Update from Dr. Lancaster
Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,
As you may already know, Governor Greg Abbott earlier today announced the “opening of Texas” will begin to occur in various stages. However, he also indicated all public and private schools will remain closed through the remainder of the current school year. Please note, the current school year will not be extended into the summer.
While LTISD buildings and facilities will remain closed, we will continue to engage our students through our online learning platform. We will also continue to provide essential operations as needed including grab and go meals, cleaning and custodial services, and other critical functions. As we have done throughout the closure, all district employees will continue to be paid, and I fully expect our employees to continue to be paid next year as well.
Additionally, the governor’s order results in the cancellation of all LTISD events scheduled through Friday, May 22, our final day of instruction for the current school year. These cancelled events include our Lake Travis High School graduation ceremony originally scheduled to be held Friday, May 22 at Cavalier Stadium. Instead, LTHS staff will provide a virtual ceremony for our seniors and their families on Friday, May 22, and plans are in progress for an alternate graduation event to be held in person on Saturday, August 1 at the HEB Center at Cedar Park.
I know you have many questions regarding the return of school-issued items such as books, uniforms, technology devices and other materials, the pickup of personal belongings, and the status of summer school, camps and other such programs. I will be hosting another Facebook Live event late next week where I will attempt to answer these and other questions. Additional details for the event will be shared with you next week.
In the meantime, I ask for your continued patience, flexibility and support. Please know I will keep you updated with any developments. I wish you and your family much health during this time.
Sincerely,
Brad Lancaster, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
To Follow Principal Beninga on Twitter
Melanie Beninga provides info, photos, and updates via Twitter, too. If not already following Melanie Beninga in Twitter, you can follow her @principalwch and @mbeninga.
More News from Sheila White, WCHE School Counselor!
As our students continue to do a tremendous job in remote learning, and our teachers continue to engage and interact with their classes virtually, please know that I am also available to support families during this time. Should your family need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me by email or by phone at (512) 533-7589.
Please explore the following counseling resources for students and parents.
Resources For Students: Resources for Parents: 24/7 Helpline 512-472- (HELP) - Integral Care’s 24/7 Helpline provides around the clock crisis support as well as access to all of our programs and services for adults and children, including appointments and billing. Our team is here to help. We’ll listen to you and care about you, support you without judgment, and provide immediate support in a mental health crisis.
It's National Library Week!
As Dr. Lancaster stated recently....
....With the theme “Find Your Place at the Library,” Lake Travis ISD joins the American
Library Association (ALA) to celebrate April 19-25, 2020 as National Library Week in
recognition of our school librarians and their unique contributions to public education.
According to the ALA, this year’s theme was chosen some time ago, well before the
emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic that would force our schools and
libraries to close their physical spaces. However, our libraries are open for business
online, providing the virtual services and digital content our students need now more
than ever. In fact, this year’s theme has been creatively repurposed to reflect our
current environment: “Find the Library at Your Place.”
Our librarians actively and creatively engage students in developing the most
fundamental of skills, collaboratively plan with teachers and other school staff to
deliver quality instruction through cutting-edge technology, and work with parents to
by creating an interest in reading or by helping students connect to the Internet, our
LTISD librarians have a direct impact on student learning and achievement.
The West Cypress Hills Librarian is Mrs. Cathy Seidenberger. Mrs. Seidenberger has been a teacher for over 25 years, 20 of those years in Lake Travis. She attended the University of Texas at Austin for her undergraduate degree in Applied Learning and Development and Sam Houston State University for her Masters degree in Library and Information Science.
She has been a classroom teacher, special education teacher, and bilingual teacher, with her newest role as school librarian. Mrs. Seidenberger and her husband, a middle school science teacher, have 2 children and live in the Spicewood area. Together, they enjoy reading, hiking, mountain biking, and traveling.
Some of her favorite reading quotes: “So it is with children who learn to read fluently and well: they begin to take flight to whole new worlds as effortlessly as young birds take to the sky.” -William James "If you touch the heart with one book, it can transform a life." -Allan Bloom “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” -Frederick Douglas
West Cypress Hills Tigers are extremely fortunate to have a most kind, caring, and lovely librarian, Mrs. Cathy Seidenberger. We thank you, Mrs. Seidenberger, for all that you do to make WCHE a great place to be!
Resources from our Librarians
Our school Librarian, Cathy Seidenberger, with other LTISD elementary district librarians have created a Schoology group which contains books, stories, resources, links, and more in every subject area. Your child has been added as a member of this group.
To reach the library group, after logging into Schoology using your child's login, please click the "GROUPS" tab at the top of the page and select "LTISD Elementary Libraries Online.
Yearbooks are a great way to remember the school year.
The 2019-2020 edition of the WCHE yearbook is still available for purchase through May 1.
Order at your convenience at Balfour on line. Once in the Balfour site, enter "West Cypress Hills" as the school name and then select "yearbook." Orders may be be placed by phone, too, at 1-800-944-5930.
And, if you are wondering if you have already purchased our 2019-2020 yearbook, please contact Ms. Brymer. She will be happy to respond by email to let you know.
West Cypress Hills Elementary
