Gatoraid 10109

GATORAID School Phone: 408-252-5414

~ Absence Line 408-252-5414-6

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SCHOOL CALENDAR

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FAX 408-996-9725

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OCTOBER 1, 2009 9/28-10/2 10/1 10/2 10/2 10/5-10/13 10/6 10/8 10/9 10/9 10/13 10/13 10/13 10/16 10/19-10/23 10/20 10/21 10/26 10/27 10/27 10/30

6:00-8:00 p.m.

8:00-9:30 a.m. 7:15 p.m. 8:00-9:30 a.m. 5:00-8:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3:00-5:00 p.m. 8:00-9:30 a.m. 3:45 p.m. 8:00-9:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. 8:15 a.m.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR FALL SOCIAL AND BOOK FAIR - GLC SPIRITWEAR ORDERING DEADLINE GARDEN GATE PTA DIRECTORY DEADLINE PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES 12:30 DISMISSAL -GRADES 1-5, KINDERGARTEN - SEE SCHEDULE PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM PTA MEETING - GLC DIRECT DONATION CONTEST DEADLINE REFLECTION ART CONTEST DEADLINE PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM BACK TO SCHOOL CELEBRATION AT “THE JUNGLE” C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM FALL CELEBRATION - FIELD RED RIBBON WEEK PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING STAFF LEARNING DAY - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM HALLOWEEN PARADE

Parent Traffic Duty: October 5th - 9th - Parents from Rms. #14 & #15

EVERY TUESDAY IS EARLY DISMISSAL – Students are dismissed at 1:30. PRE-PAY FOR CUSD LUNCHES at PAMS (Parent Account Management System) Lunchroom! You can make payments and view your students account balance online by going to http://www.pamslunchroom.com or by calling 1-888-994-5100. TO EMAIL STAFF:[email protected] ATTENDANCE: If your child will be absent, please call 252-5414. Ext. 6, by 8:30 a.m. to report the absence. HOMEWORK: Homework may be requested for illness absences of three days or more. Please call the office before 9:00 a.m. to request the homework for pickup after 3:00 p.m.

FROM OUR PRINCIPAL....MRS. WOOD!

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Fall Social & Scholastic Book Fair –Thursday, October 1 (6:00-8:00p.m.) I hope to see everyone at tonight’s Book Fair & Family Dinner Night. The evening will start at 6:00 p.m. and end at 8:00 p.m. There are more books than ever from which to select a new favorite, and it’s always great to connect with our community to share a delicious dinner! Also, we will have a bike clinic where skilled volunteers will check your bicycles to make sure they are in tip top shape. Please come! Thank you to all of the volunteers who have made this evening possible, including setting up, staffing, and taking down the Book Fair, as well as providing and serving the food. Let us not forget the hardy souls that help with that ever important clean up! Thank you to all! Special thanks go to the Fall Social Chairperson, Mahalakshmi Rameshbabu, and Book Fair Chairperson, Azmeh Ahsan.

Goal Setting Conferences – October 5th – 13th (Grades 1st through 5th ) Don’t forget that next week starts our annual goal-setting conferences. By now, you should have scheduled a time with your child’s teacher to meet and discuss the goals for this school year. This is an opportunity for you to team with your child’s teacher to set a course for the success of your child. The bottom line is we want your child to be successful, not only in his/her current grade, but for the future. You are a big part of that plan and we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with you! Please remember that our school schedule will change. Below are the times for the school day. 10:00 a.m.

Morning Recess

11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

K-3 Lunch

11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

4-5 Lunch

12:30 p.m.

Student Dismissal

Study finds three ways to help your child succeed in school. Parents want their children to do their best in school. But what works? A study by researchers at Indiana University found that children do better in the classroom when parents: 1. Are positive. You know that your child is sensitive to your emotions. Not surprisingly, the study found that also to be true for parents' attitudes about schoolwork. Parents who thought their child could do an assignment successfully had a child who believed that, too. In addition, the study found that encouragement from a parent led a child to be more motivated. Model positive attitudes, and your child will copy them. 2. Break it down. A long assignment can overwhelm your child. One of the easiest things you can do to help is to break that big task into smaller pieces. The study found that when children worked at a task they thought they could handle, they did better at it. 3. Teach the importance of a final check. One of the best habits to instill in your child is to look over his work before handing it in. Oops--he added when he should have subtracted. He wrote their instead of there. Correcting these minor mistakes can lead to a much better overall grade. In addition, the study found that children who were in the habit of checking over their work were more likely to volunteer to answer questions in class. Reprinted with permission from the September 2009 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2009 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Anne Dopkins Stright and others, "Instruction Begins in the Home: Relations Between Parental Instruction and Children's Self-Regulation in the Classroom," Journal of Educational Psychology (American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/journals/edu).

Calling All Gators! Walk/Bike/Carpool to School on Wednesday, October 7th

Join your friends walking, biking or carpooling to Garden Gate on Thursday, Oct. 7th. Look for the flier in this week’s Gatoraid. Mark your calendar, and ride your bike, scooter or skateboard, walk or carpool with a friend or neighbor to Garden Gate on Wednesday, October 7th. Be a part of the National Walk/Bike/Carpool to School month!

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125

PTA CORNER

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

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Hello Gator Families, Thursday Night at Garden Gate is turning out to be a very festive night from 6-8 p.m.! • Fall Social Dinner - For those who pre-ordered their dinners – BRING YOUR COUPONS! • Spirit Wear for Sale - Order T-shirts and sweatshirts with Garden Gate logos to show your support for our school. They are great for easy identification on fieldtrips too! • The Book Fair - Open from 6-8 p.m. • New Special Event - A Bike Safety Check - Have your bikes checked by Alan Takahashi, a Cupertino Commissioner for Bike Safety. He will make minor adjustments to the bikes and helmets to ensure proper operation and safety! Besides the Thursday events, volunteers are also currently busy with the following: the PTA Membership Drive, Directory data entry, Direct Donation, Scrip Sales, Fall Celebration preparation, Walk-Bike-To-School Day, Red Ribbon Week preparation, Spirit Wear Sales, Project Cornerstone - Continuing Education for Parents, and the Reflections Art Contest. We are also getting ready for our next PTA meeting on October 8th! As you can see, there is a lot going on in the Garden Gate PTA! Please know two important things: 1) We do it for the kids. 2) We can always use a helping hand. Please contact me if you just want to help out. 6th District Training for PTA Positions!! The 6th District (the next level up from the Garden Gate PTA) is providing free PTA training on Saturday, Oct 10th from 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Are you curious about a PTA position but want to know about it before taking it on? Would you like more training for the PTA position you already have? Please go to http://www.capta6.org/ training/ for more information and registration Direct Donation We are almost at our Direct Donation goal. We have received $47,000 very generous dollars so far. Our “goal” is to reach a minimum of $50,000. Our “hope” is to reach $55,000! Additional orange envelopes are available in the school office or you may simply use any envelope and mark it Direct Donation. If you have already made a donation, please consider giving a little more. If you have yet to give, please do it now. This will eliminate the necessity for doing additional fundraisers and/or cutting our present programs! Thank you for your generosity!

Kathleen McCulloch Garden Gate PTA President

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125

GATORAID OK FAIR IS THE FALL SOCIAL AND BO TOBER 1ST! TONIGHT, THURSDAY, OC ight from 6:00 to ton Please come and join us enjoy dinner, and l cia So ll 8:00 p.m. for our Fa fety check. There the Book Fair, and a Bike Sa s available to are still a few dinner coupon purchase. See you there!

SPIRIT WEAR ORDERS ARE DUE FRIDAY!

Friday, October 2nd is your last opportunity to place your order for your 2009-2010 Garden Gate t-shirt and/ or sweatshirt. These are available in both adult and children sizes (sample of sizes are in the school office). If you misplaced your order form, more are available in the school office.

SCRIP DRAWING

The Scrip drawing for the months of August and September will take place on Tuesday, October 6th at 1:15 at the scrip table. It is not necessary to be present to win. A special “thank you” to everyone who purchased Scrip and helped Garden Gate School.

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PROJECT CORNERSTONE: MAKING A CHAMPION OF OUR CHILDREN - HOW DO WE AS PARENTS ENSURE THAT OUR KIDS WILL THRIVE?

- What does my child need in order to enjoy a successful life? - How can I show my child that I support his/her efforts and dreams? - How can I know what is most important in helping my child to succeed in school academically and in life? - Are there enough positive adults in my child’s life? For simple answers to all the above questions please join the 6 week Taking Asset Building Personally parent study group. This study group will be presented by Linda Silvius from Project Cornerstone at Garden Gate on October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, and 10. We will meet in the staff lounge. A one time donation of $10 is suggested. Please RSVP by Oct 5th and email Alexandra Chong at [email protected] or call 408-725-0448. Please leave your name, number, and email address. Paper flyers are available in the school office. Please turn them in to the office or to your child's teacher. HOT LUNCH ENVELOPE PROBLEMS

2009-2010 NATIONAL PTA REFLECTION PROGRAM

It is time once again for the National PTA Reflections Arts Competition! Entries will be accepted Oct. 5th to Oct. 9th. The theme this year is “Beauty Is. . .” As parents, we are aware that the arts are extremely important to our children’s education and growth. Expression of thoughts and feelings through creativity and interpretation of a theme is an immeasurably valuable learning process which utilizes both the left side (logic) and the right side (creativity) of the brain. Though the Reflection Program follows the format of a contest, the primary goal is to encourage participation and instill an appreciation of the arts. Please encourage your child to think about this exciting theme and to participate with his/her own best creation! Entries can be submitted in one or all of the following six categories: Visual Arts, Literature, Photography, Composition, Film/Video Production and Dance Choreography. Age groups are K-2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade. Remember that all entries must be an original creation from your child. For entry forms and rules, please visit the following website: http:// www.capta6.org/reflections/parents.html

We are experiencing some difficulties with the way the blue lunch envelopes are being turned in to the school. Frequently, the blue lunch envelopes are coming in unsealed. Some of these have cash, including coins and are handled by several people before ending up in the office. We've had money missing as a result of this since it often falls out of the envelope. Please make sure you seal the envelopes before giving them to your children. This will help ensure that your student gets credit for the total amount of money you turned in. Thank you.

DISTRICT CALENDAR October 26, 2009 StaffLearning Day November 11, 2009 Veteran’s Day November 25, 26 and 27, 2009 Thanksgiving Recess December 21,2009-January 1, 2010 Winter Recess January 18, 2010 Martin Luther King Day February 15-19, 2010 Mid-Year Recess March 15, 2010 Staff Learning Day April 12-16, 2010 Spring Recess May 28, 2010 Staff Learning Day May 31, 2010 Memorial Day June 10, 2010 Last Day of School

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Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125

GATORAID!

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DISTRICT NEWS SECTION CUSD BUDGET UPDATE MEETINGS Given the unprecedented magnitude of the state budget crisis and the uncertainty surrounding Cupertino Union School District’s funding, Superintendent Phil Quon will be holding a number of budget update meetings throughout the District during October 2009. The Superintendent would like to invite all interested parents and community members to attend and hear what steps the district is taking to try and weather the state budget crisis. Please attend any meeting that is convenient for you. Here is a list of meeting schedules and their locations: • • • • •

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 – 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Hyde Middle School, Multi-Purpose Room (19325 Bollinger Road in Cupertino) Monday, October 12, 2009 – 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Middle School, Multi-Use Room (821 Bubb Road in Cupertino) Wednesday, October 14, 2009 – 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Miller Middle School, Gymnasium (6151 Rainbow Drive in San Jose) Thursday, October 29, 2009 – 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Lawson Middle School, Event Center (10401 Vista Drive in Cupertino) Monday, November 2, 2009 – 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Cupertino Middle School, Gymnasium (1650 S. Bernardo Avenue in Sunnyvale)

If you have any questions, please contact Jeremy Nishihara at (408) 252-3000, Extension 323.

H1N1 GUIDELINES The Santa Clara County Public Health Department guidance recommends that, based on current flu conditions, students and staff with flu-like illness stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). You can help keep our schools healthy by adhering to the following guidelines: •

Continue to enforce proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. The recommendations continue to emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of disease prevention: Stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible or alcohol based hand sanitizer, and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).

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Leave accurate information as requested on the school’s absence line if you child is sick. This will help the school identify any potential issues as soon as possible.

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Promptly pick up your child from school if they are sent home for being ill. The school will keep ill students separated from others until they can be sent home. Please make sure that the school office has your updated contact information.

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Any returning students after an illness with a fever will need to have their temperature taken in the school office before returning to class. Teachers will be sending returning students back to the office to have their temperatures taken if they arrive directly to the classroom without being cleared.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125