Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of November 3, 2019
Greetings from Administration
We have had a couple of rough weeks in the Bay Area. Many of us were affected by fires, power outages, and air quality. Several of our families and staff members were evacuated due to threats to their safety. I understand how stressful these situations are and I am so impressed by everyone's ability to come together in a positive way to support our students. On Monday, air quality was not ideal and as a district we kept our schools open to offer a safe place for kids. Our teachers and staff did an amazing job keeping students inside and safe from smoke. Thank you to those parents that came to volunteer while we made the best of a stinky situation. My top priorities are to maintain a safe environment for students on campus and to make sure there is clear and consistent communication with families.
As the week unfolded your students received a high quality, rigorous and engaging education. I loved getting into classrooms to see students working with peers, participating in critical thinking and making memories. Halloween at Gregory Gardens is certainly a serious event! We had clever costumes, healthy snacks, dance parties and the parades were adorably cute! Our volunteers and teachers made this a great day for everyone. We are all a bit sleepy on Friday, but behavior and learning as at an all time high. I love this community of acceptance and a passion for learning we have created.
Looking ahead, we will have a fire drill tomorrow morning at 10:45. The weather will be beautiful so we will be having lunch outside all week, dance party on Friday and a 3 day weekend! I will be supporting families in IEP and 504 meetings in the afternoons, working with teachers, and bonding with students on the playground.
Please remind students they are not to share food at school. While we recognize this is confusing for students....we ask them to share all the time. Sharing food can be dangerous for children who have mild to severe food allergies. We work hard to provide safe places for students to eat.
If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call.
Let's have a great week!
Katie
What's Happening Around School
GGES/RSP Community
We are creating an inclusive and respectful climate on our campus. We support all types of learners from diverse backgrounds on our site. It is imperative that parents, students and staff conduct themselves in a tolerant and respectful manner at all times. Please be aware of your surroundings when talking to members of our GGES/RSP community and be mindful that all students regardless of race, religion, abilities (e.g. physical, social/emotional development, cognition), socio-economic status, language, gender identity, race or family structure are welcome and important members to our school family.
Student Pick Up/Drop Off
Please remember that we cannot have cars in the traffic circle at any time, this includes Kinder pick up and drop off. Please use the 15 min spots or another parking stall to pick up your students before 2:30. The circle is used for buses for students attending the Preschool. Parking is available in the school lot or if needed in the church parking lot next door. Thank you for helping us get buses and students to and from school safely.
Lost & Found
Tomorrow is donation day!!!!! Please be sure to come find your items. All lost items are displayed along the picket fence in the front hall of the school and on the picket fence just outside of the playground bathrooms. All items will be donated at the end of the day.
Campus Updates
*MDUSD M&O stopped by last week to take final measurements for our crash gates.
Click here to view the 2019-2020 MDUSD Academic Calendar
Student Attendance
We shared a popcorn party and extra recess with Mrs. Donisi's 5th grade class for having the least amount of tardy students in the month of October!
We realize that you may have more than one student attending different schools for drop off, but for your student and their classmates it is important to be on time. Losing class time and disrupting other's slows down their learning during that time in the morning.
Our 4th and 5th graders bell is at 7:40 am and our TK/K-3rd grade 7:50 am. The earliest students can be on campus is 7:30 am. What can we do to support you in getting your student(s) to Gregory Gardens on time? Please let us know.
Please continue to communicate to your students the importance of their attendance and arriving on time!
Gregory Gardens Elementary
Volunteer Opportunities
*Check into the office to receive your visitors pass.
*Adults will be verified using our online database.
*Make yourself available to all students.
Thank you for helping support our positive and safe campus climate.
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.
https://mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/pf4/cms2/view_page?d=x&group_id=1394262952238&vdid=i4ea1lrm2y3nd
PTA Corner
Visit the PTA Facebook page for more information.
For more information and ways you can help, please connect with your PTA room parent or check us out on Facebook.
Attendance
If you think your student will be absent, please call the Attendance Hotline at (925) 682-8000 ext. 7042. Please include your student's name, teacher, and reason for absence. Please be sure to call before 9:30 am. Thank you.
Follow Us
Check out how we spend our days! Follow us
Twitter @gregory_gators, @GGESgarden, @RSP_MDUSD, @MsKoontzMDUSD
Instagram @gregory_gatorsMDUSD
Robert Shearer Preschool
What's Happening around Preschool
Thank you Sharon Krell for your continued support of our preschoolers and families. You were a tremendous asset to our community and we will miss you! We hope you enjoy your retirement.
This week we welcome our new Program Specialist. I will update parents as more information becomes available.
Looking Ahead
November
November 4: Fire Drill #4
November 8: End 1st Trimester
November 11: Veterans Day- No School
November 12- See's Candy Fundraiser begins
November 12- Preschool Picture Retakes
November 15- Lunch on the Green
November 22- Report cards sent home
November 25- 29: Thanksgiving Break
December
December 2- See's Candy Orders Due
December 9-20- Parent Teacher Conferences
December 13- GGES Winter Concert 6:00pm
December 23-January 6- WINTER BREAK
January
January 7- WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL
January 17- Family Movie Night- 6pm
January 20- Martin Luther King - No School
January 27-31- Multicultural Week
January 27-31- Book Fair #2
January 31- Multicultural Week Potluck
Conversations to Have at Home
Happenings around campus
Previous Newsletters
2019-2020
November
October
September
August
2018-2019
June
May
April
March
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