GATORAID

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

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SCHOOL CALENDAR
October 28, 2010
10/29 8:15 a.m. HALLOWEEN PARADE
11/2 ELECTION DAY
11/3 STUDENT PICTURES - GLC
11/4 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING
11/7 DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS
TURN CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR
11/10 FIRST TRIMESTER ENDS
11/11 & 12 VETERAN’S DAY HOLIDAY RECESS - NO SCHOOL
11/16 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING - D.O.
11/17 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING
11/18 WALK/BIKE/CARPOOL TO SCHOOL DAY
11/19 SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “TWIN DAY”
11/22 & 23 STAFF FURLOUGH DAYS - NO SCHOOL
11/24-26 THANKSGIVING RECESS - NO SCHOOL
12/2 6:30 p.m. PARENT ED. NIGHT
12/2 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING
12/3 REPORT CARDS GO HOME
12/10 6:30 p.m. GRADE 5 MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC
12/14 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING - D.O.
12/15 6:30-8:30 p.m. HAPPILY EVER AFTER THEATER PERFORMANCE
12/17 SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY - “PAJAMA DAY”
12/20-31 WINTER RECESS - NO SCHOOL
1/3 8:00 a.m. SCHOOL RESUMES

Parent Traffic Duty: November 1st - November 10th, Parents from Rm. 30

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
Halloween Parade – This Friday, October 29, 2010 @ 8:15 a.m.
Providing we are not rained out, we are planning our Halloween parade to start @ 8:15 a.m. this Friday. In order to make the day
enjoyable for all, please remember the following:
• Bring your children dressed in their costumes over their regular clothes. When the parade is over, the students will return to
their classrooms. Please send a bag with your child’s name on it so your child can put his/her costume away after the parade.
• Costumes should:
• Be comfortable, easy to walk in, and should not hamper vision.
• Be in good taste and not violent in nature.
• Please remember:
• Toy guns, swords, knives, martial arts weapons, dyed hair or make-up are not allowed.
• Rollerblades, skates, skateboards, scooters, and bicycles are not permitted on campus.

Our Halloween parades are a lot of fun and we hope that you, our parents can join us!

Red Ribbon Week - 10/26/10 - 10/29/10

Students, parents and staff were welcomed Tuesday by a long string of pennants and ribbons around campus proclaiming Red
Ribbon Week. The pennants and the ribbons kicked off a week of activities that emphasized commitment to a drug-free and healthy
life style. Many thanks to our PTA and, in particular, chairperson Ramya Vasudevan, for their hard work to encourage our students to
make healthy choices in their lives. Among other things, our students and staff had the opportunity to wear red ribbons and learn the
Red Ribbon Pledge. In addition, Garden Gate’s curriculum addresses refusal skills and drug, alcohol, and tobacco awareness. You
can support our curriculum through discussions at home on your values. A strong value system can empower students to make
educated decisions rather than simply be influenced by peer pressure.

“Race to Nowhere” – Some Thoughts…

As part of our learning day on Monday, our staff viewed the documentary, “Race to Nowhere.” The documentary focuses on the
pressures and stresses students face today. No one is exempt from the effects – parents and educators are also affected. The
Garden Gate staff, along with the staffs of two other Cupertino schools, viewed and discussed the documentary as a springboard for
using a specific protocol that will be used at times when we hold discussions on other topics. But to get back to the content of the
documentary, it did generate some thoughtful discussion about the different perspectives surrounding raising and educating our
children. If you have the opportunity to view the film, I would recommend you do so. Whether you agree or disagree with its
messages, one thing is sure, all of us care about our children and we owe it to them to learn as much as we can about the challenges
that are facing them and the ways in which we can support them. For starters, you might look at the article I’ve reprinted below from
education.com. Please look at the five points noted by Dr. Hack as ways parents can help their children.

When and Why Do Children Feel Stress?

By Sabine Hack, M.D. NYU Child Study Center Excerpted from education.com
Children feel stress long before they grow up. Many children have to cope with family conflict, divorce, constant changes in schools,
neighborhoods and child care arrangements, peer pressure, and sometimes, even violence in their homes or communities. The
impact of a stressor depends on a child's personality, maturity, and style of coping. It is not always obvious, however, when children
are feeling overtaxed. Children often have difficulty describing exactly how they feel. Instead of saying "I feel overwhelmed" they might
say, "my stomach hurts." When some children are stressed they cry, become aggressive, talk back or become irritable. Others may
behave well but become nervous, fearful, or panicky.
Stress can affect children's physical health as well. Asthma, hay fever, migraine headache and gastrointestinal illnesses like colitis,
irritable bowel syndrome and peptic ulcer can be exacerbated by stressful situations.
What can parents do? Parents can help their children learn to keep the harmful effects of stress at a minimum.
1. Parents should monitor their own stress levels. In studies on families who have experienced traumatic circumstances such
as earthquakes or war, the best predictor of children's coping is how well their parents cope. Parents need to be particularly
aware of when their own stress levels contribute to marital conflict. Frequent fighting between parents is unsettling for
children.
2. Keep communication lines open. Kids feel better about themselves when they have a good relationship with their parents.
3. Children who do not have close friendships are at risk for developing stress- related difficulties; parents should encourage
friendships by scheduling play dates, sleepovers, and other fun activities.
4. Parents need to shape daily schedules with their child's temperament in mind. Although children thrive in familiar, predictable
environments with established routines and clear safe boundaries, their tolerance for stimulation varies.

5. No matter how busy their schedule, children of all ages need time to play and relax. Children use play to learn about their
world, explore ideas and soothe themselves.
Garden Gate Elementary School 10500 Ann Arbor Ave., Cupertino CA 95014
PTA CORNER PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES ! PAGE 3

Hello Gator Families!

As you all know, last week we had to cancel the Fall Celebration event due to the
weather. It is never easy to cancel such an event especially when people work so hard to
prepare for it and our kids eagerly look forward to participating in the activities, but our
kids’ safety comes first. . . always!

Nonetheless, I would like to thank our teachers and parents who prepared baked goods
for the event. Thank you all for the amazing support you showed by contributing the
baked goods and pumpkins!

Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge and appreciate the work and effort that
Lavanya Sivakumar, Vinutha Shettigar, and Colleen Hagan put into planning and
preparing for the event.

OOOOOH Halloween is here once again! Trick or Treat!

Come to the GG Halloween Parade and be SPOOKED!
When: Tomorrow Friday at 8:15 am
Where: The GG field.
Parents are welcome!

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Sincerely,
Merav Talmor
Garden Gate PTA President

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

- WEDNESDAY,
STUDENT PICTURES HOT LUNCH
NOVEMBER 3RD ite, the school
Student Nutrition Services use a
Bud Wh computerized system to serve hot
photographer, will be at lunch to the students. In order for the
ur
Garden Gate to take yo system to run smoothly and
children’s po rtra its ne xt
3rd. effectively, it is recommended that
Wednesday, November parents/guardians send pre-
“Pi ctu re
Please look for the payment envelopes to the school
ho me tod ay
Day” flyer going office no later than 9:00 a.m. on the
s Gr ee n Fo lde r.
in your child’ day the child wants to receive a school lunch. Paying
Order for ms wil l be se nt
xt cash at the lunch line is discouraged because it creates a
home on Tuesday of ne delay and causes students to wait longer for their hot
week. lunch. We are trying to make our lunch lines cashless,
and so we recommend that parents pay via check instead
on “Picture Day” as late
Please be sure to order of cash. Parents can also pay online at
d. Your package
orders cannot be accepte time the picture is www.paypams.com <http://www.paypams.com/>
the
choices are recorded at by using their debit or credit cards. Please pre-pay for
nn ot be ch an ged or added at a as many lunches in advance as possible. Parents/
taken and ca
a make up day for
later date. There will be but it may not occur
guardians may pre-pay for lunches for one or more
se nt,
students who were ab days on a weekly basis or, if desired, for a month or
year.
until after the first of the more.
.
t volunteers to help Mr
We will need two paren
0 a.m. If you are
White beginning at 8:0
e se e Lin da in the office or call
available, pleas INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACTS
3. Thank you!
(408) 252-5414 ext. 10 If you plan to be away from school for a minimum of five
school days and a maximum of ten school days, please
contact the school office and your child’s teacher at
least three weeks ahead of your departure date to
arrange for a special Independent Study Contract. The
following guidelines must be followed:
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
ENDS. REMEMBER TO TURN •A student must be enrolled for three
YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE consecutive weeks before an Independent
HOUR ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER Contract can be initiated.
•The contract and homework must be
31ST!
returned the first day back to school with all
the work completed, so days missed do not
count as unexcused absences.
•Students who are absent for more than ten
REMINDERS: consecutive days will be dropped from the
•For the protection of the students, please remember that roster of their school. When the student
students are not to be on the Garden Gate campus before returns, if space is available at his or her
7:45 a.m. There is no adult supervision until 7:45 a.m. school, the student will be reinstated with the
presentation of a current PG&E bill. If no
•Please do not congregate outside of the classrooms space is available, the student will be
while school is still in session. This is very disruptive to assigned to another school in the district
both the teacher and the students and could be a where space is available.
distraction from valuable learning time.
•Every Tuesday is early dismissal day. Please remember
that all a.m. Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:10
a.m. and all p.m. Kindergarten students along with
students in grades 1-5 are dismissed at 1:30. Please
remember to pick up your children promptly.

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

DISTRICT CALENDAR 2010-2011

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 95014