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

GATORAID

BoardofEducation

Superintendent:Dr.WendyGudalewicz

BoardMembers:

AnjaliKausar,BenLiao,

JosephineLucey,GaryMcCue,

PhyllisVogel

GARDENGATEELEMENTARY

CUPERTINOUNIONSCHOOLDISTRICT

10500ANNARBORAVENUE

CUPERTINO,CA95014

BrandiHucko-Principal

AzmehMalik-PTAPresident

SCHOOL CALENDAR APRIL 11, 20134/11 6:00 p.m. KINDERGARTEN MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC4/12 GR. 5 RETURNS FROM SCIENCE CAMP4/15-19 NO SCHOOL - SPRING RECESS4/22-26 WOW - WALK ONE WEEK4/26 WALK-A-ROUND PLEDGE DEADLINE4/26 SCHOOL SPIRIT- COLOR DAY -

(COLORS DETERMINED BY GRADE LEVEL)4/26 3:30 p.m. SOCCER - EISENHOWER @ GARDEN GATE4/29-5/10 STAR TESTING5/2 6:30 p.m. COMMON CORE PARENT MEETING - GLC5/2 7:15 p.m. PTA MEETING - GLC5/3 3:45 p.m. SOCCER - GARDEN GATE @ COLLINS5/7 8:00 a.m. PROJECT CORNERSTONE PARENT MTG. - STAFF ROOM5/9 12:00 p.m. WALK-AROUND RAFFLE DRAWING5/10 3:45 p.m. SOCCER - DE VARGAS AT GARDEN GATE5/12 MOTHERS DAY5/13 8:00 a.m. STUDENT SPRING PORTRAITS - GLC5/15 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING5/15 6:00 p.m. MUSIC CONCERT PERFORMED BY RMS. 29, 4, 3, 16A, 115/15 7:00 p.m. MUSIC CONCERT PERFORMED BY RMS. 5, 7, 18, 23, 255/17 SCHOOL SPIRIT - SUNGLASS DAY5/17 4:00 p.m. SOCCER - EATON @ GARDEN GATE5/20-23 SPRING BOOK FAIR5/23 5:30 p.m. SPRING BOOK FAIR - EVENING5/23 7:00 p.m. OPEN HOUSE5/24 NO SCHOOL - STAFF LEARNING DAY5/27 NO SCHOOL - MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY5/28-31 STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

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 andview 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.orgATTENDANCE: 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 ato request the homework for pickup after 3:00 p.m.

mailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orgmailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orgmailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orgmailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orgmailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orghttp://www.pamslunchroom.com/mailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orgmailto:lastname_firstname@cusdk8.orghttp://www.pamslunchroom.com/http://www.pamslunchroom.com/

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

Spring Recess is April 15-19We wish all of our Gator families a wonderful Spring Recess. Fill the time with laughter, fun, warmmemories, and reading for pleasure! Enjoy!

Common Core Standards Parent MeetingYou may have attended the CUSD Common Core State Standards Town Hall Meeting held at LawsonMiddle School on February 28. Mr. Wright and I invite all Garden Gate parents to join us for a follow-up discussion,where we will share specific information about what Garden Gate is doing to prepare for full implementation of these newstandards. Join us in the GLC on Thursday, May 2, from 6:30-7:00 p.m. (and stay for the 7:15 p.m. PTA Meeting!). To assist wour planning, please send an email to me by Tuesday, April 30th, indicating whether you plan to attend our Common Coremeeting: hucko_brandi@cusdk8.org. Thank you.

WOWGarden Gate will participate in the Cupertino Teen Commissions Walk One Week (WOW) program the week of April 22.Students are encouraged to walk, bike, scooter, skateboard or rollerblade during this week in celebration of Earth Week.Rainshine, the contest is on! Look for the brochure in todays Green Folder describing the program, and the prizes they can win

Walking-One-Week. Please return the completed log by April 30, 2013 to your childs teacher. Thank you.

Student RestroomsParents, please remind your children of the importance of respectful restroom habits. Please remind children ththey must flush the toilet, and if they wet the seat, they should wipe it. Remind them to wash their handsthoroughly and throw paper towels in the trash cans. Classroom teachers are also discussing these items withtheir students. Im hoping that together, we can keep our restrooms cleaner throughout the day. Thank you.

Dismissal TimeParents, please remember the designated area on campus where you need to wait for your 4th or 5th grade students to bereleased from class: The "snack tables" in front of the Caf Window. Please do not wait in the hallways, as noise (even low

noise, such as a conversation), can be disruptive to our classes still in session. Similarly, for safety reasons, children are notpermitted to play on the play structures or blacktop areas after school. Please have your children wait, seated, at the snacktables, with you. Thank you in advance for your support in maintaining our learning environment and keeping children safe.

Traffic and Parking LotPlease follow these simple rules to ensure student safety: Always drop off along the curb. Do not allow your child to exit the cthe parking lot alone and attempt to walk across the lot. The curb is a "no parking anytime" zone. Drivers must remain in theirvehicles. Drivers who leave their vehicles unattended could be ticketed by the Sheriff's Department. Always cross at a crosswalk. Hold your child's hand and teach your child to always look both ways. Avoid getting stuck in traffic. Leave home earlier tmake sure your child arrives to school on time. Students may be on campus beginning at 7:45am.

Propellers

Do you wonder how to connect better with your children? Do you wonder what matters to them, and how you can assist themgrow up to be healthy, caring and responsible citizens? I encourage you to try a "propeller" - a question intended to sparkconversations with your children. Try it around the dinner table tonight!This week's Propeller: How do you reactwhen two of your friends are not getting along with each other?

Brandi HuckoPrincipal, Garden Gate Elementary408-252-5414

mailto:hucko_brandi@cusdk8.orgmailto:hucko_brandi@cusdk8.orgmailto:hucko_brandi@cusdk8.orgmailto:hucko_brandi@cusdk8.org

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PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES

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

Dear Gator Families,

AMAZING WALK-AROUND!Last Fridays Walk-Around was an awesome success! The students had a wonderful time walking to lively musicwhile enjoying the beautiful weather and raising money for their school. They were also treated to yummy Popsiclesafterwards!

Id like to thank the amazing volunteers who helped coordinate and manage this monumental event. A very specialTHANK YOU to Sheetal Devidasani, Mahalakshmi Rameshbabu, Shaila Hegde and Aravinda Chigati whoworked tirelessly to prepare for the Walk-Around Day. Id also like to thank all those parents who helped outthroughout the day of the event with preparing and passing out the snacks, recording tally marks, spraying thestudents with refreshing water and counting the pledge money! We could not have managed this event without yoursupport and were sincerely grateful to each one of you!

HONORARY SERVICE AWARDSLast week the Garden Gate PTA presented the Honorary Service Award to fourrecipients who have served our school and community in exceptional ways. Theyare:

ARAVINDA CHIGATI MEENA VIJAYKAR

CAROLYN YOUNGSTACY SMITH

The Garden Gate community is fortunate to have such amazing volunteers, who goabove and beyond their basic responsibilities to help our students and the school.

We sincerely appreciate the dedication and hard work of these wonderful ladies!

GARDEN GATE PTA NEEDS A TREASURER AND FAMILY EVENT ORGANIZERS!Thank you to the parents who have signed up to serve on the PTA Board and Committees fornext year. We have candidates for most positions, however we still need a Treasurerandvolunteers to serve on a few of our Committees. We are looking for parents who would beinterested in organizing the following family events: Fall Celebration, Fun in the Sun and ArtNight.

You do not need to have any prior experience, just the spirit and motivation to help make adifference to our school and community. We will help and guide you do the rest! You do not haveto sign up alone. You can also ask a friend to work on the same committee with you, or we can

find other parents to assist you. We welcome all the help we can get.

Our PTA is suffering from a severe lack of volunteers. I dont like admitting it, but if we do not find anyone tohelp out, we will have no choice but to cancel these celebrations for next year! Please consider helping out, andif you need more information, I am here to answer your questions.

Have a wonderful Spring Break!

Azmeh MalikGARDEN GATE PTA PRESIDENTazmeh_ahsan@yahoo.com

mailto:ahsan@yahoo.commailto:ahsan@yahoo.commailto:ahsan@yahoo.com

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

FIRST AND LAST DAY OF SCHOOL - DISTRICT POLICYStudents who have an unexcused absence on the first day ofschool in August will be dropped from the school roster(vacations are unexcused). If space is available at the schoolwhen the student returns, the student will be reinstated. If nospace is available, the student will be assigned to anotherschool in the district where space is available. Students must bein attendance on the last day of school to guarantee their placein the district for the following year. If leaving early, the student

will be dropped from the roster and upon the students return,the parents must contact the school to re-register and thestudent will be placed where space is available. If you aremaking travel plans and have questions, please contact theStudent Assignment Office at 408-252-3000, ext. 110.

REMINDERS:

For the protection of students, please remember thatstudents are not to be on the campus before 7:45 a.m.There is no adult supervision until 7:45 a.m.Please do not congregate outside of the classroomswhile school is still in session. This is very disruptive toboth the teacher and the students and could be a

distraction from valuable learning time.Every Tuesday is early dismissal day. Please rememberthat all a.m. Kindergarten students are dismissed at 11:10a.m. and all p.m. Kindergarten students along withstudents in grades 1-5 are dismissed at 1:30. Pleaseremember to pick up your children promptly.

ALLERGY SEASON HAS BEGUNSpring is here and students are reacting with swolleneyes and other allergy symptoms. Red irritated eyesare often the sign of pink eye which is a contagiousdisease. When students come to the office

complaining of sore eyes, we cannot diagnose theproblem as either an allergy or pink eye a doctormust do this. If a prescribed or over-the-countermedicine is needed and is to be administered atschool, the office must have a parent and doctorcomplete our blue medical form on file before anymedication can be given. These forms are available inthe school office. Students may not bring any medicineto school in their backpacks. All medications need tobe in the original packaging with the pharmaceuticallabel. All medicine is kept in the school office.

TRUANCY AND WHAT IT MEANS

Compulsory attendance is the law in California from agesix until the age of eighteen (Education Code: 482600).

A student who has three unexcused absences or threetardies of more than 30 minutes or any combinationthereof, without a valid excuse is considered legallytruant. A student who has six unexcused absences or sixtardies or absences of more than 30 minutes, or anycombination thereof, is considered habitually truant andwill be referred for further action. How Does TruancyImpact Students?Students suffer academic setbacks when frequentabsences occur.If tardy by even a few minutes, students start their daybehind other students who have had a chance to

organize and are focused on instruction.Students in school on a regular basis and on time dosignificantly better in school.Studies have shown that students struggling in highschool developed patterns of absenteeism in elementaryschool.These are just four items out of a long list of issuesthat negatively impact children when they are absent ortardy. Simply getting to school on time is one of thegreatest gifts you can give your child. It teachesresponsibility and punctuality; qualities every professionvalues. Lets make every effort to have our children intheir seats when the school day begins at 8:00 a.m.

PARKING LOTPlease remember to slow down and use extra cautionwhen driving your students to and from school in themorning and allow plenty of time. When you aredropping off your children, please have their backpacks,lunch, and other belongings in the car, not in the trunk.This will help expedite traffic flow during the morning.Remember to pull your car up to the furthest availableposition. Thank you!

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

CUSD DISTRICT OFFICE RELOCATIONThe Cupertino Union School Administrative Office will be moving to a new location at1309 S. Mary Avenue in Sunnyvale during the week of Spring Break. As a result, theDistrict Office will be closed for business starting Friday, April 12, 2013 and willreopen in the new location on Monday, April 22, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. The Districtsmailing address will remain the same at 10301 Vista Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014. TheDistricts Operations Center will also remain at the 10301 Vista Drive address.

This move is the first phase of the plan to accommodate the growing enrollment of middleschool students in the District by growing the Lawson Middle School campus starting thesummer of 2013.

ere is a list of departments by location:dministrative Offices - (1309 S. Mary Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94087):uperintendents Office, Business Services, Duplicating Services, Human Resources and Payroll, Instruction Department,pecial Education, Pupil Services, and Student Assignment.

perations Center - (10301 Vista Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014):aintenance/Grounds, Operations, Security, Transportation, Bus Yard, Garage, Warehouse, Mail Room, Purchasing,eceiving, Student Nutrition, Facility Modernization, IT Department, Property Office, and Energy Management.

O YOU FEEL YOUR CHILD HAS A SPEECH OR LANGUAGE DELAY?he Cupertino Early Intervention Preschool offers a special education program for preschool children between the ages ofree (3) and five (5) who demonstrate a significant delay in speech and/or language development. Parents interested in

aving a child tested may call Pupil Services at the District Office, 408-252-3000, Extension 120, to request an evaluationnd receive an information packet.

2013 BOOKS FOR A BETTER FUTURE CAMPAIGNFor the past 18 months the Cupertino Union School District has been working hard to plan for theimplementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The CCSS is a nation-wide effortto ensure that all of our students have the skills necessary to succeed in a global economy.

In order to implement these new standards effectively, beginning in Fall 2014, the District is in immedianeed of additional non-fiction materials in all of our schools. To support this implementation, the Districasked the Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation (CEEF) to raise funds for these important

informational texts.

partnership with CUSD, CEEF launched the 2013 Books for a Better FutureCampaign at its annual Gala on March 9th.

oal of this campaign is to provide all schools with full classroom sets for every grade level, small group reading sets for everyade level, and read-aloud texts for the primary grade levels. This 10-week campaign will run through CEEFs annual Golf

ournament, to be held this year at the Golf Club of Boulder Ridge on June 3rd. For further information about how to donate or hget involved with the 2013 Books for a Better Future Campaign, please visit www.ceefcares.org/greatschools.

CUPERTINO CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Saturday and Sunday, April 27, and April 28, 2013 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Memorial Park in Cupertino Free Admission

he 30th Annual Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates community, culture and supportsupertinos Sister City relationship with Toyokawa, Japan. This years festival features deliciousapanese and American food, outdoor entertainment by taiko drums groups, classical Japaneseancers, martial art schools and musical groups, and more. There are indoor Japanese culturalsplays, workshops, and musical performances at the Quinlan Center, adjacent to Memorial Park.his year also features a special childrens play area with hands-on activities. Parking is availableDeAnza College for free. For information visit www.cupertinotoyokawa.org. This event helps to

upport the Cupertino-Toyokawa Sister City Exchange Program.

http://www.cupertinotoyokawa.org/http://www.cupertinotoyokawa.org/http://www.cupertinotoyokawa.org/http://www.ceefcares.org/greatschoolshttp://www.ceefcares.org/greatschools