GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
OCTOBER 13, 2011
10/13&10/14 10/17-10/21 10/19 10/19 10/20 10/20 10/21 10/24-10/28 10/24-10/28 10/25 10/26 10/26 10/28 10/28 10/31 11/2 11/3 11/6 11/8 11/9 11/10 11/11 11/15 11/16 11/21-11/25 PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR - GLC PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - TAKE IT PERSONALLY SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING BOOK FAIR FALL SOCIAL CANON COPIER TRAINING RED RIBBON WEEK GREAT SCHOOLS WEEK C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PICTURES - GLC PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - TAKE IT PERSONALLY HALLOWEEN PARADE FALL CELEBRATION - GARDEN GATE FIELD STAFF LEARNING DAY - NO SCHOOL PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - TAKE IT PERSONALLY PTA MEETING DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS - SET CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR ELECTION DAY PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - TAKE IT PERSONALLY FIRST TRIMESTER ENDS VETERANS DAY - NO SCHOOL C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING THANKSGIVING RECESS - NO SCHOOL

8:00-9:30 a.m. 3:45 p.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m. 6:00-8:00 p.m. 12:45-1:45 6:00 p.m. 8:00-9:30 a.m. 8:15 a.m. 3:00-5:00 p.m. 8:00-9:30 a.m. 7:15 p.m. 8:00-9:30 6:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m.

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:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.org 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....MS. HUCKO!

Dear Garden Gate Parents,

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As Goal Setting Conferences draw to a close, I hope you found the time with your childs classroom teacher informative, motivating and enjoyable. Your childs teacher is your first point of contact should you have a question or concern about your childs classroom experience and it is our hope that your conference supported you in building a strong relationship with the classroom teacher. On another note, I wanted to share my wonderful experience of joining our Project Cornerstone Take It Personally parent group for a brief time this morning. During this six week class, parents are learning how to promote the 41 Developmental Assets to ensure that our children grow up to be healthy, responsible adults. It was validating for parents as they shared similar child-rearing experiences, and inspiring as they swapped new ideas. Thank you to instructor Soma McCandless (Project Cornerstone), and to our Project Cornerstone lead volunteer parents, Alma Nazareno and Sophia Chan, for coordinating this special opportunity. Sincerely, Brandi Hucko, Principal

Halloween Parade - Friday, October 28 at 8:15 a.m.

Halloween is just around the corner and we are planning our Halloween Parade for Friday, October 28th at 8:15 a.m. All parents are welcome to come, watch and take pictures! Please bring your child to school dressed in their costumes over their regular clothes, as there is no appropriate place to change here at school. Please send a bag with your childs name on it so your child can put his/her costume away after the parade is over. When helping your child decide on a costume, please encourage him/her 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. In accordance with the CUSDs Zero Tolerance Policy, no toy guns, plastic swords, knives, martial arts weapons are allowed on campus. Rollerblades, skates, skateboards, scooters, and bicycles are not permitted. Remind your child that there will be younger children in the parade who might be frightened by some of the scarier costumes and masks. Outfits that are scary or violent are not acceptable at school. Millions of kids in all age groups are online and on cell phones every day at home, at school, at friends homes, and at the library. And unfortunately, studies show that 42% of kids have been bullied while online. How can you protect your child from this new kind of bullying behavior? Here are some tips: Talk about cyber bullying. Let your child know that no one should put up with bullying. Keep the computer in a place where you can monitor your childs online activity. Remind your child to keep his passwords private and to change them often. Tell your child never to share personal information online, such as his phone number, address or age. Have your child use the privacy tools available on social networking sites to make his profile or photos visible only to friends. Tell your child never to respond to cyber bullying even to a text message. Responding only encourages the bully. Document cyber bullying. Save screen shots of comments made to or about your child. Share them with the school and with law enforcement. Source: Protect Your Child From Cyber Bullying, Bullying: Engaging Parents, Students and Staff in Your Anti-Bullying Program, The Parent Institute, Stock #5K07 Reprinted with permission of The Parent Institute.

Discuss Cyber Bullying with your Child to Promote Online Safety

Volunteers Needed

Our disaster drill is next Friday, Oct. 21, and it couldn't come at a better time. In light of the recent Code Blue at Garden Gate, we're changing the way we handle student release during a disaster. We need as many adults as possible (older siblings too) to come to Garden Gate between 10:45 and 11:00 on Oct. 21, pretend there has been an earthquake and try to get their children, grandchildren or siblings. They can even try to get their child's friend to take home.Our drill will take less than an hour. Please email wolf_patti@cusdk8 if you can volunteer on Oct. 21st. Thank you for your help!

Propellers

Do you wonder how to connect better with your children? Do you wonder what matters to them, and how you can assist them to grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible citizens? I encourage you to try a "propeller" - a question intended to spark conversations with your children. Try it around the dinner table tonight! This week's propeller: What is your favorite family tradition? Does it involve an activity you like to do?

PTA CORNER

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

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HelloGatorsandFamilies, OurDazzlingDirectDonationDrive! GardenGatesawesomeparentcommunitydemonstratedanincrediblecommitmenttotheirchildrenseducationand thePTA.Yourcontributionsthisyearexceededourexpectationsandwehaveraisedabout$80,000fortheschool. Thankyouforyoursupport!Youwillbereceivingasurveyafterthewinterbreak,whereyouwillbeabletogiveus feedbackonwhereandhowweshouldspendtheseGardenGatePTAFunds.Pleasestaytunedformoreinformation aboutthis. TheDirectDonationDriveisthemainsourceofraisingfundsforourstudentsandisamonumentaltasktoundertake.It isnotpossibletoachievewhatwehavedonewithoutthetirelesseffortsofafewamazingvolunteers. Firstandforemost,IwouldliketothankourincredibleDirectDonationChairperson,ManonmaniRamadassfollowed byherteamofdedicatedvolunteers:AravindaChigati,ShailaHedge,SripriyaSundarrajan,UmaKishoreand MekalaRengasamy.Youhavealldoneanamazingjobandyourhelpisappreciatedmorethanwecansay!

Fall Book Fair Starts Monday GardenGate'sFallBookFairisbeginningonMonday,October17thandwill runthroughFriday,October21st.TheFairwillbeopenforaFamilyFall SocialeventonThursday,October20thfrom5:307:30pm.AllGarden GatefamiliesareinvitedtovisittheFairandifyoumakeapurchaseatthe familyevent,youwillbeeligibletoenteradrawingandyoucouldbeoneof tenluckywinnerstogeta$5Scholasticgiftcertificate.Therewillalsobe deliciousSchwansicecreamavailableforyoutopurchaseandenjoyduring theevent.Remembertobringalonglotsofquarterstoavoidlongwaitsin theicecreamqueue!

ComingSoon:FallCelebration OurannualFallCelebrationwillbeheldonFriday,October28thfrom3:005:00p.m.ThePTA,withthehelpofour wonderfulteachers,isplanninganafternoonthatwillincludefungames,excitingactivities,apumpkinpatch,bake saleandmuchmore!WehaveanURGENTneedforvolunteerstohelprunvariousactivities,toprovidebaked goodsforourBakeSaleetc.Ifwedonotgetenoughvolunteers,wewillbeforcedtocancelmanyofourplanned activities.PleaseconsiderhelpingwiththeFallCelebrationandcontactAravindaChigatiatkushal_mom@yahoo.comto signup.

Hopeyouhaveagreatweek! AzmehMalik GardenGatePTAPresident

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

GATORAID!
STUDENT PICTURES
On October 26, students will have their Individual Picture taken. As always, parents may order prints. New in April 2012, parents will have a second opportunity for pictures in the form of Spring Portraits. Parents may choose from a variety of backgrounds for this portrait-style picture. Well have more information in the Gatoraid as the April date draws near.

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HOT LUNCH MENU AVAILABLE ONLINE

The monthly hot lunch menu, along with additional nutrition news, is always available online at http:// www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php? page=menus&sid=1805092039571289

PRE-PAY FOR SCHOOL LUNCHES ONLINE

COPIER TRAINING

There will be a training for the proper use of the Canon copier on Friday, October 21, from 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. in the productivity room. Please RSVP to Terri Sulgit at 252-5414 ext 108 or email at sulgit_terri@cusdk8.org

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 childs teacher at least three weeks ahead of your departure date to arrange for a special Independent Study Contract. The following guidelines must be followed: 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 school roster. When the student returns, if space is available at his or her school, the student will be reinstated with the presentation of a current PG&E bill. If no space is available, the student will be assigned to another school in the district where space is available.

For your convenience, you are encouraged to pay for your childrens school lunches online. If you do not have an account set up, go to http://www.paypams.com or call 1-888-994-5100. You will need to provide your childs PIN and billing information. Payments may be made by credit/debit cards or by electronic check withdrawal from your bank account. You can make payments, view your childs payment history and change payment preferences 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This web or phone site can also be used by parents to check account balances. If parents choose not to pay on-line or by phone, the inquiry service is still free to use. Parents can simply use their childs PIN to set up an account with no payment required. The lunch price is $2.75 for students. The milk and juice price is 75 cents. Lunch menus are posted on the district web-site. www.cupertino.ca.campusgrid.net/home DISTRICT HEALTH GUIDELINES It is important that our children follow good health practices at all times and be kept at home when they are ill. A child should not be in school when he or she is ill and is experiencing one or more of the following symptoms: Nausea or vomiting (must remain at home until free of symptoms for 24 hours). Diarrhea (must remain at home until free of symptoms for 24 hours). Severe headache. Continuous coughing or runny nose. Evidence of a communicable disease such as a rash, swelling or unusual sore throat. A temperature of 100 degrees or higher (must remain at home until he/she has a normal 98.6 degree temperature for 24 hours without the use of a fever reducer such as Tylenol). Conjunctivitis-pink eye. Undiagnosed rash (rashes need to be verified by your doctor that they are non-contagious; a note is needed). If a student is sent home from school for feeling ill, the child may not return that day. A doctors note for absences over five (5) days is required. Thank you for your cooperation in helping to keep all children and staff healthy.

LUNCH FROM HOME

If your child forgot their lunch at home in the morning and you are bringing it to school, please place your childs name and room number directly on the lunch bag and place it in the lunch bin located in front of the office before 11:00 am. Student office helpers will deliver the lunch to your childs classroom. Please note: Parents are not permitted to sit at the lunch tables with their child.

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

GATORAID!
DISTRICT NEWS SECTION

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Get ready to dine, shop and play during Great Schools Week, October 24-28. Grab your family, friends and colleagues and show your support for educational excellence. Great Schools Week is an annual community-wide event to support high quality education in the Cupertino Union School District. Local business partners pledge to donate a percentage of sales from the event, and 18,000 district students, their families, as well as thousands of local residents are encouraged to dine, shop, and play throughout the week. Over 100 local businesses have participated in the event each year. All funds raised during Great Schools Week are applied towards exceptional classroom programs. Additional information is available at: http://CEEFCares.org/events/great-schools-week-2011-2012/ Great Schools Week is sponsored by the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF), a community partner for excellence in local education.

BE A HERO! PROTECT OUR GREAT SCHOOLS!

October 21 - 22, 2011

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Does your family know what to do to survive a major earthquake? What will it be like to have no electricity for a week? Where are they to go if they need help and phones aren't working? The City of Cupertino wants to help you answer these questions! This year's City wide exercise focuses on required individual survival skills including: proper methods of purifying water, how to get water from the water heater, when and how to turn off natural gas, how to use a fire extinguisher and basic medical aid. At the end of each day, there will be a drawing for emergency preparedness supplies valued at over $100 and even a contest for the Cutest Prepared Pet! "How to" instructions and details about the event are available on the City of Cupertinos website at www.cupertino.org. If you have any questions, please contact Marsha Hovey at 408-722-1210.

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2011-2012

October 31, 2011 November 11, 2011 November 21-25, 2011 December 19-30, 2011 January 3, 2012 January 16, 2012 February 20-24, 2012 March 19, 2012 April 16-20, 2012 May 25, 2012 May 28, 2012 June 12, 2012 Staff Learning Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Recess Winter Recess Students Return 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 95125