small stuffed animals (such as Beanie Babies or Webkinz), gum or mints, socks, earbuds, lip balm or gift cards to Walmart or Target.
Please also take some time to write a letter (or 2 or 3!) to either a recruit, active duty soldier, veteran or wounded warrior. Some suggested ideas to include are: some encouraging words and maybe even a picture or drawing. DO NOT PLACE YOUR WORK IN AN ENVELOPE!!! The End in Mind for these young men is to collect 500 letters, so start writing!!
Thank you so much for supporting this project and our military troops and veterans!
Culture of Caring (C²) Student Club
We have a very exciting leadership club at Cypress this year! Student leaders in 3rd - 5th grade are working to set a strong foundation for this club that will benefit our students now and in the future. These leaders are beginning to work on a variety of activities for our campus and students, including Kindness Week.
The purpose of this club is to promote a culture of caring by engaging students in positive activities. Culture of Caring, or C², activities are developed and implemented by students with the assistance of their sponsors. All activities are intended to create a culture of caring and acceptance within our school community. The C² initiative actually started at Leander High School in May 2010 in response to students’ desires to create a more positive culture at school and has spread throughout the district at all levels including elementary, middle and high schools.
I am so proud of these leaders and look forward to seeing all they accomplish and the positive impact they make at Cypress and beyond.
Clothing Drive February 8th-12th
The Cypress Elementary PTA is collecting clothing items to benefit the Leander ISD Clothes Closet. Items needed for elementary through high school students are: Gently used shoes for girls and boys (school appropriate, no flip flops or high heels) and new packaged underwear: girls size 4 and up (bikini or briefs styles) or boys size 4 and up (boxers or boxer-briefs).