SOARING EAGLE NEWS
NOVEMBER 2021
Message From Mrs. Hill
We have been busy here at Cypress Woods Elementary! It is hard to believe that the first marking period is over and we are halfway through the second marking period. Thanksgiving break is just two weeks away and we a lot going on around campus. Now is a good time to reflect on your child’s academic progress. Celebrate your child’s successes and set some goals for areas of improvement. If you have not already had a conference with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to schedule one in the coming weeks. Collaboration with your child’s teacher is essential to bridge the connection between home and school. Mr. Stevens and I enjoy visiting classrooms each day and watching our Eagles happily engaged in learning. Each day they are striving to become the best readers, writers, mathematicians and scientists. November and December will be very busy months on our campus. This week we have our annual Veteran’s Day ceremony and on November 17th, we will be hosting the Great American Teach In. We have many parents, grandparents, and friends ready to share their careers and talents with our students.
We are beginning to see an increase in tardies from many of our students in the morning. Please remember students must be in their classrooms at 8:45AM each morning. Family vacations, heavy traffic, and oversleeping are considered unexcused tardies/absences. The most crucial learning hours of a school day are the morning hours, because they are when students are most attentive. Students who are tardy miss the beginning of their morning classes, and they also cause a distraction when they arrive late to the classroom. Research shows that students who are frequently tardy have lower GPAs, lower scores on standardized assessments, and lower graduation rates. Chronic tardiness in elementary and middle school is also linked to failure in high school. The classroom experience is of unique value and cannot be duplicated by make-up work, so please take the time to familiarize yourself with the tardy and attendance policy posted in this newsletter. Thank you again for your continued support!!
Staff Recognitions
This is the time of the year where Pinellas County Schools seek nominations for Support Employee of the Year and Outstanding Educator of the Year. We have many, many outstanding staff members (both support and instructional) who support the success of our Eagles year after year. While the hard work and dedication of every staff member does not go unnoticed, we only can select two outstanding staff members. After nominations were submitted by staff and parents we have two excellent candidates that will represent Cypress Woods this year.
Jennifer Reznick, School Nurse, is our CWE Support Employee of the Year
Mary Mulligan, 3rd Grade Teacher, is our CWE Teacher of the Year
Mark Your Calendars
11/11 - Veteran's Day Assembly 9:00 AM
11/17 - Great American Teach-In
11/22 - 11/26 - Thanksgiving Break
11/29 - School Resumes
12/1 - Chick Fil A Spirit Night 5:30-7:30 PM (Drive Thru Only)
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 SCHOOL COUNSELOR, LAURA TRUDELL
New Career Awareness Resource on Clever:
Career Awareness Resource available for students. Great American Teach -in is coming up and this resource is an interactive tool for students to learn and explore about a variety of careers. Students can access this resource under their Clever account.
Kuder Galaxy® helps children from pre-K through fifth grade expand their visions and imagine even more possibilities for themselves.
Galaxy harnesses the power of play to introduce concepts about work. It combines games and activities with fun characters and informational videos to guide children step-by-step to greater career and self-awareness. Children begin with simple concepts such as what work is and why people do it. As they progress, they become aware of different work settings and education pathways. They also begin to consider their own developing interests and preferences for work tasks and environments. By level five, students have begun to think broadly about occupations that might interest them, and they discover practical steps they can take to learn more about various occupations.
NOTES FROM TAYLOR HUGGAN, LMTS
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
After a busy first few months, we are happy to see our Covid-19 numbers on the decline around campus as we jump into the second quarter! We continue to encourage the use of face coverings for students, staff and visitors. Hand sanitizer remains readily available throughout the school and students are given frequent opportunities to wash their hands during the day.
Our strict guidelines regarding illness still remains in effect this year. Please be sure you are assessing your student for illness daily. If your student is not feeling well, please keep them home. Students with suspected symptoms of Covid-19 (cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, congestion, chills, fatigue, loss of taste/smell, etc.) will be required to quarantine for 10 days unless they provide the school with a negative Covid-19 test or a Doctors note clearing them to return.
In addition to monitoring your student for general illness, it is also advised to check your child’s hair regularly for lice and nits! PCSB has a no nit policy and any child found to have lice or nits will need to remain home until all nits are removed.
Please keep a clean change of clothes in your child's backpack at all times! This includes older students as well! Accidents and spills happen, and we don’t want your child missing important instructional time waiting for parents to drop off clothes.
Please also be advised that school nursing care and services are prioritized by need, severity, and level of care required. Scrapes, bumps and complaints of minor illness/discomfort (such as stomachaches and headaches) are generally handled by the students classroom teacher and in most cases do not require evaluation by licensed healthcare staff. If your student is seen by a member of health services, they will be evaluated and it will be determined if a parent needs to be contacted for pick up or follow up care.
As a reminder, Pinellas County Schools has a very strict policy regarding medication. NO students may transport medication to or from school. ALL medications must be signed into the clinic by a parent and distributed as needed by trained staff. This includes over the counter medications, such as Tylenol and cough drops.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the healthcare needs of your student, please reach out to the clinic.
NOTES FROM OUR MUSIC TEACHER, MRS. RICHTER
The annual Veterans Assembly will take place on Thursday, November 11th on the Cypress Woods Elementary PE courts at 9:00 am. The third grade students will perform a few songs at this assembly. If you have a child in 3rd grade, please have them wear red, white, and/or blue that day. In effort to limit the amount of people we have on campus for this event, we are asking for only Veterans and parents of 3rd grade students to attend. If you would like to attend, please plan to check in through the front office at 8:50 am.
Community Veterans Concert
The evening of November 11th our 4th and 5th grade Soaring Sounds Chorus will perform at a Community Veterans Concert at East Lake High School at 7:00 pm. This concert will include choirs from Carwise Middle School and East Lake High School. There is a $5 suggested donation at the door.
If you have any questions, please e-mail Mrs. Richter at richtere@pcsb.org
OPERATION Cypress woods
Shopping for 900 soldiers begins NOW!
DONATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 11, 2021
It’s that time again where we collect for our well deserving military men and women. This year, Cypress Woods’ goal is 70 boxes and with your help, we can do it! Please send it in with your student or drop it off in the office. Please donate any of the following items:
· DVD Movies
· Travel toothpaste/toothbrushes/floss
· Candy, candy canes
· Wet wipes
· Gum, hard candy
· Socks
· Hot chocolate mix, powdered drink mix
· Mouthwash
· Knit Hats
· Magazines
· Protein bars, trail mix, snacks
· Pens, pencils
· Slim Jims (beef only)
· Tissues
· Small cross word / sudoku books
· Magazines
· Microwave Popcorn
· Travel shaving cream/lotion
· Rice Krispy Treats
· Eye glass wipes
· Lip balm
· Instant coffee
For more info: Cypress Woods front office 538-7325. Please send all donations with your child to school. All donations will be presented at our celebration on November 11th.
Looking for a Job?
Rotary Student of the Month
SAFETY PATROLS OF THE MONTH
Notes From Kim Shipley, Family & Community Liaison
Greetings Volunteers!
It’s been so nice to see everyone volunteering on campus again! Thank you for your help with the Book Fair and all you do to support our teachers in the classroom, we truly appreciate you. Please remember to record all your volunteer hours in the volunteer system (Volunteer System instructions attached). Please contact me if you need any assistance navigating the volunteer system. If you have not reactivated or registered as a volunteer yet, please do so now:
- If you have never registered before go to www.pcsb.org/volunteerregistration to register online
- If you already registered in the past and haven’t reactivated yet, simply log into the volunteer system and answer the reactivation questions (See Volunteer System Instructions attached) Please be sure you use a PC and google chrome, do not use a phone or tablet as this may place you on a hold.
Remember, all volunteers will need to check-in at the front desk with their driver’s license and wear a badge/sticker on your upper body. Please note that masks continue to be strongly encouraged while on our campus, in fact we can provide one for you at the front desk upon request. Unregistered or inactive volunteers will not be permitted to volunteer.
Volunteer opportunities and Important Dates:
Veterans Day “Wall of Honor” Volunteers Needed: We need a few volunteers to help prepare our mobile wall for our Veteran’s Day Celebration on 11/11/21 (i.e. cover the wall with bulletin board paper, cut stars, put name labels on the stars, roll up certificates and tie a ribbon around them). Also, on the day of the event, 11/11, we will need a few Level 2 volunteers to help direct our guests to the PE Court for the show. If you’re interested, please let me know when/how you’re available to help.
Volunteer Café
We are going curbside for Volunteer Café again, at least for the first semester. This is where you can sign up to complete a project for one of our teachers or programs from home. Things like tearing out workbook pages, cutting, gluing, stapling, organizing/filing, etc. Please make a note of the sign-up & pick-up dates for these projects below so you don’t miss the opportunity to volunteer. Once you have completed the project(s), you can drop it off in our front office or call me to meet you out front. If the pick-up date/time doesn’t work for you, please feel free to sign up anyway and then email me with a more convenient day/time for pick up. Volunteers may sign up for one or multiple projects.
Sign-up Email Dates Pick-up Dates(11:15 AM – Noon)
12/06/21(Sign up) 12/10/21 (Pick up)
The Great American Teach In
This year it is scheduled for Wednesday, November 17th. This is a one day event where you are invited to share your career, hobbies and interests with our students. We are currently offering a choice of in person or virtual presentations with the understanding that the in person presentations may be switched to virtual if the covid numbers are high or if the teacher is uncomfortable with having visitors in the classroom. Please use the link below to sign up and feel free to share it with your relatives, neighbors and friends. Participants do not need to be registered as a volunteer for this one day event.
Also, we will need Level 2 volunteers available the day of the event to escort our guests to their presentation locations on campus and take pictures. Level 1 or 2 volunteers can help with check-in/out, set-up/clean-up, etc. We could also use clerical assistance prior to the event with printing certificates and possibly helping manage the schedule. If you would like to help in any of these areas, please let me know via email. Thank you to those who have already signed up!
Important Dates at a Glance:
- Thu November 11th – Veteran’s Day Celebration- we will need a few Level 2 volunteers to help direct visitors to our PE Court for the event, as well as a few helpers to assemble the Wall of Honor the week prior to the event, please contact shipleyk@pcsb.org if you can help!
- Wed. November 17th – Great American Teach In All Day Event! We will need greeters, hospitality helpers and Level 2 volunteers to assist our guest speakers around campus. If you haven’t already, please contact me at shipleyk@pcsb.org to volunteer to help.
- Mon. November 22-26 – No School Thanksgiving Break
- Wed. December 1st – Chick Fil A Spirit Night- drive thru or carry out at the Oldsmar location, remember to tell them you’re with Cypress Woods Elementary and a portion of the sales will be donated back to our school!
Thanks again for all your support!
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
1. Poinsettia Sale 11/5-11/18 (Pick up will be 12/2 - Pre Orders only)
2. Giving Tree permission forms will go home next week 11/10. Kids can begin choosing ornaments 11/18 and continue after Thanksgiving through 11/26 (or until all ornaments/gifts are filled)
If you would like to volunteer at our tree, watch our FB page and your email for updates. You must be a registered volunteer.
3. Thank you for all your support for our Fall Fundraiser! We did surpass our goal and raised over $30,000! A final number will be shared after the Day of Awesome when we receive our check!
4. We will run a 2nd order of spirit order starting 11/5-11/19. No orders will be accepted after 11/19 You can order online at: https://cypresswoods.memberhub.com/store or by paper form.
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