Gatoraid 102909

GATORAID School Phone: 408-252-5414

~ Absence Line 408-252-5414-6

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FAX 408-996-9725

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SCHOOL CALENDAR OCTOBER 29, 2009 10/30 10/30 11/2 & 11/4

8:15 a.m.

11/3 11/4 11/5 11/10 11/10

8:00-9:30 a.m.

7:00-9:00 p.m.

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

11/11 11/13 11/16 11/18 11/20 11/20

11/25-27 12/3 12/4 12/8

HALLOWEEN PARADE READ- A -THON OCTOBER SHEETS DUE GR. 5 - PARENT PREVIEW OF HUMAN GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS AT MEYERHOLZ SCHOOL PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM STUDENT PICTURES - GLC PTA MEETING PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM

VETERANS DAY - NO SCHOOL

3:45 p.m. 6:30-7:30 p.m. 7:15 p.m. 6:00 p.m.

FIRST TRIMESTER ENDS SECOND TRIMESTER BEGINS SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “TWINS” GENNIFER CHOLDENKO, AWARD WINNING AUTHOR - “ADULTS ONLY”

THANKSGIVING RECESS - NO SCHOOL PTA MEETING REPORT CARDS GO HOME C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM

Parent Traffic Duty: November 2nd - 6th - Parents from Rm. #22 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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STAFF LEARNING DAY - OCTOBER 26, 2009 Last Monday, Garden Gate and Stevens Creek schools held a joint learning day. Among our goals was the focus on what is meant by 21st Century Learning and what that concept means to those of us in education. We viewed videos from experts in the field outlining the impact to schools, students, and staff. As we know, the students coming into our schools today are coming with skills and knowledge unknown to us even a few years ago. We discussed what schools must do to meet the needs of our students. How do we prepare them for a global community and workforce? What essential skills and knowledge must they have? Many other thought-provoking questions and ideas surfaced in our discussions. However, it was rewarding to hear that we have many excellent strategies already in place to help our students. We feel that our school district and our parent community have always worked together to provide a world-class education to our students. Below are three of the videos we viewed and discussed on Monday. You are invited to also view them. We look forward to beginning conversations with our parent communities around these concepts. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=io8_UM1MrjA&feature=PlayList&p=830793235C57B371&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&ind ex=16 file://localhost/%20http/::www.youtube.com:watch %3Fv=io8_UM1MrjA&feature=PlayList&p=830793235C57B371&playnext=1&am p;playnext_from=PL&index=16 Nancy Wood, Principal, Garden Gate School Vivian Franklin, Principal, Stevens Creek School

HALLOWEEN PARADE - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 @ 8:15 a.m. Our annual Halloween Parade is scheduled for this Friday, October 30, starting at 8:15 a.m. All parents are welcome to come, watch and take pictures! Please bring your children to school dressed in their costumes over their regular clothes, as there is no appropriate place to change here at school. When the parade is over, the students will return to their classrooms. Please send a bag with your child’s name on it so your child can put his/her costume away after the parade. When helping your child decide on a costume, please encourage them to pick one that supports our efforts to promote a positive and fun activity by keeping the following in mind: Costumes should be comfortable, easy to walk in, and should not hamper vision. Regular school rules of dress and safety apply. Costumes should be in good taste and not violent in nature. Remember, no toy guns, swords, knives, martial arts weapons, dyed hair or make-up. Rollerblades, skates, skateboards, scooters, and bicycles are not permitted on campus.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014

PTA CORNER

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

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Hello Gator Families! DIRECT DONATION POPSICLE PARTIES The Direct Donation Classroom Contest came to an end with a celebration for “class teamwork” in rooms who had 100% participation of the Direct Donation envelopes returned! Each class with full participation attended an assembly this afternoon to cheer for their classroom and to enjoy a popsicle at the end of the day. Congratulations to all of the classrooms for their efforts! Together they have made a difference at Garden Gate! Even though the classroom contest is over, you can still make a Direct Donation! If you were not able to donate earlier this school year, you can still help Garden Gate by making a donation to the PTA anytime during the year. Simply make out your check to the Garden Gate PTA, write Direct Donation in the memo, and drop it off in the school office! Your continued support and generosity is very much appreciated.

COME TO OUR HALLOWEEN PARADE AND GET SPOOKED! The Halloween parade is this Friday, October 30th at 8:15 a.m. on the field. All parents are welcome to attend. Remember to bring your camera! The PTA Board wishes everyone a very fun, exciting, and safe Halloween. Here are a few tips on how to be safe on Halloween Night!               

Carry a flashlight. Walk, don't run. Stay on Sidewalks. Obey traffic signals. Stay in familiar neighborhoods. Don't cut across yards or driveways. Wear a watch you can read in the dark. Make sure costumes don't drag on the ground. Shoes should fit (even if they don't go with your costume). Avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house. Carry only flexible props. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic. Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape. Approach only those houses that are lit. Stay away from, and don't pet animals you don't know.

Wishing you a happy and safe Halloween! Kathleen McCulloch, Garden Gate PTA, Lead Volunteer

SCRIP DRAWING - WIN A $10 GIFT CARD The Scrip drawing for the month of October will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd at 1:15 p.m. at the Scrip table that is located outside of the school office. For every $20 of scrip/gift card purchased, you will receive one drawing ticket. It is not necessary to be present to win. The September Scrip drawing winner was Diane Polgar. A special “thank you” to everyone who continues to purchase Scrip and helps to raise funds for Garden Gate School. For more information, please visit the scrip table outside the school office on Tuesdays between 1:15-1:45 p.m. or Fridays 7:45-8:15 a.m. You can also contact Carolyn Young at [email protected] Thank you for your continued support! Carolyn Young

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014

GATORAID

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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS. REMEMBER TO TURN CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST!

HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PARENT INFORMATION MEETINGS

The parent education meetings for the Human Growth and Development program for 5th grade students will be held on November 2nd and November 4th, 2009 at Meyerholz School GLC, 6990 Melvin Dr., San Jose, 95129 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Gennifer Choldenko, author of the Newberry Honor book, Al Capone Does My Shirts, will visit Garden Gate on Friday, Nov. 20th to speak to our students. Four of her books are now on display in the school library. Students and parents can pre-order any of the books until November 10th. You are welcome to come to the library and take a look at her books that appeal to all age levels. Gennifer Choldenko is extending her visit at Garden Garden to speak to parents regarding the writing process, and how parents can help their children become better writers. Her presentation will be on Friday evening, November 20th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. We are limiting the audience to 30 — “adults only” please! Please check your child’s Green Folder next Thursday, November 5th for information on how you can attend this informative discussion with an award-winning author.

REMINDERS:

•For the protection of the students, please remember that students are not to be on the Garden Gate campus before 7:45 a.m. There is no adult supervision until 7:45 a.m. •Please do not congregate outside of the classrooms while school is still in session. This is very disruptive to both the teacher and the students and could be a distraction from valuable learning time. •Every Tuesday is early dismissal day. Please remember that all a.m. Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:10 a.m. and all p.m. Kindergarten students along withl students in grades 1-5 are dismissed at 1:30. Please remember to pick up your children promptly.

HOT LUNCH

Student Nutrition Services use a computerized system to serve hot lunch to the students. In order for the system to run smoothly and effectively, it is recommended that parents/guardians send prepayment envelopes to the school office no later than 9:00 a.m. on the day the child wants to receive a school lunch. Paying cash at the lunch line is discouraged because it creates a delay and causes students to wait longer for their hot lunch. We are trying to make our lunch lines cashless, and so we recommend that parents pay via check instead of cash. Parents can also pay online at www.paypams.com by using their debit or credit cards. Please pre-pay for as many lunches in advance as possible. Parents/ guardians may pre-pay for lunches for one or more days on a weekly basis or, if desired, for a month or more.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014

GATORAID!

DISTRICT NEWS SECTION CUSD BUDGET UPDATE MEETINGS

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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: • •

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.

MCAULIFFE MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT Christa McAuliffe School is one of the district’s four alternative programs. McAuliffe, a K-8 parent-participation school in the Cupertino Union School District with a whole-child, developmental philosophy, offers a program which advocates for children to take ownership of their learning, to work collaboratively, to express their opinions, and to explore their interests. All interested parents are invited to the following events:

Middle School Parent Forum - Thursday, Nov. 19, 7-9 p.m., in Room 19 Panel of middle school parents will address questions in a casual environment.

Middle School Tours - Nov. 6, Jan. 15 & Jan. 28, 8:45 - 11 a.m. These tours are in conjunction with McAuliffe School tours, join a specialized tour of middle school classrooms led by a parent guide. Call 253-4696 or sign-up online at www.mcauliffek8.com. CUSD students only.

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 your 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 95014