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

GATORAIDBoard of Education

Superintendent: Phil QuonBoard Members:

Anjali Kausar, Ben Liao,

Josephine Lucey, Gary McCue,Phyllis Vogel

GARDEN GATE ELEMENTARY

CUPERTINO UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT

10500 ANN ARBOR AVENUE

CUPERTINO, CA 95014

Brandi Hucko - Principal

Azmeh Malik - PTA President

SCHOOL CALENDAR JANUARY 26, 2012

1/28 5:30 p.m. 2012 CEEF GALA - “EVENING OF ALOHA” - FAIRMONT HOTEL, SAN JOSE1/30 8:30 a.m. 2012-2013 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION “PACKET PICK UP” BEGINS2/2 7:15 p.m. P.T.A. MEETING2/6-2/16 2012-2013 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION PACKETS DUE2/7 6:30-7:15 p.m. LITERACY NIGHT GR. K-2, BOOK EXCHANGE GR. 3-5 7:20-8:00 p.m. LITERACY NIGHT GR. 3-5, BOOK EXCHANGE GR. K-22/8 6:30 p.m. LAWSON MS - INCOMING 6TH GR. PARENTS (ONLY) NIGHT2/9 6:30 p.m. CUPERTINO MS - INCOMING 6TH GR. PARENTS (ONLY) NIGHT2/9 6:30 p.m. GRADE 4 MUSIC PERFORMANCE - GLC2/10-2/16 2012-2013 OPEN ENROLLMENT & ALTERNATIVE ED. REGISTRATION2/14 HEARING SCREENING - GRADES 1, 2, 52/14 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING2/15 3:45 p.m. SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING2/17 “STUFFED ANIMAL DAY” - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY2-20-2-24 MIDYEAR RECESS - NO SCHOOL2/28 6:00 p.m. C.U.S.D. BOARD MEETING

EVERY TUESDAY IS EARLY DISMISSAL – Students are dismissed at 1:30.PREPAY 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.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 a.m. to request the homework for pickup after 3:00 p.m.

FROM OUR PRINCIPAL....MS. HUCKO! PAGE2

Code Red DrillAs part of our commitment to student, staff and volunteer safety, we held a Code Red Drill at Garden Gate yesterday. During the drill students and staff “locked down.” They locked doors, covered windows, and created barricades. Law enforcement was at Garden Gate to observe and provide valuable feed back that will be used to improve safety. We practice this drill in the event there is an armed intruder on our campus.

2012 Geography BeeThis year’s fourth and fifth grade Geography Bee took place the afternoon of Friday, January 13. A few weeks prior, all the upper grade students took a qualifying test and the top scoring 30 went on to compete for a spot amongst the top 10. These ten finalists competed in front of their peers to answer as many state and world geography questions as possible. These questions consisted of a combination of multiple choice and free response answers. Each contestant performed amiably, but in the end fifth grader, Amey Kapare became Garden Gate’s champion for the second year in a row. The runner up was Eric Hua and the third place winner was Mansi Gandhi. Now we are waiting to hear whether Amey has qualified to compete at the state level. If so, he is off to Sacramento at the end of March to compete amongst the 100 highest scoring students in California. Congratulations to all the 2012 Geography Bee contestants!

Dismissal TimeParents, please remember that there are two designated waiting areas on campus where we'd like you to wait for your 4th or 5th grade student to be released from class: Under the shade structure (lunch tables) or at the tables in front of the cafe window (snack tables). Please do not wait in the hallways, as low noise, such as conversation, can be disruptive for classes still in session. In addition, for safety and security reasons, students are not permitted to play on the play structures or the blacktop areas after school. Instead, please have your children wait, seated with you. The Garden Gate Staff appreciates your support with maintaining our learning environment and keeping students safe.

District Health GuidelinesIt is important that our children follow good health practices at all times and be kept home when they are ill. A child may not be in school when he or she 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 rash, swelling or unusual sore throat. * Undiagnosed rash (rashes need to be verified by your doctor that they are non-contagious, a doctor’s note is needed). * Temperature of 100 degrees or higher (must remain at home until he/she has a normal 98.6 degree temperature for 24 hours without the use of a fever reducer such as Tylenol). * Conjunctivitis (pink eye).

If a student is sent home from school due to illness, the child may not return that day. A doctor’s note for absences over five (5) days is required. Keeping sick kids at home until they recover prevents contagious illness from spreading to other students and members of the community. Thank you for your cooperation in helping to keep all children and staff healthy.

Are You Helping Your Child Use Time Wisely?January is all about time. We turn over a new page on the calendar and start a new year. This is a good month to review whether you are helping your child learn to use time wisely. Answer yes or no to the questions below to find out: ___1. Do you help your child develop a sense of time? “Seven days until Grandma comes.” “Dinner in 30 minutes.” ___2. Do you create a countdown calendar and cross off the days when your child is looking forward to something special? ___3. Do you also create a countdown calendar when your child has a big project due? ___4. Do you help your child break up big projects into small steps he can achieve one by one? ___5. Do you have a regular bedtime and study time and keep a calendar for things your family has to do?

How well are you doing? Each yes means you are helping your child develop a sense of time—and how to use it wisely. For no answers, try those ideas. Copyright © 2012, The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com

PropellersDo you wonder how to connect better with your children? Do you wonder what matters to them, and how you can assist them to grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible citizens? I encourage you to try a "propeller" - a question intended to spark conversations with your children. Try it around the dinner table tonight!

This week's propeller: Do you think that younger kids in your community (or school) see you as a role model? Why or why not?

PTA CORNER PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA) NEWS & RESOURCES ! PAGE3

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

Hello Gator Families,

TakePartInInternationalDayatGardenGate!International Day will be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. We especially need Fifth Grade students to sign up to participate in this event. The continent assigned to the fifth grade students is Africa.

Fifth Grade Gators, get your thinking and creative caps on and jump into taking your part in International Day. I guarantee, you will have fun preparing skits or dances for this day and it will be an experience that you will remember and cherish as you head off to Middle school and beyond! You can contact the International Day Coordinator, Mahalakshmi Rameshbabu at mahaaramesh@yahoo.com to sign-up.

Literacy Night And Book Exchange - Date Change! Please note that the date for Literacy Night and the Book Exchange has been changed to TUESDAY, February 7. Children can bring their gently used books in good condition to school and give them to the librarian, Mrs. Gokhale. They will be given tickets, which they can use on the night of this event to “purchase” books of their choice. It’s an economical and fun way to acquire books that your child has not read. There will also be games the children can play in various classrooms. The night will be loads of fun for all. So please get started on sorting through your book collection and bring in the books you would like to exchange.

PTA Board Is Looking For A TreasurerAre you a person who has a finance, accounting, auditing or bookkeeping background? Do you like to work with numbers and spreadsheets? Are you familiar with Accounting software like Quicken?

We are currently searching for a successor for our amazing Treasurer, Sonika Agarwal. Experience is not mandatory, though it would be helpful! We will gladly train and guide you. If you are interested in serving on the Board and volunteering to help the school, please contact me at azmeh_ahsan@yahoo.com.

Collect Box Tops For A New Play Structure!Gators, please remember to continue to collect your Box Tops to raise funds for a new playground structure! Parents, please help your kids and the PTA in this effort by also purchasing gift cards from our scrip table and signing up for e-scrip. Our children will greatly benefit by working for a common cause and will sense a feeling of pride in supporting their school.

Hope you have a wonderful week.

Azmeh Malik, Garden Gate PTA President

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

Math Around The WorldLawrence Hall of Science brings the highly interactive “Math Around the World” family festival to Garden Gate on Wednesday, March 7th. All Garden Gate families are invited and encouraged to attend. To make the event a success, we need 12 adults to volunteer at the math stations. No experience is necessary. You’ll be given instructions and taught what to do. If you can volunteer from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. for the event, please email Patti Wolf at wolf_patti@cusdk8.org

Yearbook Cover Contest The annual Garden Gate Yearbook Cover Contest is here! Put your artistic thinking cap on and your winning artwork could be show cased on the covers of this year's yearbook. All 3rd through 5th grade students are encouraged to participate with their best creative work! Good luck, be creative, and have fun! The sky is the limit for your imagination and creativity.

Please be sure to design both a front and back cover for the yearbook. On the front cover, please include Garden Gate School, 2011-2012 and our school mascot - GATOR! You may also include a phrase and catchy title. Your name and room number must be on the back. Design the cover with paper provided by your teacher. Be sure to make your work attractive and bright. Use lots of color. All entries are to be submitted to the student’s teacher by February 28 at 8:00 a.m.

Garden Gate Food Drive Garden Gate Student Council is holding a school wide food drive to support West Valley Community Services, a non-profit organization that supports local families. They have requested that we donate NON-PERISHABLE Asian food or condiment items. A list of suggested items will be posted in each classroom. Bring your donations to your teacher during the month of January. If you have any questions, ask your teacher, or contact Ms. Che in Room 8. Thanks for helping our community! To learn more about West Valley Community Services, visit: http://www.wvcommunityservices.org or 10104 Vista Drive in Cupertino.

Important School Calendar Dates The CUSD Board of Education has approved the calendar for the 2012-2013 school year. The first day of school will be on August 20, 2012. The last day of school for this year is June 12, 2012.

Students must be present on the last day of school and on the first day of school in order to be guaranteed a spot at Garden Gate. Students not attending the last or first day of school will be dropped and parents will need to re-register when the child returns.

Book Exchange – Tuesday, February 7th 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.Please join us for the annual Garden Gate Book Exchange on Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the GLC. Also, please remember to bring in your gently used books and DVD’s to our school librarian, Mrs. Gokhale. The deadline to bring in your books and DVD’s is Friday, February 3. Your child will earn a ticket for each book donated. The tickets can then be used at the Book Exchange.

Absences and TardiesAttendance and punctuality are important in establishing good behaviors and building responsibility in young children. Please ensure that your child is at school everyday and that they arrive on time. If your child will be absent, please call the attendance line promptly (252-5414, ext. 6). If your child arrives after 8:00 a.m. they must report to the school office for a late slip before entering the classroom. Under state law, three unexcused absences or tardies may be considered truancy.

Important Reminders:•For the protection of the students, please remember that students are not to be on the Garden Gate campus before 7:45 a.m. There is no adult supervision until 7:45 a.m.•Please do not congregate outside of the classrooms while school is still in session. This is very disruptive to both the teacher and the students and could be a 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.

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

A NOTE FROM THE CUSD NURSESCold and flu season is upon us again! Prevent spread of illness by teaching children hand hygiene, to cough or sneeze into the elbow, and to stay home when contagious. Because the flu can cause serious illness in young children, many people wonder whether the flu shot is right for their family. Here are some facts about the flu shot.How does the flu shot work?

The flu vaccination contains dead (flu shot) or deactivated (FluMist) virus that cannot cause the flu, but can cause your immune system to create a response (antibodies). Because the immune system has already been “warned” by the vaccine about what the virus looks like, it will have circulating antibodies that are ready to quickly fend off any attack from the real virus.

What does the flu shot protect against?The flu shot is developed annually to stimulate an individual’s immune response against three common strains of the influenza virus. These three strains are chosen based on scientific predictions of which strains will likely be most common in the coming year. Because influenza viruses mutate, the vaccine is different each year.

I got the flu shot and I still got the flu. Why?Other strains of the flu that are not in the vaccine do exist, as well as hundreds of other types of viruses in our environment that could cause illness. You may have been exposed to a virus strain not in the vaccine. Additionally, as with all vaccines, the immune response to a vaccine can vary between individuals based on age, health status, and several other factors.

Is the flu shot for everyone?Discuss with your health provider whether the vaccine is appropriate for members of your family. People with an allergy to eggs should not get the vaccine because of the way the vaccine was produced.

What do I do if my child gets sick?Please refer to the District’s Health Guidelines and keep your children home when ill.

IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATIONStudents must be residing in the District at the time of registration and be available for any necessary testing. Registration and Open Enrollment for the 2012-2013 school year is as follows:

• Kindergarten Registration for all Attendance Area Schools: February 6 – February 16 at the respective attendance area school. Any child who will be five years old on or before November 1, 2012 is eligible to attend kindergarten for the 2012-2013 school year. Only parents/guardians may pick up a registration packet at their attendance area school beginning January 30, 2012. Registration packets are numbered sequentially except at Stocklmeir Elementary School as this school site will hold a Kindergarten Lottery. The registration number on the packet is only valid for packets returned between February 6 through February 16, 2012. Packets returned after February 16, 2012 will not be eligible for the District’s Lottery and Kindergarten Registration will be in the order that completed Registration Packets are received.

• A Stocklmeir Elementary School Kindergarten lottery has been added to the 2012-2013 school year registration process as of November 14, 2011. A Kindergarten lottery for Stocklmeir Elementary School will be held on March 1, 2012 for Kindergarten students whose parent/guardian registered during the Kindergarten Registration window February 6– February 16, 2012 only. Please visit the District’s website at www.cusdk8.org, for more information regarding the Stocklmeir Kindergarten Lottery for the 2012-2013 school year. At Stocklmeir only, packets returned between February 6 – February 16, 2012 will be included in the Stocklmeir Kindergarten Lottery. Packets returned after February 16, 2012 are not eligible for Kindergarten Lottery and/or District Lottery, and Kindergarten Registration will be in the order that completed Registration Packets are received.

• UPDATE - Status of Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for 2012-2013The recent release of the Governor’s proposed budget for the 2012-2013 school year eliminates the funding of the newly implemented Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program. Given this budget uncertainty, the Cupertino Union School District’s TK Program will not be implemented unless the funding for the TK program is included in the final adopted State budget. As a result, the District will not be conducting registration for the TK program at this time. If you were planning on enrolling your student into the Cupertino Union School District’s TK program, please be aware of the uncertainty around this program as you consider options for the 2012-2013 school year.

• Open Enrollment Requests K-8: February 10 - 16, 2012 at the School of Desired Attendance. All in-district kindergarten students must be registered at their attendance area school before requesting Open Enrollment to another attendance area school or an Alternative Education Program.The District's open enrollment process is a clear statement of the Board of Education's policy to offer parents choices to meet individual student needs whenever possible. If you would like your child to attend another school next year for any reason, Open Enrollment or Alternative Education procedures must be followed. Detailed registration information is available on the District website or by contacting the Student Assignment Office, (408) 252-3000, Extension 110. During Open Enrollment/Alternative Education Registration, requests may be made to one school only, and forms should be completed at the school of desired attendance. As district enrollment continues to increase, space for open enrollment transfers may be limited at some schools or specific grade levels. If your child is not selected for the school requested during the open enrollment period, parents may apply to other schools beginning April 1, 2012.

• Alternative Education Program Registration (Faria and Murdock-Portal grades K-5; McAuliffe and Mandarin Immersion grades K-8): February 10-16, 2012. Parents who do not already have a child in a particular alternative program are required to attend a program information meeting and school tour before applying for that program. Please contact the appropriate school for meeting/tour dates and other program information.

• Registration for new students in grades 1 – 8 begins March 1, 2012