Head of School Book Club News - first book: Brain Rules
Our Gateway School Book Club is now officially registered with local, independent book store Bookshop Santa Cruz!
Brain Rules by John Medina is our first book for discussion in the Head of School Book Club (discussion meeting is February 16th, 7 pm), so if you haven't gotten the book yet, be sure to take advantage of the 10% discount at Bookshop because we are registered as a Book Club there. Just in time for winter break reading!! You must tell them at the check-out that you are part of Gateway School's Book Club to receive the discount.
Remember that Dr. Medina is coming to Santa Cruz March 3rd and 4th! Help spread the word to friends and colleagues. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to hear from him directly and ask questions! If anyone is interested in helping to sponsor his visit, please contact Gateway parent Anne Rowley at annerowley@mac.com.
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8th Grade Washington DC Fundraisers
Holiday Wreaths The class of 2011 sends a big thank you to all who have supported their fundraising efforts. There are extra wreaths, swags and centerpieces available for purchase; look for the table on the playground after school.
Tamales
Tomorrow - December 9th is the LAST DAY TO ORDER TAMALES!! Don't miss out on the delicious treat, to be delivered conveniently at school next week. Order forms are available on-line or in the Main Office. Family photography sessions with 8th grade parent Laura Lucas. For a nominal fee of $25, you will receive high resolution digital images of your family portrait. All proceeds will go to the Class of 2011 8th grade Washington DC fundraising. Make an appointment directly with Laura through email: lucasjohnlaura@aol.com.
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40 Acts of Kindness Updates
Second Harvest Canned Food Drive
Help your student bring in canned food for the Second Harvest Food Drive. As of December 3rd we have raised 3,840 pounds of food - let's beat last year's award winning donation of 6,400 pounds. These donations help to feed thousands of people in Santa Cruz county, one in four of which are children. Thank you for your generosity!
Coat Drive Ends Friday Dec. 10th
The student council coat drive ends on Friday. Please consider bringing in a gently used coat or sweater for the student council coat drive (run in partnership with Classic Cleaners). Coats will be donated to low-income families this winter. Thank you so much to students and parents who have already donated!
Thank you to Karen Hovekamp and Lisa Jensen and several families who walked in the Foster Children section of the Downtown Santa Cruz Holiday Parade last Saturday! These Gateway families helped bring awareness to the needs of Foster Children in Santa Cruz.
And a slightly belated thank you to the 2nd and 5th grade classes who brought holiday food baskets to St. Francis Food Kitchen before Thanksgiving break. Click here for a link to the article posted during break on the Family News Page.
If you work with a local group that needs volunteers or would like to help organize a service opportunity, please contact Gateway parent Karen Hovekamp (Luke '17, Jack '19) @ hovekamp@pacbell.net.
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| After School Classes
A new session of after-school classes will begin in January, after winter break. We have two new classes that will be offered, Lego Robotics and Computers (in addition to currently offered Chess and Ukulele).
For specific information and to register for classes select the after-school class flier that will be posted on the website on Thursday Dec 9th.
We would like to add a variety of new after-school classes and input from parents and child will help us decide what classes to offer. We have developed a brief survey as a way to gather information. Please fill it out here:
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Race to Nowhere Documentary Screening
If you missed seeing the screening of the documentary "Race to Nowhere" on 11/4, you might want to check out this screening next week: December 16th at 6:30pm at Santa Cruz High School. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets ($10 in advance). Proceeds will go to support Santa Cruz High sports programs.
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Holiday Slowcoast Gift Box - 10% of proceeds will go to Gateway School.
These beautiful handmade redwood boxes filled will local "Slowcoast" food, wine and other goodies make the perfect holiday gift. Mention Gateway School during your purchase; for more information on how to order, click here.
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Calling all New Leaf Shoppers!
Scrip cards for New Leaf shopping are available in the Main Office (only a few left). Cards come in $100 denominations and act like a gift card (you don't have to spend it all at one time). You can pay for the gift card by writing a check to Gateway School or charge to your account. Gateway will receive 5% of all purchases. A great way to support our school!
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Parent Education Network Series Workshop
Using Visualization and Positive Self Talk to Manage Test-Taking Anxiety and Situational-Specific Anxiety, with Dr. Jeffrey Lazarus. Friday Dec. 10th, 9-11am at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the PEN website here.
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IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT CLEARING YOUR BILLING ACCOUNT BEFORE WINTER BREAK:
In the paperwork that parents sign to enroll their children for the 2010-2011 school year is an explanation of the need for parents to pay off their billing accounts in full before Winter Break. This requirement comes from policy set by the Gateway School Board of Trustees which states that no student may attend any Gateway School program when school re-opens in January unless his or her account is paid in full up to date. Please pay careful attention to the billing statement dated November 30, 2010 that was sent to you last week. The total balance shown on that statement is due before Winter Break. Since our last business day before Winter Break is Friday, December 17th, this means payments must be received in the Main Office by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on December 17th, at the latest. If you do not clear your account before Winter Break, your child will not be cleared to resume his or her attendance at Gateway School with his or her classmates on January 3rd. If you did not receive a November 30, 2010 billing statement, it means that your child's account is already paid in full and there is nothing more you need to do at this time. If you have any questions about your account, please feel free to contact Gateway School's Business Manager, Rima Dunton, at 423-0341 x 308 or at rima.dunton@gatewaysc.org.
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Financial Aid for the 2011-2012 School Year
If you would like to apply for aid for the 2011-2012 school year, please click on this link for the complete packet of forms and instructions. In order to apply for aid, you must file a Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) with School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS). We recommend that parents file this form online, but parents can choose to file the paper PFS form instead if they prefer. To file online, go to sss.nais.org anytime from November 15th onward; to file the paper form, print out pages 16-21 from the attached financial aid packet and follow the directions in the packet. The Main Office also has a limited supply of paper PFS forms. In addition to filing your PFS, you must also upload or mail to SSS a copy of your complete 2010 tax return. We recommend that parents start preparing now to get their 2010 taxes done as early as possible during the month of February 2011, and file the PFS by February 1, 2011. As long as your PFS is filed by February 1, 2011 and the copy of your complete 2010 tax return is received by SSS by February 25, 2011, your application will be considered for the first round of financial aid awards (the round in which the bulk of our financial aid budget is awarded). If you are divorced, separated or never married, please be aware that each parent must file a separate PFS and each parent must submit a copy of his or her complete 2010 tax return to SSS. Please contact Rima in the Business Office at x 308 if you have any questions. |
Grandparent Newsletter - We now send our monthly version of Gateway Family News to grandparents. If you are interested in having your child's grandparents receive this newsletter which highlights of school programs and events for the month, please send their name and email address to kristin.smith@gatewaysc.org.
Beyond the classrooms, don't miss other school news and photos posted on our Family News Blog page on the Gateway website, as well as on our new Facebook page. Stay informed through these links.
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