Hello Gardner Bullis,

This will be the last Bear Tracks of the school year but not the last communication from me. As I learn more about what the next school year will look like and feel like, I will send that information out. Because this is the last Bear Tracks, it is packed with important information. Please read carefully.

Our World Today

We are experiencing a shift in our nation and across the world right now and your children are probably noticing a few things that may feel stressful to them. As educators, we are faced with sincere and thoughtful questions from our students when the world around them goes sideways and as educators, we want to be prepared for those conversations. Topics of race, racism, protests, and pandemics are on the minds of children and some of them are curious learners and want to know more. That curiosity is a wonderful thing and those teachable moments must be embraced.

As a Gardner Bullis staff, we are committed to teach and support our students so that they may be braver, smarter, more resilient, tolerant, inclusive, and proud of the diversity at Gardner Bullis and within our bigger homes -- the Bay Area, the United States, and the world. We are committed to having courageous and vital conversations about any type of injustice. As your principal, I am committed to working with our teachers and find ways to support this very real need. You will be happy to know, and not surprised, that we have already had pockets of conversations about what we can do in the fall but also what we can do over the summer. The staff at this school never stops filling my bucket and I feel blessed in more ways than one to work with them.

I look forward to working closely with all of you as we move forward in this area of need. Some of the topics at hand can be difficult to talk about with our children, but there are resources out there to help us do exactly that:

• CNN and Sesame Street Town Hall Saturday, June 6th 10:00 ET

Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism

• 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversation on Race, Racism, and Resistance

• Your Kids Arent’ Too Young to Talk About Race

• How To Talk to Your Children About Protests and Racism

• Your Age-by-Age Guide to Talking About Race

WE MUST SAY GOOD-BYE

This year we are saying good-bye (or SEE YOU LATER!) to several staff members. They have been a big part of our community and we are going to MISS THEM, but each of them has a very exciting path to take. As a principal, I am very grateful to these three educators and how much they gave to the students, families, and staff at Gardner Bullis over the years. All three of them are passionate about children and focused on doing what is right for education in this ever-changing world. Below are their very special messages to you...the Gardner Community. Please join me in wishing them the very best!

Mrs. Fanter’s Goodbye

Ms. Evenhuis’ Goodbye

Mrs. Schmidt’s Goodbye

On another note, Mrs. Tandon and Mrs. Bertolacci will co-teach 2nd grade together next year. As you know, Mrs. Tandon has been our 3rd-grade teacher, so this will be a grade-level change for her but she is beyond excited to join the 2nd-grade team. Both teachers are very familiar with each other and look forward to teaming up with Mrs. Tew to create a pretty dynamic 2nd-grade team. Mrs. Bertolacci and Mrs. Tandon will give detailed information to the families about their schedules and exactly how everything will work closer to the opening of the next school year.

NEW STAFF

It is always exciting to welcome new staff members and this year is no different! Please read the bios below from our three new staff members:

1st Grade: Ms. Van Ryswyk

Hello! My name is Brooke Van Ryswyk (pronounced van rise-wick) and I am thrilled to join the Gardner Bullis community. I grew up in Los Altos and was educated by amazing LASD teachers. I received my B.S. in Psychology and Child Studies from Santa Clara University.

This past year I had the pleasure of student teaching at Covington. I will graduate in June from Santa Clara University with my Master of Arts in Teaching and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. I am so excited to be a part of the wonderful team of teachers

at Gardner Bullis!

3rd Grade: Mrs. Rowhani

I’ve been an elementary school teacher for almost 13 years, the last seven of which have been in third grade at Santa Rita in the Los Altos School District. I love working with children! Their genuine enthusiasm and curiosity for learning give me great joy! I took this last year off to be home with my twins who are now 16 months old. My son and daughter keep me on my toes! Before teaching elementary, I taught English to high school students in Hunan, China, for a short while. I got my Masters in Education while living in Davis; I’m originally from San Diego. My husband, kids, and I live in Palo Alto. I’m excited to be joining the Gardner Bullis community!

6th Grade: Mrs. Chen

Hello, Gardner Bullis Grizzlies! My name is Mrs. Tessa Chen. Currently, I teach 5th grade at Loyola where I have been teaching for 14 years. During my time at Loyola, I also taught 6th grade. I was born and raised in Palo Alto, received my B.A. at UCLA, and earned my teaching credential at Notre Dame de Namur University. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking, visiting the beach, and hiking/biking/exploring with my family. My sons Henry (8) and Thomas (6) will be joining GB in 3rd and 1st grade. I am excited to be on the Gardner Bullis staff and look forward to meeting everyone!

OUR PTA PRESIDENT PASSES THE BATON

We also need to say goodbye to Jody V. as our PTA president. She just completed her 2nd year in that role and will be moving on to other roles at our school. I want to thank her for all that she has done for the GB community. A PTA president works very closely with me and I see how many hours they give and how passionate they are about our school. Jody has been a TREASURE and I will miss working so closely with her but I know she will “be around.”

NEW PTA PRESIDENT

Please join me in welcoming Ali G as our new co-PTA president. She will work with Annie S. in the 2020-21 school year. As you all know, Ali is already familiar with getting things done for GB. She has organized many Give Back activities and I know how hard she works and how giving she can be. Welcome, Ali!

Families Leaving GB

This is always a bitter-sweet time of year when we have to say goodbye to some families...especially our 6th-grade families. So many of you have been with us for seven+ years and have experienced oodles of memories along the way. Parents from our 6th-grade families have donated hours and hours of their time over the years to help create the loving-wonderful school that we are today. We will miss you and truly look forward to hearing about all that you will do in your future. The staff and I wish the families leaving Gardner the very best.

Summer Learning for All Launched on June 1!

You may have received the email from Superintendent Baier on Monday announcing the launch of our Summer Learning for All program. The program is independent summer learning for all grade levels, TK-8. It focuses on reading, writing, and mathematics to reinforce the skills our students learned this school year. Also, the program provides weekly activities to work on the 6Cs, the skills and habits we teach in LASD to foster successful lifelong learning. This week’s C is Creativity. We look forward to seeing our students’ work this summer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

A Couple of Special Shout-Outs!

• Thank you to Erin H. for a BEAUTIFUL YEARBOOK!! OH MY! It is obvious how hard you and your team worked on making this very special book for us to keep forever.
• Thank you also to Elaine W. for all that she has done this year to help with Bear Tracks. Without her dedication, we would have a much different looking weekly newsletter.
• A HUGE shout-out to our Hot Lunch Volunteers. So many of you came weekly and without fail to make sure our students were able to order hot lunch. We appreciate you all and do not know what we would do without you.
• Project Cornerstone, Living Classroom, and Art Docent Volunteers help us teach to the whole child and make learning fun. Social-emotional health is essential for students as is learning about the arts and science. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
• Classroom and Library Parent Volunteers have been very helpful. Your teachers are so grateful for each of you and want to thank you!
• To all parents who helped in some way over the school year--we thank you. There are so many of you both involved in the PTA and outside of the PTA. We are who we are because of you.
• And finally, thank you to Sandy T. for maintaining our website all year! You have been a technology-gift and we appreciate you!

June 10th STAFF and 6th Grade Car Parade @ 1:00

Staff and 6th-grade families will begin our end-of-the-year parade at 1:00 from the Gardner parking lot. Please click here to see the route. We hope to see as many families as possible along the route as long as you are able to follow the social distancing rules. We want to make sure our 6th graders feel special and end this year with a BANG for everyone but we must do it with safety precautions.

I wish all of our families a joyful and relaxing summer. I already miss everyone so much so the summer is going to feel even extra long BUT we will return and we will be #Gardnerstrong!

Warmly,your principal "Ms. O"