Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of August 25, 2019
Greetings from Administration
Happy Sunday Families! We are settling into our school year routine and students are hard at work learning and growing together. Please join me in welcoming Sharon Krell to our school team. Sharon is a substitute program specialist, joining Robert Shearer Preschool.
I continue to pop into classrooms to read All Are Welcome to Tk- 3rd graders, and Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun to 4th-5th graders. Ask your students what we talked about on my visit. Huge thank you to our PTA for hosting the Back to School Brunch for Teachers. The the room was decorated with care and the spread was delicious.
This week we will have a fire drill on Monday morning. Please remind your children we practice fire drills so we will be prepared if we have a real emergency.
Chalk Art Event
On Tuesday August 27, we will be hosting Drawing on Earth with artist Mark Wagner. All students will have an opportunity to learn about chalk and will use it to create their own story. Mark is an excellent teacher and guides students on blending and rubbing colors together. The event is sponsored by the Mt. Diablo Education Foundation. During the days activities KPIX channel 5 news will be filming. We will share airing times when it becomes available.
Campus Updates
*The roofing project continues to make progress. Our students health and safety is our top priority. Teachers are keeping doors and windows closed while construction is in progress. Thank you for your flexibility as we navigate this project.
*M&O has removed unnecessary gates around campus, making our site feel open and inviting. They have also replaced and painted missing trim, fixed fencing and measured for safety gates in front of room 17 and 24. In the next few weeks, our parking lot will also be repainted. Thank you M&O for these updates!
Photo Release Forms
We still have students who have not turned in our green Universal Agreement Forms.
We are proud of the work our students are doing in and out of the classroom and we want to share it with our community. We are excited to join other MDUSD schools and district personnel in showcasing our students success' through our school website, weekly newsletter and various social media accounts. Privacy is a priority, student and teacher names and classroom numbers will never be shared in posts.In your Gator Day Packet you will find a district approved photo release form. If you wish to see your child highlighted on one of our outlets, please complete the form accordingly. If you do not wish to have your student participate please check the appropriate boxes. ALL forms should be filled out completely and returned on Friday 8/23/19. If you have questions please do not hesitate to come to the office.
Click here to view the 2019-2020 MDUSD Academic Calendar
Katie Koontz
Gregory Gardens Elementary
iready
Our iready diagnostic window will be open 8/19-9/14 for students grades 1-5. This trimester students will be taking the Language Arts and Math portions. The Kindergarten diagnostic window will be open 10/1/19-10/19/19. Kinders will only be taking the MATH diagnostic this trimester. Teachers will be providing student login information for access at home. For more information on ways you can support your student at home click here.
PBIS
Our Gator Bites are the talk of campus. Students are eagerly collecting bites for positive and social behavior. Students will be able to "cash in" their bites this Friday 8/30. Orders will be filled over the weekend and given to students on Tuesday 9/3.
* Attached please find our 2019-2020 GGES Behavior Matrix.
Snack and Lunch Routines
In order to ensure all students are supervised during morning recess, all students now eat snack in the cafeteria. Students are able to bring snacks from home or purchase from the kitchen. Students have settled in nicely with this new routine and enjoy spending time with friends. Our recess is 20 mins. Most students spend 10 minutes eating and 10 minutes playing. Students may stay in the cafeteria until they are finished eating. This new routine has also helped keep our campus free of litter!
Snack time
*Pack morning snacks separate from lunch boxes. This makes it easier and quicker for students to get their food.
Lunch time
*All students have a 40 minute lunch period. 20 minutes in the cafeteria, 20 minutes on the playground. Students are never asked to leave if they are not finished eating.
Morning Procedures
Please observe our new drop off procedures- All students and parents enter campus through the main gate and walk to the playground through the K1 and K2 hallway. Please do not use the gates by room 17 or 22. All kids and adults are on the blacktop where they can be safely monitored, not roaming the halls where they cannot be supervised. Students may not hang up backpacks prior to the bell ringing, this includes classrooms that are accessible from the blacktop. Once on the playground, students may lay their backpacks in a line at their line up spot. Students may not play on the play structure but they can play with friends on the blacktop. We understand these new expectations will be an adjustment. We appreciate your flexibility and thank you for supporting our efforts to keep all parents, students and siblings safe will at Gregory Gardens.
Student Drop Off
Please be sure to respect school drop off and pick up procedures. Please do not leave your car unattended in the bus circle, this causes stress for other drives and disrupts the flow for all families. Parents should pull to the end of the drop off circle to say goodbye to students. If you would like to park, please find a spot along the bushes or in the church parking lot. Staff parking lots are reserved for school employees.
Chromebooks
We are excited to share that we have put class sets of chrome books in all of our 4th and 5th grade classrooms. Students will be able to create projects, use google classroom, research and work on iready lessons. Please talk with your student about being safe on the internet and using technology appropriately.
PTA Corner
For more information and ways you can help, please connect with your PTA room parent or check us out on Facebook.
Follow Us
Check out how we spend our days! Follow us
Twitter @gregory_gators, @GGESgarden, @RSP_MDUSD, @MsKoontzMDUSD
Instagram @gregory_gatorsMDUSD
Volunteer Opportunities
We are looking for volunteers to support students during lunch recess. If you love basketball, have epic four square skills or just love our Gators- please swing by the office to find out how you can help! Volunteers are always encouraged, any day of the week - just come in when you can. However, for the safety of everyone, we can no longer allow non Gregory Gardens children on campus during volunteering, unless they can be carried in a baby carrier.
Below is a link to the MDUSD volunteer instruction page.
Robert Shearer Preschool
I have loved getting into classrooms and observing the wonderful learning students are doing. This week, students focused on sorting, counting and identifying numbers. Our Autism classes are working on exploring classroom toys, and meeting new friends and teachers.
Our theme to start off the school year is Transportation, The Wheels On The Bus is a favorite circle time song. Children are enjoying taking turns picking which verse of the song to sing next.
Drop Off/ Pick Up Procedures
We need your help to reinstate best practices for preschool drop off and pick up. Parents may not park or pull into the bus circle between 8:00am-2:30pm. Parents should park in a designated parking stall and walk their student to the preschool. If your child starts at 8:30 please bring them to the playground gate where your teachers will be waiting to receive them. 10:40 students should come into the pod and enter the playground from the back double doors. Teachers will be there to greet students. At dismissal, please park and walk to meet your child outside the pod at the appropriate time. Thank you for helping us streamline our procedures. We appreciate your flexibility.
Community can now preview draft maps for by-trustee area elections planned in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Looking Ahead
August
August 26- Fire Drill
August 27- General PTA meeting 7:50am
August 27- Drawing on Earth- Chalk Day
September
September 2- Labor Day- No School
September 6- Picture Day
September 9-13- Book Fair
September 13- Back to School Picnic 5:30pm
October
October 11- Dads and Donuts- 7am
October 21-25- Red and Blue Ribbon Week
October 25- GatorWeen- 5pm
November
November 8: End 1st Trimester
November 11: Veterans Day
November 25- 29: Thanksgiving Break
December
December 23 -January 6: Winter Break
Happenings around campus
Gregory Gardens/Robert Shearer Community
Website: https://gges-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Location: 1 Corritone Court, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, USA
Phone: (925) 827-3770
Twitter: @gregory_gators