Dear Families,
We received exciting news in the Middle School this week: Allison Birkhead will be joining our faculty next year as a math teacher! Allison, or Alli as she is known to her colleagues, spent seven years teaching math and science at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton. Alli is a passionate teacher and an engaged, lifelong learner. She has taken workshops in Positive Discipline, and is a part of the Monterey Bay Area Math Project Teacher’s Circle, a group that provides a monthly forum for local math educators to meet and “learn mathematics for its own sake”. Alli will assist MaryD in maintaining high standards for our math program, which is designed to ensure that our students are proficient math thinkers and problem solvers. Alli lives in Santa Cruz with her husband and two young children. We look forward to welcoming Alli to our staff, and anticipate many exciting years working with this dynamic and committed teacher.
We encourage you to check our faculty web pages every month for class-by-class curricular updates, and hope that you are enjoying this beautiful weather!
Advisory
Today our students watched an abbreviated production of Twelfth Night during advisory period (performed by UCSC’s “Shakespeare to Go.”) The production was very well done, and the students seemed to really enjoy themselves. Afterwards the Middle School students had a few minutes to ask questions of the actors, and we learned that one of the players is Percy’s former student from Brentwood! He had fond memories of sitting in Percy’s seventh-grade Spanish class.
Activities and Announcements
TONIGHT: Catalina and D.C. Info. Meeting, Wednesday, May 2nd
Johaan, Sherri, and Meg will be holding a combined info. meeting for seventh-grade families on Wednesday, May 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. in the West Cliff room. We’ll be discussing planning for the upcoming trip to Catalina, and planning for next year’s trip to Washington D.C. The meeting will conclude between 8:00 or 8:30.
Bookshop Santa Cruz: Gateway School Day
Give the gift of reading to your children! Shop at Bookshop Santa Cruz (in-store or online) on Thursday, May 3rd and 15% of everything you buy will be donated back to our Gateway School library as a gift card. You can shop online at www.bookshopsantacruz.com and list “Gateway School” in the notes field for your donation to count. Shopping online is a great option for far-away relatives and friends who want to help your child’s school!
Look at our wish list for books that can be purchased for our Gateway School classes and for the children at the Beach Flats Community Center. The BFCC book list was provided by Reyna Ruiz, Center Coordinator. Gateway School will continue to collaborate on other meaningful events with the Beach Flats Community Center. All book lists will be online and in our Gateway School section at the stores information desk.
Friends and Family can all participate and enjoy! Shop for yourself, your children, our Gateway School classrooms and the Beach Flats Community Center.
Sports Fitness Elective
We will be running DeLaVeaga on Thursday (May 3rd), followed by lunch (optional) at Whole Foods.
Pancakes and Bike to School Day
Gateway Dads will be serving pancakes to all Bike to School Day participants. They are in need of a few volunteers to help set-up, cook, and clean up on the morning on Thursday, May 10th. Interested volunteers should contact Kurt Almendras at kurt.almendras@gatewaysc.org
Student Government
Students running of office for the 2012-13 School Year:
- On May 2, yellow permission slips must be completed and returned to either Merle or Ana by3:00.
- May 2- May 11 execute a brief campaign. On May 7 students’ 1 minute speech must be edited,and final draft is due to Advisors by May 8. Elections will be held on May 16 at lunch. All 5-7
graders will vote after speeches.
- Only students enrolled for next year can run for office and cast a votee
After-School Sports Update
Boys Volleyball knotched their first win in convincing fashion last Thursday at Kirby. They also played Tuesday at Wavecrest, score pending. This coming Tuesday they will travel to Aptos to take on Twin Lakes Christian. Don’t forget to put their Blue/Gold match on your calendars against Spring Hill on the sand at Main Beach on Thursday, May 24th at 4PM.
All Girls Volleyball players need to return their jerseys to their coach or to Johaan in the 7th Humanities classroom. Those that don’t do so will be billed.
Upcoming dates:
5th-8th Boys Volleyball:
Wednesday, 5/2 Monday, 5/7 Tuesday, 5/8
Practice, 3:30-5PM
Practice, 3:30-5PM
@ Twin Lakes (Aptos), 4:15PM
GO SHARKS!
