GARDEN GATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Augest 27th 2009

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR

8/24-9/25 GATE TESTING REFERRAL “NEW-TO-DISTRICT STUDENTS ONLY”GR 4 & 5

9/3 8:45-10:15 a.m. SPECTRA ART VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION – STAFF ROOM
9/3 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING – GLC
9/4 HEALTH & ENROLLMENT CARDS ARE DUE
9/7 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY – NO SCHOOL
9/8 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. @ NIMITZ SCHOOL
9/8 6:30 p.m. S’COOL SPIRIT BAND SIGN-UP GR. 4 & 5 (OUTSIDE BENCHES)
9/9 BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT – PARENTS ONLY (BABYSITTING NOT AVAILABLE)
6:45-7:25 p.m. GRADES 4-5 IN CLASSSROOMS
7:30-7:45 p.m. STAFF INTRODUCTIONS IN GLC FOR ALL PARENTS
7:45-8:30 p.m. GRADES K-3 IN CLASSROOMS
9/17 6:30-7:45 p.m. SAFETY NIGHT
9/18 STAFF LEARNING DAY – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
9/19 CUPERTINO FAMILY FALL FESTIVAL –
12:00 p.m. CHICKEN DANCE KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS
9/22 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG – DISTRICT BOARD ROOM
9/23 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNSEL MEETING – STAFF ROOM
9/23 7:00-8:30 p.m. PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT ED. NIGHT - GLC
9/25 DEADLINE FOR GATE “NEW TO DISTRICT” 4-5 GR. STUDENTS
9/28-10/2 SCHOLASTIC FALL SOCIAL AND BOOK FAIR

Parent Traffic Duty: August 31st – September 4th - Parents from Rm. #9
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

Welcome back! The staff and I are looking forward with great anticipation to sharing a new school year with your children and you!
Although the economy and state budget do appear grim, they do not eclipse the joy we see in the faces of your children and their
eagerness to learn!

To help to get our school year off to a good start we ask that you note the following items:
• This will be the last paper bulletin going home in the Thursday folder.
If you have not sent your permission to add you to our e-mail database, please do so immediately. Our newsletter will continue to be
found on the school website. In addition, we will post a copy of the bulletin on our office window and we will have a small number of
copies available for distribution in the school office.
• Please follow safety guidelines in driving and walking to and from school and in the school parking lot.
Use crosswalks. Leave home a little earlier in order to drop your child off. If it is your classroom’s week to do traffic duty, please
volunteer. Volunteer crossing guards: Please watch the video clip created by the Sheriff’s Department especially for Garden Gate. They
demonstrate the safe and correct way to be a crossing guard. You’ll find the video on the PTA website under “Traffic.”
• Be vigilant in helping your children demonstrate proper hygiene habits as we move into the flu season.
This means washing hands with soap and water before eating, after using the restroom, and after sneezing or coughing. If your child has
a fever, please keep him/her home. Students need to be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Donations of anti-bacterial
hand cleansers to your children’s classrooms are greatly appreciated.
• Please sign in at the school office if you are coming on to campus other than at arrival and dismissal times.
Even if we know you and are expecting you, it is district policy for all visitors to the campus to sign in and wear a visitor’s badge.
Knowing who is on our campus is for the safety of all.
• Food at Garden Gate:
• Lunches: Please make sure your student remembers to bring his/her cold lunch to school.
If it is forgotten, please deliver it to the office before 10:00a.m. We’ll make sure your student receives it. Please do
not come to have lunch with your child. Lunchtime is an important time of the day where children can make friends
and socialize with their peers. Also, our seating is very tight. We barely have room for all of the students to sit.
• Food at Celebrations: Our district wellness policy states that classrooms may have one celebration a month where
food can be provided. The celebration and the type of treats to be consumed will be decided by the teacher and the
room parents. If your children wish to share their birthday with their classmates, they may share non-edible items
such as pencils, stickers, etc.

Again, welcome back! I hope to see and greet all of you at our many events this year!

Medicine at School?
If your child has medication in the school health
office, please make arrangements to take it home on the last day of school. Any medication that remains after the
close of school will be discarded. If your child is attending summer school and will need the medication during the
shortened day, please take it to that school site’s main office on the first day of class. If your child will need
medication during the school day next school year, please pick up a blue Medication Authorization form at the
school office before the last day of school, June 12th.

Lost and Found

Please stop by the “Lost and Found” cabinet located at the back of the school office. There are many items that
have been found on the campus that may be your child’s. All unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity
in June, at the close of school

Last Day Reminders

All students will be dismissed at 11:20 a.m. on Friday, June 12, 2009. This is the last day of school. Please make
arrangements now to have your child picked up promptly at 11:20 a.m. The school office will close early on this day, and there
will be no student supervision.

Please remember that at the end of the school year a student must be in attendance on the last day of school to retain his/her
place on the roster for the following year. For this school year, students must be in school on June 12, 2009 to retain their
space for the 2009-2010 school year. At the beginning of the school year, a student must be in attendance on the first day of
school or they will not retain their place on the roster. When you are making travel plans, please consider the possible
ramifications. If you have any questions, please contact Student Assignment at 408-252-3000, ext. 110.
 PTA CORNER PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES !
PAGE2

Welcome to the PTA Corner

On behalf of the PTA, I want to welcome everyone back to school. The energy on
the first day was very high. I hope you had a chance to stop by our “Welcome
Breakfast” and find out some of what is happening at Garden Gate this year.
Thank you to the many volunteers who got up very early that morning to setup
and be ready!

Today your children will have attended a Direct Donation Assembly. They will have learned about
what the Garden Gate PTA does for our school and why we have this big fundraiser each year.
Please let them tell you all about it.

Coming up are two important nights:

•First PTA Meeting of the year on Thursday,
Sept. 3, at 7:15 p.m. Please plan to attend this meeting. You will learn about the PTA - what it is
and how it works. We are a welcoming and friendly group. You do not have to be a member to
attend the meeting. Later this month, the PTA will be sponsoring a Safety Night on Wednesday,
the 17th and the Book Fair beginning on the 28th! More information will be coming as the date
approaches.
•Back to School Night will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9th. Please see the flyer in today’s
folder for more details.

We are blessed with a strong and active PTA at Garden Gate. Your efforts, by volunteering and
donating, help to make Garden Gate a very special place to learn and grow.
Kathleen McCulloch, PTA President

Dear Spectra Art Volunteers,

This is to remind you that the Spectra Art Orientation will be held September 3rd (Thursday), from 8:45 a.m. to 10:15
a.m. in the Spectra Art Room located in the GLC. I am looking forward to meeting you and seeing you there! Thank
you!
Poonam Chhabra, Spectra Arts Coordinator

PROJECT CORNERSTONE
Project Cornerstone is a program that focuses on helping students build a healthy learning environment while
encouraging friendship, teamwork, and high expectations in life skills and academics. Please help Project Cornerstone
by committing 1 hour a month to work in the classroom. This will make a great difference in your child’s school life. For
more information, please contact Alexandra Chong at (408) 725-0448 or [email protected]."

 HEALTH ENROLLMENT CARDS & DISASTER CARDS

Health Enrollment Cards (Student Emergency Cards) and Disaster Cards are coming home today in your child’s weekly green
folder. Please make any changes or additions directly on the Health and Enrollment card, sign it, and return it to your child’s
teacher. Remember to include any health problems your child has. Students may be released during the school day to those
individuals listed
on the Health and Enrollment Card. Please complete the Disaster Card and also return it. Please be sure to call the office to
update any changes of information during the school year. All completed cards are due back to
school no later than Friday, September 4th.

MEDICATIONS IN THE OFFICE

The Medication Administration forms are always available in the school office. Please note that in order for
medications to be given to students during the school day, a medication form must be completed and signed by
the physician and the parent. When completed, bring the Medication Administration form and the medication (in
the original container) to the secretaries in the school office.

VISITING CAMPUS
All visitors on campus, whether entering classrooms as volunteers or meeting with teachers, MUST Sign In at the office and obtain
a visitor’s name tag when school is in session. For the safety of all, we need to know who is on the campus. The only exceptions
are 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.

ABSENCES AND TARDIES

Attendance and punctuality are important in establishing good behaviors and building responsibility in young children.
Please ensure that your child is at school everyday and that they arrive on time. If your child will be absent, please
call the attendance line promptly (252-5414, ext. 6). If your child arrives after 8:00 a.m. they must report to the school
office for a late slip before entering the classroom. Under state law, three unexcused absences or tardies may be
considered truancy.

DISTRICT NEWS SECTION

GATE REFERRAL PROCESS TESTING SCHEDULE

Fall Testing Only For “New-to-District” students in Grades 4 – 5
Referrals will be accepted beginning August 24, 2009.
Deadline for Fall GATE Referrals is September 25, 2009.
Referrals received after September 25, 2009 will be returned.

The focus of Cupertino's Gifted and Talented Ed. is to identify and serve those students who have
demonstrated exceptional intellectual ability and outstanding academic achievement. Referrals for Gifted and
Talented Education (GATE) testing may be initiated
by teachers, parents, or the student. If you have a current “new-to-district” student you would like to have tested this
fall for the Gifted and Talent Education program, please contact your child's teacher or school office for a referral
form. If you have questions about the screening process,
please call the GATE office at (408) 252-3000, Extension 199, between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. or the GATE
website at: http://www.cupertino.k12.ca.us.
NOTE: Fall testing for new-to-district students will take place late October 2009.

INITIAL AND ANNUAL CELDT TESTING

The Cupertino Union School District will administer the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) to all
students eligible for English Language Development services. This test will be administered from the beginning of
September through the end of October. Based on your child’s last years CELDT scores if their proficiency level is
limited, withdrawn or transitional, your child will be included in the annual CELDT test at their school. The initial
CELDT will be given to kindergarten students whose primary language on the home language survey is a language
other than English. A letter will be sent home with your child prior to the initial and annual testing date at your school.
The test consists of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Grades K–8 are tested in all four areas. This
year only reading and writing for kindergarten and first grade students will not affect their overall proficiency level. You
will receive the official results after January 2010. If you have any questions, please contact your school office.