SOARING EAGLE NEWS
January 2020
Principal Points from Mrs. Hill
Welcome Back CWE Eagles! Happy 2020! It’s hard to believe we are in a new year and a new decade. We are ready for a great start to second semester! All of our students came back from Winter Break ready to get back to work. Teachers are continuing to administer mid-year assessments to check for student mastery of standards and help to drive instructional decisions in the classroom. Extra support and a variety of interventions are being provided for those students needing additional support. In addition, many of our ELP groups will kick off again next week providing various remediation and enrichment opportunities for our scholars.
Next Thursday night, 1/16 we will be hosting our annual Ready, Set, Kindergarten Open House for our incoming kindergarten families for the 2020-2021 school year. This event will begin at 5:30 in our Media Center. Please let any families know who may have a kindergartener ready to start school next year. Later this month, we will host our PTA general meeting. This event will be on January 28th at 6:30. At the end of the month is Pinellas County Schools Evening of Excellence. This is a special evening recognizing the education profession and the nominees for Teacher of the Year. We will be honoring and cheering on Mrs. Karlesky, our CWE Teacher of the Year.
Please know student and staff safety is our top priority and proper protocols and processes are in place to ensure safety always. I appreciate everyone abiding by our policies and helping to maintain a safe learning environment for all our students. Just a few reminders…
- There is NO student drop off/pick up in the bus circle or parking lots. Parents are asked to use the car circle for drop off and pick up each day.
- The Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office will be enforcing the no parking areas in the front of the school during the day and for evening events. Please make sure you are parking in the parking lots and not along the side of the road.
- All visitors MUST sign in at the front office when visiting campus. A visitor badge MUST be displayed while on campus.
Upcoming Dates & Events
- 1/10 - Volunteer Cafe 9-11 AM
- 1/15 - Club Group Photos
- 1/15 - SAC Meeting 3-4 PM
- 1/16 - Ready, Set, Kindergarten 5:30-6:30 PM
- 1/20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed
- 1/21 - Report Cards Go Home
- 1/28 - PTA General Meeting 6:30-7:30 PM
- 2/6 - Class Group Pictures
- 2/6 - Kindergarten Concert 6:30-7:00 PM
- 2/7 - volunteer Cafe 9-11 AM
Ready, Set Kindergarten!!
Notes from Our Guidance Counselor
Notes from Our Music Program
Kindergarten Music Concert:
Please join us for the Kindergarten Music Concert entitled "Songs of Love" on Thursday, February 6th at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria at Cypress Woods Elementary. Please plan to have your child meet in their classroom teacher’s room by 6:15 pm. The concert should conclude by 6:50 pm. Since this is a Valentine-themed concert, please have your child wear something casual/dressy in one or more of the following colors: red, pink, white, gray or black. If they have a Valentine’s Day outfit that would be perfect! The following songs will be performed:
When You Send a Valentine by Mildred J. Hill Louella Garrett
I Made a Valentine by Lynn Freeman Olson
Viva Valentine by Teresa Jennings
You Are My Sunshine by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell
L-O-V-E by Bert Kaempfert
Skinamarink by Felix Feist
Drum and Orff 2nd Semester:
Mrs. Richter is opening up a 2nd round of auditions for Drum & Orff Ensemble this semester. All students who participated first semester do not need to re-audition to continue participating this semester. Drum and Orff Ensemble meets Thursdays after school in the music room from 3:00-3:30 pm. The audition will take place after school in the music room on Wednesday, January 15th from 3:00-3:30 pm. If your child would like to audition, please send an e-mail to Mrs. Richter by Friday, January 10th and include your child's name, their homeroom teacher's name, and your cell phone number. Please also indicate if you will pick your child up by car in front of the school or if they will attend the Y or Excel program after school. Mrs. Richter's e-mail is richtere@pcsb.org.
Homework Helpline
The Homework Helpline is a free service for all PCS students. The service is available 5 to 8 p.m., Monday-Thursday. Students can get help with math, science, social studies and language arts. Students who need practice reading can also call the helpline and spend 10 minutes reading to an adult. Families can reach the Homework Helpline at 727-547-7223.
Notes from Our School Nurse
Health screenings will be taking place January 13th and 14th.
Vision: Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grade.
Hearing: Kindergarten and 1st grade.
Height, Weight and BMI: 1st and 3rd grades.
These screenings are done free of charge. If your child’s vision, BMI or hearing screening results are outside normal limits, you will receive a letter with information and/or follow up instructions/resources. The screening and follow-up results will be noted in your child’s health records.
Any parent who desires to opt their child out of these free screenings must do so in writing by Thursday, January 9th. The opt out request must contain the student’s name, grade and the screening(s) you do not want performed.
If you have any questions regarding the screenings or need help locating resources for follow-up, please reach out to Nurse Jennifer in the clinic.
Notes From Kim Shipley, Family & Community Liaison
Happy New Year Volunteers!
I hope you had a happy holiday season and were able to enjoy precious family time. We have a lot to look forward to in 2020 and we look forward to seeing you volunteering for all our activities and events! Please take a few minutes to log your volunteer hours by following the attached instructions, even if you missed the December deadline, we want to be sure everything is recorded for the end of the year. Every hour counts such as, classroom assistant (at school or at home), field trips, lunch pals, lunch heroes, book fair/library, PTA meetings, SAC meetings, School Activities, etc. These hours are reported twice per year to Tallahassee and display the wonderful community involvement we have at Cypress Woods and they allows us to maintain our 5 Star Award. Hours can be entered in chunks, as the dates are not as important as recording the time itself. If you are unable to log your hours for any reason, please contact me and I will be happy to help you.
January is National Mentor Recognition Month! Thank you to all our dedicated and supportive Lunch Pals, for making a difference and being present for our students. We appreciate all you do!
We Need More Lunch Pals (Mentors)!
We have several students that would greatly benefit from having a lunch pal, so please let me know if you can help! Only Thirty (30) minutes a week, can make a difference in a student's life! Listen, encourage, and be a friend to a student. Schedules are flexible, Lunch Pals meet during the student’s lunch time any day of the week. There is a free workshop that the district requires in order to participate, please see the attachment and/or follow this link to see the locations and times available and hopefully you can find one that is convenient for you: https://www.pcsb.org/Page/461 You can even sign up for a Webinar, so you don’t even need to leave the house.
Adopt-A-Class
Our goal each year is to have all our teachers adopted and we’re very close! Please help us achieve this goal by adopting one or more of our teachers who have not yet been adopted (see form attached). This money is used in the classroom to directly benefit the educational opportunities for students. A full adoption is $100, but we will accept any amount. The following teachers have not yet been fully adopted:
Pre-K: Maguire ($50 away), Buoniello, Eagan
5th Grade: Pearson ($30 away), Preston ($70 away), Slater
Important Dates & Opportunities:
- Friday, January 10th Volunteer Café from 9 AM – 11 AM in the Media Center- Join us and help complete various projects for our teachers. Coffee and snacks provided and sponsored by GradePower Learning. RSVP to shipleyk@pcsb.org or just show up. Any amount of time you have to offer is welcomed! – RSVP to shipleyk@pcsb.org appreciated, Thanks!
- Wednesday, January 15th – School Club Pictures (not PTA) – 8:45 AM – 10:30ish, 1-2 volunteers needed to assist the photographers. Contact Kim Shipley to volunteer.
- Thursday, January 16th – Ready, Set, Kindergarten 5:30 – 6:30 PM- For incoming Kindergarten parents. Overview, tour and registration information.
- Monday, January 20th – No School- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Tuesday, January 21st thru January 31st - Camp SEM during school day
- Sunday, January 26th – PTA hosts Parent & Son Bowling at Countryside Lanes 2-4 PM, contact PTA at cweptaboard@gmail.com for more information
- Tuesday, January 28th – PTA General Meeting 6:30 – 7:30 PM
- Thursday, February 6th – Class Photos 8:45 AM until finished (around noon/1 PM), 1-2 volunteers needed to assist the photographers, contact Kim Shipley to volunteer.
Thanks for reading this and I hope to see you soon!
Kim Shipley
Family & Community Liaison
Cypress Woods Elementary
4900 Cypress Woods Blvd
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
727-538-7325 ext. 2045
Safety Reminders
The safety of our staff and students is a top priority. Here are a few safety reminders for all families.
· Our car circles are running efficiently at this point in the school year so we highly encourage parents to use the car circle during arrival and dismissal times to drop off and pick up your child. However, if it is essential for you to walk up during these times, please park in a parking spot and avoid parking along Cypress Woods Blvd. The sheriff’s office will be monitoring this area and enforcing no parking zones.
· NO students are to be dropped off in the parking lots or along the road. The only drop off and pick up locations are in our car circles.
· Please remember the inside lane (curb side) in the front car line always has the right of way when exiting the car line. This expedites movement of cars in the car circle.
· We understand the traffic light at Cypress Woods Blvd and East Lake sometimes does not stay green long enough to accommodate the volume of traffic during peak times of arrival and dismissal, but; we are asking parents to please adhere to speed limits when exiting the campus and on to East Lake Road. We have had reports of cars speeding down Cypress Woods Blvd just to make the light. We have many bikers and walkers each day and it’s important for everyone to be alert, avoid texting and being on your cell phone, and maintain the speed limit.
NOTES FROM CYPRESS WOODS PTA
Welcome back! We hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Winter Break! The Cypress Woods PTA would like to say a huge THANK YOU to our parents, staff, and students for an amazing Fall at CWE. Here is a quick look at all the wonderful things that happened:
Eaglethon, PTA's 100% Volunteer Run Fundraiser, raised $45,000 to grow & enhance CWE's science labs, expanding STEM supplies, coding robotics, iPads & science resources.
The PTA provided Classroom Partnership funds for every teacher & department at CWE, including Art, Music, & PE. Sunshine state & other award-winning books were purchased for each classroom and The Media Center. Monthly Scholastic News subscriptions were purchased for all grade levels to support the social studies curriculum. Students participated in Spanish, Running, & Garden Club, all 100% volunteer run & free of charge to our families. Our Giving Tree program fulfilled 350+ wishes of children in need during this Holiday Season. Thank you for your generous support of The CWE PTA & our programs. If you are interested in volunteering with the PTA, please email us.
We have attached the 2020 Winter/Spring Calendar. Please note that the volunteer Café for February has been moved to 2/14/20.
The PTA Club lottery has been completed. If your student’s name was chosen, you should have received an email welcoming them to the club. Spanish & Gardening Club meet after school & begin on Monday, 1/13/20. Students should be picked up promptly at 3:50 in the front car line. Running Club meets on Friday Mornings at 7:40-8:20 AM and begins 1/17/20. Please email Linsy Breitmaier at cweptaclubs@gmail.com with any club questions.
Stay in touch with PTA News & Events:
Email: cweptaboard@gmail.com
https://www.cypresswoodspta.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cypresswoodspta/
Mark your Calendars for The PTA's most popular events!
Eagle Fest Family Festival is Friday, April 3rd 5:00 to 8:00PM on The CWE Fields
Parent Daughter Dance is Friday, March 6th 6:00 to 8:30PM at Ruth Eckerd Hall
Sign Up for Bus Updates!!
Cypress Woods Elementary
Email: cypresswoodses.absence@pcsb.org
Website: pcsb.org/cypress-es
Location: 4900 Cypress Woods Boulevard, Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Phone: 727-538-7325
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cypresswoodses/
Twitter: @cypresswoodses