GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
March 24, 2011

3/25 6:30 p.m. GRADE 4 MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC

3/30 6:30 p.m. FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT (LAST NAMES BEGINNING A-M)
3/30 7:30 p.m. FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT (LAST NAMES BEGINNING N-Z)
4/4-4/8 GRADE 5 - MARIN HEADLANDS SCIENCE SCHOOL
4/5 “GREAT SCHOOLS’ WHOLE FOODS GROCERY DAY
4/7 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING
4/12 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING
4/15 WALK-A-ROUND
4/15 SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “WALK/BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY”

4/18-4/22 SPRING RECESS - NO SCHOOL

4/25-5/6 STAR TESTING

4/26 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING
4/27 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING

Parent Traffic Duty: March 28th - April 1st - Parents from Rm. 5

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 PAGE 2
Gatorific Gratitude!
Thanks to Azmeh Malik and the parents and community members who made Tuesday's
Discovery Day the success it was. Students learned about cardiology, graphic design, music
composition, dance, how to pitch a baseball, and much more. The day was truly filled with "discovery"!

Playgrounds Off-Limits After Dismissal

Parents - please remember that children, whether they are supervised by you or not, should not be playing on any playground
equipment after school is dismissed. This includes both the time between primary and upper grade dismissal, as well as the time
after upper grade dismissal. After primary dismissal, parents and young children may wait for older children at the kindergarten
tables in front of Rooms 1 and 2. This policy is on page 11 of our Parent Handbook. Thank you for your cooperation.

H.E.A.S.T. Performance
The Second and Third grade students in the “Happily Ever After School Theater” class performed “The Bremen Town Musicians”
on Wednesday in two assemblies that were presented to the school body, and an evening performance for family and friends.
They did a great job and received rave reviews! The Kindergarten and First grade session will begin theater practice on Monday,
March 28th.

4th Grade Music Performance

Join us in the GLC at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25 for our Fourth Grade Music Performance.

Family Science Night - Wednesday 3/30

Join us for a fun-filled educational event! Last names beginning with A-M attend 6:30-7:20 p.m. Last names beginning with N-Z
attend 7:30-8:20 p.m. See you there!

Great Schools Grocery Days

You need to shop for groceries anyway - why not support CUSD schools while doing so? Shop at Whole Foods on Tuesday,
April 5, 2011. 5% of all sales will go to CUSD.

Traffic During Drop-Off and Pick-Up

I have been in contact with the Cupertino Sheriff's Department about our on-going traffic concerns. Any cars that are left
unattended along the yellow curb, or in the pass-through lane may be ticketed. The yellow curb in the front of the school is for
loading or un-loading only - it is not a place to park a car. Cars parked along the curb not only back up traffic out onto Greenleaf,
but in an emergency would prohibit emergency vehicles from entering. Cars must be parked in designated parking spaces or on
the street. Thank you for your support in this matter.

STAR Testing
The two-week multiple choice STAR Test window, for grades two through five,begins April 25, 2011. Please
refrain from scheduling appointments for your child during the school day between April 25 and May 6.
Additionally, please be sure children get a full night’s sleep, eat breakfast, and have snacks. Concentration is
difficult when children are tired or hungry.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
 PTA CORNER. . .! PAGE 3

Hello
Gator
Families,

This
past
Tuesday
we
experienced
a
wonderful

“Discovery
Day”
at
Garden
Gate.
It
was
an

enriching
day
for
our
children
as
they
increased
their
knowledge
and
learned
of
the
diverse

careers,
talents,
and
hobbies
of
many
interesting
presenters.
It
was
a
great
opportunity
to

expose
our
students
to
the
daily
lives
of
many
exciting
people
in
our
community
and
to
learn

from
their
experiences.


Many
thanks
to
Azmeh
Malik
for
organizing
this
event
and
to
all
the

presenters
who
took
the
time
to
come
to
school
and
share
their

lives
with
the
students.

Thank
you
to
all
of
our
parent
volunteers

for
your
support
and
for
making
the
day
possible
with
your

incredible
help
in
so
many
areas
of
the
event.


Thank
you!




Science
Night
–Wednesday,
March
30th

Lawrence
Hall
of
Science
brings
its
newest
science
program,
What's
Matter,
to
Garden
Gate's

Family
Science
Night
on
Wednesday,
March
30th.

Students
will
rotate
between
15
different

stations
focusing
on
hands‐on
science
activities.

Families
whose
last
name
begin
with
the
letters
A‐M
should
attend
the
Oirst
session,
from

6:30‐7:20
p.m.


Families
whose
last
name
begin
with
the
letters
N‐Z
should
attend
the
next

session,
from
7:30‐8:20
p.m.

We
are
still
looking
for
volunteers
to
help
staff
the
stations.
Please

email
Patti
Wolf
at
wolf_patti@cusdk8.org
if
you
can
help.

Sincerely,
Merav
Talmor

GG
PTA
President

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
 GATORAID!
Family Science Night - “What’s Matter?”
Come explore the worlds of gases, liquids and solids in a
hands-on program from the Lawrence Hall of Science at
Family Science Night on Wednesday, March 30th in the
Garden Gate GLC.
Please come to the session based on the first letter of your
last name. Families with a last name that begins with the letter
A-M attend the session from 6:30-7:20 p.m. Families with a
last name that begins with the letter N-Z attend the session
from 7:30-8:20 p.m. All the activities are hands-on and are
appropriate for all K-5th grade students.
Order Your 2010-2011 Yearbook!
The 2010-2011 Garden Gate Yearbooks are
now on sale! In addition to class photos and
school-wide celebrations, the following will
also be featured: Art Night, Twin Day, Spectra
Art, Direct Donations, Cornerstone Kids,
Student Council, After-School Theater, and 5th
Grade Science Camp.
Order the FULL-COLORED yearbook by April
12th for the special rate of $20.00! Limited copies will be
available in June for $25, so order now to ensure that your
child has a copy for this school year.
Absences, Tardies and
Attendance Hotline
408-252-5414 EXT. 6
The attendance hotline is available
24 hours per day, seven days per
week. Parents keeping their
children home at the FIRST sign of
illness may prevent longer
absences. When a child is absent or
late for any reason, parents should
call the HOTLINE on the first and each successive day
of absence. Please call in absences by 9:00 a.m. the
day of the absence. It is extremely important and
helpful for you to call the HOTLINE to report your
child’s absences. The office is responsible for ensuring
accurate reporting of attendance to the District Office
and the State.
If you are aware of upcoming medical appointments,
or other reasons for absence/tardiness, you may call
several days in advance and leave a message on the
recorder. If your child will be late due to a medical/
dental appointment, please remember to ask for a
note from the doctor indicating the appointment and
return it with your child.
Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
PAGE 4
Before You Make Travel Plans. . .
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 school
roster for the following year. For this school year, students
must be in school on June 7, 2011 to retain their space for the
2011/2012 school year.
At the beginning of the school year, a student must be in
attendance on the first day of school August 18, 2011 or they
will not retain their place on the school roster. When you are
making travel plans, please consider the possible
ramifications. If you have any questions, please contact the
Student Assignment office at (408) 252- 3000, ext 110. Thank
you.
Lost and Found
Please check the lost and found shelves located at the back of
the administrative building for your child’s lost items. We have
many lunch boxes, plastic containers, sweaters, hats, etc. that
may belong to your child. Items that are not claimed will be
donated to a local charity. Thank you!
Mom Was Right About
Breakfast!
What simple activity can help
increase student attention, decrease
illness and absenteeism and
increase test scores? Eating
breakfast! Breakfast consumption
reduces the physical symptoms of
stomach pain, headache, muscle tension and
fatigue, all of which interfere with learning. Making sure that
students have breakfast goes a long way toward facilitating
their success. Research studies indicate that children who eat
breakfast:
• Have improved attention in late-morning task performance
• Retrieve information more quickly and accurately
• Make fewer errors in problem-solving activities
• Concentrate better and perform more complex tasks
What a child eats for breakfast is also important. A meal
comprised of protein, fat, starch and sugar will prevent drops
in blood sugar for several hours, whereas a breakfast of just
starch and sugar will sustain a child for only one to two hours.
A drop in blood sugar is associated with a decline in energy
and the onset of hunger symptoms. Consequently, a meal
that includes foods from several food groups provides the
most benefit to the child, both educationally and physically.
Simple breakfasts can be prepared quickly and easily:
• Juice and cereal with low-fat milk
• Toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
• A fruit smoothie made with yogurt
 GATORAID PAGE 5
PARENT PHOTOS AND VIDEO GUIDELINES
The Cupertino Union School District currently allows parents to capture audio recordings, images, and/or video
footage of their children in the classroom and at school events. The district believes that allowing this access is an
important part of involving parents in the education of their children. While the district understands the desire for
parents to share this information with others, we request that all parents be respectful of the privacy of other families
and the district’s policies for protecting student identity.

Therefore, any audio recordings, images, and/or video footage of students obtained during school hours or at any
other school related activity should be used only for your private viewing and not be posted or published online. This
guideline is consistent with the school district’s policies and we would appreciate your cooperation.

As new technology continues to emerge, the district is balancing the use of innovative technology at the school site
with the protection of the identity of our students.

2011 SUMMER SCHOOL UPDATE

The Cupertino Union School District continues to face major budget cuts from the state. As a result, there will be no available
funds to implement the District’s summer school program. As a result, there will be no regular education, CLIP, or ELD summer
school this year. Special Education Extended School Year is not affected and will be available for students currently identified
and enrolled in Cupertino Union School District Special Day Classes (SDC) whose IEP includes summer school. Registration
forms will be available from the SDC teachers beginning April 2011.

2011 STAR TESTING DATES

STAR Multiple Choice Testing will begin the week of April 25, 2011 and continues for two weeks. The STAR Program
is a state accountability measure that helps us assess how we are meeting the needs of our students. You can help
prepare your child for the test by ensuring your child goes to bed on time, eats a good breakfast, and leaves for
school with a positive attitude. Please do not schedule any family trips or doctor appointments during this time.

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2010-2011

April 18-22, 2011 Spring Recess
May 27, 2011 Staff Learning Day
May 30, 2011 Memorial Day
June 7, 2011 Last Day of School

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2011-2012 (NEXT SCHOOL YEAR)

August 15, 16 and 17, 2011 Teacher Work Days
August 18, 2011 Students Return
September 5, 2011 Labor Day
September 23, 2011 Staff Learning Day
October 31, 2011 Staff Learning Day
November 11, 2011 Veteran’s 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 95014