GATORAID

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

GAR
Boa CUP DEN
rd o ERT GAT
Sup f Ed INO EE
erin uca 105 U NIO LEM
tend tion 00 A NS ENT
Boa ent: NN CH ARY
P A O
Anja rd Mem hil Quon
CUP RBO OL
ERT R AV D IS
Josep li Kause ber Nan IN ENU TRICT
hine r, Be s: K at cy W O, CA E
Alic h ood 950
Luce n ia H leen M 14
y, Ga Liao, cCu - Pr
anc i n c i
ock l
Phyl r
lis Vo y McCu -She loch - P pal
e, par TA P
gel d-S
SC C residen
hair t
per
son
SCHOOL CALENDAR
SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
8/24-9/25 GATE TESTING REFERRAL “NEW-TO-DISTRICT STUDENTS ONLY” GR 4 & 5
9/15 12:35-1:30 ROOM PARENT ORIENTATION MEETING - STAFF ROOM
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
9/21 7:00 p.m. GR. 5 - SCIENCE CAMP PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT - GLC
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 REFERRAL “NEW TO DISTRICT”
4-5 GR. STUDENTS ONLY
9/28-10/2 SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR
10/1 6:00-8:00 p.m. FALL SOCIAL AND BOOK FAIR - GLC
10/2 SPIRITWEAR ORDERING DEADLINE
10/5-10/13 PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
10/6 8:00-9:30 a.m. PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM
10/8 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING - GLC
10/9 DIRECT DONATION CONTEST DEADLINE
10/9 REFLECTION ART CONTEST DEADLINE
10/13 8:00-9:30 a.m. PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT GROUP - STAFF ROOM
10/13 5:00-8:30 a.m. BACK TO SCHOOL CELEBRATION AT “THE JUNGLE”
10/13 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM
10/15 3:30-5:00 p.m. FALL CELEBRATION - FIELD
Parent Traffic Duty: September 14th-17th - Parents from Rm. #13

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....MRS. WOOD! PAGE 2

Family Safety Night – Thursday, September 17

Next week’s Family Safety Night will provide you with very valuable
information designed to keep you and your family safe during an
emergency. Knowing what to do when confronted with an unsafe
condition could make the difference between survival and possible
tragedy. In addition to the adult presentations, your children will have
entertaining and informative presentations from members of the Santa
Clara County Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Department. We are
hoping that you will be able to attend this very worthwhile evening.
Many thanks go to Nina Daruwalla, our PTA Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator, for arranging this important evening.

Primary Grades Dismissal – Parents of Students in Grades K-3 - Please Read

Primary grades dismissal time is at 2:05 p.m. every day except Tuesday,
when all students are dismissed at 1:30 p.m. Please note the following:

• No K-3 students should remain on campus after the 2:05 p.m. dismissal unless they are
accompanied by a parent who is waiting for an older sibling to be dismissed at 2:35 p.m. If you
are unable to pick up your K-3 student at 2:05 p.m., please make arrangements with another
adult to pick up your child. Children may not wait by themselves for an older sibling. It is not
safe and there is no adult supervision available.

• Parents and their children are asked to wait for the older students by the tables in front of
kindergarten rooms 1 and 2 or under the shade structure at the back of the school. Please do
not wait by the upper grade classrooms, as this is a distraction to students and teachers.

• While you are waiting for your older child, we ask that you not let your younger children play
on the kindergarten, primary or upper grade playground equipment. There are two main
reasons for this. One, the playgrounds and equipment must be available to upper grade classes
until 2:35 p.m. Additionally, and very importantly, it is a safety issue and we do not have
adult supervision available. Please help us out by waiting with your children at the tables in
front of kindergarten rooms 1 and 2 or under the shade structure at the back of the school.
Thank you for your help in this matter.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125
PTA CORNER PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES ! PAGE 3

Hello Gator Families,

We are off and running with this school year. Direct Donation has had a strong, early response this
year, but we have not reached our targeted amount of $55,000. If we don’t make that target, we will
have to look at cutting some programs or more fundraising efforts will be required. I don’t know
about you, but I don’t like to spend my time selling magazines or cookie dough! So please donate
in this efficient way so that we don’t waste money, volunteer hours, your children’s time, and your
time with other fundraisers! If we all donate, we can easily reach our $55,000 goal. In fact, if
everyone donated the requested $150, we would raise about $99,000! If we raised that much in
donations, we could do so much more for our children! I do understand however, that donating is
not always easy so we set our budget conservatively.

Of all the schools in the Cupertino Union School District, we are among the lowest in the suggested
amount requested for donations. Other schools ask for $150 - $500 per child. So please donate the
requested amount, or more if possible. We do receive many checks over the requested amount and
we thank you all for your donations. Remember, it all stays here at Garden Gate!

The PTA Window

Please visit our PTA windows located on the far right of the front office building. We post the
budget, the board and committee members, meeting notices, PTA events and other timely
announcements.

Volunteer Positions Are Available

Fall Celebration Leader – NEEDED NOW or we may have to cancel!
Walk-Around Leader – position starts in December or January.
Please call me for additional information at (408) 343-1232. You can also check out the PTA
window or visit our website at http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/GardenGateElementarySchool/
gardengatepta/ for details on these and other opportunities that will make a difference at Garden
Gate.

PTA Event:
Safety Night; next Thursday, September 17th, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. for all parents and children.

Kathleen McCulloch, Garden Gate PTA President

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125
GATORAID! PAGE 4
VISITING CAMPUS
All visitors on campus, whether entering classrooms as
E TO
WELCOM N BOOK FAIR volunteers or meeting with teachers, Must Sign In at
TINA T IO end the the office and obtain a visitor’s name tag when school
THE DES our calendar to att e is in session. For the safety of all, we need to know
y th
ase mark g place in
Gators, ple air that will be takin ctober 2nd. The who is on the campus. The only exceptions are at
F rough O
Fall Book ber 28th th m 8:00 a.m. to 3:0 all
0 student arrival and dismissal times. If you are taking
C S e p te m fr o F
GL o p e n n g th e your child out of school for any reason, ALWAYS sign
o o k F a ir will be F rid a y, a nd duri
B t g, your child out from school through the office and then
day excep ay evenin
p.m. every ily event on Thursd isit our back in when he/she returns.
v
Social Fam , 6-8 p.m. You can http://http://
to b e r 1 s t p a g e a t
Oc h o o l home e/
Scholas ti c S c /hom ag e p
ir s .s c h o lastic.com f th e books you s ABSENCES AND TARDIES
bookfa ie w some o variou Attendance and punctuality are important
n g a te> to re v
ts w ill support
g a rd e ll p ro fi to buy in establishing good behaviors and
the Fair. A r Librarian
will find at ities and enable ou stic. Our last building responsibility in young children.
tiv ola
school ac e Library from Sch r continued Please ensure that your child is at school
o k s fo r th d w ith y ou ase everyday and that they arrive on time. If
bo 00, an
rn e d $ 2 ,1 e r th is time. Ple ge
Fair ea o b e tt ra your child will be absent, please call the
e hope to
d ir to encou
support w to visit the Book Fa Garden Gate. attendance line promptly (252-5414, ext. 6). If your
s lp
make plan n to read and to he u are interested child arrives after 8:00 a.m. they must report to the
c h il d re d ! If y o
y o u r still nee d e ut the school office for a late slip before entering the
e rs a re ir, p lease fill o y’s
Volunte o o k F a a classroom. Under state law, three unexcused
with the B ome in tod
in helping rm that is coming h absences or tardies may be considered truancy.
fo
volunteer r.
re e n fo ld e
g
EARN FREE CASH FOR OUR SCHOOL WITH
BOX TOPS
SCRIP AND eScrip Earning cash for our school with Box Tops for
Scrip Gift Cards and eScrip are two fundraising Education is simple and easy! You don't have to spend
programs that parents (also family and friends) can any cash to be involved in this profitable project. Most
participate in to raise money for the PTA at “NO COST” food items that you purchase for home comes with a
to the participant. Scrip gift cards can be purchased “Box Tops for Education” coupon that is located directly
on Tuesday afternoons between 1:15 -1:45 p.m. and on the “box top” and is worth 10c. Please look for these
also on Friday mornings between 7:45-8:15 a.m. coupons especially on products by General Mills. Some
Scrip is spent just like cash on everyday expenses. of the product brands to look for are; Cheerios, Fruit
Rollups, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cottonelle, Ziploc
eScrip also provides an easy way to earn money for etc.
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 LOST AND FOUND
credit/debit cards, Safeway Card, and PW Supermarket Please stop by the “Lost
Card. Be sure to specify Garden Gate Elementary and Found” cabinet that is
School (eScrip number is 139188329.) For those who located at the rear of the
don’t have internet access, please fill out and turn in an administrative building
eScrip registration form (available during scrip sales and take a few moments
times or in the school office.) Already Registered to check for your lost
eScrip Participants: Please visit www.escrip.com and personal items. It is full
click on “YES RENEW” by November 1st, or turn in an with lunch containers,
eScrip registration form to renew your Safeway Club hats and many other
card. Questions? E-mail us at ggscrip.com or see us items. For smaller
during scrip sales times. personal items such as keys, watches jewelry, etc.,
Carolyn Young, Scrip please check in the front office.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125
GATORAID! PAGE 5

CUPERTINO FALL FESTIVAL

Saturday and Sunday, September 19-20, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cupertino Civic Center Library Field
Free Admission

The Cupertino Fall Festival is an evolution of the very successful Cupertino Jubilee and Fall Festival that has been held
for the past three years. The event is organized by the Rotary Club of Cupertino and will incorporate the Environmental
Earth Zone and the Health and Safety zone, which will be offering flu shots.

The key elements of Fall Fest 2009 are: Kids Fun Zone; Health and Safety Zone; Environmental Earth Zone; along with
great food, beverages, and wonderful entertainment. Additional information is available at www.cupertinofallfest.com.

Parent Speaker Series

SELPA II (Special Education Local Plan Area II) is proud to host the following guest speaker presentation to parents of
students with special needs. The event takes place at Bishop Elementary School (450 N. Sunnyvale Avenue in
Sunnyvale) in the auditorium from 6:30-8:30 p.m. There is no registration required to attend the event.

Onsite childcare is available for this event, however registration is required for childcare and closes one week prior to
the event with no exceptions. For childcare please contact Linda Toda at (408) 522-2474.

Thursday, September 17, 2009 - “Emotional Intelligence”, Dr. Anabel Jensen

Dr. Jensen is a world-leading expert on emotional intelligence. She has worked as an educator, principal, and professor
of education. Her talk will cover the importance of emotional intelligence and show how emotional intelligence skills are
a core need for life, school, and work.

DISTRICT CALENDAR

September 18, 2009 Staff Learning Day

October 26, 2009 Staff Learning Day
November 11, 2009 Veteran’s Day
November 25, 26 and 27, 2009 Thanksgiving Recess
December 21,2009-January 1, 2010 Winter Recess
January 18, 2010 Martin Luther King Day
February 15-19, 2010 Mid-Year Recess
March 15, 2010 Staff Learning Day
April 12-16, 2010 Spring Recess
May 28, 2010 Staff Learning Day
May 31, 2010 Memorial Day
June 10, 2010 Last Day of School

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