Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of September 2, 2019
Greetings from Administration
Happy Sunday Families! Remember September is Attendance Awareness Month. School attendance matters.
Monday, September 2nd is Labor Day and school is closed in observance. We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday!
Week 2 was a blast! We kicked off the week our Drawing on Earth Chalk day! Students loved coloring, creating and getting dirty! Several important guests stopped by to join in the fun. Thank you Superintendent Dr. Martinez, Board Member Cherise Khaund and Executive Director of Instructional Support Jennifer Sachs. It was the perfect way to build community and collaborate on a single focus! The alligator is simply stunning, if you haven't seen it, be sure to stop by before it's too late. Below please find the news story featured on KPIX channel 5 news on Friday night. Preschoolers continue with their transportation theme. Kids are loving exploring with paint and wheel tracks. Kindergartners have been busy learning their classroom routines and getting to know new friends. First, Second and Third graders continue to review last years curriculum and have begun to dive into this years priority standards. Fourth and Fifth graders are building community and strengthening relationships in their classrooms.
Picture Day
Perfect for Sharing & Cherishing — Order Your Favorite School Portraits. We are excited to have Lifetouch Pictures coming to GGE on Friday, September 6th. Order forms were sent home with your student.
We are looking for two adult volunteers for the day to help chaperone students from their classrooms to the picture taking area. Any volunteers must already be approved through the school district. If interested in helping out, please contact Lisa in the office.
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.
*M&O has removed unnecessary gates around campus, making our site feel open and inviting. They have also replaced and painted missing trim, fixed fencing and measured for safety gates in front of room 17 and 24. In the next few weeks, our parking lot will also be repainted. Thank you M&O for these updates!
Click here to view the 2019-2020 MDUSD Academic Calendar
Katie Koontz
Gregory Gardens Elementary
Bullying Vs. Conflict
This week students will be engaging in conversations about bullying vs. conflict. Teachers will facilitate discussions and support students in ways they can prevent bullying on campus.
Counselor
Our new school counselor, Shawn Hamdard has started working at GGES. He will be working with students in room K3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mr. H will be creating friendship groups, working with classroom teachers and supporting individual students. Be sure to introduce yourself when you see him around campus.
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
On Friday students placed their first Gator Menu order! Huge thank you to PTA for supplying the prizes and to Kinohi McLoskey for filling the orders over the weekend. Students who placed orders will receive them on Tuesday 9/3.
As we continue to grow our campus and focus on social and emotional learning, our PBIS team will be meeting with Equity Director Jorge Melgoza in coming weeks. We will discuss disproportionality and make a plan to address needs at GG. Our teachers are actively fostering inclusive behavior and compassion in our students.
Snack and Lunch Routines
In order to ensure all students are supervised during morning recess, all students now eat snack in the cafeteria. Students are able to bring snacks from home or purchase from the kitchen. Students have settled in nicely with this new routine and enjoy spending time with friends. Our recess is 20 mins. Most students spend 10 minutes eating and 10 minutes playing. Students may stay in the cafeteria until they are finished eating. This new routine has also helped keep our campus free of litter!
Snack time
*Pack morning snacks separate from lunch boxes. This makes it easier and quicker for students to get their food.
Lunch time
*All students have a 40 minute lunch period. 20 minutes in the cafeteria, 20 minutes on the playground. Students are never asked to leave if they are not finished eating.
Attendance
If you think your child will be absent, please call the Attendance Hotline at (925) 682-8000 ext. 7042. Please include your students name, teacher, and reason for absence. Please be sure to call before 9:30 am. Thank you.
Morning Procedures
Please observe our new drop off procedures- All students and parents enter campus through the main gate and walk to the playground through the K1 and K2 hallway. Please do not use the gates by room 17 or 22. 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. We understand these new expectations will be an adjustment. We appreciate your flexibility and thank you for supporting our efforts to keep all parents, students and siblings safe will at Gregory Gardens.
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.
PTA Corner
After School Programs begin the week of Sept 9. Fliers went home in backpacks listing all of the educational and fun programs available for our kiddos. There is also a copy posted on the Gregory Gardens Elementary PTA Facebook page and it went out on an eBlast. Register now! If classes do not meet minimum enrollment, they will be cancelled. Contact ggptainfo@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
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
Volunteer Opportunities
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! 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
Robert Shearer Preschool
RSP visiting expectations
Parents who are not cleared to volunteer are welcome to visit school for observations, please work with your teacher to ensure all safety measures are taken.
* Visits are pre-arranged with teacher and/or administrator with a 24 hour notice
*Check in with GGES or RSP office upon arrival
*Observational visits can be up to 20 minutes administration present
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.
Let's run for Funds
Looking Ahead
September
September 2- Labor Day- No School
September 6- Picture Day
September 9-13- Book Fair
September 13- Back to School Picnic 5:30pm
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
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