Gatoraid 111909

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 19, 2009 11/20 11/20

6:30-7:30 p.m.

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

SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “TWINS” GENNIFER CHOLDENKO, AWARD WINNING AUTHOR - “ADULTS ONLY”

THANKSGIVING RECESS - NO SCHOOL 10:30-11:30 7:15 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

STUDENT PICTURE MAKE UP 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”

12/21-1/1

WINTER RECESS- NO SCHOOL

1/4/10

SCHOOL RESUMES

Parent Traffic Duty: November - 23rd - 24th Parents from Rm. #17.

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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Garden Gate’s Disaster Drill 11/13/09 Garden Gate’s Disaster Drill was held on Friday, November 13th. During the drill, students and staff reacted to a simulated earthquake as they would in the case of an actual emergency. The drill included activating our Search & Rescue team, First Aid station, Command Center, and Student Release station. This simulation offered hands-on practice for our staff and students. Not only did our staff emergency teams spring into action, but our students did as well. Designated students feigned various injuries for our First Aid station and others were strategically placed for our Search & Rescue team to locate. The purpose of the drill is to practice our emergency procedures and determine areas for improvement. A special thanks to our PTA for providing updated equipment and to our parent volunteers who tested our student release procedures. Be Prepared in the Event of an Emergency • Discuss with your child the arrangements that you have made for him/her in the event of an emergency. Reassure your child that he/she will be cared for by our staff until your arrival. Be sure that your child’s emergency card lists the names of adults who are authorized to pick your child up from school. Walk to school, if at all possible. You may get here faster on foot. The streets may be backed up with cars and will need to be kept clear for emergency vehicles. • Go to the Student Release Station located on the blacktop. You must sign and show ID to have your child released from campus. A runner will take a card to your child’s teacher located on the field. The teacher can only release your child if the card is handed to them. This is the only way for us to account for every student on campus. • If you can volunteer to help with traffic, first aid, or calming children, please come by the Command Center (on the blacktop) to see where assistance is needed. • Please take time to discuss emergency procedures you have in place at home, as well as at school. The better prepared we are, the more confident our students will be in the event of a real emergency. Apology In a previous newsletter, we misspelled the name of one of our students who participated in the PTA Reflections program. The student, Nikash Walia, submitted work in the areas of photography, visual arts and literature. We regret the error and are proud of Nikash’s efforts. Thanksgiving Since there will not be a bulletin next week, I will wish you a happy Thanksgiving now. I hope that you have the opportunity to be with family and share good times and memories. I am continuing to build up quite a reservoir of good memories here at Garden Gate! All my best to you and your family.

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, Please check your green folders to participate in a survey for where the Garden Gate PTA should allot the donated money that exceeded our budget – about $12,000. The teachers have a special request that will take almost the entire amount. My wish is to understand what the school parents and teachers think we need the most. So I am asking you personally – what do you think? I anticipate that we will be voting on the revised budget in January. If you are a member of the PTA for at least 30 days you will be able to vote on the budget. I want to hear from all the Gator families for the survey, but only PTA members can vote. So please get a form from the office and become a PTA member – it is only $5 and any one can be a member! Remember, the PTA is a completely volunteer organization, dedicated to improving the school experience for your children. Kathleen McCulloch Garden Gate PTA President, Lead Volunteer

EARN FREE CASH FOR OUR SCHOOL WITH BOX TOPS

Earning cash for our school with Box Tops for Education is simple and easy! You don't have to spend any cash to be involved in this profitable project. Most food items that you purchase for home comes with a “Box Tops for Education” coupon that is located directly on the “box top” and is worth 10c. Please look for these coupons especially on products by General Mills. Some of the product brands to look for are; Cheerios, Fruit Rollups, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cottonelle, Ziploc etc.

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

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GATORAID

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ND LOST AND FOU the month of November and the in e ar lder, it is w that we

co weather is getting ur child dress in yo ve ha important to y sweater or layers with a heav to include your r jacket. Remembe tside wear ou l al child’s name on Our “lost and s. m ite al and person d at the rear of found” cart (locate ilding) is bu the school office onal student rs pe r ing and othe th clo th wi ng wi child’s lost overflo by and claim your op st se ea Pl s. m ite such as keys, ler personal items the front office. articles. For smal k in etc., please chec l watches jewelry, donated to a loca be ll wi ed im cla t no e ar All items that

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charity.

•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.

EYEGLASS DONATION DRIVE

Cupertino Union School District is excited to partner with Vision Service Plan (VSP) to help others see well through the “Eyes of Hope” program. This program will run through December of this year. There is a collection box in the school office to drop off any used glasses including prescription glasses, readers, and sunglasses. Both plastic and metal frames are accepted. Cases can also be donated with the glasses inside. VSP will ensure that the glasses are recycled and distributed to children and adults throughout the world.

CALLING IN STUDENT ABSENCES

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

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:

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. 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.

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

GATORAID!

DISTRICT NEWS SECTION

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PARENT SPEAKER SERIES

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. .

2009-2010 District Calendar November 25, 26 & 27, 2009 Dec. 21, 2009 - Jan. 1, 2010 January 18, 2010 February 15-19, 2010 March 15, 2010 April 12-16, 2010 May 28, 2010 May 31, 2010 June 10, 2010

Thanksgiving Recess Winter Recess Martin Luther King Day

Mid-Year Recess Staff Learning Day Spring Recess Staff Learning Day Memorial Day Last Day of School

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