The Mane Tail

Dear Parent:

The attendance rate for Sampson Elementary for the 3rd six weeks was 92.94%. This is a significant drop from last year. We dropped 2.68% from the same six weeks in 2023. When your child is not present at school he/she misses valuable instruction. We certainly understand and support you in keeping your child at home if he/she is not feeling well, but please make sure that your child is at school every day that he/she is healthy. We will continue to advertise the district calendar as soon as it is released and throughout the summer so that families can plan their trips during school holidays. Thank you for helping keep education as a priority in our community.

Sincerely,

Heather Motzny

Monday, February 5th: Spring Picture Day

Wednesday, February 7th: 4th Grade Papa John's Spirit Night

Friday, February 9th: K.I.S.S. Dance

Friday, February 16th: Teacher Work Day (No School)

Monday, February 19th: Professional Development Day (No School)

Friday, February 23rd: 7:25 C.P.O.C. meeting in Sampson library (Public is invited.)

Friday, April 5th: BINGO

Friday,May 3rd: 5th Grade Biztown Field Trip

Students may bring in valentines for the class with one piece of candy attached to the valentine. We will not accept or distribute any goody bags. Students will be taking their valentine bags home to enjoy with their family.

The weather has gotten warmer, and we are beginning to see students wearing shorts and skirts again. The Cy Fair ISD Student Handbook states that "Bottoms" must fit at the waist or upper hip, must not reveal underclothing, and must be mid-thigh in length or longer. Tops must not reveal underclothing, midsection, torso or back. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

If you are the parent or guardian of a child in Cypress Fairbanks ISD, then this information is for you. We are looking for parents that would be interested in serving on the district's Special Education Parent Advisory Committee. The information about the committee and how to apply is below.

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

· Meet with the Director of Special education, and other administrators two times a year as a group

· Share useful special education information with parents of special education students

· Serve the Cy-Fair community as a resource to offer a forum for dialogue and dissemination of information regarding issues of concern to students who face academic, social, emotional, or physical challenges.

To be considered for the Special Education Advisory Committee,

please fill out the SEPAC application.

https://cyfairisd.formstack.com/forms/committee_sepac

Deadline to submit form is February 15, 2024.

K-5th grade:

El estado del tiempo o el clima (Weather)

Hace sol (It’s sunny)

Hace calor (It’s hot)

Hace viento (It’s windy)

Hace frío (It’s cold)

Está nublado (it’s cloudy)

Está lloviendo (it’s raining)

Está nevando (it’s snowing)

2nd-5th:

¿Cómo está el tiempo hoy? (What’s the weather like today?)

Hace buen tiempo (There’s good weather)

Hace mal tiempo (There’s bad weather)

Gracias,

Sra. Betancourt

Shirt Availability that can be purchased at the school -- Adult XL ($20), Youth Medium ($15) and Youth Large ($15).

You can also order online (there are a variety of styles) at www.dadsofgreatstudents.com .

Requests for Teachers to Complete Paperwork for Outside Sources

(Rating Scales, Observations, Areas of Strengths/Weaknesses)

In order for teachers to fill out forms or other information needed for outside sources (doctors, psychologists, agencies, private schools, taekwondo, tutors, etc.), we must have a release of information (consent) form from the parent. Parents may request the permission form from the counselor or through the teacher. A new permission form needs to be filled out each school year.

Once the permission form is completed and returned, the teachers may fill out the requested paperwork. At Sampson, we follow the CFISD’s procedure to send the paperwork directly to the outside source (doctors, psychologists, agencies, private schools, taekwondo, tutors etc.) via fax or mail. If the parent chooses for the information to be mailed, an envelope (addressed to the outside source with postage attached) should be included with the paperwork provided by the parent.

These procedures are to ensure the student’s needs are addressed legally and ethically.

If you have questions regarding this process, please contact the counselor.

Information about K-Level classes for 6th grade:

Once students reach middle school, core classes are leveled: On-level and K-Level.

• On-level classes, just like K-Level classes, provide students with a college preparatory curriculum.
• K-Level classes have entry criteria to be put into the classes and criteria students must meet in order to remain in K-Level for the school year.
• K-Level classes are designed to challenge students beyond grade-level academic courses and prepare them for success in future advanced coursework. K-level classes are more rigorous and in-depth in content, often move at a faster pace, include different types of assignments and may require additional outside reading.

Students are eligible for K-Level classes in 6th grade (2024-2025 school year) if during their 5th grade year:

• Earn a yearly average of 85+ in subject (reading/language-average, math, science and social studies)

OR

• Earn Masters Level on the STAAR exam for the corresponding subject area

Students who meet the criteria will automatically be placed in K-Level courses for the corresponding subject. Parents may opt the students out of K-Level classes.

If students do not meet the criteria for eligibility, they will not be placed in K-Level courses.

For the month of February, we will be focusing on the character trait Compassion as we Bring Out the Best in CFISD. Compassion is sympathy and concern for the misfortunes of others with a desire to help. You can access any of our lessons and activities through the district website here: https://www.cfisd.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=7582

Please send us a Kindergarten photo of your 5th grader!

Yearbook team is collecting a Kindergarten picture of each 5th grader to place next to their 5th grade school photo on their class page. We need your help!

1. Locate your 5th grader's Kinder photo (can be their school portrait, or any headshot from age 5/6)
2. Scan it, or take a picture of it (save it as a jpg in the highest resolution possible)
3. Label the jpg with 5th grader's name and teacher
4. Email it to sampsonyearbook@gmail.com BY FEBRUARY 9th!

We’re planning for the 2024-2025 school year! If you have an interest in serving on the PTO Board, or want more information about the positions available, please reach out to ptosampson@gmail.com. If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else, please fill out the NOMINATION FORM & return via email to ptosampson@gmail.com or to the front office.

5th Grade Parents- The BizTown Field Trip is Friday, May 3. We need your help!

*In Person Training March 22 & Chaperoning the Field Trip on Friday, May 3.
You must be trained to chaperone BizTown.
Training - Friday, March 22 @ 8:15am at Sampson Cafeteria (before BizTown interviews).
Signing up for the training on March 22, will let us know that you’re also planning to chaperone on May 3.
Sign up here: https://sampsonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/dashboard/volunteerform/123536

*Help facilitate BizTown Interviews on Friday, March 22, 9:00-10:10 am.
You’ll be trained right before the interviews in the Sampson cafeteria.
We need 50 volunteers.
Please wear business attire.
Sign up here: https://sampsonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/123563

Thank you to our VIP sponsors Brianna Bischoff, Realtor; Ryan Stegall with State Farm; and The Brook

Email: sampson@cfisd.net
Website: https://sampson.cfisd.net/en/
Location: 16002 Coles Crossing Drive, Cypress, TX, USA
Phone: 281-213-1600
Facebook: facebook.com/SampsonElementarySchool
Twitter: @SampsonElem