SOARING EAGLE NEWS
DECEMBER 2021
Message From Mrs. Hill
I hope our entire school community is enjoying this festive holiday season! We have much to celebrate at Cypress Woods! We had a wonderful Great American Teach-In before Thanksgiving break. Special thanks to our community and our very own parents who participated to make it a fantastic day for our CWE Eagles! We had over 55 speakers different speakers giving nearly 125 presentations! WOW! A special thank you to our Family Community Liaison, Kim Shipley, for her efforts and hard work scheduling and hosting our visitors on campus.
December has been a busy month on campus. The PTA Giving Tree is up and running and will be accepting gifts until December 10th for families needing some help during the holiday season. The Wonderland Holiday Shop has been a big hit for our Eagles to purchase special gifts for family and loved ones. I hope you get an opportunity to attend our Holiday Choral Concert on December 15th featuring our 4th and 5th grade choral students. Students will be participating in our annual field day December 14-17. Each grade level will participate in a 90 minute field day event during the week. This is a fun event for our Eagles, but will not be open for visitors or spectators this year.
Just a reminder that our last day of school prior to Winter Break is Friday, December 17th . Pinellas County Schools will be closed on December 18th and will reopen for students on Tuesday, January 4th. While this is a time for fun and family, please encourage your child to keep learning by using Deambox, Istation, MyOn and any teaching activities their teacher sends home.
On behalf of the entire Cypress Woods Elementary Staff, I would like to wish each and every one of you a peaceful and happy holiday season. Be safe and enjoy time with your family.
Mark Your Calendars
12/1 - Holiday Shop Begins
12/10 - Volunteer Cafe - Curbside
12/15 - Winter Concert 6:30-7:30 PM
12/20 - 1/3 - Winter Break
1/4 - School Resumes
HOLIDAY COOL KITS ON THE WAY HOME
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Are you planning a family trip for the holidays? As you think about your arrangements, we want to stress the importance of sending your child to school every day possible. Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after the winter holiday as families squeeze in a few more vacation days. It’s time to break that cycle. We know that just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school. Put simply, too many absences at any age can affect a student’s chances for academic success and eventually for graduation.
We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away. The costs of plane tickets often influence when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school— and the message you will be sending about the importance of attendance. Even if you’ve got a homework packet from the teacher, it doesn’t make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning, right up until vacation starts and the first day back. This holiday season, give your children the gift of an education and the habit of attendance.
When a student is absent from school for any reason, parents are to send in a written note to the teacher explaining the absence or email the school at cypresswoodses.absence@pcsb.org and copy the teacher on the email. Absences will remain unexcused until such documentation is received by the school. Children with poor attendance patterns may be referred to the Pinellas County Truancy Intervention Program. Class work is required to be made up during or after an excused absence. Upon returning to school following an excused absence, a student has as many days to make up the work as days absent. A doctor’s note is required to excuse a student from PE for more than 3 days and documentation is required for absences exceeding 5 days.
NEWS FROM OUR MUSIC TEACHER, MRS. RICHTER
Come get in the holiday spirit and join us at the Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 15th at 6:30 pm in the Cypress Woods Elementary cafeteria. Drum and Orff Ensemble and Chorus will perform. Admission is free of charge and general seating. We hope to see you there!
Mask Update
Below is the most current information from Pinellas County Schools:
- Strongly recommending that face coverings be worn when indoors by staff, students and visitors/volunteers and by continuing to have them available at schools and district facilities and on buses for students, staff and visitors.
- Teachers will have access to a supply of masks for any student in need.
- Families who opt not to have their student utilize a mask will not have to complete any form.
- The individual choices of all families will be respected.
- Parents are encouraged to reach out to their principal or teacher if they have a concern regarding adherence to their choice.
NOTES FROM OUR SCHOOL NURSE
Our school was selected by the Florida Department of Health to participate in a dental program this year to evaluate the smiles of our 3rd grade students! Students who are given consent to participate will have a full mouth check up and be given a goodie bag of supplies along with information for their parents on dental hygiene and a report regarding any concerns with their students oral health.
Like with Vision and Hearing screenings we MUST have consent forms signed and returned. You will be receiving a booklet home from your student. These booklets MUST be completed by a parent/caregiver and returned to me by Dec 17th. (Right before break) Students who do not return the booklet will not be able to participate in the free screenings. All of the information for the parent is in the booklet, if parents have any additional, questions please feel free to contact me at reznickj@pcsb.org or 727.538.7325 ext. 2026.
Looking for a Job?
Rotary Student of the Month
SAFETY PATROLS OF THE MONTH
Notes From Kim Shipley, Family & Community Liaison
Hello, Fabulous Volunteers!
As we kick of the holiday season and wrap up the second semester of the school year, there are many, many opportunities for volunteering! If you have not reactivated for the school year, now would be a great time to do that so that you won’t miss out on any upcoming events or activities. To reactivate, see the attached instructions for the Volunteer System including the login format. Then use a PC (not a phone or tablet) and google chrome as your browser to log into the system where you will see the reactivation questions. Answer ALL the questions an click on “I Agree” to reactivate. If you have a somewhat common last name, your login may be unique, please contact me for the correct login. If you have never registered before, then you’ll need to complete the online registration at www.pcsb.org/volunteerregistration
I also want to say “Thank YOU!” to all who helped out during the Great American Teach In; Rebecca B., Kathy C., Shannon, C., Grace C., Amber C., Michelle H., Dina K., Laura M., Carrie S., Kristin S., Emily S., Kristen T., Gail T. & Steve W….You ROCK! The event was a huge success because of your support…thank you so much!
If you are an approved and active Level 1 volunteer and would like to become Level 2, please follow this link to see locations of our approved fingerprint vendors: https://www.pcsb.org/Page/12334 This status does have a fee of about $50 and is good for 5 years. Level 2 volunteers are allowed to be unsupervised while volunteering and may be required for some field trips and events on campus. Once you have been fingerprinted, you should contact me about 7 – 10 days afterward to see if your profile has been updated and then we can schedule you for a Level 2 badge.
Friday, December 17th is the deadline to enter your volunteer hours for the first semester. Every hour counts; helping from home, Lunch Pals/Mentoring, Tutoring, PTA, SAC meetings, Book Fair, Classroom Assistance, Media Center, Special Events (GATI), Field Days, and more! Please take a moment to log into the volunteer system and enter your hours before the Winter Break. The dates are not as important as the hours themselves, so feel free to chunk you time and make one entry for all your hours by description.
Upcoming events and activities:
- Ongoing until December 10th CWE PTA Giving Tree- Volunteers needed, sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d45ada623a7fec07-2021
- Friday, 12/10 -Volunteer Café Curbside Pick Up – watch for email on Monday, December 6th and sign up then!
- Field Days: Tues. December 14 – Thu. 16 – Volunteers needed, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F48ABA62BA31-cypress4
- Fri. 12/17 – Deadline to enter volunteer hours for the first semester.
- Mon. 12/20 – Mon. 1/3 – Winter Holiday Break – No School! School resumes 1/4/22
We still have a great need for Lunch Pals (Mentors) for several students. If you would like to be another caring adult and role model for a student at our school, please sign up to take one of the upcoming workshops so we can match you with a student. Follow this link to sign up: www.pcsb.org/mentor Lunch Pals meet with a student once a eek during their lunchtime for 30 minutes, it’s a short amount of time with a huge impact!
Thank and Happy Holidays!
Kim Shipley
Family & Community Liaison
Cypress Woods Elementary
4900 Cypress Woods Blvd
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
727-538-7325 ext. 2045
Updates From Our PTA
Spring semester is coming and PTA has some awesome things planned! We are looking for volunteers to join our committees to help us plan these great family events. Please email cweptaboard@gmail.com if you are interested in serving on or leading a committee. One big event coming up quickly is our Family Movie Night. We need a Chairperson and Committee members!
Thank you for the awesome response to our Fall fundraiser! Our CWE Eagles did an awesome job and we are working on budget updates to distribute those funds. Please watch for our January General Meeting date where we will vote on those budget updates.
Sign Up For Bus Updates!
If you receive a bus bulletin and decide that you would like to pick up your student in the carline, PLEASE NOTIFY THE SCHOOL FIRST. We ask that you do not show up in the bus circle to pick up your student as they may already be on their way to their bus stops.
Cafeteria Update
Free and Reduced Lunch Applications
Opt in For CWE Text Alerts
Using the list below, sign up under the grade of your youngest student in order to receive text alerts about school events, PTA and volunteering. (The information will be the SAME on all accounts, so you should only sign up under one class…)
To 81010, please text the following:
- PRE K @b49fk3
- KINDERGARTEN @24b47f
- 1ST GRADE @cf6c38
- 2ND GRADE @9f7edc
- 3RD GRADE @cwethi
- 4TH GRADE @2ce39k7
- 5TH GRADE @e26kb9
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