Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of August 18, 2019
Greetings from Administration
Happy Sunday Families! I hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready to head into our first full week of school. Last week was full of energy and excitement. I loved having our campus alive with laughter and learning again. I sure missed everyone over the summer. This week we welcome GGES and RSP families to our Back to School Night on Tuesday August 20, 2019!
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.
Homelink
It is important for all parents to have a HomeLink account set up during the first weeks of school. This is how the district office distributes information to families. All parents received their homelink login information at Gator Day. If you have not picked yours up in the office please do so. Below please find detailed instructions on how to create your account. You can also Click here to begin!
Photo Release 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
GGES Back to School Night
Tuesday August 20
All classes will meet in their classrooms.
Grades 2 and 3 will be 7:15-8:00pm
Grades 4 and 5 will be 6:30-7:15pm
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 PBIS team has created a new positive currency system at GGES. Students can now earn Gator Bites for being safe, respectful, responsible and kind at school. The idea is to reward desired behavior more frequently. Students will be receiving a lot of these and should create a system to store them in their backpack or at school. They will be able to turn them in and "purchase" prizes or experiences through our school store. TK-2nd students will turn in bites once a week, 3rd-5th will turn them in 2x a month. We will also be implementing the Gator Chomp. This is a class reward for excellent behavior as a group. Students will be able to purchase items such as extra recess or popcorn parties as they accumulate Chomps.
If you are interested in helping run our "mail in order store" please reach out to Ms. Koontz or Robin Greenslade our PTA president.
* Attached please find our 2019-2020 GGES Behavior Matrix.
No Shot, No Schedule, No School
CALIFORNIA STATE IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR TK AND KINDERGARTEN ADMISSION can be found at https://mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/immunization
School Site Council Voting
Voting for Site Council will take place on Tuesday 8/20 at Back to School Night.
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.
To keep our campus safe we ask all families to enter campus through our main hallway. Please refrain from using the gate in front of the assessment center or the gate in front of the 4th/5th grade wing.
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
The More the Merrier
We are still desperately trying to fill 1 Noon Supervisor for the 2019-2020 school year! Come join our team or share this application with friends. We need your help to support student success during lunch. The position is 5 days a week for a total of 7.5 hours. If you are unable to commit to 5 days, please consider signing up as a Sub Supervisor. click here to see our job posting on edjoin.org or come into the office to fill out a paper copy!
Noon Supervisor Hours
Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri 11:20-12:50
Wed 11-12:30
Volunteer Opportunities
You've heard the saying....."It takes a village to raise a child" 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!
Below is a link to the MDUSD volunteer instruction page.
Robert Shearer Preschool
Back to School Night
Robert Shearer Preschool will host BTSN on Tuesday August 20 from 6-7pm. Come meet your child's teacher and get to know other families at school. I look forward to meeting you all.
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.
Looking Ahead
August
August 20- Coffee Talk with Koontz
August 20- Back to school Night
August 26- School Site Council Meeting
August 27- General PTA meeting 7:50am
August 27- Chalk on Earth Event
September
September 2- Labor Day- No School
September 6- Picture Day
September 9-13- Book Fair
September 13- Back to School Picnic
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
Community can now preview draft maps for by-trustee area elections planned in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District
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