Gatoraid 111209

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 NOVEMBER 12, 2009 11/13 11/16 11/17 11/17 11/18 11/20 11/20

9:30-10:00 10:30-11:00 3:45 p.m. 6:30-7:30 p.m.

11/25-27 12/3 12/4 12/8 12/16 12/16 12/18

6:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

12/21-1/1 1/4

7:15 p.m.

FIRST TRIMESTER ENDS SECOND TRIMESTER BEGINS REFLECTION AWARDS ASSEMBLY - GR. 3-5 REFLECTION AWARDS ASSEMBLY - GR. K-2 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 SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING H.E.A.S.T. PERFORMANCE - GLC SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “PAJAMA DAY”

WINTER RECESS- NO SCHOOL SCHOOL RESUMES

Parent Traffic Duty: November 16th - 20th - Parents from Rm. #16A

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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H1N1 & Seasonal Flu School/District Protocols… As all of us know, the flu season is upon us. To help keep your family informed and healthy, I ask that you read the weekly district updates regarding the flu, follow the precautionary procedures to avoid the flu and, if you have the flu, follow the directions of your health provider to get well and reduce the chances of infecting someone else. That being said, I’d like to share the following specific information with you.

What We’re Doing at Garden Gate: General Hygiene: • Teaching and reminding students of ways to cough, sneeze and cleanse their hands to minimize the spread of germs. • Having students regularly use hand sanitizers or washing hands, especially before eating. • Cleaning student desks and common areas with anti-bacterial wipes/cleansers regularly.

Monitoring Students’ Health Status: • Checking for fevers when children are ill at school. Children who have fevers are sent home and may not return to school until they have been fever free without medication for 24 hours. If your child is sent home because of having a fever, he/she must have his/her temperature checked by the office staff before returning to the classroom. • Isolating children who have fevers and/or other flu-like symptoms until their parents can pick them up from school. Regularly disinfecting the nurse’s room and other common areas. • Tracking of students absent with suspected flu symptoms. That information is sent to the district office on a daily basis. The district, in turn, sends that information to the Public Health Department.

What You Can Do at Home:

• Get the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines when they’re available for you and your child. • Don’t send your child to school if they look or are feeling ill. Even if they don’t have a fever, their resistance is probably down and they may be more susceptible to catching the flu or a cold. • Keep your child at home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without taking any medication. • Enforce good hygiene habits at home.

Beat the Bug! We want to reassure parents that we are trying to be as vigilant as we can to keep the children, the community and the staff healthy during this flu season. If all of us follow the above guidelines we can greatly reduce the impact of the flu season on our school. With your help, we can “beat the bug!”  

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, Reflections Art Recognition Next Tuesday morning, November 17th, we will honor our Reflections Award winners at assemblies in the GLC. Grades 3, 4 and 5 are from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. and grades K-2 are from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m. . Parents are welcome to attend.

Survey Being Developed We are preparing a survey for all Garden Gate families so that we have a better understanding of your thoughts regarding our newly revised budget. Please watch the green folder next week.

Scrip Please visit our Scrip Table located in front of the office and stock up on holiday gifts for friends, family and teachers too! Please remember that we have a drawing once a month and give away $10 worth of scrip! Please stop by on Tuesdays from 1:15–1:45 p.m. and also on Fridays 7:45–8:15 a.m.

Walk-Around Coordinator Needed! It is coming around to that time of year when we begin to start thinking about the “Walk-Around.” We do not yet have a coordinator, so please give it some thought and contact me if you are interested in volunteering or if you have any suggestions or questions. I can be reached at (408) 343-1232. Kathleen McCulloch, Garden Gate PTA, Lead Volunteer

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

GATORAID

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DON’T FORGET TO RECYCLE Thank you to everyone who participates each week by bringing in your recyclable items and helps the recycling program at Garden Gate. All of the monies that we receive for the recycling items go directly toward Science Camp. Please remember that we can no longer take the plastic milk jugs so please don't send these to school. Thank you for your help, Janice Hagerbaumer

INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACTS

•A student must be enrolled for three consecutive weeks before an Independent Contract can be initiated. •The contract and homework must be returned the first day back to school with all the work completed, so days missed do not count as unexcused absences. •Students who are absent for more than ten consecutive days will be dropped from the roster of their school. When the student returns, if space is available, at his or her school, the student will be reinstated. If no space is available, the student will be assigned to another school in the district where space is available.

DISTRICT NUTRITION STANDARDS FOR YOUR INFORMATION

The following nutrition standards are set by the state and outlined in the California Education Code. These are the standards that our district follows. (Nutritional Standards for Food Commencing on or before July 1, 2007, the superintendent or designee shall ensure that schools comply with the following nutritional standards: California Education Code 49431) Elementary Schools: The only foods that may be sold to a pupil during the school day are full meals and individually sold portions of nuts, nut butters, seeds, eggs, cheese - packaged for individual sale, fruit, vegetables - that have not been deep fried, and legumes. In addition, an individually sold dairy or whole grain food item may be sold to a pupil at an elementary school, if it meets all of the following standards: 1. Not more than 35% of its total calories shall be from fat. 2. Not more than 10% of its total calories shall be from saturated fat. 3. Not more than 35% of its total weight shall be composed of sugar, including naturally occurring and added sugar. 4. Not more than 175 calories per individual food item. Nutrition Standards for Beverages: (The following nutritional standards shall apply to all beverages provided in the district food service program: California Education Code 49431.5) Elementary Schools: Regardless of the time of day, the only allowable beverages that may be sold in elementary schools are: 1. Fruit-based drinks that are composed of no less than 50% fruit juice and have no added sweetener. 2. Vegetable-based drinks that are composed of no less than 50% vegetable juice and have no added sweetener. 3. Drinking water with no added sweetener. 4. Two-percent-fat milk, one-percent-fat milk, nonfat milk, soy milk, rice milk, and other similar nondairy milk.

If you plan to be away from school for a minimum of five school days and a maximum of ten school days, please contact the school office and your child’s teacher at least three weeks ahead of your departure date to arrange for a special Independent Study Contract. The following guidelines must be followed: Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014

GATORAID!

DISTRICT NEWS SECTION

PARENT SPEAKER SERIES

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SELPA II (Special Education Local Plan Area II) is proud to host the following guest speaker presentation to parents of students with special needs.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 - “Parents Helping Parents” - Speaker: Lonnie Allen PHP helps families who have children of any age with special needs. This workshop will focus on recent changes to the IEP and 504 processes and what parents need to do to navigate the new process. The event takes place at Bishop Elementary School (450 N. Sunnyvale Avenue in Sunnyvale) in the auditorium from 6:30-8:30 p.m. 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.

CEEF’S 2010 GALA: "DREAMS ARE MADE OF…" Saturday, January 30, 2010

5:30 p.m.

Fairmont Hotel, San Jose

CEEF GALA – HONORING OUR TEACHERS OF THE YEAR The CEEF Gala has been acknowledged as the Valley’s premiere “party with a purpose” – raising critically needed funds for arts and innovative technology programs at each of our district schools. Join us in celebrating educational excellence in our schools and honoring our Teachers of the Year on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. As an incentive for schools to begin organizing Gala tables, 50 drawing tickets will be awarded to each school table of 10; principals who help organize tables will receive a Golden Ticket for a chance to win a catered lunch for their teachers! For more information, please email CEEF at [email protected].

DO YOU FEEL YOUR CHILD HAS A SPEECH OR LANGUAGE DELAY?

The Cupertino Early Intervention Preschool offers a Special Education program for preschool children between the ages of three (3) and five (5) who demonstrate a significant delay in speech and/or language development. Parents, teachers and/or day care providers interested in having a child tested may call Pupil Services at the CUSD District Office, 252-3000 to request an evaluation and receive an information packet. .

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.

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