gatoraid 031413

7/29/2019 Gatoraid 031413

1/5

School Phone: 408-252-5414 ~ Absence Line 408-252-5414-6 ~ FAX 408-996-9725

GATORAID

BoardofEducation

Superintendent:Dr.WendyGudalewicz

BoardMembers:

AnjaliKausar,BenLiao,

JosephineLucey,GaryMcCue,

PhyllisVogel

GARDENGATEELEMENTARY

CUPERTINOUNIONSCHOOLDISTRICT

10500ANNARBORAVENUE

CUPERTINO,CA95014

BrandiHucko-Principal

AzmehMalik-PTAPresident

SCHOOL CALENDAR MARCH 14, 2013

3/14 6:15 p.m. FAMILY SCIENCE NT. - ADVENTURES WITH CHEMISTRY- LAST NAMES A-O

7:10 p.m. FAMILY SCIENCE NT. - LAST NAMES P-Z3/16 7:30 a.m. GR. 3 - FISHING IN THE CITY3/20 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING3/22 SCHOOL SPIRIT - BACKWARDS DAY3/22 REPORT CARDS GO HOME3/26 8:00 a.m. DISCOVERY DAY3/27 6:00 p.m. HAPPILY EVER AFTER SCHOOL THEATER PERFORMANCE3/28 6:00 p.m. MILLER MIDDLE SCHOOL INCOMING 6TH GR. PARENTS (ONLY) NIGHT3/28 6:30 p.m. GR. 4 MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC4/3 YEARBOOK ORDERING DEADLINE4/4 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING4/5 WALK- A-ROUND EVENT4/8-4/12 GRADE 5 TO MARIN HEADLANDS - SCIENCE CAMP4/10 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING4/11 6:30 p.m. KINDERGARTEN MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC4/15-19 NO SCHOOL - SPRING RECESS4/25 6:30 p.m. PROJECT CORNERSTONE RECOGNITION EVENING4/26 WALK-A-ROUND PLEDGE DEADLINE4/26 SCHOOL SPIRIT- COLOR DAY - COLORS DETERMINED BY GRADE LEVEL4/29-5/10 STAR TESTING

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 andview your students account balance online by going to http://www.pamslunchroom.com or by calling 1-888-994-5100.TO EMAIL STAFF:[email protected]: 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 ato request the homework for pickup after 3:00 p.m.
mailto:[email protected]://www.pamslunchroom.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.pamslunchroom.com/http://www.pamslunchroom.com/

7/29/2019 Gatoraid 031413

2/5

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

Odyssey of the Mind - Gators Go To The State Tournament!You may remember that an opportunity for students to participate in the Odyssey of the Mind wasadvertised in the October 25, 2012 Gatoraid. I am pleased to announce that three teams representedGarden Gate Elementary School at the Regional Tournament on March 2, 2013: Two Primary teams(Non-competitive) and one Division 1 (Competitive) team, "Blazing Minds". Congratulations to all

teams!

Blazing Minds has secured Third Place in the Regional Tournament for Problem 1 (Pet Project) andis moving on to the State Tournament to be held on March 23, 2013 in Brentwood. Best of luck to theBlazing Minds! As a state finalist, this team will represent not only their school and their schooldistrict but also other teams from the Silicon Valley region.

The Following is the list of names of the team members from the Blazing Minds: Sanjana (2nd grade), Aditya (3rd grade),SreeKrishna (2nd grade), Riya (3rd grade), Loukya (2nd grade), Nandana (2nd grade), and Satvik (2nd grade).

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for studentsfrom Kindergarten through College. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanic

devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local,state, and world level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in theprogram.

Special thanks to Garden Gate parent, Ipsita Chowdhury, for coordinating this voluntary program.

Remain Positive When Talking With Your Child About GradesThe report card came home--and it was disappointing. You know your child has the ability to do well. Her teachers have told ythat every year. But she doesn't work up to her potential. What's a parent to do? The most important thing to remember is tokeep your emotions in check. Getting angry or showing your disappointment just won't work--or help. Instead, you want to findway to encourage your child to do the best she can do. After you have had time to "digest" your child's report card:

Ask your child to talk about her grades. What does she think is going on? Does she do her class work in

school? Is she turning in homework? Are there things she can do differently? Talk with her teacher. Ask her if shhas noticed any issues at school. Discuss ways you can work together to support your child.

Set up a time each day when your child will do her homework. During that time, the TV will be off and the compuwill be used only for studying. Set a timer for 20 minutes and let her take a short break before getting back to wo

Offer support. Provide help if it's absolutely necessary. But don't do your child's homework for her. Let yourchild take responsibility for completing her work. It's the only way she will get the practice she needs to succeed school and in life.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2013 issue of Parents make the difference! (Elementary School Edition) newsletter.Copyright 2013 The Parent Institute, a division of NIS, Inc.PropellersDo you wonder how to connect better with your children? Do you wonder what matters to them, and how you can assist themgrow up to be healthy, caring and responsible citizens? I encourage you to try a "propeller" - a question intended to sparkconversations with your children. Try it around the dinner table tonight!This week's Propeller: In what areas could young people take more responsibility in their communities?

Brandi HuckoPrincipal, Garden Gate Elementary408-252-5414

7/29/2019 Gatoraid 031413

3/5

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES


HELLO GARDEN GATE FAMILIES,

FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT IS TONIGHT!Tonights Family Science Night is from 6:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and the theme is "Adventures with Chemistry." Thisevent will be presented by the Childrens Discovery Museum. The program will have two sessions and attendance isdetermined by the students last name. Families whose last name begins with A-O will attend Session 1 from6:15-7:00 p.m. and families with last names that begin with P-Z will attend Session 2 from 7:10-7:55 p.m. See youthere!

HONORARY SERVICE AWARDS - YOUR NOMINATIONS ARE NEEDED!The Honorary Service Awards are given to individuals in recognition of their outstanding service and dedication to childrenand youth. Please let us know who you would like to nominate, so that we can recognize and honor the efforts and hard workof our valuable volunteers. You can find a nomination form in the school office.

DISCOVERY DAY!Calling all Garden Gators to get ready for Discovery Day, which will beheld on Tuesday March 26th, 2013 from 8:0011:15 a.m. This eventencourages people from our community to share their work and hobbieswith students. It is an enlightening, informative, and very inspiring event!Our students love to learn about the important work that our communitymembers do and how they contribute to the society we live in.

If you would like to share your profession or hobby with the students, please email me at: [email protected] do keep in mind that we invite several guest speakers from outside the Garden Gate community as well, and we striveto arrange for students to have a variety of topics to learn about. I look forward to hearing from you!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SERVE ON THE PTA BOARD OR COMMITTEES?The Garden Gate PTA Nominating Committee is actively searching for interested parents who would like to help theschool by serving on next years (2013-14) PTA Board and Committees. We need motivated and energetic parentswho are looking to find ways to support the school and make a difference by helping out with PTA activities. Pleasecontact Angelia Kan at [email protected] orCheryl McGraw at [email protected] details.

REMINDER: COLLECT BOX TOPS & BUY SCRIP FOR A NEW PLAYGROUND STRUCTURE!Please remember to collect Box Tops for a new playground structure for our school and turn them in at the office. Wewill be continuing to collect Box Tops until the end of the school year.

Another way to help us raise money is to purchase Scrip from the PTA SCRIP table. The Scrip system is a uniqueway to support the PTA. We have an assortment of gift cards and gift certificates available, which returns a certainpercentage of the cost back to the PTA. Lets work together to make this happen!

PLEASE SIGN-UP TO VOLUNTEERWe need all Garden Gate volunteers to sign-up to help. Garden Gate School and the PTA need your help in various waysand capacities. By signing up, you can choose when and how you volunteer. This will help us to plan ahead and to be sure wewill have help available when it is needed. Please take a few minutes to fill the online form at the link below and help us buildan efficient volunteer database. Thank you in advance!

Have a wonderful St. Patricks Day weekend!

Azmeh MalikGarden Gate PTA President
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

7/29/2019 Gatoraid 031413

4/5


PARENT SURVEY BEGINS TODAYGarden Gate wants to know how you feel about theschool and the education your child is receiving. Take thequick online Parent Survey beginning today, Thursday,

March 14. You will help us make Garden Gate evenbetter. As an added bonus, your child can get a colorfulmechanical pencil. Just print out the last page of thesurvey and have your child bring it to class. Or you cantake a screen shot of the last page and email it to yourchilds teacher. If you dont have access to a computer,paper copies of the survey are available in the office.(The survey closes on March 28.)Access the survey athttp://tinyurl.com/psurvey2013

REMINDERS:For the protection of students, please remember thatstudents are not to be on the campus before 7:45 a.m.

There is no adult supervision until 7:45 a.m.Please do not congregate outside of the classroomswhile school is still in session. This is very disruptive toboth the teacher and the students and could be adistraction from valuable learning time.Every Tuesday is early dismissal day. Please rememberthat all a.m. Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:10a.m. and all p.m. Kindergarten students along withstudents in grades 1-5 are dismissed at 1:30. Pleaseremember to pick up your children promptly.

ALLERGY SEASON HAS BEGUNSpring is here and students are reacting with swolleneyes and other allergy symptoms. Red irritated eyesare often the sign of pink eye which is a contagiousdisease. When students come to the office complaining

of sore eyes, there is nothing we can do to alleviate thepain other than provide a cold compress. We cannotdiagnose the problem as either an allergy or pink eye a doctor must do this. If a prescribed or over-the-countermedicine is needed and is to be administered at school,the office must have a parent and doctor complete ourblue medical form on file before any medication can begiven. These forms are available in the school office.Students may not bring any medicine to school in theirbackpacks. All medications need to be in the originalpackaging with the pharmaceutical label. All medicine iskept in the school office.

TRUANCY AND WHAT IT MEANS

Compulsory attendance is the law in California from agesix until the age of eighteen (Education Code: 482600).A student who has three unexcused absences or threetardies of more than 30 minutes or any combinationthereof, without a valid excuse is considered legallytruant. A student who has six unexcused absences or sixtardies or absences of more than 30 minutes, or anycombination thereof, is considered habitually truant andwill be referred for further action. How Does TruancyImpact Students?Students suffer academic setbacks when frequentabsences occur.If tardy by even a few minutes, students start their daybehind other students who have had a chance to

organize and are focused on instruction.Students in school on a regular basis and on time dosignificantly better in school.Studies have shown that students struggling in highschool developed patterns of absenteeism in elementaryschool.These are just four items out of a long list of issuesthat negatively impact children when they are absent ortardy. Simply getting to school on time is one of thegreatest gifts you can give your child. It teachesresponsibility and punctuality; qualities every professionvalues. Lets make every effort to have our children intheir seats when the school day begins at 8:00 a.m.

PARKING LOTPlease remember to slow down and use extra cautionwhen driving your students to and from school in themorning and allow plenty of time. When you aredropping off your children, please have their backpacks,lunch, and other belongings in the car, not in the trunk.This will help expedite traffic flow during the morning.Remember to pull your car up to the furthest availableposition. Thank you!
http://tinyurl.com/psurvey2013http://tinyurl.com/psurvey2013

7/29/2019 Gatoraid 031413

5/5


013 BOOKS FOR A BETTER FUTURE CAMPAIGNor the past 18 months the Cupertino Union School District has been working hard to plan for the implementation of the Comore State Standards (CCSS). The CCSS is a nation-wide effort to ensure that all of our students have the skills necessaucceed in a global economy.

In order to implement these new standards effectively beginning in Fall 2014, the District

immediate need of additional non-fiction materials in all of our schools. To supporimplementation, the District has asked the Cupertino Educational Endowment Found

(CEEF) to raise funds for these important informational texts.

In partnership with CUSD, CEEF launched the 2013 Books for a Better FutureCampat its annual Gala on March 9 th. The goal of this campaign is to provide all schools witclassroom sets for every grade level, small group reading sets for every grade level, and aloud texts for the primary grade levels. This 10-week campaign will run through CEEFs aGolf Tournament, to be held this year at the Golf Club of Boulder Ridge on June 3rd.

CEEF and CUSD are pleased to announce that supporters at the Gala contrib$20,000 to support this campaign! We are also thrilled to announce that CEEF generomatched these dollars to launch the campaign with an impressive start of $40towards our $150,000 goal!

For further information about how to donate or how to get involved with the 2013ooks for a Better FutureCampaign, please visit www.ceefcares.org/greatschools.

EALTHY FAMILIES/MEDI-CAL INFORMATION

eed Insurance Coverage?

d you know that thousands of children in California are without health insurance? Did you know countless school hourse lost due to dental pain, vision problems and illnesses that could be prevented or treated? There are no-cost or low-

ost insurance coverage programs available for you and your child. You can give your child a better chance to learn.ur school district has always known what experts are just now realizing that there is a direct link between childrensealth and school success!

or more Medi-Cal/Healthy Families information, call toll-free 1-888-747-1222 or come by your school office for details.

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2012-2013 (ALL SCHOOLS EXCEPT MURDOCK-PORTAL)

April 15-19, 2013 Spring RecessMay 24, 2013 Staff Learning Day - No School

May 27, 2013 Memorial Day

June 12, 2013 Last Day of School
http://www.ceefcares.org/greatschoolshttp://www.ceefcares.org/greatschoolshttp://www.ceefcares.org/greatschools

gatoraid 031413

Documents