August 12, 2022
Dear Cypress Village Families:
Welcome to the 2022-2023 Cypress Village Elementary School year! I hope that you and your family have had a fun and relaxing summer break. I would like to start off by saying how thrilled we are to begin this school year and how anxious we are to see your child and welcome him/her back to school.
We have had a busy and exciting summer. Please join us in congratulating Michelle Hulley on her new position as Oak Creek’s new assistant principal. We are incredibly happy for her as she moves into her much deserved role. The Oak Creek community is very lucky to have her as part of their school’s leadership team. We are also very lucky to have our new Cypress Village TOSA, Jessi Rath, joining our team. Jessi comes to us with a vast amount of experience. She has been in education for 16 years, 13 as a classroom teacher and three as the TOSA at Stone Creek. She is so excited to join the staff at Cypress Village and is passionate about building relationships with staff, students, and families.
As we begin this school year, I want to assure you that the staff and I are committed to providing each student with a safe and orderly learning environment and a rigorous, challenging, and developmentally appropriate curriculum. Each teacher will be sharing his/her specific plans for the year ahead at our annual Back to School Night for parents of students in grades kindergarten through 6th grade, scheduled on Thursday, September 1st. We will be holding our Back to School night in-person in your child’s classroom. I strongly encourage you to become an active partner with Cypress Village Elementary School and your child’s teacher.
The first day of school is Thursday, August 18th. Class assignments will be available on-line at www.iusd.org through the parent portal beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17th. Please be advised that class lists will not be posted at school. If you need assistance accessing the parent portal, please contact our school office. You may also contact helpdesk@iusd.org. Students who are currently registered have been assigned to a classroom. As you know, the number of students assigned to a classroom is limited. Students were assigned to classes with great care based on a number of criteria; balance between boys and girls, equal number of students in each class, academic balance, individual student needs, and enrollment in specialized school programs. Please understand that priority is given to those criteria that protect the integrity of the classroom and ensure the best learning environment for all students.
At this time, we are still experiencing an influx of new students and enrollment activity because of our student centered environment, and our students’ high academic achievement. Therefore, there is always a possibility that we may need to hire additional teachers or reconfigure classes which would require the reassignment of several students after school begins. Please be advised that all class placements should be considered tentative at this time. If your child’s placement will be affected, you will be notified. Because it takes about two weeks after the first day of school for enrollment to stabilize, we will not be making any class reassignments prior to August 29th. At that time, should you request that we reconsider your child’s class placement, please put this request in writing through an email stating the reasons for the request. Each request will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
Students in grades 1 - 3 will begin school at 8:15 A.M and dismissed at 2:15 P.M. Students in grades 4-6 will begin school at 8:00 A.M. and be dismissed at 2:37 P.M. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays and minimum days, students in grades 1 – 6 will begin school at the same time as the other days and be dismissed at 1:20 P.M. Please see the more detailed daily schedule available on our school’s website. You may also view our school calendar on our school website. Please check back regularly for updates.
You will receive notification by email requesting you to complete and update information online through our Data Confirmation process. Please CLICK HERE for instructions. It is imperative that this process be completed before school begins. As part of the Data Confirmation process, you will be asked to read our Parent Handbook. The handbook covers a variety of pertinent guidelines and policies associated with our school and the district. Please read it carefully and review the information with your child. This information is also available on our school website. In addition, the “Cypress Village Forecast” will be sent electronically to communicate pertinent information and upcoming events each Friday. It is also recommended that you follow our Cypress Village Elementary’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. In order for us to effectively communicate with you, it is imperative that we have an accurate email address on file. Changes in your email can be made through the Parent Portal located at www.myiusd.org or by contacting the front office.
Around any elementary school, there are a few challenges present. Of greatest concern is the automobile traffic around the school and the related congestion at arrival and dismissal times. For this reason, in collaboration with the Irvine Police Department and the City of Irvine, very specific procedures have been created and exist for dropping students off, picking them up, and parking. Your cooperation and flexibility is requested with these established guidelines. As a reminder, the loading and unloading zones are for dropping off and picking up students. At no time should a driver leave his or her car unattended and parked in the loading zones. In addition, double parking is illegal and unsafe and may result in a traffic violation fine. The Irvine Police will be patrolling surrounding areas and violators will be cited. CLICK HERE for our Drop Off Procedure Map.
We encourage families to walk to school when possible and utilize the street parking around the school. We are lucky to have many entrance points on our campus. As we did last year, students will be dismissed from their classroom door. Please walk-in or park in an area that is closest to your child’s classroom. You do not need to drop off or pick up your child from the front parking lot. In fact, we encourage you to find an area around the school that works for you and your child since the parking lots can become congested during arrival and dismissal. We will be sending out a line up and classroom map in the Cypress Village Forecast. Once you receive your child’s teacher assignment the day before school, please reference the map so you know where your child’s classroom is located.
Lastly, the Nutrition Services Department is excited to share that the State of California has committed to serving free meals to all students on campus this upcoming school year. ALL students will receive free meals throughout the 2022-23 school year. While meals are free for all students, families are still highly encouraged to complete a free or reduced-price meal application to ensure your child receives additional benefits to which they may be entitled. If approved, these applications may qualify families for Pandemic EBT 3.0 (P-EBT) Cards, discounted college application fees, discounted school events, and discounted utilities through gas, electricity, internet, or phone providers. These applications also benefit schools by providing increased funding through the Local Control Funding Formula, including funding for support staff, computers and other technology. CLICK HERE for more information and to apply for these additional resources.
Once again, welcome to our new and returning students. We are honored to have the opportunity to work with your child. As always, should you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 936-8900 or email me at jenniferlambert@iusd.org.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lambert
Principal