Garden Road Family Newsletter #1

August 10th, 2024

Dear Garden Road Families,

The first day of school was so exciting for our Eagles! Students were welcomed with a balloon arch and the Welcome Eagles sign on the front lawn! The week ended with a delicious pancake breakfast served by the Dads Club! There were so many smiling faces on campus as students met their teachers and made new friendships. The day before school started, the Garden Road PTA hosted teachers to a welcome back luncheon. We are so lucky to have such wonderful parents at our school!

Arrival and Pick-up Reminders

To keep our arrival and pick-up running smoothly, here are several reminders:

No dogs or household pets are allowed on school grounds which includes our pick up areas. We have students with severe allergies to dogs and other pets. If you have your pet with you, please say good-bye to your student or wait for your student on the sidewalk along Garden Road.
The parking lot across the street from Garden Road Elementary is for parents. The parking lot next to the school at the front entrance is for staff only. Parents can drop off students from their cars in the MPR lot. A map is at the bottom of this newsletter showing the various parking lots and routes.

Bicycles

Students in grades 3-5 are permitted to ride their bikes to school. All students should be aware of and follow safe routes and laws in order to ride their bikes. Bicycles should always be walked on sidewalks and school grounds. Bikes must be locked in the bike area when parked. Students should not double lock their bikes with another child.

Those parents of students in grades 3-5 who wish to allow their children to ride their bikes to school must fill out a Bike Registration Form, which can be obtained from the Office. The school is not responsible for damage or loss of bicycles. Helmets are required. No helmet, no ride. Skateboards, scooters, shoes with wheels and roller blades are not allowed on campus at any time.

VAPA Vision

Monday, August 26, will be the first VAPA VIsion day for students at Garden Road Elementary School! Students will receive a lesson in theater this week! Students will have a block of instruction for one hour and forty-five minutes from a VAPA Vision teacher, including a 20 minute embedded global language lesson. Ask your child which language they learned about this week!

Fall Picture Day - September 4

Fall Picture Day will be Wednesday, September 4.

Spirit Wear is here!

The Garden Road Foundation is taking orders for spirit wear until September 8. See the flyer at the bottom of the newsletter for information on how to order Garden Road gear. We will be wearing our spirit wear on Fridays!

Support our Garden Road PTA and Garden Road Foundation

Please see the fliers at the bottom of the page to learn more about our PTA and Foundation. I hope you will support these groups by joining. These groups are responsible for many of the wonderful events and activities that we have on campus. That only happens with your support! Please also consider volunteering some of your time with these groups to support many of the wonderful activities at our school that only happen because of families like you!

Bringing Items to Your Child During the School Day - Pick Up Table in Office

We want our students to develop responsibility by coming prepared to school each day. If a lunch or item is brought in after school starts, please check in with our front office and let them know you are leaving an item for your child on our Pick Up Table. Item needs to have the child's name and teacher’s name on it. Students are responsible to check the Pick Up Table at their recess time if they are expecting an item for pick up. The office will not interrupt classroom instruction time with phone calls.

We are off to a great start! My door is always open, so please reach out to me at smelnick@powayusd.com with comments, questions, or concerns.

Sue Melnick

Principal