Eagle News
March 2023
Message from the Principal
Cypress Woods Families,
The month of March is a short but exciting month with Spring Break! We hope all of our families have a wonderful and safe Spring Break week. Our Eagles continue to SOAR and we encourage you to help your student finish the final nine weeks strong. The last grading period starts after Spring Break.
Our Eagles are preparing for STAR and FAST Assessments. All assessments will run April through May, and we will send home testing dates soon. Please check the school calendar (listed below) and all communication/newsletters from your student's teacher for upcoming school events.
Go Eagles!!
Mr. Stevens
MARK YOUR CALENDERS
3/8 - End of the Grading Period
3/11-3/15 - Spring Break3/28 - Report Cards
3/29 - No School for Students
4/5 - Friday Family Lunch (*Final One of the School Year Due to State Testing)
4/12 - Volunteer Cafe
4/13 - EAGLE FEST 3:00-6:00PM
4/18 - Focus on Achievement Night
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
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.
Specialists' Newsletter
Student Recognition
12 of our students performing in the Ignite Choir performance at Experience PCS.
Our Eagles did an awesome job showing off their musical abilities at the Elementary Beginning Band Festival! They played songs with other students from Leila Davis Elementary, Sunset Hills Elementary, Tarpon Springs Elementary, Jamerson Elementary, and St. Petersburg High School.
Updates from Mrs. Shipley!!
Hello volunteers!
Wow, can you believe there’s only 3 months left to the 2023/2024 school year? The month of March is a little short on time due to Spring Break, but we still have many opportunities for you to volunteer. Please make a note of all the important dates below and volunteer when you can. Thank you in advance for being so generous with your time ❤
Upcoming Dates and Volunteer Opportunities:
- Friday, March 1st – First Friday Family Lunch Day – Level 2 Volunteers are needed for this program to continue. Please sign up here during a time when you are NOT having lunch with your student: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F48ABA62BA31-44548048-first If you are participating in Family Lunch Day with your student, please remember the following:
- Plan to arrive NO EARLIER than 10 minutes prior to your student’s lunchtime. It is helpful to let your child know if you are coming so they can look for you.
- Bring your Driver’s license to check in at the front office
- You may ONLY have lunch with YOUR student, friends without parents present are not allowed to join you..
- Students must remain seated with you at ALL times and when you are finished, students must be returned to the cafeteria to line up with their class.
- ONLY Level 2 Volunteers may enter the cafeteria to pull a student for lunch or get any needed supplies.
- Field Days 3/4,5,6 - volunteers needed: sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F48ABA62BA31-48220719-cypress#/
- Thursday, March 7th – Spring Photos – thank you, Paige L. and Erin M. for volunteering! Pre-Order your Spring Photos www.leonards.com/photoprepay using the access code C619462 or return order envelope with exact change or check payable to Leonard’s.
- Monday – Friday, March 11th through 15th is Spring Break! No School
- Friday, March 29th – No School
- Friday, April 12th is our next Volunteer Café – Please join us anytime between 9:00 and 11:30 AM to work on various projects for our teachers and staff. We will be in the Nest Classroom this month. Refreshments and coffee will be provided. It’s a great time to meet other parent volunteers while also helping our teachers who appreciate the gift of your time! RSVP is much appreciated, but not required.
All About Field Trips: Teachers will let you know if/when there is a field trip and ask for chaperones. Please note, some field trips restrict the number of chaperones, your child’s teacher will let you know if you have been selected. All chaperones must be registered volunteers and have an active status. If you have never registered to volunteer, you may do so at www.pcsb.org/volunteerregistration. The registration will generate a free district background check for a Level 1 status and usually takes up to 5 business days, you will receive a system generated email once you have been approved to volunteer. If you have already registered to volunteer but have not reactivated for this school year, you will need to log into the volunteer system and answer the reactivation questions. Please see the attached instructions that include the volunteer system web address and your login format. DO NOT use a phone or skip questions as this will place you on hold. The system works best with a PC on Google Chrome as your browser.
Many field trips require Level 2 screenings if you will be separated from a staff member during the field trip. This is an extra level of background check that requires fingerprinting that costs a fee and last for 5 years. Please follow this link for more information about our approved Level 2 fingerprint vendors: www.pcsb.org/Level2 You must obtain your Level 1 approval before going for your Level 2. The district does not notify me when volunteers are upgraded to Level 2, so you will need to follow up with me about 1 week after you get fingerprinted. Then we can arrange for you to get a Level 2 badge and complete some forms required by the district.
Finally, please continue to log all your volunteer hours in the volunteer system including PTA meetings, classroom help, field trips, mentoring, tutoring, helping from home, and more. Every hour counts, we are so thankful for all you do and thrilled to be able to share this information with the District and FL Department of Education. Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance.
Thanks for all your support and have a marvelous March!
Cypress Woods PTA
Get the latest updates from our PTA. Please consider joining PTA or participating in one of their awesome programs!
https://www.cypresswoodspta.com/