Gatoraid 10809

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 8, 2009 10/5-10/13 10/8 10/9 10/9 10/13 10/13 10/13 10/16 10/19-10/23 10/20 10/21 10/22 10/26 10/27 10/27 10/30 11/3 11/4 11/5 11/10 11/10 11/11

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

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES 12:30 DISMISSAL -GRADES 1-5, KINDERGARTEN - SEE SCHEDULE 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 BOY SCOUT RECRUITMENT - KINDERGARTEN BENCHES STAFF LEARNING DAY - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM HALLOWEEN PARADE 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

Parent Traffic Duty: October 12th - 16th - Parents from Rms. #23 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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National Walk/Bike/Carpool Day, Oct. 7, 2009: A Great Success @ Garden Gate!

Garden Gate had wonderful community participation in this year’s event. Although all of the classroom figures for Oct. 7th are not in yet, here’s what we learned so far. The numbers in parentheses are the numbers from the survey we took a week ago. The other numbers are from today.

Walkers

245 (128)

October 7th Survey: Bikers Carpoolers 62 (13)

78 (72)

Scooters/Other 2 (22)

Congratulations to all of our students and parents for using a healthy alternative to get to school. Thank you, also, to Mayor Mahoney for his presence at Garden Gate to support our efforts. Thank you, too, to Alan Takahashi who, along with staff member Patti Wolf, spearheaded the effort here at Garden Gate. A big “thumbs up” to all of our students!

Staff Learning Day – Monday, October 26

Please note that next Monday, October 26th, is a staff learning day. It is not a school day for students. Our staff will focus on 21st Century Learning and a variety of academic subjects. Teachers will attend mini training sessions of their choice, as well as work together as grade level teams.

Building Character - Help Your Child To Work Through Challenges For School Success.

It's hard to get anywhere without perseverance. In fact, many of the world's most admired people (including Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln) could not have succeeded without it. To help your child develop a work ethic that will last through school and life: * Talk about perseverance. List examples of not giving up, such as finishing a tough homework assignment, learning to ride a bike or continuing to play a game when you're losing. * Find role models. Name people who exemplify perseverance. They might be friends, relatives or famous people, such as Benjamin Franklin. Discuss their lives. Describe their traits. * Act it out. What does it look like to persevere? Role play stories, such as The Little Engine That Could. * Draw a picture. Have your child think of a time when he persevered even though it was tough. Suggest that he draw a picture of what worked for him. * List "success stoppers." What keeps people from pushing forward? (Negative attitudes are a good example.) How can you and your child avoid these pitfalls? * Admit being human. No one is perfect. Everyone must work through challenges. Help your child see that he has what it takes, no matter what. * Make a plan. Choose sensible goals with your child. Believe that he'll succeed. Be supportive, and turn mistakes into lessons. He may need to start over, and that's okay! 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: Leah Davies,M.Ed. "Instilling Perseverance in Children," Meet Kelly Bear, www.kellybear.com/TeacherArticles/TeacherTip58.html.

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

PTA CORNER

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

Hello Gator Families!

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There is a PTA meeting tonight with a special guest, Julie Darwish, President of the CFSC PTA. Julie will speak about Measure G, so please plan to attend at 7:15 p.m. in the GLC. THANK YOU!!! Last week was a very busy week and many Garden Gate parents stepped in to make it happen. Thank you to all Book Fair volunteers and to Azmeh Ahsan and Ellen Yee who coordinated the event! Thank you to Mahalakshmi Rameshbabu for leading the charge with the Fall Social and to all the supporting cooks, cleaners, servers, shoppers and delivery people. It takes a lot of effort to make events such as these happen. I hope you will join me in saying “Thank You” to everyone who helped! PTA Training For anyone interested in the PTA training this Saturday, October 10th , please sign up on line at http://www.capta6.org/ training/ The training will take place at Joaquin Miller Middle School, 6151 Rainbow Dr., San Jose 95129. Red Ribbon Week - October 19th - 23rd We have a special event this year as part of “Red Ribbon Week.” Each child, in teams of two, will plant a tulip bulb in front of the school. Next spring the red tulips will grow and bloom as a sign of renewal, springtime, and as a reminder for the kids to just say NO To Drugs! We will need help preparing the soil for the planting, so please contact Ramya Vasudevan at [email protected] if you can assist with a little digging! Thank you. Reflections Contest Deadline is tomorrow, Friday October 9th! Please drop off all Reflections entries in the school office (black container located against the wall). Ramya will try to review the entries to ensure they have been properly submitted – so the sooner you can send in the entry. . .the better! Direct Donation Classroom Contest Deadline is tomorrow, Friday, October 9th! If you have not returned an envelope for the Direct Donation classroom contest, please do so now! Each classroom is keeping track of the number of envelopes returned. If every student in the class returns an envelope, the whole class attends the popsicle party on October 29th! Simply write your child’s name and room number on the orange Direct Donation envelope or you can use any envelope. If you are making a donation, please place it inside the envelope and return it to your child’s teacher by Friday, October 9th! Direct Donations can be given at any time of the year. If you cannot donate now, but can give later, return your envelope now and then drop off your check at a later time (made payable to Garden Gate PTA). Either way, please return an envelope to the classroom as mentioned. Thank you again to all the parents and friends that give so much time and effort to keep Garden Gate such a strong school! Kathleen McCulloch, Garden Gate PTA President

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

GATORAID Calling In Student Absences

When calling in your child’s absence, please be specific as to the reason for the absence, i.e.: “My child (name), has a fever due to cold, sore throat, cough or flu with 100.0 or more temperature.” Your child may return to school when he/she is fever free, without medication or the aid of a fever reducer for at least 24 hours. When returning to school, the student must check in with the office to be assessed and cleared of a fever before returning to class. Please do not give your child a fever reducer and send them to school. It is necessary to keep them home in order not to expose their illness to other students in the class.

Help Our Computer Lab To Be Germ Free

Our computer lab is in need of disinfectant wipes to help keep our computers as sanitary as possible. Germs can be easily spread on keyboards, so if you can send in a container of disinfectant wipes, we would appreciate it. Please drop these items off in the computer lab. Thank you in advance for your contribution.

Volunteers & Visitors We welcome parents to volunteer at our school. However, for the safety of our children, please sign in at the school office and take a Volunteer/Visitor’s Badge to wear when you are on our campus and remember to return it when you leave. Our students know to look for these badges. Your assistance in identifying yourself when you are on our campus, will help to maintain a safe environment for all of our students. Thank you!

PAGE 4 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.

Students - Remember to Take Your Homework Materials With You At Dismissal Time! We have had many students come back to campus requesting to get into their classrooms to retrieve forgotten materials. If their teacher has left for the day, they need to wait until the following day. Organizing oneself is an important skill students need to learn. At the end of the day, they should always check to make sure they have the books and papers they’ll need to complete their homework. Teachers usually spend a few minutes at the end of the day reminding students of what they need to complete at home. Students who take an extra minute or two to check their homework assignments and gather the appropriate materials can be confident they have what they need. Students who do not check to see if they have what they need, can end up frustrated and worried if they find they don’t have a book or a homework sheet. Please encourage your children to spend an extra minute or two at the end of the school dayv making sure they have everything they need. It makes life easier for everyone in the family when the student is prepared.

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

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. PARENT SPEAKER SERIES Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - “Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration” - Speaker: Natasha Coetzee Kukuk, Associated Learning and Language Specialists SELPA II (Special Education Local Plan Area II) is proud to host the following guest speaker presentation to parents of students with special needs. Does your child struggle with sensory issues, balance, motor planning, or other gross or fine motor skills? Natasha tells us about occupation therapy and sensory strategies that we can use at home. The event takes place at Bishop Elementary School (450 N. Sunnyvale Avenue in Sunnyvale) in the auditorium from 6:30-8:30 PM. There is no registration required to attend the event. Onsite childcare is available, but registration is required for childcare and closes one week prior to the event, with no exceptions. For childcare contact Linda Toda at (408) 522-2474.

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 95014