SOARING EAGLE NEWS
May 2019
PRINCIPAL POINTS FROM MRS. HILL
As I finish up my final message for the school year, I wonder where the school year has gone and how the end seems to come so fast these last few weeks? On behalf of the staff members of Cypress Woods Elementary School, I would like to thank our students, parents and families for another great year of learning. When you take a look at your child when they come home for summer vacation, I hope you are able to recognize the growth and maturity that he/she has achieved over the course of this school year. We, as a school, have been privileged to be a part of this development and are extremely proud of the work our Eagles have accomplished this year. As educators, our hope is that the lessons that are taught daily are ones that stay with them for their lifetime and help them to become better scholars, learners and citizens as they grow. I would like to thank all of our teachers and staff members for their dedication to our students and helping them and teaching them this school year. For our 5th graders, we wish them well as they move onto 6th grade. We know you are well prepared for middle school. We hope you come back and visit sometime…you are always welcome! Everyone have a great summer and we will see you in August.
Join Us For Focus On Achievement Night
NOTES FROM OUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, MRS. RENTZ
Notes from the Media Center
Notes From Kim Shipley, Family & Community Liaison
Dear Volunteers,
As another successful school year comes to an end, I want to share a few important dates and reminders:
We are still in need of testing proctors! Level 1 or 2 volunteers can help. A required training is scheduled for 3 PM on May 1st, if you are unable to make this training contact me and we will work something out. Please follow this link to sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f48aba62ba31-2019
Our Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon is Friday, May 17th in our Media Center from 11:00 – 1:30 PM. Please see the attached invitation and RSVP! We are still looking for door prizes, if you or anyone you know would like to help sponsor our event in this way, please let me know as soon as possible.
Testing is still in process, so please make a note of our upcoming “Quiet School” dates.. This means, no volunteering (unless pre-requested by the teacher and approved by Mrs. Hill) and no family friendly Friday lunches:
- May 1 & 2 (all day)
- May 3rd (until noon)
- May 6th (until noon)
- May 7th & 8th (all day)
- May 9th & 10th (until noon)
*These restrictions do not apply to our Mentors/Lunch Pals who will be able to meet with their assigned student during lunch in our lobby on their regularly scheduled days.
We desperately need a few more mentors, also known as “Lunch Pals”. We have students that need a little extra positive attention and a good listener. The district requires volunteers attend a free workshop training to participate in the program. Lunch Pals meet with the student once per week for 30 minutes, this small amount of time makes a huge difference! Please consider becoming a mentor, follow this link to see upcoming workshops and webinars and sign up! https://www.pcsb.org/Page/461
The last day to log volunteer hours is Friday May 24th (instructions attached) Please remember to log all your volunteer hours in focus, and any hours you may volunteer during the summer. Your service hours are really important to our school so please take a few minutes to do this though our volunteer system: https://focus.pcsb.org/volunteer. The hours are more important than the dates you volunteered, so it is okay to enter your hours in chunks. Please let me know if you need assistance and I will be happy to help!
The last day of school is Wednesday, May 29th, early release for students is at 12:45 PM.
The district will no longer deactivate your volunteer profile as they have in the past. However, Pinellas County Schools requires all volunteers to self-report any altercation with law enforcement that has resulted in criminal charges and/or convictions that may have occurred since their last background check/volunteer approval. Please notify me immediately if this occurs.
Finally, I want to thank everyone for all that you do to support our students and staff throughout the year and wish you a fantastic summer break. I hope to see you again next school year!
Kim Shipley
Family & Community Liaison
Cypress Woods Elementary
727-538-7325 ext. 2051
Notes from the School Secretary/Bookkeeper
We would like to remind our parents, that we are no longer able to accept any checks for payments for school activities or tuition (This does NOT include PTA or the cafeteria). Only cash or money orders will be accepted. Thank you.
Upcoming Dates & Events
- 5/5 Last Week for PTA Clubs
- 5/6 FSA Testing for 3rd-5th Grades Resumes
- 5/9 Focus on Achievement
- 5/10 No Lunch Visitors Due to FSA Testing
- 5/14 Lip Sync & PTA Meeting 6:30-8:00 PM
- 5/17 Volunteer Luncheon
- 5/23 Battle of the Books
- 5/23 Gifted Program Showcase 5:30-7:00 PM
- 5/24 2nd Grade Field Day 9-11 AM & Kindergarten Field Day 12:15-2:15 PM
- 5/27 Memorial Day - School Closed
- 5/29 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony @ ELHS 8:45-10:30
- 5/29 Last Day of School - Early Release 12:45
Quiet School & Closed Campus Dates for FSA Testing
Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Eagles are ready to shine on the upcoming state FSA Assessments. Specific testing dates have been communicated to intermediate parents. On testing days we will have a “Closed Campus” and a “Quiet School” during testing hours. A closed campus means we kindly request our volunteers and visitors to take a much-deserved rest on testing days. No one will be permitted to enter testing areas as we enforce a quiet school during testing hours. It is important to maintain a quiet, distraction free campus so the students can focus and do their very best!! Volunteers and visitors are welcome back on campus after testing days. Please note the following days we will have a quiet school/closed campus to maintain the optimum testing environment for our Eagles.
Closed Campus for volunteers/Quiet School
· May 6th (until noon)
· May 7th (All Day)
· May 8th (All Day)
· May 9th (until noon)
· May 10th (until noon)
Closed campus for lunch visitors
· Friday, May 3rd
· Friday, May 10th
*Lunch Pal Mentors will still be able to meet with students during lunch times and can only sit in the lobby area. Mrs. Shipley will communicate this to mentors.
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 29th. THIS IS AN EARLY DISMISSAL DAY AND STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED AT 12:45PM. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS CHANGE IN DISMISSAL TIME!
PTA THANKS
Cypress Woods Elementary would like to thank the outstanding PTA for another great year and for your continued support of our students and families. We appreciate your hard work! We send a special thank you to our outgoing president, Stacey Wendol, for her leadership these past two years. We will be voting on our new PTA board at the annual lip sync and general meeting in a few weeks.
A NOTE FROM CWE PTA
Hey Parents,
We are so excited to announce a new partnership with 1st Day School Supplies! We have collaborated with 1st Day School Supplies to help parents and teachers get the exact supplies needed for next school year without the hassle and aggravation of shopping at WalMart, Target or Staples. All boxes for 2019-2020 school year need to be ordered by June 30th. Boxes will be delivered to Cypress Woods at the end of the Summer, and then brought to your child's appropriate classroom. They can be ordered here - https://www.1stdayschoolsupplies.com/ It is so simple! Enter your zip code, find Cypress Woods, and choose the correct grade your child will be in next year. School supply shopping from home! Yay!
END OF THE YEAR REMINDERS
- Please pay off any negative cafeteria balances. See Ms. Kathy if you have any questions.
- Please return all classroom textbooks to Cypress Woods Elementary – Parents/Guardians will need to pay for any damaged or lost textbooks. Contact Mr. Stevens if you need to pay for a damaged or lost textbook.
- Please return all library books to the Media Center.
MEDICATION PICK UP
The school year ends on May 29th. Pinellas County School policy does not allow us to send medication home with students or store it over the summer. Please arrange to come to school to pick up any unused medication, including inhalers and Epi-Pens. Any unclaimed medications will be disposed of on Thursday May 29, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. without exception. Thank you for your cooperation.
2019/2020 CLASS LISTS
Postcards will be mailed the first week of August with your child’s TENTATIVE classroom assignment and teacher for next year. Please be sure to have a CURRENT address on file in FOCUS. If you do not have a current address on file, you WILL NOT receive a postcard. Therefore, you will need to visit the front office and verify your address or make the necessary changes in the Student Reservation System to change your address. Once you verify your address, we will then notify your child’s class assignment. All classroom assignments will be tentative due to class size mandates and shifts in enrollment. An automated message will be sent out to families when tentative assignments are complete and postcards are being mailed. Please keep in mind we do not accept requests for teachers and changes in class placement will only happen if needed to meet class size mandates.
Upcoming 2019-2020 Student Calendar
The first day of the 2019-2020 school year will be Wednesday, August 14, 2019. We will have a Meet n’ Greet for parents and students on Monday, August 12th. This will give parents and students the opportunity to see their new classroom and bring in any requested school supplies before the first day of school. Details with information and specific times will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, and our school website during the summer months. See below the student calendar for next year.
Wednesday, August 14 All schools open and classes begin.
Monday, September 2 Labor Day Holiday - schools closed for staff and students.
Monday, October 14 No School for students
Saturday, November 23- Thanksgiving Holidays - schools closed for staff and students.
Sunday, December 1
Saturday, December 21- Winter Holidays - schools closed for staff and students.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Monday, January 6 No School for students
Monday, January 20 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday - schools closed
Monday, February 17 No School for students
Saturday, March 14 - Spring Holidays - schools closed for staff and students.
Sunday, March 22
Monday, March 23 No School for students
Friday, April 10 No School for students
Monday, May 25 Memorial Day Holiday - schools closed for staff and students.
Friday, May 29 Last day for all students
ADDRESS CHANGES
Moving or planning to move?? According to the Code of Student Conduct, if you move during the school year or in the summer months, parents are required to give the school their new address within five days of their move. If the school discovers that you have moved and you have not informed the school, your child could be considered to be “found out of that school’s attendance area.” This could mean an immediate change of school for your child. Follow these easy steps to update your address and keep the district informed. Please be sure to provide updated phone numbers to us as well. These are extremely important in case of a child’s illness or other emergency.
Steps to change your child’s address:
Go to https://reservation.pcsb.org/ and login with your user ID and password
Click on change of Residence Address link and follow the steps
Proof of Residence
Requires two of the following items: utility bill for power, water, cable, sewer, or land-based telephone (not cellular); rental agreement or lease; closing document; Pinellas County tax statement including homestead exemption. These items must be recent and include the name of the parent/guardian and the service/home address.
Dress Code Reminders
Spring is here and with that comes warmer temperatures and pulling out shorts and shirts that your children might not have worn in a while. As you look to evaluate your child’s wardrobe for proper fit or need for replacement, we would like to remind you and your children about the Pinellas County Schools Dress Code.
- Students must wear shirts that cover midriff, back, sides and all undergarments including bra straps and have sleeves that cover their shoulders.
- Students must wear shorts, skirts or dresses that are at least mid-thigh in length.
- Students must wear clothing that is the appropriate size, covering all undergarments, including boxer shorts.
- Students have daily PE and recess. In order to participate safely, they must wear shoes or sneakers that do not have a high heel and cover their toes and heal completely.
Thank you for your help with this matter.
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