GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 12, 2009
11/13 FIRST TRIMESTER ENDS
11/16 SECOND TRIMESTER BEGINS
11/17 9:30-10:00 REFLECTION AWARDS ASSEMBLY - GR. 3-5
11/17 10:30-11:00 REFLECTION AWARDS ASSEMBLY - GR. K-2
11/18 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING
11/20 SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “TWINS”
11/20 6:30-7:30 p.m. GENNIFER CHOLDENKO, AWARD WINNING AUTHOR - “ADULTS ONLY”
11/25-27 THANKSGIVING RECESS - NO SCHOOL
12/3 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING
12/4 REPORT CARDS GO HOME
12/8 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MTG. - DISTRICT BOARD ROOM
12/16 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING
12/16 6:30 p.m. H.E.A.S.T. PERFORMANCE - GLC
12/18 SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “PAJAMA DAY”
12/21-1/1 WINTER RECESS- NO SCHOOL
1/4 SCHOOL RESUMES

Parent Traffic Duty: November 16th - 20th - Parents from Rm. #16A

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

H1N1 & Seasonal Flu School/District Protocols…

As all of us know, the flu season is upon us. To help keep your family informed and healthy, I ask that you read the weekly district
updates regarding the flu, follow the precautionary procedures to avoid the flu and, if you have the flu, follow the directions of your
health provider to get well and reduce the chances of infecting someone else. That being said, I’d like to share the following
specific information with you.

What We’re Doing at Garden Gate:

General Hygiene:
• Teaching and reminding students of ways to cough, sneeze and cleanse their hands to
minimize the spread of germs.
• Having students regularly use hand sanitizers or washing hands, especially before eating.
• Cleaning student desks and common areas with anti-bacterial wipes/cleansers regularly.

Monitoring Students’ Health Status:

• Checking for fevers when children are ill at school. Children who have fevers are sent home
and may not return to school until they have been fever free without medication for 24 hours. If
your child is sent home because of having a fever, he/she must have his/her temperature
checked by the office staff before returning to the classroom.
• Isolating children who have fevers and/or other flu-like symptoms until their parents can pick them up from school.
Regularly disinfecting the nurse’s room and other common areas.
• Tracking of students absent with suspected flu symptoms. That information is sent to the district office on a daily basis.
The district, in turn, sends that information to the Public Health Department.

What You Can Do at Home:

• Get the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines when they’re available for you and your child.
• Don’t send your child to school if they look or are feeling ill. Even if they don’t have a fever, their resistance is probably
down and they may be more susceptible to catching the flu or a cold.
• Keep your child at home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without taking any medication.
• Enforce good hygiene habits at home.

Beat the Bug!

We want to reassure parents that we are trying to be as vigilant as we can to keep the children, the community and the staff healthy
during this flu season. If all of us follow the above guidelines we can greatly reduce the impact of the flu season on our school.
With your help, we can “beat the bug!”

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
 PTA CORNER PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES ! PAGE 3

Hello Gator Families,

Reflections Art Recognition

Next Tuesday morning, November 17th, we will honor our Reflections Award
winners at assemblies in the GLC. Grades 3, 4 and 5 are from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. and
grades K-2 are from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m. . Parents are welcome to attend.

Survey Being Developed

We are preparing a survey for all Garden Gate families so that we have a better understanding of your thoughts
regarding our newly revised budget. Please watch the green folder next week.

Scrip
Please visit our Scrip Table located in front of the office and stock up on
holiday gifts for friends, family and teachers too! Please remember that we
have a drawing once a month and give away $10 worth of scrip! Please stop
by on Tuesdays from 1:15–1:45 p.m. and also on Fridays 7:45–8:15 a.m.

Walk-Around Coordinator Needed!

It is coming around to that time of year when we begin to start thinking about the “Walk-Around.” We do not
yet have a coordinator, so please give it some thought and contact me if you are interested in volunteering or if
you have any suggestions or questions. I can be reached at (408) 343-1232.

Kathleen McCulloch, Garden Gate PTA, Lead Volunteer

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
 GATORAID PAGE 4

T •A student must be enrolled for three consecutive weeks

AUTHOR TO VISI before an Independent Contract can be initiated.
GARDEN G AT E
o, •The contract and homework must be returned the first
Gennifer Choldenk ry day back to school with all the work completed, so days
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our students. available, the student will be assigned to another school
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Gennifer Choldenk
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Garden Garde INFORMATION
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writing process, an r outlined in the California Education Code. These are the
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“a dults only” please! Plea
Limited se at in g— n on how you July 1, 2007, the superintendent or designee shall ensure
en Fo ld er for informatio
your ch ild ’s G re n with an award- that schools comply with the following nutritional standards:
n at te nd th is in formative discussio California Education Code 49431)
ca
winning author. Elementary Schools:
The only foods that may be sold to a pupil during the
school day are full meals and individually sold portions of
nuts, nut butters, seeds, eggs, cheese - packaged for
individual sale, fruit, vegetables - that have not been deep
fried, and legumes. In addition, an individually sold dairy or
DON’T FORGET TO whole grain food item may be sold to a pupil at an
elementary school, if it meets all of the following standards:
RECYCLE
Thank you to everyone who 1. Not more than 35% of its total calories shall be from fat.
participates each week by 2. Not more than 10% of its total calories shall be from
bringing in your recyclable saturated fat.
items and helps the recycling 3. Not more than 35% of its total weight shall be composed
program at Garden Gate. All of sugar, including naturally occurring and added sugar.
of the monies that we receive 4. Not more than 175 calories per individual food item.
for the recycling items go
directly toward Science Camp. Nutrition Standards for Beverages:
Please remember that we can no longer take the plastic (The following nutritional standards shall apply to all
milk jugs so please don't send these to school. beverages provided in the district food service program:
California Education Code 49431.5)
Thank you for your help, Elementary Schools:
Janice Hagerbaumer Regardless of the time of day, the only allowable beverages
that may be sold in elementary schools are:
INDEPENDENT STUDY 1. Fruit-based drinks that are composed of no less than
CONTRACTS 50% fruit juice and have no added sweetener.
If you plan to be away from school for a 2. Vegetable-based drinks that are composed of no less
minimum of five school days and a than 50% vegetable juice and have no added sweetener.
maximum of ten school days, please 3. Drinking water with no added sweetener.
contact the school office and your 4. Two-percent-fat milk, one-percent-fat milk, nonfat milk,
child’s teacher at least three weeks soy milk, rice milk, and other similar nondairy milk.
ahead of your departure date to arrange
for a special Independent Study
Contract. The following guidelines must be followed:
Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
 GATORAID! DISTRICT NEWS SECTION PAGE 5
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.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 - “Parents Helping Parents” - Speaker: Lonnie Allen
PHP helps families who have children of any age with special needs. This workshop will focus on recent changes to the IEP and 504
processes and what parents need to do to navigate the new process.

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

CEEF’S 2010 GALA: "DREAMS ARE MADE OF…"

Saturday, January 30, 2010 5:30 p.m. Fairmont Hotel, San Jose

CEEF GALA – HONORING OUR TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

The CEEF Gala has been acknowledged as the Valley’s premiere “party with a purpose” – raising critically needed funds for
arts and innovative technology programs at each of our district schools. Join us in celebrating educational excellence in our
schools and honoring our Teachers of the Year on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. As an
incentive for schools to begin organizing Gala tables, 50 drawing tickets will be awarded to each school table of 10;
principals who help organize tables will receive a Golden Ticket for a chance to win a catered lunch for their teachers! For
more information, please email CEEF at gala@ceefcares.org.

DO YOU FEEL YOUR CHILD HAS A SPEECH OR LANGUAGE DELAY?

The Cupertino Early Intervention Preschool offers a Special Education program for preschool children between the ages of
three (3) and five (5) who demonstrate a significant delay in speech and/or language development. Parents, teachers and/or
day care providers interested in having a child tested may call Pupil Services at the CUSD District Office, 252-3000 to
request an evaluation and receive an information packet.

.
MCAULIFFE MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION NIGHT
Christa McAuliffe School is one of the district’s four alternative programs. McAuliffe, a K-8 parent-participation school in the
Cupertino Union School District with a whole-child, developmental philosophy, offers a program which advocates for children
to take ownership of their learning, to work collaboratively, to express their opinions, and to explore their interests. All
interested parents are invited to the following events:

Middle School Parent Forum - Thursday, Nov. 19, 7-9 p.m., in Room 19
Panel of middle school parents will address questions in a casual environment.

Middle School Tours - Nov. 6, Jan. 15 & Jan. 28, 8:45 - 11 a.m.
These tours are in conjunction with McAuliffe School tours, join a specialized tour of middle school classrooms led by a
parent guide. Call 253-4696 or sign-up online at www.mcauliffek8.com. CUSD students only.

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014