SPARTAN MAIL
SAN GABRIEL MISSION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
EMPOWERING STUDENTS with SKILLS TO SUCCEED and INTEGRITY TO TRANSFORM!
WELCOME TO THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR!!
JOIN US FOR OUR ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Week of Monday, August 14th
ALL students are required to be in regular school uniform.
*NOON DISMISSAL ALL WEEK FOR ALL STUDENTS!*
*NO CASA for TK until September 5th*
*NO HAPPY LUNCH the first week of school*
Morning Drop-Off!
A couple of important reminders!
#1. WHICH LANE SHOULD I CHOOSE??:
We don't want to make drop-off complicated or "assign" a lane to you, but here are some suggestions and practical things to keep in mind:
***Do you have ONLY a younger student(TK-2nd grade)? CONSIDER USING THE LANE CLOSEST TO THE ARCHWAY
***Do you have ONLY an older student (3rd-8th grade)? CONSIDER USING THE LANE CLOSEST TO THE PARISH CENTER
***Do you have BOTH a younger AND an older student? CHOOSE EITHER LANE, BUT IF YOU USE THE LANE CLOSEST TO THE PARISH CENTER, PLEASE ASK THE OLDER SIBLING TO LEAD THE YOUNGER STUDENT IN THE PEDESTRIAN LANE
2. Morning Drop-Off Times: The gate opens at 7:30, and supervision or staff oversees the drive-through only after then. PLEASE only enter the campus once we officially open at 7:30 am. Sometimes the gate opens for a CASA family or a staff member driving through. You should wait until 7:30 am to enter.
3. Walk to the Classroom: Beginning at about 7:50 am, teachers will start walking students into the classrooms. If you are arriving after that, your child will be directed to walk straight to their class (littles will be escorted).
Please drive slowly through the morning drop-off line. The safety of our students is the MOST IMPORTANT thing. Please be cautious, drive slow, and be patient as you go through the line .
Things to Remember
- When going through the drop off line, please pull all the way forward, and DO NOT drive around other cars.
- Please refrain from getting out of your car to avoid the drop-off line from getting backed up.
- Please do not block the crossing walk.
- If arriving after 8:00 am, DO NOT drive through the driveway, please take your child through the front office.
REMINDERS
1. Afternoon Pick-Up: We will ONLY use the Chapel Walk gate for after-school pick-up. Please park in the Church lot, walk through the Chapel Walk gate, and come to the yard. The teachers MUST SEE YOU to release your child, so please walk to your child's pick-up bench for pick-up. The Chapel Walk gate will only be open from 2:40 pm to 3:15 pm. Anytime after 3:15 pm, the front walk gate will be used to pick up students from CASA.
2. Office Business: If you need to come to the Office, we ask that you park on the street and come through the front doors before or after you pick up your child. We are trying to avoid having non-staff adults in that hallway to keep it clear for students and staff.
3. Dismissal Times:
TK-2nd - 2:40 pm
3rd-5th - 2:50 pm
6th-8th - 3:00 pm
Please remember that EVERY WEDNESDAY, we have "NOON" dismissal times (TK-2nd - 11:45 am & 3rd-8th - 12:00 pm).
CASA FAMILIES! PLEASE READ!
Important Procedures!
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
1. The CASA PHONE NUMBER IS 626-558-5748. Please save this number in your phone and use it after school hours to contact CASA as needed.
2. CASA Morning Drop Off (7:00 - 7:30 am)
ONLY A.M. CASA may drive onto the playground through the main drive gate before 7:30 am. If your child is not going to morning CASA, you MAY NOT drive through the gate before 7:30 am.
3. CASA Afternoon Pick Up (2:45 - 6:00 pm)
P.M. CASA families are asked to PARK in the Rectory lot or the street and call the CASA phone number to let them know you are here. After 5:00 pm, the gate will open, and you may drive in and park. You can then use the ring doorbell to let them know you are here.
*We will NOT be using the Chapel Walk entrance/exit for CASA
WE WELCOME MR. PAUL RAMIREZ TO THE SGMES STAFF!
This year, we welcome Mr. Ramirez to our 6-8 teaching team as our ELA teacher!
Mr. Ramirez:
Mr. Ramirez is our new 6th-8th grade ELA teacher. He was born and raised in El Sereno, Ca. He attended San Gabriel Christian School and later graduated from Don Bosco Tech High School in 2001. He served in the U.S. Army from 2001 to 2005 as a Combat Infantryman, Paratrooper and later became a Bomb Technician. While at Chapman University, Mr. Ramirez received the Horatio Alger Military Scholarship Award from Ambassador George Argyros. He used it to attend Peking University's advanced Chinese language immersion program (2010-2011) in their Classical Studies Department studying China's classical military text and Chinese Strategic Culture. After graduating from Peking's immersion program, he attended Tsinghua University from 2011 to 2012. Mr. Ramirez is one of the first Mexican- Americans to graduate with a B.A. degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Cal State Los Angeles.
Also holding a Materials Science degree, Mr. Ramirez has been working for NASA and JPL for the past ten years. At JPL, he was a member of the Deep Space Network Antenna Team, Lab Manager, and Metallurgical Engineering Specialist in JPL's Section 353c Materials Engineering Thermal and Propulsion Lab, and he was the lead Parachute and Explosives Quality Engineer for the INSIGHT lander, ASPIRE, and the recent Mars 2020 Perseverance rover programs. Paul is one of NASA's top subject matter expert scientists in parachutes and ordnance systems, having worked on the Demo-2, Space-X's Dragon Capsule, Commercial Crew 1 through 5, and Artemis Programs. He recently published his first Children's STEM book titled "STEM FORCES: Story One" to encourage the importance of STEM learning for children. He resides in San Gabriel with his daughter Noelle and son Ryan.
Aside from teaching ELA, Mr. Ramirez plans to contribute to the STEM program and begin a Chinese foreign language program. He believes in three things for his students: If you learn a new language, you gain a new soul. Two, that imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Lastly, every student is different, and success in every student will be different, and in their life, they should strive to win some victory for their family, community, and themselves. Mr. Ramirez's favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."
HELP KEEP SPARTANS HEALTHY!
We all know that in a school setting, germs are shared, no matter how careful we all are. Therefore THE BEST THING WE CAN ALL DO FOR EACH OTHER IS TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN HOME WHEN THEY ARE NOT WELL!
While sniffles or a mild cough are not uncommon in the fall, a best practice would be to keep your child home if they are experiencing:
-fever
-sore throat
-significant cough
-vomiting
-general feeling of being unwell