The Gates Mills Gazette
October 10, 2019
Weekly Update
Just a friendly reminder that Parent-Teacher Conferences are fast approaching! Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great way to build a solid home-school partnership. Conferences are Thursday, October 17th from 3:00-9:00 PM and Friday, October 18th from 7:30-3:00 PM. If you have not done so please contact your child's teacher to set up a conference.
K - sstenger@mayfieldschools.org
1 - sstephenson@mayfieldschools.org
2 - egregoire@mayfieldschools.org
3 - kvujaklija@mayfieldschools.org
4 - mpanyathong@mayfieldschools.org
Lockdown Practice
Walk-A-Thon
Each participant will raise funds by asking family and friends to sponsor them. Sponsors can pledge per lap or with a flat donation. Students and classes will have an opportunity to earn a number of prizes and awards based on their participation in the Walk-A-Thon!
Important Dates:
Pledge Sheets Due: Monday, October 14th
Walk-A-Thon: Wednesday, October 16th (During School)
Pledges Due: Wednesday, October 23rd
Winners Announced: Friday, October 25th (Fall Fest Celebration)
Volunteers Needed:
Please consider volunteering for the Walk-A-Thon on Wednesday, October 16th.
Below is the schedule of the walkers by grade – we welcome any volunteers to help throughout the school day. Just e-mail gatesmillspto@gmail.com and let us know what may work for you.
4th Grade 9:20-10:05 AM
3rd Grade 10:05-10:50 AM
2nd Grade 10:50-11:35 AM
Kindergarten 12:50-1:35 PM
1st Grade 1:35-2:20 PM
Salad Bar Day also falls on Wednesday, October 16th so please let us know if you are interested in serving the students lunch that day - thank you!
Volunteer Opportunities
- Fall Fest - Friday, October 25th
- Classroom Halloween Parties - Thursday, October 31st
- Election Day Bake Sale - Tuesday, November 5th
If you are interested in volunteering please contact gatesmillspto@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for the support!
Spooktacular Halloween
Halloween will be here before we know it! Here are the plans for Thursday, October 31st:
Grades K-5 will have a regular instructional day until 1:30 PM when all students will be able to dress in costumes and prepare for the Halloween Parade in the gym. Dressing in a costume is voluntary. Students in grades K-5 wishing to dress in a costume must do the following:
- Bring their costume to school in a bag
- Bring a costume that will fit over school clothing
- Require no parent assistance to dress
- Get dressed in a reasonably short amount of time in the classroom
- Masks are permitted but for safety reasons you may not want your child to wear one
- NO TOY WEAPONS of any kind will be permitted
Our Parade of Costumes will begin promptly at 1:45 PM in the gym starting with Kindergarten and followed by each of the other grade levels.
Room parties will begin approximately at 2:00 PM. The PTC will provide snacks (Scooby Doo Graham Crackers, Apple Juice Box and Orange Creamsicle) for the Halloween classroom parties. If you are unsure of the ingredients of these snacks, please feel free to provide a special snack for your child during the room party.
DUE TO DISTRICT POLICY, NO EXTRA FOOD OR CANDY IS PERMITTED IN THE CLASSROOM. If you wish to put together a goodie bag, you must not include candy in the bag. Other suggestions are stickers, pencils, erasers, etc. Any extra food or candy will be returned home. Thanks for your help with this!
Photographs at School Events
Should the school event be one where it may be difficult not to include other students, such as a concert, play or athletic event, we ask that no pictures be emailed, texted, posted to social media and/or online networking media without the expressed written consent of all students' parents/guardians in the photograph.
3rd Grade Fall State Reading Assessment
On Wednesday, October 23rd and Thursday, October 24th all third graders will take the Ohio AIR English Language Arts Assessment. This assessment is part of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. Please ensure your child gets a good night’s rest and eats a healthy breakfast the morning of testing. We will be testing both days from 8:30-10:00 AM. On Wednesday, October 23rd students will take Part 1 of the English Language Arts Assessment and on Thursday, October 24th they will complete Part 2.
It is important that your child has headphones for this assessment. The headphones help block out noise and truly help to keep students focused. If your child does not have headphones please ensure you get a pair before testing. We do not have any extra headphones for them.
Please do not stress about this assessment. Mrs. Vujaklija and the students have been working diligently to ensure they are prepared for this test. We are so proud of how hard your children have been working thus far! They will all do great!
Inside the Idea Lab
On October 7 in Library/Idea Lab, third, fourth, and fifth grades heard a new book called A Book Is Just Like You! All About the Parts of a Book. After listening to this informative and funny story, we practiced using the online catalog and finding books using their “address” or call number. In fifth grade we spent time looking for specific genres that students want to complete on their class genre wheel. After we selected our books for checkout, students spent time reading magazines, which we don’t get to use very often.
In kindergarten, first, and second grade, we read Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies and The New LiBEARian. The students absolutely loved these two whimsical stories about bears in the library and school. We then selected our books, colored a reading bear-themed coloring page, and read magazines between selecting and checking out our books.
Students are getting used to our new ABCD specials schedule and doing better at getting their books turned in on time. Each week I print bookmarks and give one to each student at checkout to remind you and your children of the next due date. Hopefully these will continue to help students remember when to turn in their books. Our next library day will be Tuesday, October 15.
Coats for Kids
We are once again kicking off our Coats for Kids drive as we head into the winter season. This drive has always raised an abundance of much-needed items for those in need. There are collection boxes at the school’s main office for donations of winter gear.
Coats for Kids accepts all of the following (new or gently worn):
- Winter Coats
- Hates, Gloves, Scarfs
- Snow/Ski Pants
The collection drive lasts from October-December, 2019. Thank you in advance for your generosity. We appreciate your support!
(Please contact Chris Bailey, cbailey@mayfieldschools.org, or
Deb Martin, dmartin@mayfieldschools.org, with any questions)
School Fee Reminder
Kindergarten: $25.00/Reduced $5.00
Grades 1-5: $42.00/Reduced $8.40
Healthy Tips
Annual Update OLR
Annual Update OLR is the electronic process for parents to go into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal in order to update and confirm all student data that is currently in our system. This must be completed for each student even if there are NO changes. You will need to go through each step and click submit. For step by step instructions, please see the link below.
Annual Update OLR Instructions
It is recommended to use Windows IE 11, Firefox or Safari. Windows must be Windows 7 or later. Annual Updates cannot be done via a handheld device (iOS or Android).
If you need assistance with your Parent Portal Login, email: ichelp@mayfieldschools.org
Lunch Menus
Additional Information
Important Dates
October 11th - No School (NEOEA Day)
October 16th - Walk-A-Thon (During School)
October 17th - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:00-9:00 PM
October 18th - No School Parent/Teacher Conferences 7:30-3:00 PM & End of 1st Quarter
October 23rd - Picture Retakes & 3rd ELA Part 1 State Testing 8:30-10:00 AM
October 24th - 3rd Grade ELA Part 2 State Testing 8:30-10:00 AM
October 25th - Fall Fest 6:00-7:30 PM
October 31st - Happy Halloween - Classroom Parties
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