GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
JANUARY 19, 2011

1/20 1/20 1/24 1/28 1/30 2/2 2/6-2/16 2/7 2/8 2/9 2/9 2/10-2/16 2/14 2/14 2/15 2/17

6:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 8:30 a.m. 7:15 p.m. 6:30-7:15 p.m. 7:20-8:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m. 6:00 p.m.

CRAZY HAIR DAY - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY PROGRESS REPORTS GO HOME C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING 2012 CEEF GALA - EVENING OF ALOHA FAIRMONT HOTEL, SAN JOSE 2012-2013 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION PACKET PICK UP BEGINS P.T.A. MEETING 2012-2013 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION PACKETS DUE LITERACY NIGHT GR. K-2, BOOK EXCHANGE GR. 3-5 LITERACY NIGHT GR. 3-5, BOOK EXCHANGE GR. K-2 LAWSON MS - INCOMING 6TH GR. PARENTS (ONLY) NIGHT CUPERTINO MS - INCOMING 6TH GR. PARENTS (ONLY) NIGHT GRADE 4 MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC 2012-2013 OPEN ENROLLMENT & ALTERNATIVE ED. REGISTRATION HEARING SCREENING - GRADES 1, 2, 5 C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING STUFFED ANIMAL DAY - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY

2-20-2-24
2/28

MID-YEAR RECESS - NO SCHOOL

C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING

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!

Technology Drive
Garden Gate is holding a Technology Drive to collect the following new or gently used technology accessories for use with our students. Please bring any donations to your child's teacher or the Mac Lab. Thank you! Mouse pads, PC mice, ear buds/headphones, flash drives, power strips, ethernet cables, extension cords, i-Pod chargers, working Flip cameras, kid-friendly cameras.

Family Meetings Can Help Your Child Feel Connected & Valued

Children sometimes feel isolated or different. They may feel disconnected or anxious in social situations. They might also feel like failures. Such feelings lead to low self-esteem and make it harder to succeed in school. Family meetings can help your child feel valued, capable and connected. In meetings, your child can learn to express what he thinks and feels. He can get needed emotional support. Plus he can join in family planning and problem solving. To start, announce youre going to hold weekly meetings. Agree as a family on a time and place. At the first meeting, ask family members to talk, listen and be supportive. Go around the table four times. Allow all family members to speak about: Positive experiences from the week. For instance, I felt really good about my spelling test. Offer praise and encouragement. Great job! or Im so proud of what you did. A problem they had that week. Listen and validate your childs feelings. Get the family to offer solutions to the problem. Goals they want to achieve in the coming week. Help your child come up with specific objectives and a plan of action to accomplish his goal. Their schedules for the next week. Let your child know if youll be working late or taking him to the doctor. Ask about his after-school activities and social plans. Source: How To Hold a Family Meeting, About.com, http://childparenting.about.com/library/howto/htfamily meeting.htm.

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: 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 earlier to make sure your child arrives to school on time. Students may be on campus at 7:45 a.m. Consider parking in the neighborhood and walking onto campus with your child (walk on the sidewalk, use cross walks).

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: Do you think that giving changes a person? Why or why not?

PTA CORNER

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

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Hello Gator Families,

Literacy Night And Book Exchange - Date Change!

Please note that the date for Literacy Night and the Book Exchange has been changed to TUESDAY, February 7th. Children can bring their gently used books in good condition to school and give them to the librarian, Mrs. Gokhale. They will be given tickets, which they can use on the night of this event to purchase books of their choice. Its an economical and fun way to acquire books that your the child has not read. There will also be games the children can play in various classrooms. The night will be loads of fun for all. So please get started on sorting through your book collection and bring in the books you would like to exchange.

PTA Board Is Looking For A Treasurer

Are you a person who has a finance, accounting, auditing or bookkeeping background? Do you like to work with numbers and spreadsheets? Are you familiar with Accounting software like Quicken? We are currently searching for a successor for our amazing Treasurer, Sonika Agarwal. Experience is not mandatory, though it would be helpful! We will gladly train and guide you. If you are interested in serving on the Board and volunteering to help the school, please contact me at azmeh_ahsan@yahoo.com.

Collect Box Tops For A New Play Structure!

Gators, please remember to continue to collect your Box Tops to raise funds for a new playground structure! Parents, please help your kids and the PTA in this effort by also purchasing gift cards from our scrip table and signing up for e-scrip. Our children will greatly benefit by working for a common cause and will sense a feeling of pride in supporting their school.

Hope you have a wonderful week. Azmeh Malik Garden Gate PTA President

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

GATORAID!
Book Exchange Tuesday, February 7th 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Important Reminders:
Please join us for the annual Garden Gate Book Exchange on Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the GLC. Also, please remember to bring in your gently used books and DVDs to our school librarian, Mrs. Gokhale. The deadline to bring in your books and DVDs is Friday, February 3. Your child will earn a ticket for each book donated. The tickets can then be used at the Book Exchange.

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Garden Gate Food Drive

Garden Gate Student Council is holding a school wide food drive to support West Valley Community Services, a non-profit organization that supports local families. They have requested that we donate NON-PERISHABLE Asian food or condiment items. A list of suggested items will be posted in each classroom. Bring your donations to your teacher during the month of January. If you have any questions, ask your teacher, or contact Ms. Che in Room 8. Thanks for helping our community! To learn more about West Valley Community Services, visit: http://www.wvcommunityservices.org or 10104 Vista Drive in Cupertino.

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.

Scrip And E-Scrip

Important School Calendar Dates

The CUSD Board of Education has approved the calendar for the 2012-2013 school year. The first day of school will be on August 20, 2012. The last day of school for this year is June 12, 2012. Students must be present on the last day of school and on the first day of school in order to be guaranteed a spot at Garden Gate. Students not attending the last or first day of school will be dropped and parents will need to re-register when the child returns.

Remember to purchase Scrip on Tuesday afternoons between 1:15 - 1:45 p.m. and also on Friday mornings between 7:45-8:15 a.m. Scrip is spent just like cash on everyday expenses. eScrip also provides an easy way to earn money for the PTA. Participating merchants donate a percentage of purchases to the school. Parents (also family and friends) should visit www.escrip.com to register their credit/debit cards, Safeway Card, and PW Supermarket Card. Be sure to specify Garden Gate Elementary School (eScrip number is 139188329.) For those who dont have internet access, please fill out and turn in an eScrip registration form (available during scrip sales times or in the school office). Already Registered eScrip Participants: Please visit www.escrip.com and click on YES RENEW or turn in an eScrip registration form to renew your Safeway Club card. Questions? E-mail us at ggscrip.com or see us during scrip sales times.

LOST AND FOUND

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.

Please stop by the Lost and Found cabinet that is located at the rear of the administrative building and take a few moments to check for your lost perso nal items. It is full with lunch containers, hats and many other items. For smaller personal items such as keys, watches jewelry, etc., please check in the front office.

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

GATORAID!
Update - Status of Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for 2012-2013

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The recent release of the Governors proposed budget for the 2012-2013 school year eliminates the funding of the newly implemented Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program. Given this budget uncertainty, the Cupertino Union School Districts TK Program will not be implemented unless the funding for the TK program is included in the final adopted State Budget. As a result, the District will not be conducting registration for the TK program at this time. If you were planning on enrolling your student into the Cupertino Union School Districts TK program, please be aware of the uncertainty around this program as you consider options for the 2012-2013 school year. Please note that November 1 is the age eligibility date for admission into Kindergarten for the 2012-2013 school year. Parents/guardians may pick up a registration packet at their attendance area school beginning January 30, 2012. Kindergarten registration begins February 6 February 16, 2012 at the respective attendance area school. CEEFS 2012 GALA: "AN EVENING OF ALOHA" Saturday, January 28, 2012 5:30 p.m. The Fairmont Hotel, San Jose

Please join the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF) for An Evening of Aloha on January 28, 2012 at the Fairmont San Jose as we celebrate our CUSD Teachers of the Year and raise support for CUSD educational programs. As in years past, 100% of the net proceeds from this fundraiser will be distributed equitably to each school within our district. We look forward to celebrating with you! RSVP Deadline: January 18th, 2012 - For Tickets or Additional Information: http://ceefcares.org/get-involved/events/ceef-gala-2012/ 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Top 10 Reasons for Attending the 2012 CEEF Gala We could use a good excuse for wearing our Hawaiian shirts and dresses in January. We could use a little more dancing and Vegas fun to celebrate the new year. Hula. Hula. Hula. We wouldnt want to miss the opportunity to be serenaded by our Superintendent! Valentines Day is around the corner ~ Live and Silent Auction items make perfect gifts for the ones we love. That NBC Bay Area Traffic Anchor, Mike Inouye is a funny guy! Hula. Hula. Hula. We want to be the first to congratulate our Innovative Technology Educator of the Year, who is using technology in exciting ways in our classrooms! We appreciate all of our teachers, represented by our Teachers of the Year. We want the best educational programs we can offer for our children. District Calendar 2011-2012 (all schools except Murdock-Portal) 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 District Calendar 2012-2013 (All schools except Murdock-Portal) August 20, 2012 Students Return September 3, 2012 Labor Day September 21, 2012 Staff Learning Day October 29, 2012 Staff Learning Day November 12, 2012 Veterans Day November 19-23, 2012 Thanksgiving Recess December 24-January 4, 2013 Winter Recess January 21, 2013 MLK, Jr. Day February 18-22, 2013 Mid-Year Recess March 18, 2013 Staff Learning Day Garden 15-19,Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125 April Gate 2013 Spring Recess May 24, 2013 Staff Learning Day May 27, 2013 Memorial Day June 12, 2013 Last Day of School