Eagle News

Dear Cypress Woods Families,

I hope this message finds you well. Let me start by wishing you all a Happy New Year! It is my hope this new year is filled with many successes. As a school community I look forward to all we will accomplish in 2025. Our Eagles are SOARing through the school year. During the winter break, I hope you had the chance to enjoy some rest and relaxation. We are off to a great start in 2025!! This week we started our School-wide Enrichment Model (SEM). Please be sure to ask your student about the first day in their cluster.

I am thankful for your partnership with our school. Cypress Woods is a true community school and our strength lies in our strong relationships with our stakeholders. Please continue to keep your student's education a priority. We look forward to seeing you at our many winter and spring events. Thank you for your continued support, and have a great weekend!

Go Eagles!!

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.

1/16 Report Cards Go Home

1/20 MLK Day - No School

1/22 Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night (Tampa Road, Oldsmar)

1/24 Family Lunch

1/25 PCS/Tampa Bay Lightning Ball Hockey Tournament (Boltsmar Rink, Oldsmar)

2/05 Ready, Set... Kindergarten - 5:30pm

2/05 Kindergarten Concert - 7pm

2/14 Club Photos

2/21-2/28 Book Fair

2/21 Parent/Daughter Dance - 6pm (Ruth Eckerd Hall)

2/28 Family Lunch

Important Dates:

Thursday - December 19th Kickoff in the PM

Friday - January 10th

Monday - January 13th

Friday - January 24th

Monday - January 27th

Friday - February 7th

Monday - February 10th

Friday - February 21st

Monday - February 24th

Friday - March 7th

Thank you to all those volunteers who have entered their volunteer hours so far. We are happy to report we have recorded 3815 hours so far this year! If you have not yet entered your volunteer hours, please do so. Every hour counts (PTA, SAC, Classroom, Lunch Pals, Field Trips, Volunteer Café, helping form home, etc.) This data is shared with the Florida Department of Education and shows the community involvement at our school and supports our volunteer program initiatives. The date of the volunteering is not as important as the hours themselves, you can log them all under the current date in one chunk if the activity is the same, otherwise make multiple entries based on the activity. I have attached instructions to the volunteer system that include the web page address and the login format. Please contact me if you need assistance logging your hours.

January is National Mentoring Month! Sending a sincere “Thank you” to all our CWE Lunch Pal Mentors for their support and commitment to our students. You make a positive impact in these students’ lives with your encouragement and guidance one lunch at a time. This impact shows in many ways including improved attendance, behavior, self-esteem, and confidence. We truly appreciate all you do, thank you!

CWE needs more Lunch Pal mentors, especially male volunteers! Lunch pals meet with a student who may be struggling at school or home, or they simply need extra attention from another caring adult in their life. They meet once a week during the student’s 30-minute lunch period. Please follow this link to learn about this program and sign up for the free district training to become a Lunch Pal mentor: www.pcsb.org/mentor

Important Dates and Opportunities:

• Mon. Jan. 20th – Dr. MLK Jr. Day – No School
• School Store Fundraiser Kick-off Jan. 21 – See instructions on your child’s lanyard when they get home and sign up!
• Chick-fil-A Spirit Day, Wed. Jan. 22nd – 5:30 – 7:30 PM (see flyer attached) Dine- in or Drive Thru and be sure to tell them you are with CYPRESS WOODS ELEMENTARY. They will donate a portion of the sales back to our school.
• Friday, January 24th – Friday Family Lunch – This event needs a minimum of 3 Level 2 volunteers per lunch period in order to happen. Please sign up here so everyone can enjoy this special event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F48ABA62BA31-51529096-friday#/ Simply plan to stay an extra 30 minutes before or after your child’s lunch and it would be a huge help!

If you are participating, please remember:

• Don’t arrive earlier than 5 minutes prior to your child’s lunchtime
• Bring your driver’s license to check in (as well as some patience)
• You may only have lunch with YOUR student, no friends can join unless their parent is present
• Students must remain seated with their parent/relatives, no running or playing in the amphitheater or turf areas
• Please return your student to the cafeteria before you leave
• The Level 2 volunteers wear a yellow vest and are the only ones permitted into our cafeteria to retrieve a student and are there to assist you.
• Wed. Feb. 5th Ready, Set, Kindergarten at 5:30 PM – For parents of new incoming Kindergarten students in the 2025 – 2026 school year.
• Wed. Feb. 5th Kindergarten Concert 7 PM - Cafeteria
• Fri. Feb. 7th Volunteer Café - Join us between 9:30 AM and Noon to work on various projects for our classroom teachers. Breakfast snacks and coffee will be provided, meet other volunteers, and support our teachers. Please RSVP to shipleyk@pcsb.org Mark your calendars: 3/7 is our next/last Volunteer Café.
• Fri. Feb. 14th Club Photo Day – We need 1 - 2 Level 2 volunteers to assist with club photos, organizing the students, etc. Please contact me at shipleyk@pcsb.org if you’re available to help from about 8:45 – 10:15 AM.
• Mon. Feb. 17th - School in Session (hurricane make-up day)
• Fri. Feb. 21st thru Fri. Feb 28th is our Book Fair – Ms. Reyes will need Level 2 helpers. Please reach out to her directly at reyesja@pcsb.org to coordinate a schedule and volunteer.
• Fri. Feb 21st Parent Daughter Dance 6PM at Ruth Eckerd Hall – This event is run by our PTA, so watch for more details and information. If you have questions or would like to volunteer to help with this event, please contact our PTA directly at cweptaboard@gmail.com
• Our next Family Lunch will be 2/28 – watch for updates

Thanks for all you do!

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