Gregory Gardens Weekly Bulletin
Week of December 8, 2019
Greetings from Administration
Happy Sunday families. I trust you all had a nice weekend. This week we begin conferences at Gregory Gardens, please note that dismissal has changed for the next two weeks. Please make arrangements to pick up your students accordingly. With the dryer weather we will be able to have our fire drill on Monday at 9am. I look forward to seeing everyone at our Winter Concert on Friday night.
Gregory Gardens Elementary and Robert Shearer Preschool are participating in the Crayon Initiative collecting used and broken crayons. Boxes will be set up in each classroom for your student to bring in crayons to donate.
The Crayon Initiative collects donated crayons from restaurants, schools and homes across the country, then melts them down and re-manufactures them, reducing waste. Better yet, the recycled crayons are distributed to art programs at children’s hospitals across the U.S. Our schools are happy to help reduce the waste of these crayons and support this organization's reuse to children in hospitals!
Please join us by donating old and broken crayons. Check out their website here https://thecrayoninitiative.org/
PTA Corner
PTA has announced their Auction/Dinner! 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
GGES/RSP Community
We are creating an inclusive and respectful climate on our campus. We support all types of learners from diverse backgrounds on our site. It is imperative that parents, students and staff conduct themselves in a tolerant and respectful manner at all times. Please be aware of your surroundings when talking to members of our GGES/RSP community and be mindful that all students regardless of race, religion, abilities (e.g. physical, social/emotional development, cognition), socio-economic status, language, gender identity, race or family structure are welcome and important members to our school family.
Student Drop Off
We are hearing that drop off is becoming frustrating. We too have noticed the back up in the mornings. I want to clarify that our agreement with the church has always been to use their driveway as an exit only. Admittedly, we have strayed from this over the years. We have a 50 year relationship with them and these were their terms. It is my understanding that the wear and tear our GG community puts on their pavement is the root of the agreement. They, as well as PHPD have recently asked us to reinstate our agreements.
Never the less I know how time consuming it must be to drop off in the morning. I will continue to be out there as many mornings as possible to help with traffic flow. Parking and walking in may be another alternative. I welcome any suggestions you may have in easing the situation for everyone.
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
Crash Gates Installed. I want to sincerely apologize for the lack of communication with the gates leading to Kidstop. As you are aware, I have been open about installing the gates but have not had an exact date. While we were all away for the holiday, the gates were installed. With the rain and first day back glitches, it slipped my mind to reach out to Kidstop families to share with them the good news of the safety gates. I imagine that was quite a shock when you went to pick up your students.
Our new procedures will allow parents to park in the parking lot spots, walk down the kindergarten hallway to access Kid Stop. Mr. Danny and I will be working together to find a solution for the dark playground in the winter months. I am grateful for these gates as it puts us one step closer to keeping students and staff safe everyday. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we make these changes.
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
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.
Parent Teacher Conferences
We are looking forward to seeing all of our parents at our upcoming parent teacher conferences. Please arrive on time and reschedule as soon as possible if you will not be able to attend. Bring your questions, ideas and plans to help support your student. We are excited to share all of your child's successes with you.
Conference Schedule
Conference meetings are scheduled for Monday, December 9th- Friday, December 20th. School hours adjust for this as follows:
Grades 1-5 will be released M. T, Th, Fri 1:10 pm
Grades 1-5 will be released Wednesdays 12:30 pm
TK/Kinder
Early Friends remain on their regular schedule 7:50-11:11 am
Starting Monday, December 16th through Thursday, December 19 late friends school hours adjust as follows:
Late friends 9:16-1:30 pm
December 20th is an ALL TOGETHER DAY both early and late friends
will be at school 7:50-11:11 am
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
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
Our students are learning so much during this holiday season! From learning appropriate play skills through activities like the Gingerbread Man, to counting the parts of a Snowman, our friends are gaining new skills each day. Be on the lookout for more exciting opportunities for our students to learn about the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in Gregory Garden’s new STEAM lab space, which we are so fortunate to be a part of!
A few of our preschool classrooms have buddied up with our elementary rooms. We are excited to watch these relationships blossom between our students.
Looking Ahead
December
December 9-20- Parent Teacher Conferences
December 13- GGES Winter Concert 6:00pm- grades 1 & 2, Choir 4 & 5
December 17- Instrumental Winter Concert - grades 4/5 7:00pm
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
February
March
April
May
June
Conversations to Have at Home
Happenings around campus
Previous Newsletters
2019-2020
November
October
September
August
2018-2019
June
May
April
March
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