GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
March 31, 2011

4/1 2:00-3:00 p.m. JAPAN FUNDRAISING - BAKE SALE - FRONT OF SCHOOL OFFICE
4/1-4/8 JAPAN FUNDRAISING - AMERICAN RED CROSS DONATIONS - IN OFFICE
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-AROUND
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: April 4th - April 8th - Kindergarten Parents from Rm. 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....MS. HUCKO PAGE 2

What a Gatorific Performance!

Last Friday evening our 4th grade students, under the direction of Music Teacher, Mrs. Melanie
Zhao, performed The Cat and The Rat. The humorous musical was well attended by family
and friends. The hours of practice really paid off - it was a wonderful
performance.

Bon Voyage!
Join me in wishing our 5th grade students a safe and fun trip! They
leave for Science Camp in the Marin Headlands on Monday, April 4th
and will return on Friday April 8th. We can't wait to hear all about your
adventures, 5th graders!

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.

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 - APRIL 25TH - MAY 6TH

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,

Science
Night
Yesterday
we
had
the
Family
Science
Night.
I
hope
everyone
enjoyed
it.

I
would
like
to
thank
Mrs.
Patti
Wolf
for
coordinating
this
event.
Also,
a
huge
“Thank
You”
to
all

of
the
teachers
and
parents
who
volunteered
and
helped
during
the
event.

Great
Schools
Grocery
Day
­
Tuesday,
April
5th
Please
plan
to
shop
at
Whole
Foods
on
Tuesday,
April
5th.


5%
of
all
sales
will
go
to
CUSD.

Fundraising
for
Japan
Our
very
own
Garden
Gate
parent,
Hiromi
Kojima,

is
organizing
a
fundraising
for
Japan.

There

are
two
ways
you
can
help:



 1.
Bake
sale
on
Friday,
April
1st,
2:00­3:00
p.m.
in
front
of
the
ofTice.

Please


 stop
by
and
purchase
some
bake
goods.

 2.
American
Red
Cross
donation
box
in
the
school
ofTice.
You
can
simply
put


 your

donation
in

that
box
or
send
it
to
your
child’s
teacher.
The
last
day
to


 submit
your
donation
is
April
8th.

If
you
have
any
question
please
contact
Hiromi
at
naosuzu9903@yahoo.co.jp.

Your
help
and
support
is
immensely
appreciated!

Sincerely,
Merav
Talmor
Garden
Gate
PTA
President

Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
 GATORAID!
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.
Updating Residency Information
Please be aware that district guidelines require that any
change of residence must be reported to the school office
within ten (10) days. This guideline is in place to ensure that
the address and contact information that the school has on file
is accurate. This information is crucial and is used to send
official school/district correspondence and it is used in the
case of an emergency. Failure to provide current residency
information could result in the immediate withdrawal of your
child. If you have any questions regarding this guideline,
please contact the school office.
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!
Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
PAGE 4
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.
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.
Parents And Visitors On Campus
Once school begins and is in session, parents are not
permitted to interrupt the classroom. The teachers are
involved with classroom instruction and interruptions are very
distracting. If it becomes necessary for you to speak to your
child or your child’s teacher during the school day, please
notify the school office. All visitors on campus or volunteers
entering the classroom must first sign in at the office and
obtain a visitors badge when school is in session.
 GATORAID PAGE 5
GREAT SCHOOLS WEEK AND GROCERY DAYS
Great Schools Week, organized by the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF), has raised over $30,000 to-date!
There are still over 1/3 of the donation checks yet to arrive. You can add to the number by buying groceries for your family next
week at Whole Foods Cupertino. Last year, the power of our community raised over $12,000 for CUSD schools at this event.
ALL SALES will be used to offset pending budget cuts. Join us in supporting our CUSD schools!
Additional information is available at www.ceefcares.org.

• Tuesday, April 5, 2011

• Whole Foods, 20955 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino - 5% of all sales

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.

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 and 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.

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