Tiger Talk
03/25/20
Superintendent Announces Extension of School Closure Through April 13
Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,
Based on the shelter-in-place order issued by Travis County officials Tuesday, March 24, and in a continued effort to help reduce the spread of the Coronavirus in the greater Austin community, I will be extending the closure of all schools, facilities and activities through midnight, Monday April 13.
Please note, according to the order, educational entities such as Lake Travis ISD may continue providing essential services as needed during the shelter-in-place, including mobile meals and other critical functions. We will continue to make every effort possible to assist our families during this unusual time.
As a reminder, we are on schedule to launch our LTISD Online Learning Thursday, March 26. We are excited to introduce a new era of learning and the opportunities ahead for our teachers, students and families.
I ask for your continued patience, flexibility and support during the next couple of weeks. Please know I will keep you updated with any developments. In the interim, I wish you and your family much health during this time.
Sincerely,
Brad Lancaster, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Student Health Services
Beginning Monday, March 23, Lake Travis ISD staff will provide free meals to children 0-18 years of age. Packaged breakfast and lunch will be available for pickup together between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. at each of our three middle school campuses:
- Bee Cave Middle School - 5400 Vail Divide, Austin, 78738
- Hudson Bend Middle School -15600 Lariat Trail, Austin, 78734
- Lake Travis Middle School - 4932 Bee Creek Road, Spicewood, 78669
Meals will be provided in drive-through fashion at the bus drop-off location at each middle school campus. Parents will not need to exit their vehicle, but, according to federal guidelines, all children must be present in the vehicle to receive a meal. Please note, hot meals will not be provided. Instead, meals will consist of packaged cereals, sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, fruit juice, milk and/or water.
While some of you may be eager to volunteer your time and services during our meal pickup, we must keep in mind and adhere to local and state restrictions limiting public gatherings. Our outstanding food service department has this under control. We sincerely appreciate your concern and willingness to help.
For more information, visit the Coronavirus section on the Lake Travis ISD website, or email foodservice@ltisdschools.org.
New and Exciting Tiger Online Learning Begins Thursday, March 26
Teachers will have “office hours” twice daily, Mondays through Thursdays. Office Hours (shown below) are scheduled according to grade level. The purpose of these office hours is to connect with students, reteach content, and answer students' questions. These must be done using Google Hangout. Teachers will be in a live Hangout for the duration of the hour and respond to emails that have come in from students. Parents are welcome to send an email to the teacher in the event that the parent has questions or concerns. The teacher will respond as soon as possible. Parents and students will access office hours through a permanent Google Hangout/Meets link posted in your Schoology Course. Calendar invites will not be used to facilitate office hours.
Teachers will use Fridays to provide feedback to students and hold private conferences, as needed.
Things to consider when participating in a Google Hangout:
We will follow these Video Conferencing Etiquette Rules.
Quick tip #1: Ctrl-D will mute your microphone. You can also turn off your camera. Students should mute their microphones unless they are talking.
Quick tip #2: You can turn on “captions” at the bottom of the screen. This helps when the internet cuts a bit and you miss what folks are saying for some reason. “Captions” captures it!
Quick tip #3: Students should use the chat feature to post questions. This helps the teacher to see when similar questions keep popping up that need to be addressed, to control the order in which questions are asked, and to control the amount of potential talking over each other that can happen in an online meeting format. Meeting on a laptop or Chromebook will allow students to use the chat feature.
Be sure that you are on time.
More information about our online learning is available here.
Teacher Office Hour Schedule
WCHE PTO Cancels March 27 Parent Mixer
The silent auction planned for the Parent Mixer will be held at a later date to raise funds in support of West Cypress Hills Elementary and Rough Hollow Elementary.
The PTO appreciates your support and wishes everyone a safe and happy extended break.
Way to Go Tiger Mathletes!
From left to right: Coach Abhi Raghavan, Logan Gramling, Aayan Cheema, Joanna Koshy, Ellen Suh, Ashton Goodsell, Aaron Seung, and Coach Muriel Ramírez-Salas. Inserts from left to right: Caleb Winoto and Sanjana Raj.
Tiger Mathletes Advance to State Championship!
Tiger Mathletes competed online for the first time in the Math League Central Texas District Championship on Sunday, March 15. Out of seven schools in the Austin metro area, the “Math-L-YEEETS” took third place in the Overall Sweepstakes and second place among Division 5 schools.
Individual and team honors also include:
3rd Grade Overall: Caleb Winoto (2nd Place) and Sanjana Raj (3rd Place)
4th Grade Overall: Aayan Cheema (1st Place) and Ellen Suh (3rd Place)
3rd Grade Sprint Round: Caleb Winoto (2nd Place)
4th Grade Sprint Round: Aayan Cheema (1st Place), Ellen Suh (2nd Place) and Ashton Goodsell (3rd Place).
3rd Grade Target Round: Sanjana Raj (2nd Place) and Caleb Winoto (3rd Place)
4th Grade Target Round: Aayan Cheema (3rd Place)
3rd Grade Number Sense: Sanjana Raj (2nd Place) and Caleb Winoto (3rd Place)
4th Grade Number Sense: Aayan Cheema (1st Place) and Ellen Suh (2nd Place)
3rd Grade Team Round: Sanjana Raj (1st Place) and Caleb Winoto (3rd Place).
NOTE: Students competed as a 1-person team.
4th Grade Team Round: Aayan Cheema, Ashton Goodsell, Aaron Seung and Ellen Suh (1st Place)
5th Grade Team Round: Joanna Koshy and Logan Gramling (3rd Place)
All Tiger Mathletes’ qualified to advance to the Math League State Championship to be held online on Saturday, May 9. This is the fifth consecutive year that WCHE students have qualified for the State Championship.
WCHE Field Day Events for 2020 Were a HUGE Success!
Field Day Squad Members l to r: Mrs. Seidenberger, Mrs. Cunningham, Mrs. Dunn, Mrs. Serhus, Mrs. Hill, Coach Mirizzi, Coach Cadorette, and Mrs. Sargsyan
Congratulations to all on the Splendid Field Day Event!
Tigers enjoyed two action-packed days of sun and fun during their March 11 and 12 Field Days. The days were great fun--maybe a little warm which was perfect weather for refreshing snow cones.
Although we do have official champions shown below, all students came away feeling like winners. What great days!
This energizing event would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. Thank you, volunteers!! We appreciate all that you did to help organize and guide the Tigers through their stations and races.
Congratulations and thanks are due our Specials Team, aka the Field Day Squad. Field Day 2020 was a huge success. Well done!!!!
Kindergarten Field Day Champs 2020 - Ms. Wells' #Welephants
1st Grade Field Day Champs 2020 - Mrs. Gorfain's Grasshoppers
2nd Grade Field Day Champs 2020 - Mr. Luster's Leopards
3rd Grade Field Day Champs 2020 - Mrs. Kogler's Kids' Club
4th Grade Field Day Champs 2020 - Ms. Denning's Diamonds
5th Grade Field Day Champs 2020 - Mrs. Embry's Explorers
Yearbooks are a great way to remember the school year.
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.
Wall of Fame for Shoe Tying!
If your Kinder, 1st Grader, and/or Second Grader can tie his/her shoes, please notify Coaches Mirizzi and Cadorette because they want to honor this accomplishment in the school gym on our WALL OF FAME FOR SHOE TYING!
Once notified of the student's successful shoe-tying accomplishment, we will provide your student with a paper shoe to color, take the student's photo, and then post the photo and customized paper shoe on our WALL OF FAME FOR SHOE TYING!
It's going to be really exciting to see our young Tigers on our WALL OF FAME!
Make 2020 Loads of Fun! Be a Tiger Volunteer!
Volunteering at West Cypress Hills Elementary is the best way to get involved, meet new people, and directly impact your child's school experience!
Check out the exciting volunteer opportunities and sign up for the areas that interest you. Once you have signed up, the Volunteer Liaison will contact you with specific information regarding times, dates, etc.
If you have any questions, please contact Sherry Whitsitt, volunteer@wchpto.org
Thank You for Volunteering!!!
2020-2021 West Cypress School Supply Kits and Supply Lists
Thanks to our fabulous PTO, supplies can be ordered online from schoolkidz at your convenience! The online prepackaged grade level supplies can be ordered until June 12, 2020. If you purchase your student school supplies online, the supplies will be delivered to the school before the first day of school. Grade appropriate kits are available to order online now. Click here and use account #79519 to view the kits.
We also have lists of the school supplies for 2020-2021 so that, if you prefer, you can purchase the supplies on your own from any source convenient to you. Feel free to drop off the school supplies that you've purchased at our Meet the Teacher event in August.
*3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Students also need to have student planners for the 2020-2021 school year. These are sold separately from the prepackaged supply kits. Planners cost $6 each. We can accept cash or checks payable to WCHE. Planners can be purchased at the school during the Meet the Teacher Event or from the front desk any time on or after the first day of school.
Accessible Parking for Disabled Staff and Visitors
Accessible parking is important to our staff and visitors who have challenges that limit their mobility. West Cypress Hills has parking spaces reserved for staff and visitors who have parking permits authorizing them to park in these reserved parking spaces.
Please park in the parking spaces that are reserved for those with disabilities only if you have a valid parking permit or license plate on display that authorizes you to park there.
Please do not park in reserved spaces or park where your vehicle blocks reserved spaces even if parking only briefly to walk students in to the building. It is fine to park and walk students in to the building provided that your vehicle is parked in an appropriate parking space. Thank you!
WCHE Spring Book Fair Coming Soon!
Upcoming Events
By 06/12/20..........2020-2021 School Supply Kits Available for Order Online
03/01 - 03/31/20......Celebrating Music in our Schools Month
03/01 - 03/31/20......Celebrating Women's History Month
03/26/20..................Online Learning Begins! Learn More Info - Group Learning Etiquette
03/27/20..................Deadline for Student Artwork Submissions to FANS Info Here
04/06 - 04/10/29......Celebrating National Assistant Principals' Week
04/09/20..................Six Flags Reading Program Ends Today
04/14/20..................Students Return to School
04/17/20..................Wear Tiger Spirit Wear to KG - 2nd Grade Assembly @ 7:40 am RSVP
04/19 - 04/25/20......National Library Week & Public School Volunteer Week
04/22/20..................Administrative Professionals' Day
04/22 - 04/24/20.....Jungle Book Fair Student Preview Days - Shopping Days Begin 4/27!
04/23/20..................3rd Grade Field Trip to Johnson City Science Mill Volunteer RSVP
04/23/20..................1st Grade Music Performance in the Tiger's Den @ 1:30 pm RSVP
04/24/20..................Wear Tiger Spirit Wear to 3rd-5th Grade Assembly @ 7:40 am RSVP
04/24/20..................Kindergarten Music Performance in the Tiger's Den @ 1:30 pm RSVP
04/27/20..................Jungle Book Fair Shopping Day 7 am to 4 pm
04/28/20..................Jungle Book Fair Shopping Day 7 am to 6:30 pm KONA ICE 3:15 - 6:30!
04/29/20..................Jungle Book Fair Shopping Day 7 am to 4 pm
04/29/20..................General PTO Meeting in the Tiger's Den @ 9 am RSVP
04/30/20..................Jungle Book Fair Shopping Day 7 am to 4 pm
05/01/20..................Last Day of Jungle Book Fair Shopping 7 am to 12:30 pm!
More Information about WCH
West Cypress Hills Elementary
Email: wchprincipal@ltisdschools.org
Website: https://www.ltisdschools.org/WCHE
Location: 6112 Cypress Ranch Boulevard, Travis County, TX, United States
Phone: 512-533-7500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltisdschools
Twitter: @principalwch