Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of October 13, 2019
Greetings from Administration
Happy Sunday Families! Let's cheer for October and all that it brings! Changing leaves, cooler weather! School Attendance Matters! Another day, another scholar!
As the weather cools we have settled into our routines at school. Week 8 was great! Students are enjoying the crisp mornings and warm afternoons. On Monday our preschools were all smiles for picture day. They are also working on story telling with props, Halloween themed conversations and building relationships with friends. Thank you to all of our families for their flexibility as we navigated the PG&E power outages, luckily our site was not effected. Wednesday we had our first intruder drill of the school year, we learned a lot and will be making changes to our Spring drill. Wednesdays are early release days for students. This is so teachers can collaborate and participate in professional development. Last week, Mrs. Lutz presented to our staff on strategies to engage learners in math. Our PBIS team also presented social/emotional tools for teachers to incorporate into their classrooms. I was proud of the leadership our team members showed. We ended our week with a wonderful turn out for our Dad's and Donuts event. Thank you to our PTA for organizing the morning and for all the families who participated. This week I will continue to get into classrooms and work with staff and students on school climate. We are starting our 3rd full week of Gator Time and Academies. We hope to see many of our families at our Dine and Donate event, this Wednesday, 10/16- 4-8pm at Chipotle in Pleasant Hill. Proceeds benefit our students. Thursday we will have our first earthquake drill followed by a fire drill. Please discuss this with your students. Friday is make up picture day for our Gators. If you missed our original picture day or want retakes be sure to dress your best.
Halloween 2019
This year students will be allowed to wear their costumes to school on Halloween, Thursday October 31st. We will continue to reserve the parade for our youngest Gators- preschool, TK and Kindergarten friends. In the coming weeks a flyer will be sent home regarding school appropriate costumes. We are excited to bring back an old Gregory Gardens Tradition.
Label belongings
We are doing our best at helping students keep track of their belongings. Please remember to label all reusable containers, water bottles, sweatshirts and jackets.
Lost & Found
Our lost and found is already filling up. We will be making a donation run at the beginning of November..... 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.
Mural Input
We are excited to bring a new mural to our school for current Gators to enjoy. We are working with a Gregory Gardens artist on our new mural in the front of school. We want our mural to represent our diverse and inclusive school. If you have ideas or input, please email me at koontzk@mdusd.org.
Intra-district transfer requests for the 2020-2021
Elementary Intra-district Transfers 2020-2021 - All Elementary Intra-district Transfer
applications will be available at the same time. Therefore, the online application for
Intra-district transfers (new TK/K and current K-4) will now be available at
mdusd.org/transfers February 10, 2020 – March 10, 2020.
• Secondary Intra-district Transfers 2020-2021: The online application for secondary
Intra-district transfers (current grades 5-11) will be available at mdusd.org/transfers
October 15, 2019 – November 15, 2019.
For more information please visit www.mdusd.org/transfers.
Parent, Staff Adult Video Series: What You Need to Know about Vaping & Teens
Featuring young people and other local experts, this 6-part video series covers the following topics:
• Basics of e-cigarette/vape pen devices
• Impact on young people
• Intersections between tobacco and cannabis/marijuana
• Tips for adults and resources available
The entire video series is now available on the Contra Costa County Office of Ed/TUPE website and YouTube.
Campus Updates
We are so close to completing our roofing project. Once complete, I will be working with M&O to get our blacktop fixed and work on other repairs. We should be hearing about our slide and steps replacements in the next few days.
Click here to view the 2019-2020 MDUSD Academic Calendar
Gregory Gardens Elementary
Campus Climate
Please be mindful of drop off and pick up procedures. The church has graciously allowed us to use their property to accommodate parents. They have asked us to keep the lot exit only. Families should not be entering the parking lot to park. Please use our school driveway to enter the church lot. We recognize the lines can get long, however we must keep all of our children's safety at top priority. Please pull forward as far as possible to ensure all students can get dropped off and picked up safely and in a timely manner. We are working with Pleasant Hill PD to provide support on the neighborhood streets. We are a community, if you see students being unsafe, please kindly remind them to be responsible. Together we can get our students where they need to be on time.
Red Ribbon Week
Anti-bullying prevention and drug awareness. October 21-25
Mon., Oct. 21st – Sports Day
Don’t make anyone feel like they’re not part of the team – stand up to bullying! (Favorite team jersey or T-shirt)
Tue., Oct. 22nd – Disney Day
Follow your dreams to your happily ever after – don’t do drugs!(Favorite Disney character t-shirt/clothes/accessories)*No stuffed animals or toys please.
Wed., Oct. 23rd – Pajama Day
Don’t fall asleep in your life – stay alert, stay off drugs & help stop bullying! No slippers please.
Thur., Oct. 24th – Dr. Seuss Day
I know a Thing or 2 about making healthy choices! (Wear Dr. Seuss / red & white clothes/or crazy hair)
Fri., Oct. 25th – Crazy Neon Day
My future is so bright – I’m saying NO to drugs & taking a stand against bullying!
(Wear really bright clothes & crazy socks)
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
PTA general meeting is this Tuesday 10/15. Please join us to make important votes regarding equipment and furniture for our students.
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
Have you stopped by the office lately? We love the new pops of color and welcoming vibe we have created.
Fall Festival
Join SEED for an ever-popular Fall Family Festival on Sunday, Oct. 20th from 12-3 p.m. at Lafayette’s Sienna Ranch!
A barbecue lunch, tractor rides, pony rides, visits with the goats and chickens on the ranch, hikes to the fort, pumpkin crafts and more! Cost is $10 per family. This is a very popular event so be sure to register today by clicking here.
Halloween 2019
Please be on the look out for information regarding this year's Halloween festivities.
Looking Ahead
October
October 15- General PTA Meeting- 8am, MUR
October 16 Chipotle Dining Fundraiser 4-8pm, Cresent drive location
October 17- Earthquake and Fire Drill
October 21-25- Red and Blue Ribbon Week
October 25- GatorWeen- 5:30-8:30pm
October 31- Halloween
November
November 8: End 1st Trimester
November 11: Veterans Day- No School
November 12- See's Candy Fundraiser begins
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 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
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