Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of January 6, 2020
Greetings from Administration
Welcome back families and staff! We have made it to 2020. I hope everyone had a safe and memorable 2 weeks. I am feeling rested and ready to greet families tomorrow morning! I am looking forward to seeing your students back at school and can't wait to hear about their winter break adventures.
School Website
Please refer to our school's website for calendar information and other happenings around our school! https://gges-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Family Photo Project
Family and community is what makes GGES and RSP so special. We are working on a special project that features each and every family in our community. Please send a 4x6 family photo or drawing of your family to school in the next couple of weeks.
A note from our School Nurse Bea
Strep throat and other communicable illnesses are common in the school age population. Please monitor your child for the following symptoms
-Sore throat
-Headache with nausea
-Fever
-Pain with swallowing
-Fatigue
-Rash
-Decreased appetite
-Change in mood/behavior
If your child(ren) exhibits some or all of these symptoms, please contact your health care provider. The only way to prevent the spread of the illness in school is to keep sick children at home.
The Crayon Initiative
There is still time to bring in broken and old crayons. We will be mailing them out to The Crayon Initiative the first week we are back to classes in January.
Please join us by donating old and broken crayons. Check out their website here https://thecrayoninitiative.org/
Superintendent Friday Letter Dec. 20, 2019
http://mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1576834334131/1575442306312/677374922888479439.pdf
PTA Corner
PTA has announced their Auction/Dinner- Casino Royale! It will be hosted on March 20, 2020! More details to follow.
Visit the GGES/RSP 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.
What's Happening Around School
Student Drop Off
I will continue to be in the circle as many mornings as possible to help with traffic flow. It is important that all parents pull up as far as possible when dropping off students. We can fit 11 cars in the circle and get more students to class on time if we all work together. Please pull to the end of the yellow line. You may want to consider parking and walking to campus as an alternative. If you are interested in helping with parking patrol, please email Katie. Support is needed 7:30-7:55 each morning.
Student Pick Up
Please remember that we cannot have cars parked in the traffic circle at any time, this includes TK/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.
Campus Updates
HOORAY- After several long months our play equipment has been fixed and is ready for students to enjoy! Both the elementary slide and preschool steps have been repaired by our maintenance crews.
Click here to view the 2019-2020 MDUSD Academic Calendar
Student Attendance
It is important to be on time. Arriving late disrupts the classroom flow and effects the classroom climate. As a reminder here is the Gregory Gardens Bell Schedule:
7: 40 AM 4th and 5th graders bell
7:50 AM TK/K 3rd grade
Gregory Gardens Elementary
This week we will be settling into our routines and best practices at Gregory Gardens. Teachers will be reviewing our PBIS core values of being safe, respectful, responsible and kind in all things we do on campus. I am looking forward to seeing your students back at school and can't wait to hear about their winter break adventures.
Morning Procedures
Please observe our drop off procedures- All students and parents enter campus through the main gate and walk to the playground using the K1 and K2 hallway. 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. Parents are welcome to wait with their student on the blacktop and may exit campus once students have been greeted by their teacher. We appreciate your continued flexibility and thank you for supporting our efforts to keep all parents, students and siblings safe will at Gregory Gardens.
Rainy Day/Indoor Recess Procedures
Rainy days have finally reached us! While we love the rain and need it desperately, it does make recess and lunch periods a bit challenging. We have created a schedule to ensure all students are with a credentialed teacher or classified employee at all times. Morning recess is spent in the cafeteria playing board games, coloring, reading books or using the amazing recess games purchased by our PTA. During lunch, students eat in the cafeteria and then are escorted to a classroom where they are supervised by a noon supervisor. Our new system has been working well and we will make tweaks as necessary. If you are interested in helping on indoor days, please pop by the office.
Students need to be outside! Please dress children in layers with hoods if possible, we will keep kids outside as much as possible in the next week. Everyone is more successful when they play!
Volunteer Opportunities
*Check into the office to receive your visitors pass.
*Adults will be verified using our online database.
*Make yourself available to support and interact with all students.
*Please no cellphones during volunteering.
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
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.
To avoid a Truancy for your student, please call the office within 72 hours for any absence. Without a verification for a day(s) missed of school after that time it becomes a truancy.
See MDUSD website for more details on truancy and absenteeism:
https://mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/pf4/cms2/view_page?d=x&group_id=1516177890380&vdid=i4a284jj12xmu
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
Please note that drop off and pick up should happen in front of the Robert Shearer preschool building. If you need to come into the preschool for any reason, make sure you sign in at the office and have an adult escort you to class. Thank you so much for helping us keep everyone safe!
Looking Ahead
January
January 7- WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL
January 20- Martin Luther King - No School
January 24- GGES & RSP Family Movie Night- 6pm
January 27-31- Multicultural Week
January 27-31- Book Fair #2
January 31- Multicultural Week Potluck
February
February 10- Teacher In Service Day- No students
February 14- No School
February 17- President's Day- No school
March
March 16- Teacher In Service Day- No students
March 20- Gator Gala
April
April 3-10- Spring Break
May
May 25- Memorial Day- No school
June
June 3- Last day of school
Conversations to Have at Home
Happenings around campus
It's that time again.... come collect your lost items before they are donated Next Friday January 17!
Previous Newsletters
2019-2020
December
November
October
September
August
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