GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 10, 2011
11/10 11/10 11/10 GATE 11/10 FIRST TRIMESTER ENDS VIETNAM WALL AT MEMORIAL PARK FLAG FOOTBALL - DE VARGAS AT GARDEN PTA MEETING

3:30 p.m. 7:15 p.m.

11/11
11/14 11/15 11/16 11/18 11/18 6:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m. 3:30 p.m.

VETERANS DAY - NO SCHOOL

SECOND TRIMESTER BEGINS C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING GATOR DAY - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY FLAG FOOTBALL - GARDEN GATE AT McAULIFFE

11/21-11/25
12/1 12/2 12/2 12/9 12/13 12/14 12/16 12/16 7:15 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m

THANKSGIVING RECESS - NO SCHOOL

PTA MEETING REPORT CARDS GO HOME FLAG FOOTBALL - EATON AT GARDEN GATE FLAG FOOTBALL - MEYERHOLZ @ GARDEN GATE C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING HAPPILY EVER AFTER SCHOOL THEATER PERFORMANCE - GLC PAJAMA DAY - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY FLAG FOOTBALL - GARDEN GATE AT REGNART

12/19-1/2 1/3/2012

WINTER RECESS SCHOOL RESUMES

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!

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Traffic and Parking Lot At Garden Gate, student safety is our first priority. Please follow these simple rules to ensure student safety:

When dropping off or picking up your child at school, always do so along the curb. Do not allow your child to get out of the car in the parking lot alone and attempt to walk across the lot. When dropping off or picking up, always pull as far forward as possible. Please note that the curb is a "no parking anytime" zone. Drivers must remain in their vehicles. Drivers who leave their vehicles unattended along the curb could be ticketed by the Cupertino Sheriff's Department. Always cross at a cross walk. Hold your child's hand, and teach your child to always look both ways. Avoid getting stuck in traffic. Leave home early to make sure your child arrives to school on time. Students may be on campus at 7:45 am. Consider parking in the neighborhood and walking onto campus with your child (walk on the sidewalk, use cross walks).

What is the Meaning of Veterans Day

On November 11, we commemorate Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day. It is a day to honor war and military veterans. It originally commemorated the German signing of an armistice to end World War 1. Despite the United State's short involvement in the war, over 116,000 soldiers were killed. On October 4, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II appealed to President Woodrow Wilson for an armistice to end the war. As part of the truce, Wilson also wanted Wilhelm to abdicate his throne and replace the German government with a democracy. Over the next few days, the allies sided with Wilson resulting in a truce. On November 9, 1918, Wilhelm fled Germany and on November 11, the armistice was signed by the allies and the new German government. Tombs of unknown soldiers were erected by France, Britain, and the United States to recognize the service and bravery of our soldiers. In France, the grave is beneath the Arc de Triomphe. In Britain, it is in Westminster Abbey, and in the United States, the tomb is in Arlington National Cemetery. After World War II, a movement began to change the holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran's Day. It was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 1, 1954. Veterans Day is always observed on November 11.

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: When a lot of other people have something, do you tend to want to buy it as well? Why or why not?

PTA CORNER

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

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Hello Everyone!

ThisweekhasbeenaquietweekcomparedtoourhecticHalloweenweek! However, on Monday, the classrooms that had 100% participation in the Direct Donation Drive, celebrated with a popsicle party. Direct Donation is Garden Gate PTAs main fund raising event every year. Thank you to all parents who helped their children participate by returning their orange envelopes (especially if they contained your donations).

Thisyear,nineteenclassroomsattainedfullparticipation.Eachqualifyingclassroomhadpreparedtheir veryowncheerforthepopsiclepartyandtheytookturnsperformingthem.Itwasapleasuretoseethem havingfundoingthecheertogetherwiththeirclassmates! Onceagain,IwanttothankManonmaniRamadassforhertirelesseffortstorunan amazingDirectDonationDrive! HaveanenjoyablelongweekendGators! AzmehMalik GardenGatePTAPresident

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

GATORAID!
Attendance/Independent Study
Parents, thank you for reporting your students absences on the school absence line and for notifying the office in advance when you know your student will be absent. Attendance letters for unexcused absences and tardy/ delays have recently been sent home and there have been questions regarding the letters. The following information will help to explain the letters. Please note: Notifying the office of an absence in advance does not automatically make it an excused absence. For example, vacations/trips are an unexcused absence. When a student has accumulated 3 unexcused absences, the attendance system will generate a letter to be sent to the parents. A second letter will be sent after 4 unexcused absences. Please review the CUSD attendance policies found in the Opening Day Packet (pages 4-5) and the Garden Gate Parent Handbook (pages 10-11) that was sent home the first day of school.

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If you are traveling for less than five school days, your childs absence will be recorded as unexcused. If you have questions about attendance or Independent Study, please contact the school office. Thank you.

Doctor and Dentist Appointments

The state of California allows medical/dental appointments as excused absences. Garden Gates policy for these absences requires a doctors note verifying the appointment. Please make appointments for after school or Saturdays. When this is not possible, children must be signed out by a parent (or someone authorized on the enrollment card) in the school office. After signing a child out, the teacher will be notified and your student will come to the office. Students are not allowed to come to the office to sit and wait to be picked up as they often lose valuable class time. Again, this is for the safety of your children.

Will You Be Moving?

Independent Study (IS) Contracts

Please remember to schedule your vacations during school recess periods so students miss as few school days as possible. Garden Gates curriculum is rich and moves at a fast pace. However, if your student is away from school for a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 10 school days, please inform your teacher and come by the school office to fill out an Independent Study Contract request form at least 2 weeks before your departure date. Students benefit from doing IS work while gone and the absences are excused when the packet is returned the first day back and meets the standards expected by the teacher.

If you know you will be moving, please notify the office and your childs teacher as soon as possible. Your student maintains his class seat until he/she actually leaves the school.

Reminders:

CUSD Independent Study Policies:

A student must be enrolled for three consecutive weeks before an Independent Study contract can be initiated. To receive credit for the days away, the contract homework must be completed while the child is gone and returned to the teacher the first day the student is back in school. If the Independent Study work is not completed and returned, the days missed will be recorded as unexcused absences. Students who are absent for more than 10 consecutive school days will be dropped from the school roster. When the dropped student returns, they will be reinstated in their home school only if there is space available. If there are no spaces, the student will be assigned to another school in the district, and put on a wait list at the home school.

For the protection of the students, please remember that students are not to be on the Garden Gate campus before 7:45 a.m. There is no adult supervision until 7:45 a.m. Please do not congregate outside of the classrooms while school is still in session. This is very disruptive to both the teacher and the students and could be a distraction from valuable learning time. Every Tuesday is early dismissal day. Please remember that all a.m. Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:10 a.m. and all p.m. Kindergarten students along with students in grades 1-5 are dismissed at 1:30. Please remember to pick up your children promptly.

Visiting Campus

All visitors entering classrooms as volunteers or meeting with teachers, must sign in at the office and obtain a visitors name tag when school is in session. For the safety of all, we need to know who is on the campus. The only exception is at student arrival and dismissal times. If you are taking your child out of school for any reason, ALWAYS sign your child out from school through the office and then back in when he/she returns.

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

GATORAID!
DISTRICT NEWS SECTION

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CEEFS 2012 GALA: "AN EVENING OF ALOHA"

SAVE THE DATE! ~ SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2012

5:30 P.M.

FAIRMONT HOTEL, SAN JOSE

Please join the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF) for an Evening of Aloha on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at the Fairmont San Jose (170 South Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113). The CEEF Gala is the annual celebration of the Cupertino Union School Districts Teachers of the Year and raises support for classroom music, arts, and technology programs. As in years past, 100% of the net proceeds from this fundraiser will be distributed equitably to each school within our district. Thanks to your generous support of the Gala last year, CEEF was able to present each school with a check for $3,000. CEEF works in partnership with the school district, parents, and local businesses to provide educational opportunities for our students beyond what is possible through state funding alone. Since 1984, CEEF has invested more than $16 million in our schools and teachers. Additional information is available at www.ceefcares.org.

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2011-2012

November 11, 2011 Veterans Day November 21-25, 2011 Thanksgiving Recess December 19-30, 2011 Winter Recess January 3, 2012 Students Return January 16, 2012 Martin Luther King Day February 20-24, 2012 Mid-Year Recess March 19, 2012 Staff Learning Day April 16-20, 2012 Spring Recess May 25, 2012 Staff Learning Day May 28, 2012 Memorial Day June 12, 2012 Last Day of School Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125