Tiger Talk Back 2 School Edition 10
08/16/21
Today's Edition: Registrar's Recommendations
Please watch for our daily editions, weekdays 8/3 - 8/16!
We are SOOOO excited to start the new school year!!! And, we suspect that you might be, too!
To prepare us all for August 18, we are publishing Special Edition Tiger Talks each weekday leading up to Meet the Teacher Day and the First Day of School. In each Special Edition, we will cover a topic that we hope you will find reassuring and helpful.
And, certainly, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be of assistance to our Tiger Families.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
A Welcome From our Principal
It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to all of our new and returning families to West Cypress Hills Elementary School! There are so many reasons to celebrate our school, and it starts with your being a part of this magnificent community. West Cypress Hills Elementary is a learning community where every learner is nurtured, respected, and challenged. Here at WCHE we believe learning should be a social, inspiring journey full of dynamic experiences that build the love of life-long learning in all of our students. This year we will continue to explore all of the ways West Cypress teachers build personal, inspiring and authentic educational experiences for our learners.
I am thrilled that you have chosen West Cypress Hills Elementary as your child’s school. Our staff is highly-qualified, hard-working, and dedicated to growing strong learners and leaders here on our campus. We deeply appreciate your sharing your wonderful children with us here at WCHE. We treasure the opportunity to learn and grow together with our WCHE families.
If convenient for you to do so, please stop by our school Library, Wednesday, August 18, around 7:42 am, so that I can visit with you in person over a cup of coffee. Our fabulous PTO is sponsoring a Principal's Coffee the morning that our Tigers start their new school year. I look forward to meeting you there.
Meet the teacher times:
9:00 am and 11:00 am.................Kindergarten will schedule specific times and include that time in the welcome email.
12:30 pm until 1:15 pm................1st Grade and 3rd Grade
1:30 pm until 2:15 pm.................2nd Grade and 4th Grade
2:30 pm until 3:15 pm.................5th Grade
With warmest regards,
Melanie Beninga, Principal
Notice of Teacher Assignments to be Emailed Tonight!
As we continue to build balanced classes, it may show one teacher and a different one the next. These changes are common as we finalize classes.
Accurate information will come to you in the form of an email from Mrs. Beninga on August 16 at or around 8 pm. Parents and guardians of incoming Kindergarteners, please take note of the time your child will be meeting their teacher.
You will get to meet your teacher at "Meet the Teacher" on August 17 according to the schedule below.
The teacher(s) assigned for your Tiger(s) will be the teacher of your Tiger(s) for the 2021-2022 school year. All of our faculty members are wonderful, caring, professional educators, and they are eager to meet our Tigers.
As mentioned when asking for parent input, we do not take teacher requests. Many changes occur during the summer. Teachers change grade levels. Teachers move to another campus or district. ETC. We take great care in placing each child in classes to match strengths, teacher certification requirements, and individual needs. Teacher, administrator, counselor, and parent input are all used to place our Tigers in the best learning environment possible.
We will not be making any changes to class placements. Your understanding is greatly appreciated.
The West Cypress Registrar is Becky Wright
Hi. I am from Louisiana but have lived in Texas since I attended college at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. Before joining the LTISD family seven years ago, I was the Director of a Child Development Center in Lewisville, Texas. I am the mother of three human children, Morgan, Dorothy, and Marshall. I am the mother of several fur babies, Talion who doesn't know he's a dog, Wilkie the dog and Bobbie the cat.
I enjoy meeting our Tiger families and look forward to assisting you with enrollment and registration.
Successful Learning is Dependent Upon Attendance
Each and every school day is packed full of activities that, while perhaps fun, are also important to support successful learning. Fifteen minutes may not seem like much time to busy adults, but to a student missing fifteen minutes of class could mean that the Tiger was not in class to hear and learn half of that day's planned math or reading or science lessons.
We understand that there are days and times when Tigers cannot be here. And, when feeling under the weather, the student shouldn't be in class. The classroom teacher will be happy to work with you and your Tiger to ensure that learning can continue even if the student is unable to be in class.
Students must be present in school at 10:00 a.m. in order to be counted present for purposes of reporting attendance to the state. Student attendance is taken in each class daily. Students must be in attendance the majority of the school day in order to participate in school-related activities on that day or evening.
To Excuse an Absence
The PREFERRED method of reporting an absence is through SMART Tag's Elementary Campus Dismissal Manager, however an email or a written note upon your child's return to school is also acceptable.
Absence notes must include:
- Student's full name AND
- Date(s) of absence(s) AND
- Reason for absence(s)
Notification can be made in ANY of the following forms:
Report absence indicating reason through SMARTTag School Dismissal Manager (preferred) OR
- Email from the parent's email address to the Registrar OR
- Doctor's note OR
- Handwritten note signed by the parent.
Phone calls will not be accepted as appropriate documentation for any absence.
Per district policy, written documentation should be provided by parent/guardian within 3 days of the first day of the student's return to school. Absence notes will be processed 5-7 days after the child's absence. If a note is not submitted during this time,the absence will become unexecused. It is recommended that absences are reported daily. District policy requires a doctor's note if the student was absent more than 5 consecutive days.
Please see the online LTISD Student/Parent Handbook for more information on excused and unexcused absences.
The Registrar will document in the attendance records for the students whether the absence is considered by the district to be excused or unexcused. Please note that, unless the absence is for a statutorily allowed reason under compulsory attendance laws, the district is not required to excuse any absence, even if the parent provides a note explaining the absence.
Email Notifications can be emailed to the Registrar at WCHRegistrar@ltisdschools.org.
If you would like to notify your child's teacher or inquire about missed work, please email the teacher directly.
If you have specific questions regarding excessive absences or tardies or if you received a letter regarding excessive absences or tardies, please contact the Registrar, Becky Wright, at 512-533-7583 or via email at WCHRegistrar@ltisdschools.org.
COVID related absences
COVID-related absences will be handled as any other absence due to illness and will be considered excused assuming the required documentation is provided in accordance with the requirements in the Student Parent Handbook.
Absences for students who choose to quarantine due to close contact will be
considered excused, unless other circumstances arise that indicate a questionable pattern of absences.
Depending on the length of the absence, students will have the opportunity to keep up with instruction through various options including asynchronous lessons using technology and/or daily work from the classroom teacher. Students will not be enrolled in or provided access to the virtual learning classroom.
Upcoming Events
All Summer.............Tales & Tails WCHE Summer Reading Camp
07/01/21................LT Extended Care 21-22 Registration Opens Learn More
08/09 - 08/17/21....WCHE Office Open Weekdays 7:30 am to 4:00 pm
08/16/21.................Teacher Assignments Emailed in the Evening
08/17/21.................Meet the Teacher Day
08/18/21.................1st Day of School 7:40 am - 3:00 pm
08/18/21.................Coffee with the Principal 7:42 am WCHE Library
08/20/21.................Student-only Assembly in the Gym @ 7:45 am
08/23/21.................1st Day of School for Online Learning
08/26/21.................PTO General Assembly in the Cafeteria @ 9:30 am
08/27/21.................Student-only Assembly in the Gym @ 7:45 am
09/02/21.................Curriculum Night. KG - 2nd 5:30 - 6:15 pm & 3rd - 5th 6:30 - 7:15 pm
09/06/21.................No School - Happy Labor Day!
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