LCE January Newsletter
LCE: A Great Place to Be!
A Note from the Principal
Little Cypress Elementary Families,
I hope that you enjoyed a peaceful and joyous holiday season with your loved ones. The winter break provided a wonderful opportunity for rest and celebration, and we trust that you and your families made cherished memories during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
As we begin 2025, I want to inform you of two important upcoming events. Our Parent Conference Day is scheduled for January 20th, and you'll soon receive information about scheduling a meeting with your child's teacher to discuss their academic progress this school year. Additionally, we're excited to announce our Career Day on January 24th, where students will have the valuable opportunity to meet and learn from various business representatives from our local community. If you're interested in participating in Career Day and representing your business, please contact our school counselor, Mrs. Sydney Carr, at scarr@lcmcisd.org.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. E-mail is the fastest way to get to me, and my e-mail address is sstjohn@lcmcisd.org.
Sarah St. John
Principal
LCE January Calendar
Save the Date for February:
February 3rd - 7th - National School Counselor Appreciation Week
February 13th - 17th - Student Holiday
February 27th - First Grade Program at North Orange Baptist Church - 6:00 PM
February 28th - Birthday Celebration
LCE Staff Shout Outs
Dear Parents,
We’re excited to introduce our new Staff Shoutouts program, where you can recognize the amazing teachers and staff who make a difference in your child’s education! We believe that celebrating their hard work and dedication fosters a positive school community. Whether it’s a thoughtful lesson, a caring attitude, or going the extra mile, we invite you to share your appreciation. Scan the QR code to submit your shoutouts—let’s show our staff just how much they are valued!
Brittany Lalonde
Assistant Principal
Gifted and Talented Nominations
To nominate your child for the Gifted and Talented program, please use this link:
https://forms.office.com/r/7YuPUbshbw
A separate form will be sent for PLUS Class Nominations at a later date.
Nominations will be accepted for Kindergarteners through December 20th; nominations will be accepted for 1st through 3rd graders through March.
The identification criteria will ensure the fair assessment of students with special needs, such as the culturally divergent, the economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities. Data from multiple sources will be included in the assessment process for G/T services. At least three (3) or more measures (qualitative and quantitative) will be used (such as NNAT3, TABS, KOI, The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Student Products/Planned Lessons, District End- 0f-Year or State Assessment Scores, Academic Progress, etc.)
When all data needed for screening has been completed, the student profile will be reviewed by the campus Admissions-Review-Exit (ARE) Committee for placement.
Profiles (matrix/screening document) will be completed for each nominated student and blind profiles will be presented to the ARE Committee(s).
The admission decision for Kindergarten will be by February 28th, and the admission decision for 1st through 3rd grades will be after the final screening information is completed in May.
To see the entire elementary GT plan, please visit LCE.LCMCISD.ORG and select Campus Documents.
For further information, please reach out to Counselor Sydney Carr at scarr@lcmcisd.org.
School Board Appreciation Month
January is School Board Recognition Month – a time to celebrate the dedicated volunteers who shape the future of our school. These committed community leaders devote countless hours to making tough decisions and ensuring our students have the resources they need to succeed. They serve, driven purely by their commitment to quality public education, facing complex challenges that impact students, families, and staff members. This month, let's take time to thank our school board members for their selfless service and acknowledge their vital role in strengthening our educational community and preparing students for bright futures.
Career Day
A Note from Counselor Sydney Carr
Hello Wonderful Families of LCE!
This month we will focus on College and Career Readiness.
Students will help answer the question, "What do I want to be when I grow up?"
We are very excited about the LCE Career Day on Friday, January 24th.
We will highlight local jobs as well as different colleges and branches of the military.
If you'd like to get involved, please contact me at scarr@lcmcisd.org.
As always, if your student is in need of a visit to see me, please fill out the counseling referral form linked below.
January Dyslexia Newsletter
Car Line Procedures
Morning Drop Off
Afternoon Pick Up
DROP OFF:
LCE students should be dropped off between 6:50 - 7:10 a.m. The tardy bells rings at 7:15 a.m. and instruction begins at 7:20 a.m.
Only 2nd and 3rd grade students and Self-Contained students can be dropped off at the front of the school in the mornings. Everyone else will need to be dropped off in the back.
Parents with both LCI and LCE students may drop their LCE student off in the LCI car line between 6:50 - 7:10 a.m. After 7:10, all LCE students are to be dropped off at the LCE campus.
For safety reasons, please have your child ready to exit the vehicle on the passenger side. Please talk to your child about what it means to be ready to exit the vehicle. Please also stress to them not to run but to walk safely.
We know it will take a few days to get everyone used to drop off procedures again. After a few days, we will begin shutting the back doors at the 7:15 a.m. tardy bell.
Once the back doors are closed, you will need to drive to the front of the school, park, and escort your child into the building.
TURN RIGHT when exiting Meeks during drop off and pick up hours.
For the safety of your child and others, please do not use your cell phone while in the car drop off and pick up lines.
PICK UP:
The dismissal car line begins at 2:50 p.m.
Students cannot be checked out through the front office after 2:30 p.m. as we are in our final transition for the day. We will ask you to join the pick up line at that point.
The pick up line will run a little long for a few days, but after we get into the routine, it normally ends right at 3:10 p.m.
Please ensure that you are in line to pick up your child by 3:10 p.m.
If your child needs assistance to buckle, please pull ahead into the grassy area.
THE SCHOOL ISSUED CAR RIDER TAG MUST BE VISIBLE IN ORDER TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD. THIS IS A SAFETY MEASURE.
TURN RIGHT when exiting Meeks during drop off and pick up hours.
For the safety of your child and others, please do not use your cell phone while in the car drop off and pick up lines.
Bus Rider Information
Changes? Call Transportation at 670-4601 by 1:30 p.m.
Students must ride the bus to their assigned drop off location (home address/licensed day care).
All bus transportation changes must go through the Transportation Department 409-670-4601. Changes must take place before 1:30 p.m.
Without a note, the child will follow their established routine.
In an emergency, a phone call will be accepted but will require the student's last four digits of their social security number.
An adult must be present at the bus stop for all PK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students to be dropped off.
All students are eligible for FREE breakfast and lunch this year.
Upcoming Lunch Visitor Schedule
We rotate lunch visitors weekly, but we also allow two Skyward approved guests on your child's birthday. If your child has a birthday on the weekend, you can come the Friday before or Monday after.
The week of January 13th: Pre-K
The week of January 20th: Kindergarten / ECSE
The week of January 27th: First Grade
The week of February 3rd: Second Grade and Life Skills Grades 1-3
The week of February 10th: Third Grade
As a reminder, only two guests can attend lunch, and they must be listed and approved through Skyward. Guests must sit in the assigned guest lunch area or at the assigned table for their child's class.
Guests are not allowed to take photos of other students on campus, and other students are not allowed to sit with guests. Food can only be shared with your child.
Dress Code
The district prohibits any clothing or grooming that in the principal’s judgment may reasonably be expected to cause disruption or interference with normal school operations.
Shorts and skirts should be at least mid-thigh length and be hemmed.
Shirts should cover the midriff and have at least two (2) inch shoulder strap or sleeves. No muscle shirts or spaghetti straps.
Pants must fit at the waist or be belted. Baggy pants and jeans with holes above the knee will not be allowed. Holes above the knee with backing are allowed as long as the backing is intact.
All students are required to have shoes that are safe for participation in all physical education activities. Backless shoes, high-heeled shoes of any type, and flip-flops are prohibited. This is a safety issue and is in the best interest of the student. All rubber soled, laced up, closed back shoes (tennis shoes or any athletic type shoe) will be acceptable. Crocs are not allowed in PE.
Should you have to remove your child during the school day, please sign him/her out at the front office. School personnel will call for your child to meet you.
Please remember to send any doctor's notes upon the student's return to school. When absent, the student must have a signed parent note or doctor's excuse upon their return to school. New for the 2024-2025 school year: Absence notes must be turned in within 5 school days for a student to be counted excused.
Dear Families,
We are excited to announce that we adopted a new form of school-to-home communication at LCMCISD called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with LCMCISD. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:
Send and receive school and class information
Share pictures and files
See calendar items
Sign up to volunteer
Schedule parent-teacher conferences
and much more . . . all in one centralized place!
Parents—Getting Started Video
All district and school, grade level and classroom information for next school year will be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices).
Have questions? Click the question mark in the top right corner of the desktop version or the Help tab on the app (tap the triple bar icon at the top left) to find answers to most of your questions.
We are asking parents to go ahead and download the ParentSquare app to be ready for next school year!
Little Cypress Elementary Contacts
5723 Meeks
Orange, Texas 77632
409-886-2838
Sarah St. John, Principal
Brittany Lalonde, Assistant Principal
Sydney Carr, Counselor
Lisa Fisher, Secretary
Bianca Sanchez, Registrar
Misty Coleman, Nurse
Meagan Washburn, At-Risk Coordinator
Tammi Halliburton, Librarian