Garden Road Family Newsletter #25

February 10 Food Drive last day

February 10 Foundation Meeting - Mainstream Bar and Grill 6:30

February 12 Spring Pictures, Grad Pictures

February 14 Friday Flag

February 17 - 21 No school

March 3 PTA Board Meeting

• "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!

Dear Garden Road Families,

We had a wonderful visit with Dr. Ben Churchill and several board members! Ginger Couvrette, Heather Plotzke and David Cheng were along for the tour. Our student leadership led the tour for our guests and did a phenomenal job explaining about Leader in Me, students setting goals and measuring their own progress towards meeting these lead measures weekly, and tracking our schoolwide WIG. The students introduced our guests to staff on our campus, and took our guests to visit several classrooms. We are looking forward to our Leadership Showcase days, April 23 (grades 3-5) and May 1 (grades TK-2) when we will community guests on our campus to see the incredible work our students are doing each day.

Spring Picture Day and Grad Picture Day - Wednesday, February 12

FAMILY RESOURCE FAIR FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

A Special Education Parent Ambassador Program Hosts: Family Resource Fair for Students with Special Needs.

Family Resource Fair for Students with Special Needs

The Parent Ambassadors invite you to join the Family Resource Fair, an event to connect families with resources and opportunities in Poway and surrounding areas that promote inclusion, whole-person development and fun for students with special needs.

When: Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 6-8pm

Where: Community Room at PUSD District Office

15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128

Join us to explore:

• Social opportunities tailored to meet diverse needs

• After-school social and recreational activities

• Inclusive sports programs

• Camps for all abilities

• Vocational training opportunities

Why should you attend?

• Activities for ALL age groups including young adults

• 16 booths featuring varieties of options in Poway and surrounding areas

• Opportunity to ask questions and sign up with the providers

• Get a head start on summer planning

Join us anytime between 6 to 8 pm to meet providers, learn about programs in our community, and find activities that support your child's growth and happiness.

Kindly RSVP here so we can ensure adequate handouts to all families. See this flyer for more information.

ENGLISH LEARNER FAMILY ENGAGEMENT SURVEY

Parents of English Learners: Today through Friday, February 28th, Poway Unified will be conducting our Family Engagement and Accountability survey to gather input from all families of English Learner students. This survey helps shape the District’s goals and guide priorities for the 2025-2026 school year. Your feedback is extremely helpful as we continue to seek ways to better our English Learner program. Please click HERE to complete the survey.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

The Technology and Innovation Department is providing family communications focused on digital citizenship for you to share with your school community. Please include these messages in your newsletters or other parent communications to help promote safe and responsible technology use.

Sharing these communications will also help meet the Family Engagement requirement for sites to achieve Common Sense Recognition as part of our district’s Digital Citizenship Initiative.

ACTION - Message to send to families (below):

Managing Screen Time

Managing screen time is an essential part of supporting children’s well-being and academic success in today’s digital world. Technology offers incredible opportunities for learning and creativity, but maintaining a healthy balance is key. Setting clear boundaries and encouraging mindful tech habits at home helps children develop the skills they need to navigate their digital lives responsibly. By working together to create a balanced approach to technology use, we can empower students to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

• Elementary Resource: How Much Screentime is OK for My Kids?

• Secondary Resource: 4 Conversations to Have with Older Kids and Teens About Their Screen Time Habits

Sue Melnick

Principal

We have started reading the 2024-25 CYRM Nominees in the library.

The California Young Reader Medal (CYRM) program encourages the recreational reading of popular literature among the young people of our state. Since its inception in 1974, millions of California children have nominated, read, and voted for the winners of the California Young Reader Medal.

Our first book for K-3rd was Are You a Cheeseburger? Grub is a lonely raccoon. Rumbling in the trash, looking for food. Seed is, well, a seed! Patiently waiting in the trash, hoping someone would plant it. When the two finally meet, they realize they might be able to help each other! Grub has just one big question first: What will Seed grow? Could Seed grow Grub’s favorite food, mouthwatering cheeseburgers? Seed isn’t sure what a cheeseburger is exactly, but . . . maybe! And so, begins a hilarious friendship, following two unlikely strangers learning more about each other. Monica Arnaldo’s read-aloud will leave readers giggling and will teach us how the most special friendships bloom only when we are unapologetically ourselves.

Our first book for 4th & 5th grades was Nour's Secret Library. Forced to take shelter when their Syrian city is plagued with bombings, young Nour and her cousin begin to bravely build a secret underground library. Based on the author’s own life experience and inspired by a true story, Nour’s Secret Library is about the power of books to heal, transport, and create safe spaces during difficult times.

All students will be voting for their favorite book at the end of March & I will submit our votes online.

Regards,

Tuhina Lal

Library Media Tech

TLAL@powayusd.com

​(858) 748-0230 x 2160

Garden Road Mission: We are empowered learners, who lead ourselves and others, to contribute to a better world.

Email: smelnick@powayusd.com

Website: https://gardenroad.powayusd.com/

Location: 14614 Garden Road, Poway, CA 92064

Phone: 858-748-0230