Garden Road Family Newsletter #28

March 07, 2025

📆 Important Upcoming Dates

March 7 End of Trimester 2

March 7 Friday Flag - all students who received running club or Eagle Awards in February will stand up during the Friday Flag

March 10 Foundation Meeting

March 17 - 19, 21 Lunch with a Loved One (every day but not on Thursday)

March 20 Progress Reports viewable in Parent MyPlan Portal and Parent Synergy Access at 5 pm

March 29 Foundation Auction Boots and Bling

"Boots & Bling" Adults-Only Garden Road Auction on Saturday, 3/29 5:30-9:30 p.m. Childcare during the event is available for only $20 at Impact Martial Arts! (Sibling discount)

Purchase auction tickets & childcare at Impact Martial Arts NOW! Funds raised support our music, art, library, and more!

Get ready for an unforgettable evening at our school auction, a major fundraising event for Garden Road Elementary! We have incredible baskets and items put together by each class to auction off during the event. Many families have generously donated items and experiences. Thank you so much for all of your contributions!

BUT wait, we still need more items to make this auction even more spectacular. Can you help?

We are looking for families with any connections to try and get some of the following items:

Sports tickets
Concert tickets
1:1 opportunities with retired or active sports professionals (e.g., an NFL player offering 30 minutes of training or a motivational pep talk)
Behind-the-scenes access to venues, restaurants, or private experiences
Summer camps
Weekend getaways (timeshares, AirBnBs)
Golf packages
Hotel stays
Private lessons from a pro (e.g., pickleball, tennis, golf, piano, baseball, basketball)
Private dining experiences or gift certificates for restaurants/catering
Opportunities to have dinner with or bid on influential San Diegans to visit your child’s class as a special guest (e.g., retired or active politician, musician, athlete)

Don't miss out on the fun! This event is for all families at the school (adults only), and we’d love to see some new faces for a fun night! Buy your auction tickets here https://givebutter.com/c/GRESBOOTSBLING for an unforgettable time and experience whiskey tasting, line dancing, hat making, and more! Contact gresfoundationauction@gmail.com for questions and to share your connections with us!

"We are looking for parents to get involved in the Garden Road Elementary PTA and/or Foundation! As we start planning for next year’s board, we’d love to see who is interested in stepping up to support our school community.

By joining the PTA and/or Foundation, you can:
✨ Help shape school programs and events
✨ Create and Support Fundraising opportunities
✨ Build friendships with other amazing parents
✨ Make a lasting impact on your child’s education

There are a variety of roles available to fit different interests and time commitments!

PTA/Foundation Interest Form

"Hello GRES Parents,
We are very proud of the diversity of heritage that is represented amongst the students at Garden Road
Elementary School. The multi-cultural fair is one great way to showcase that heritage. Please consider
representing a country. So far, we have the following countries: -
Netherlands, India, Iran, and Uganda. If you are interested in hosting a booth for a country, please click
the link below to sign up: -
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094EABAB2CA2FAC70-55532282-multicultural
If you would like to participate in this event and realize that another family has already signed up for
your country of heritage, please contact me and I will introduce you so that you can work together.
If you have any questions, please contact Annette Nakku at gresmulticulturalfair@gmail.com"

Please RSVP that you will attend the Anxiety in Kids workshop here!

Principal's Message

Dear Garden Road Families,

We have reached the end of trimester 2! Parents will be able to view progress reports at 5 pm on March 20 in ParentVue. More information will come out about how to log in and see progress reports on March 14.

SDCCU CLASSROOM HEROES ADDS STAYCATION GRAND PRIZE

SDCCU Classroom Heroes Program

Spotlight a stellar teacher through the SDCCU Classroom Heroes program for the chance to win a $500 gift card and be featured on CBS News 8. Winning teachers will be entered to win the grand prize of a five-day, luxury San Diego staycation. Submit a nomination today!

For over ten years, San Diego County Credit Union (SDCCU) and SDCOE have recognized local “Classroom Heroes." This school year the recognitions went from quarterly to monthly, with one local San Diego County teacher being recognized as a Classroom Hero each month through May 2025. Winning teachers receive a $500 SDCCU Visa® gift card and are featured on CBS News8.

SDCCU has just added a grand prize for the 2024-25 school year. One of this year's classroom heroes will receive a five-day luxury staycation at Kona Kai Resort in San Diego. There is still time to nominate a deserving teacher! Educators, students, and families can do so by visiting the SDCCU nomination page.

SD Helpful Honda Teacher Appreciation Awards Call For Nominations!

Do you know of, work with, or have heard the story of a San Diego teacher whose efforts have greatly impacted their students, community, or school?

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5th - 9th, 2025, the San Diego Helpful Honda people will be honoring and surprising four deserving teachers, each, with $5,000 worth of school supplies and materials they need to better help their students succeed!

How to submit to a deserving teacher: Nomination Form: https://forms.gle/ppWkw1BhAYBinEC77. The deadline is Monday, March 31, 2025… so nominate a teacher today!

Sue Melnick

Principal

Library Corner

We enjoyed Nominee #3 for the California Young Reader Medal.

The younger grades read My First Day, a visually stunning story of resilience and determination by the award-winning new author-illustrator team Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien. This is no ordinary first journey. The rainy season has come to the Mekong Delta, and An, a young Vietnamese boy, sets out alone in a wooden boat wearing a little backpack and armed only with a single oar. On the way, he is confronted by giant crested waves, heavy rainfall, and eerie forests where fear takes hold of him. He knows it will all be worth it when he reaches his destination--one familiar to children all over the world.

The upper grades read the last nominee, The Gardener of Alcatraz, which is a picture book biography. When Elliott Michener was locked away in Alcatraz for counterfeiting, he was determined to defy the odds and bust out. But a funny thing happened when he got a job tending the prison garden. He found new interests and skills--and a sense of dignity and fulfillment. Elliott transformed Alcatraz Island, and the island transformed him.

And here is something fun happening close by... Pete the Cat, the kids' favorite cat, is coming to town in a musical at Poway Center for the Performing Arts!

Pete the Cat and young Jimmy Biddle embark on a groovy adventure of friendship and inspiration, traveling from school to Paris and back in a VW Bus, as Pete helps Jimmy conquer his second-grade art challenges and gets the whole Biddle family rocking.

Stick around after the performance for our Party on The Plaza—an interactive celebration where families can enjoy:

🎨 Hands-on arts and crafts activities
🎭 A meet-and-greet with the cast
🐱 A therapy cat session courtesy of “Love on a Leash”
🖌️ An interactive mural painting
✏️ A step-by-step “Learn to Draw Pete the Cat” tutorial with Sarah Allen from “Art Deco Studios”

*Must have a ticket to the show to attend the Party on The Plaza

Regards,

Tuhina Lal

Library Media Tech

TLAL@powayusd.com

(858) 748-0230 x 2160