GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
September 16, 2010

9/16 BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - PARENTS ONLY

6:45 p.m. KINDERGARTEN-3RD GR. PARENTS IN CLASSROOMS
7:30-7:45 p.m. ALL PARENTS IN THE GLC
7:45-8:30 p.m. GRADE 4 & 5 PARENTS IN CLASSROOMS
9/17 STAFF LEARNING DAY - NO SCHOOL
9/20 8:30-10:00 a.m. SPECTRA ART VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
9/20 7:00 p.m. GR. 5 PARENTS - “SCIENCE SCHOOL” INFORMATIONAL MTG.
9/23 6:15-8:00 p.m. SAFETY NIGHT - GLC
9/27-10/1 SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR
9/28 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING - D.O.
9/30 6:00-8:00 p.m. FALL ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND BOOK FAIR - GLC
10/1 SPIRITWEAR ORDERING DEADLINE
10/7 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING - GLC

10/7-10/14 KINDERGARTEN PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

ALL KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS BEGIN AT 8:00 a.m.
DISMISSAL AT 11:25 EXCEPT TUESDAY, 10/12 @ 11:10 a.m.

10/7-10/15 8:00-12:30 p.m. GR. 1 - 5 PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - DISMISSAL - 12:30 p.m.

10/8 DIRECT DONATION CONTEST DEADLINE

10/8 REFLECTION ART CONTEST DEADLINE

Parent Traffic Duty: September 20th - 24th Parents from Rms. 1, 2, 6, & 7

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

From Our Principal

Learning Day, Friday, September 17, 2010

Please remember that this Friday is a non-school day for students. Teachers will participate in professional learning
communities and 21st century schools training in the morning along with staffs from two other Cupertino schools.
The afternoon will be devoted to technology training and staff collaboration.

Garden Gate’s Academic Performance Index (API) = 990!

The Academic Performance Index (API) is a score on a scale of 200 to 1,000 that annually measures the academic
performance and progress of individual schools in California. The state has set 800 as the API score that schools
should strive to meet. Recently released API data from the state shows that Garden Gate School has made a 10
point jump from last year’s API of 980. Our API now stands at 990. We are thrilled with the new API score and very
proud of our staff, students and their parents!

I remind everyone that the API measures academic performance, not school quality. It cannot measure the breadth
and depth of our excellent programs and commitment to children. Garden Gate programs such as Project
Cornerstone, Spectra Art, Lunch Laps and many others contribute greatly to the overall educational experiences of
your children. Yet, they are not measured for their influence on your children’s academic growth. I believe these
enrichment and support programs do have a significant impact on children’s academic growth.

However, we recognize that the API is one of the few very visible measures of schools for the public to see so it is
understandable why it receives so much scrutiny. Keeping the above information in perspective, I do want to repeat
that we are delighted by our latest API and feel validated that Garden Gate School is an excellent school, as are all
of the schools in the Cupertino Union School District. Congratulations, Garden Gate staff, students, and parents!

Ready to Learn
Send your child to school with three things to ensure success.
By now, the teacher has sent home a list of things your child needs for class this year, but don’t forget to prepare
your child by instilling:

1. Concentration. Block out some time each day for quiet study. During this time, no one (not even you) watches
TV or talks on the phone. Instead, everyone reads or does homework.
2. Organization. Hang a checklist by the door. Have your child check off all the things that should go to school.
Stick another list of the things that need to come home in his book bag. Set up a “parking place.” Inside the door,
use a box or shelf as a place for your child to stash all the stuff that has to go to school the next day.
3. Motivation. How can you encourage your child to do his best? Set aside time each day to ask him about school.
Look for ways he can show you what he’s learned. If he is studying percentages, have him estimate how much the
sales tax will be if you’re food shopping.

Reprinted with permission from the September 2007 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School
Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.

Back to School Night – Tonight, Thursday, September 16, 6:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The schedule is as follows:

6:45 – 7:25 p.m. Grades K - 3 (In classrooms)

7:30 - 7:45 p.m. GLC (Introductions/announcements)
7:45 – 8:30 p.m. Grades 4 - 5 (In classrooms)

We look forward to seeing all of you tonight. Please remember that this is an evening for adults only. Thank you.

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

Hello Gators Families,

The PTA Window

Please stop by and visit the “PTA windows” which are located on the far right of the school office
building. It is there that we post PTA information; meeting agendas, PTA events, budget details, and
other timely announcements.

PTA Membership – I would like to thank all the parents who joined the PTA as members.
For those of you who did not yet join, I urge you to get involved and become a PTA member TODAY
(there are membership forms in the school office). Please remember – parent participation plays a
significant role in the educational and social growth of our children!

PTA Event: Safety Night will be next Thursday, September 23rd 6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Please join us for Safety Night next Thursday, September 23rd! At this event, officers from the Sheriff's
Department, the Fire Department and Canine will meet with parents and children to discuss children’s
safety, safety at school and in the neighborhood. In addition, the officers will explain what to do in case
of a fire, and talk to the students about “Stranger Danger.”

We look forward to seeing all of you at this event!

Sincerely,
Merav Talmor
Garden Gate PTA President

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125
 GATORAID! PAGE 4
Scrip/Gift Card Update
We are now fully stocked with gift cards and they are
DUE available for you to purchase with the exception of the
ERS ARE
EAR ORD following:
SPIRIT W •Whole Foods ($50 and $100) will be available in
FRIDAY! ber 1st is your last a couple of weeks.
to
Friday, Oc to place your order •American Express is no longer available for
n it y ate
opp o rt u Garden G purchase.
r y o u r 2 010-2011 irt. These
fo h
/or sweats dult and •Denny’s is available for special order.
t-shirt and in b oth a
ble
are availa es (sample of sizes Please visit www.glscrip.com to see all of the gift cards
iz
children s hool office). If you that are available as a special order. Remember to
th e sc more
a re in
e d y o u r o rder form, ice. stop by the Scrip table (outside of the school office) on
misplac ool off
v a il a b le in the sch Tuesdays at 1:15 p.m. or Fridays at 7:45 a.m. to
are a purchase gift cards. We will be selling today, Thursday,
September 16 between 2:00 - 2:40 pm.

Tuesdays Are Early Dismissal Days

Please don’t forget that Tuesdays are early dismissal
days. Students in Grades 1-5 are dismissed at 1:30
p.m. AM Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:10
a.m. and PM Kindergarten students are dismissed at
1:30 p.m.
Please arrange for a convenient pick-up location and
please be on time. You can also make arrangements
for after school care with the Child Development Center
located in room #21 on campus. Thank you!
Hot Lunch Envelopes
We are experiencing some difficulties with the way the
blue lunch envelopes are being turned in to the school.
Frequently, the blue lunch envelopes are coming in
unsealed. Some of these have cash, including coins
and are handled by several people before ending up in
the office. We've had money missing as a result of this
since it often falls out of the envelope. Please make
sure you seal the envelopes before giving them to your
children. This will help ensure that your student gets
credit for the total amount of money you turned in.
Thank you
. you can pick up a low cost ($15.00) voucher from the school
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.
Volunteer TB Policy
State Law requires that written proof of a negative
tuberculosis skin test (TST) or a clear chest x-ray be
on file with us in order for you to participate in activities
with children. A TST/or Chest X-ray is valid for 4 years
from the date it is read. If you currently have a TB test
on file at your work, or your child’s regular preschool, or
an older child’s school, you may bring in a copy of it.
The only TB tests accepted by the State of California
are:
TST Mantoux Test
Documentation of the TST:
1. Date TST given.
2. Date TST read.
3. The reading recorded in millimeters of duration.
4. Signature of a physician, registered nurse or health
professtional trained in administering and reading TB
skin tests.
Chest X-Ray
Must indicate absence of disease.
You can have the TST done through your private doctor, or
office for a test at the Cupertino Medical Center. Please bring
in a copy of your negative test results as soon as possible. If
both parents plan to participate in the classroom, test results
from each parent must be on file in the school office. Thank
you for your cooperation in this matter.

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

DISTRICT HEALTH GUIDELINES

It is important that our children follow good health practices at all times and be kept at home when they are ill.
A child should not be in school when he or she is ill and is experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:

• Nausea or vomiting (must remain at home until free of symptoms for 24 hours).
• Diarrhea (must remain at home until free of symptoms for 24 hours).
• Severe headache.
• Continuous coughing or runny nose.
• Evidence of a communicable disease such as a rash, swelling or unusual sore throat.
• A temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) degrees or higher (must remain at home until he/she has a normal 98.6 F
(37 C) degree temperature for 24 hours without the use of a fever reducer such as Tylenol).
• Conjunctivitis - pink eye.
• Undiagnosed rash (rashes must be verified by your doctor that they are non-contagious before the child
may return to school; a note is needed).

The School Nurse may clear a student with known chronic illness (asthma, allergies, migraines, etc.
If a student is sent home from school for feeling ill, the child may not return to school that day. A doctor’s note for
absences over (7) days is required (CSUD BP & AR 5113). Thank you for your cooperation in helping to keep all
children and staff healthy.

SILICON VALLEY FALL FESTIVAL - FREE ADMISSION

Saturday and Sunday September 25-26, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Memorial Park in Cupertino
The Silicon Valley Fall Festival is an evolution of the very successful Cupertino Jubilee and Fall Festival that has been
held for the past five years. This is a fun and educational community event for the whole family. The key elements of
this year’s festival are: Kids Fun Zone; Cultural Fair, Health and Safety Zone; Environmental Earth Zone; along with
great food, beverages and wonderful entertainment. Additional information is available at www.cupertino.org.

CELDT TESTING
The Cupertino Union School District will administer the CELDT (California English Language Development Test)
September through October 30, 2010. Based on your child’s last years CELDT scores, if their proficiency is limited,
withdrawn or transitional, your child will be included in the annual CELDT test at their school. A letter will be sent home
with your child prior to the testing date at your school.

The initial CELDT will be given to kindergarten students whose primary language on the Home Language Survey is a
language other than English.

The test consists of four skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Students in grades K–8 are tested in all four
areas. You will receive the official results after January 2011. If you have any questions, please contact your school
office.

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