GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
September 30, 2010

9/30 6:00-8:00 p.m. FALL ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND BOOK FAIR - GLC
10/1 SPIRITWEAR ORDERING DEADLINE

10/4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, & 28 HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PREVIEW (FOR GRADE 5 PARENTS)
TEACHER RESOURCE CENTER - 10255 N. PORTAL AVE., CUPERTINO
MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS IN OCTOBER
10:30-12:00 OR 12:00-1:30 OR 2:00-3:30

10/7 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING - GLC

10/7-10/14 KINDERGARTEN PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS WILL PROVIDE SCHEDULES
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
10/12 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING - D.O.
10/20 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC) MEETING
10/22 3:00-5:00 p.m. FALL CELEBRATION
10/25 STAFF LEARNING DAY - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
10/26-29 RED RIBBON WEEK

Parent Traffic Duty: October 4th - October 8th, Parents from Rms. 28

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
Dear Members of Our Garden Gate Community,

It truly is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement toward the end of January this school year. I feel so
fortunate to have been your principal for almost nine years. Having the opportunity to do what I love best - working
with children and the school community - at an incredible school makes me a very lucky person indeed! My years at
Garden Gate have been among the best of my working life and my many positive experiences here, both
professional and personal, will always be fondly remembered. Now it is time for me to move into another phase of
my life and I hope to spend more time with my family.

I want to assure you that Superintendent Quon and his staff will carefully consider the qualifications necessary for the
next principal of Garden Gate. I am confident they will select the person best suited for the position.

This is such a wonderful school, as I am sure all of you know. You and your children are a big part of what makes
Garden Gate special. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to know and work with you!

Sincerely,
Nancy Wood

Congratulations, Fall 2010 Student Council Members!

Members of the newly elected Garden Gate Student Council are:
President – Neha Vardhinedi
Vice President – Debarshi Basak
Secretary – Pearlin Liu
Treasurer – Nathan Maroko
Sports Coordinators – Kevin Chu & Harshini Mangipudi
Public Relations – Navjeeth Pillai & Karthik Guruvayurappan

From Our Public Relations Officers

The student council officers have had two meetings so far. We have discussed our spirit days for this year, as well as
the Lunch Lap program (which is starting this week). To learn more about what we’re planning to do, please visit the
GLC and look at the student council board. The board contains the minutes of our meetings, and information about
each of the council officers.

Respectfully submitted,
Navjeeth and Karthik

Please visit this website( www.alertscc.com) for important information about ALERTSCC.
As a follow-up to last Thursday’s Safety Night, please visit this website for on-going safety information for you and
your families. Many thanks to Nina Daruwalla, a Public Safety Commissioner for the City of Cupertino and a former
Garden Gate parent for providing this information for us.
WHAT IS ALERTSCC? (Description from the official website)
AlertSCC is a free, easy, and confidential way for anyone who lives or works in Santa Clara County to get emergency
warnings sent directly to their cell phone, mobile device, email, or landline. AlertSCC can reach you wherever you are
to provide information and instructions in a variety of emergency situations, which may include:
• Flooding, wildfires and subsequent evacuations
• Public safety incidents, including crimes, that immediately affect your neighborhood
• Post-disaster information about shelters, transportation, or supplies
It only takes a minute. Sign up today and tell someone you love!

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

Hello Garden Gate Families,

Last Thursday the Garden Gate PTA organized the Safety Night. We had a great turnout - the LARGEST one we
have had for this event in the past few years. I hope you found this event to be
informative and educational. Special thanks go to Angelia Kan and Azmeh Malik who
organized it, and to all the parent volunteers who helped during the event.

Please see the following upcoming dates and events and be sure to mark your
calendar:

Tonight - Thursday, September 30th the Book Fair will be open from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00
p.m. and we’ll also have our famous Fall Ice Cream Social! Come and join us and don’t
forget to bring back the flyer so you can claim your prize.

Monday, October 4th is the last day to order your Spiritwear T-shirts and sweatshirts.
Order forms are still available in the school office.

Friday, October 8th is the last day to submit your entry for the Reflections program. It’s
also the last day for the Direct Donation drive.

Finally, Montclaire School PTA has extended an invitation to all Garden Gate PTA members to attend a speech
event presented by Jim Wiltens on Wednesday, October 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the Montclaire GLC. The topic of the
presentation is “How Your Child’s Personality Affects Their Learning Style.”

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
Tuesdays Are Early We are now fully stocked with gift cards and they are
Dismissal Days available for you to purchase with the exception of the
Please don’t forget that following:
ssal
Tuesdays are early dismi •Whole Foods ($50 and $100) will be available in
Gr ad es 1-5
days. Students in AM
a couple of weeks.
d at 1:3 0 p.m .
are dismisse •American Express is no longer available for
Kinderga rte n stu de nts are purchase.
. and PM Kindergarten
dismissed at 11:10 a.m •Denny’s is available for special order.
at 1:30 p.m.
students are dismissed
Please visit www.glscrip.com to see all of the gift cards
nvenient pick-up
Please arrange for a co that are available as a special order. Remember to stop
on time. You can also
location and please be by the Scrip table (outside of the school office) on
after school care with
make arrangements for Tuesdays at 1:15 p.m. or Fridays at 7:45 a.m. to purchase
Center located in room
the Child Development gift cards. We will be selling today, Thursday, September
you! the Child
#21 on campus. Thank 16 between 2:00 - 2:40 pm.
ated in room #21 on
Development Center loc
campus. Thank you! Volunteer TB Policy
State Law requires that written proof of a negative
tuberculosis skin test (TST) or a clear chest x-ray be on
Reduce, Repurpose, Recycle Productivity Room file with us in order for you to participate in activities with
Training children. A TST/or Chest X-ray is valid for 4 years from
When: Friday, October 1, 2010 the date it is read. If you currently have a TB test on file
Friday, October 8, 2010 at your work, or your child’s regular preschool, or an older
Friday, October 15, 2010 child’s school, you may bring in a copy of it. The only TB
Friday, October 22, 2010 tests accepted by the State of California are:
Time: 12:45-1:45 p.m.
Where: Garden Gates Productivity Room. TST Mantoux Test
Check-in and receive a visitors pass from the school Documentation of the TST:
office. 1. Date TST given.
2. Date TST read.
Please RSVP - Sulgit_Terri@cusdk8.org. Questions? 3. The reading recorded in millimeters of duration.
Please contact Terri Sulgit by email or 252-5414 ext. 108. 4. Signature of a physician, registered nurse or health
professtional trained in administering and reading TB
Hot Lunch Envelopes skin tests.
We are experiencing some difficulties with the way the
blue lunch envelopes are being turned in to the school. Chest X-Ray
Frequently, the blue lunch envelopes are coming in Must indicate absence of disease.
unsealed. Some of these have cash, including coins and
are handled by several people before ending up in the You can have the TST done through your private doctor, or you
can pick up a low cost ($15.00) voucher from the school office
office. We've had money missing as a result of this since for a test at the Cupertino Medical Center. Please bring in a
it often falls out of the envelope. Please make sure you copy of your negative test results as soon as possible. If both
seal the envelopes before giving them to your children. parents plan to participate in the classroom, test results from
This will help ensure that your student gets credit for the each parent must be on file in the school office. Thank you for
total amount of money you turned in. Thank you your cooperation in this matter.
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.
Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95125
 GATORAID! PAGE 5

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATE

The Cupertino Union School District has received information from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department
regarding the current whooping cough (pertussis) epidemic in California.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in California this year.
Whooping cough symptoms usually start out like the common cold with a runny nose or congestion, sneezing and
possible mild cough or fever. After 1-2 weeks, there are bursts or attacks of severe coughing. These coughing fits are
very dangerous to infants and small children and make it difficult to breath. During this epidemic, anyone with cough
symptoms of greater than two weeks should contact their health care provider. Whooping cough is a vaccine-
preventable disease. The best way to stop the epidemic is to get as many people vaccinated as possible. Additional
information is available at www.sccphd.org/whoopingcough.

DIWALI FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

Saturday, October 9, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Memorial Park in Cupertino Free Admission
Diwali is the a time of joyous celebration. The Cupertino Chamber of Commerce is presenting its 8th Annual Diwali
Festival of Lights, a multicultural family fun day, which will include multicultural music, dance performances, kids zone,
international food court, arts and craft booths, and much more. In addition, there will be a coloring contest for kids in
grades K-8 starting at 10:00 a.m. This contest features three different age categories (grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) and
great prizes!!!! The artwork will be provided to each participant on the day of the contest. Free parking will be available
at DE Anza College (lots A, B & C). Additional information is available at www.cupertino-chamber.org.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FUHSD CANDIDATES FORUM

Parents and community members are invited to a League of Women Voters (LWV) sponsored Candidates Forum on
Wednesday, October 6, from 7 to 9 pm at the Fremont Union High School District Office. Three seats on the five-
member Fremont Union High School District Board of Trustees are up for election on November 2, 2010. All candidates
will be at the forum to answer questions. Those in the audience can submit questions for candidates via the LWV
moderator.

District Calendar 2010-2011

October 25, 2010 Staff Learning Day
November 11, 2010 Veteran’s Day
November 12, 2010 CEA Non-Duty Day
November 22 & 23, 2010 Furlough Days/No School
November 24, 25 & 26, 2010 Thanksgiving Recess
December 20 - 31, 2010 Winter Recess
January 17, 2011 Martin Luther King Day
February 21 - 25, 2011 Mid-Year Recess
March 14, 2011 Staff Learning Day
April 18 - 22, 2011 Spring Recess
May 27, 2011 Staff Learning Day
May 30, 2011 Memorial Day
June 7, 2011 Last Day of School

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