The Gates Mills Gazette
January 10, 2020
Happy New Year!
Mary Mackenzie is excited to be part of the Gates Mills Family! Thank you for all of the love and support!
Geography Bee
The entire fifth grade gathered to participate in the Geography Bee on Thursday, January 9th. The first place winner will take a qualifying test to try to advance to the state level and to possibly qualify for the national level in Washington D.C. This is an exciting event that focuses on knowledge of geography and social studies! Congratulations to our winners:
1st Place: David K.
2nd Place: Adam G.
PTC: Save the Dates
The PTC is sponsoring Family Fun Night on Friday, February 7th from 6:00-7:30 pm in the school gym. Mrs. Ravida will be calling Bingo and the PTC will provide pizza and drinks.
Valentine's Day is Thursday, February 14th, and our Annual Pancake Breakfast will take place from 7:15 - 7:50 am in the school gym. All families are invited to attend. Classroom parties will take place in the afternoon. We ask all Room Parents to check into the office at 1:40 pm and then report to your designated classrooms. The PTC is providing a craft and snack.
It's Cold Weather Time Again!
Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately to participate in outdoor recess (i.e., coat, hat, gloves, boots, snow pants, etc.). As stated in the handbook: All students are expected to go outside unless the temperature is below 20 degrees or the wind chill is below 10 degrees. Generally, if a child is able to ride the bus and attend school, (s)he should also be able to go outside at recess. The only exceptions are: a physician’s request, a written parent request for the day the child returns to school following an illness, or a request by the teacher or Principal. We have a limited amount of clothing for students to change into should they get wet or muddy outside, so please consider sending in an extra set of clothing for your children.
Inside the Idea Lab
On our first day back to Idea Lab after winter break we discussed our genre of the month, mystery, as well as our Dewey Decimal section of the month, which is 000-398.1. The students were encouraged to select at least one of their books this week from either our genre or Dewey of the month, or from one of our featured authors or January holidays. Students were especially enthusiastic about the mystery genre, Martin Luther King, Jr. books, and Tedd Arnold, one of our featured authors.
For this week’s read-aloud we heard our first contender in March Book Madness 2020, Rescue and Jessica: A Life Changing Friendship, by Jessica Krensky. This book is based on the true story of one of the runners who was injured during the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The students responded very well to the narrative and our discussions were focused on the positive outcomes instead of the tragedy of Jessica’s injuries. We will continue to read all 16 of the March Book Madness books over the course of the next two months, leading up to the brackets and voting in late spring. Stay tuned; this is one of our students’ favorite library activities of the year!
After we read our story and selected books for check-out, we had a free choice day. Popular activities included extremely tall towers built with Magna-tiles, tiny creatures made of Plus-Plus blocks, and fun experiments with circuits. Of course, students are always able to opt for quiet reading time! See our photos of some of our best creations.
Parents, please help your students find their overdue library books. Understandably, many students forgot their books this first week back after break, but we still have over 50 books that are more than 3 weeks overdue, so please help us get those back so other students can enjoy them. Happy New Year and keep reading!
January Specials Schedule
School Fee Reminder
Kindergarten: $25.00/Reduced $5.00
Grades 1-5: $42.00/Reduced $8.40
Healthy Tips
Lunch Menus
Important Dates
January 16: Gr. K to Innovation Center, 8:30 - 11am
January 29: Gr. K to Innovation Center, 8:30 - 11am
January 31: Gr. 4 & 5 GM Library Innovation Hour (robotics)
January 22: Gates Mills Candid Photos
February 7: Family Fun Night - 6 - 7:30pm, gym
February 11: Gr. 3 to Innovation Center, 8:15 - 11:15am
February 14: Valentine Breakfast - 7:15 - 7:50am, gym / Valentine Parties
February 28: Gr. 4 & 5 GM Library Innovation Hour (light bot coding)
Important Websites
School Website: Gates Mills Elementary
Gates Mills PTC: Gates Mills PTC
Supply Lists: Gates Mills Supply List
Information for Parents: Summer Central
School Lunch Information: Food Services
Bus Information:Transportation
Detailed School Information: Elementary Student Handbook
Attendance Matters: House Bill 410
Community Flyers: Community Flyers
Friday Folder: Friday Folder Web Page
Alternative Address Form: Alternative Address Form
District Calendars: District Calendars
District Parent Mentor Information: District Parent Mentor Information
Drop Off & Dismissal Procedures: Drop Off/Pick Up
Mayfield City Schools App: Visit the App Store for Android or Apple
Gates Mills Elementary School
Email: lravida@mayfieldschools.org
Website: http://www.mayfieldschools.org/gatesmillselementary_home.aspx
Location: 7639 Colvin Road, Gates Mills, OH, USA
Phone: 440-995-7500
Twitter: @ravida_laurel