The Gator Gab 7th Edition🐊

Dear Gators,

Another fabulous but wet week at Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School! I think we can officially say good bye to summer.

Exciting time for kids who are making their Student Council speeches on Monday morning.

We are having our first emergency lockdown drill on Friday.

Friendly reminder that Monday, October 13th is a non student day. Teachers and staff will be in training.

Have wonderful week.

Doyal Martin, Principal

Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary School

Lots of opportunities to be involved in the education of your child and their friends.

Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day is a national initiative to promote healthier habits, a cleaner environment and community benefits like less traffic/congestion and a stronger sense of community. Join us in this charge on Wednesday, October 8th! For those who can only walk part of the way, meet us at Catlin Park at 8am so we can all walk together as one big Gator crew! Gabby Gator and lots of your favorite teachers will be there too!

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE! Please take a moment to vote for the school site council.

An immense thank you to those who submitted their names to serve on the school site council. It shows that our school community is supportive. Please use the button below to select your choices for School Site Council. Please select up to 3 candidates. Ballot will close Thursday, October 9th.

• Gallardo’s Neighbors: Please be mindful of our neighbor’s property. We are not allowed to block driveways or wait on their property during morning drop-off or afterschool pick-up.

• Stewart Street: Gallardo’s parents are asked to park in a designated space when dropping off or picking up a student. Stewart Street is an active lane of traffic and not an area to double park.

• Early Release on Thursdays: Students in grades K-5 are dismissed at 1:15 pm.

• Please check and update your access to ParentSquare. Make sure you are getting all the latest information. If you want to receive texts, mark that. We rarely use the “urgent” messages, so if that is all you receive you will not get weekly updates.

10/13 - No School (PD Day for teachers)

A huge thank you to Principal Martin and to all of the parents that attended our discussion series on the negative impact screens and cell phones are having on our kids! We learned so much and are grateful to Ashley Eder from Folsom Trauma Therpay for facilitating this invaluable learning opportunity. We are excited to work collectively on reducing screen use in our schools and community; and increasing opportunities for more play, independence and positive social interactions! If you happened to miss, we have extra copies of the resources shared in the rounder in the front office! Stay tuned for more from this!

Imagine a drop-off line with NO CARS...can we do it?!?!?! Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day is a national initiative to promote healthier habits, a cleaner environment and community benefits like less traffic/congestion and a stronger sense of community. Join us in this charge! For those who can only walk part of the way, meet us at Catlin Park at 8am so we can all walk together as one big Gator crew! Gabby Gator and lots of your favorite teachers will be there too!

Attention Category 2 Volunteers- this program cannot “run” without your help! Please consider signing up for a few days on our Mileage Club Sign-Up Calendar! You can select whatever days work for you- no standing commitment required! The timeframe needed is 9:40-10:50am. All you need to do is bring a colorful marker or pen, sign-in to the office, stand under the shade structure at that time frame to mark lap cards and encourage the runners! Thank you for your help!

• Starstruck Dance Showcase

• Rock & Run (Must be Category 2 Cleared Volunteer)

• Trunk or Treat

• Paint Event Banners

• Mileage Club (Must be Category 2 Cleared Volunteer)

Thursday, October 9th | Sutter Middle School | 715 Riley St, Folsom, CA 95630

Drop-Off Times

• 5:00 PM → for 5:30 PM show

• 6:15 PM → for 6:45 PM show

• Follow the green arrows to the Multi

• Volunteers in will help guide students

Attire

• Students arrive in dance attire, ready to perform

Parking

• Limited at Sutter → plan ahead

• Street / neighborhood parking may be needed

Seating

• Doors open 15 minutes before each show

• 5:15 PM → for 5:30 show

• 6:30 PM → for 6:45 show

• Families with kids in both shows may remain seated

• No early entry (students are setting up to WOW you!)

Performance

• Students stay until show ends

• ~6:15 PM (first show)

• ~7:30 PM (second show)

• Please support all performers by staying through the finale

Dismissal

• Students released directly to parents after each show

• Extra hands to stack chairs afterward = much appreciated!

Friendly Tip

Feed your dancer an early dinner or hearty snack before drop-off so they’re ready to shine!

Boo! The Sandra J. Gallardo PTA is brewing up something special for our families this Halloween season — our annual Trunk or Treat is almost here!

When: Thursday, October 30
Time: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Where: Gallardo Blacktop

Dress up in your favorite costumes and bring your little monsters, witches, and superheroes for an evening of safe, family-friendly trick-or-treating — right from the trunks of festively decorated cars!

We’re Hungry for Candy (Donations)!
Help us fill our cauldrons! Candy donations are needed (and appreciated) to make this spooky celebration extra sweet for our students.

Calling All Goblins & Ghouls (Volunteers)!
Want to help make the magic happen? We’d love your help! We need Decorated trunks and help the night of the event. Sign up to volunteer here: tinyurl.com/3r92hipk

Let’s make this Halloween frightfully fun and full of treats for everyone — we can’t wait to see you there!

Red Ribbon Week: Life is a Puzzle - Solve it with Kindness

We are excited to celebrate Red Ribbon Week from October 27-31 with a fun and meaningful week of activities! This year’s theme, Life is a Puzzle - Solve it with Kindness, emphasizes the importance of kindness, teamwork, and individuality. Each day, students are encouraged to wear different colors or outfits to show their support for making positive choices and standing up against bullying.

Here’s the lineup for the week:

• Monday, October 27 - Wear Red

• Tuesday, October 28 - Wear Bright colors

• Wednesday, October 29 - Wear Pajamas

• Thursday, October 30 - Wear Gator Gear

• Friday, October 31 - Wear Your Costume (No Masks or Weapons)

We encourage all students to participate and wear something fun each day! Let’s solve life’s puzzle together through kindness and respect.

That’s THREE FRIDAYS away! And we’re off to a really great start! Our first round of prizes went out today & we will have more next week! As a reminder, our goal this year is to raise $38,000, and we cannot do it without generous donations from all of you. Link to share for donations HERE search for your student by last name (1st initial and teacher will appear).

Current TOP 3 Classes (By Average per student):

⭐Dunagan

⭐Exstrom

⭐Gutierrez (but Lobitz isn’t far behind!)

📝Rock & Run Parent Reminders:

📌Return your student’s signed waiver to participate. Due 10/17. Digital version of packet HERE.

📌Plan on attending event day on Friday, 10/24. Come cheer on your student. Category 2-cleared volunteers are encouraged to sign up HERE to help!

📌Fundraise with your student to win cool prizes- to be distributed Fridays in October. We are at 15% participation and nearly $10k in donations! Get started and keep it going!

The PTA wants to recognize these generous businesses for their donations to our school! So far we have received $5,850 from local businesses to go toward Assemblies, STEM Lab, FAME and all of our amazing programming!

• Top Gator Donors - Broadstone Sports Club, Dimples Pediatric Dental, and Leighton Dance Project

• Gold Level Donors - Carey Steiner Realtor, Early Bird Plumbing, Coder School, Boost Swim, and The Curious Brush

• General Level Donor - Bowman Martial Arts

The community support is beyond helpful and we are so appreciative. If you know of any businesses that would be a wonderful partner for our school please have them email GallardoPTA@gmail.com

This week students enjoyed their assembly with Dr. Blake Brandes and now you have the opportunity to hear from him too! Dr. Blake Brandes, a TedX speaker and America’s Got Talent performer will share powerful strategies to help your child thrive in school and life! You don’t want to miss it! See below for details on how to join this virtual presentation!

• Presentation - October 23, 2025: K-6 Growth Mindset Virtual Parent Presentation from 6:00-7:00pm

• Zoom link - https://zoom.us/j/94439131958?pwd=dFxOuRJgXW8o0bOkH0g2MHMStfRq0w.1

• Meeting ID - 944 3913 1958

• Zoom Passcode - 727460

Gallardo Students! Do you enjoy art, music and dance or have an interest in writing, producing films and taking photos? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist with PTA Reflections! This year's theme is "I Belong!" Submission guidelines and entry forms are available on the PTA website. Contest deadline is October 24, 2025.

In October, TACO TUESDAY will be on a Monday! Support Gallardo and plan on dinner out when you visit:

📌Monday, October 20
🌯🌮Dos Coyotes (Folsom Blvd.) | 4:00–8:30 p.m.

It’s an easy way to help fundraise! Visit this restaurant at this day/time and they give a 💰portion to Gallardo!

The PTA is a true gift—connecting families, supporting classrooms, and creating memories with your kids.

Build Connections – Meet teachers, staff, and fellow parents.

Stay in the Know – Be updated on school and community news.

Enhance Learning – PTA funds provide classroom resources and technology.

Share

Moments – Volunteer and join in your child’s school experience.

Membership is just $12 and includes access to Membership Toolkit, quarterly meetings, and a voice in shaping school programs.

Join today: gallardopta.membershiptoolkit.com

Sign up before Oct 17th to help your child’s class earn a popsicle party! All classes that reach 75% of their class total will get a popsicle party!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: Gallardo PTA

Believe us when we say your future self who might forget to do this in April will thank you! We use the company Treering to publish our school yearbook. Yearbook sales are completely online and if you order now, there is a 10% discount! Current cost is $24.61 each. After you order, you can even start working on your custom pages added to your book(s) only. This year’s deadline for custom pages is April 6, 2026. For more information on the yearbook, visit the Yearbook page on our PTA Website. Gallardo’s passcode is 1015682215844355.

Upload your photos to Treering for the First Day of School and Gators on the Green

We are thrilled to kick off the new school year with a full calendar of programs to educate, engage, and entertain all students at Gallardo! Check out our Calendar of events here.

Please consider getting involved as a way to get back to our wonderful community. We have many volunteer opportunities available, and would love to have your help to make our programs a success!

Please reach out to our general inbox (gallardopta@gmail.com) or our Director of Programs, Rachelle Schulken (rachelles.pta@gmail.com) to inquire about opportunities to get involved and make a difference in the lives of the students and faculty at Gallardo!

• Spanish Enrichment

  There is still room in Mrs. Swaney’s Spanish enrichment! Click HERE to register.

  • Spanish Enrichment (Grades 2,3, 4)

  • Tuesdays, 2:50-3:40pm

  • Meeting: 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4

  
  

  Mandarin Enrichment

  Learn Mandarin with Qi Family!!! Learn Mandarin and Chinese Culture Click HERE to register.

  • Mandarin Enrichment (Grades 1,2,3)

  • Mondays, 2:50-3:40pm

  • Meeting: 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, 12/1

  
  

  National History Day Club

  Get ready for National History Day Competition MARCH 7, 2026 with Ms. Reed and Folsom High School students Hannah and Fiona (Gallardo Alumni!) Click HERE to register.

  https://www.nhdca.org/county-contests/sacramento/

  • National History Day Club (Grades 4,5)

  • Fridays: 3:45 - 4:30pm

  • Meetings: 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 11/7, 11/14, 12/12, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13;

  • Competition MARCH 7, 2026 @ Sac State

  • We need a minimum of 15 students for run this club!

We need a few creative volunteers to help make banners for our events. We’ll provide the banner paper — you just bring the creativity! Sign up to help

• Starstruck Dance Showcase

• Rock & Run

• Red Ribbon Week

• Trunk or Treat

• And More!

Oct 8 Walk & Roll to School Day

Oct 9 Starstruck Dance Shows (One Night Only)

Oct 10 Minimum Day, 1:21pm Dismissal

Oct 13 No School, PD Day for Teachers

Oct 20 Dos Coyotes Spirit Night 4-8:30pm Folsom Blvd. Location Only

Oct 23 Blake Brandes Parent Night 6-7pm (Virtual)

Oct 24 Rock & Run

Oct 27-31 Red Ribbon Week

Oct 29 Conversations with Principal Martin at 6:30pm & General PTA Meeting at 7pm, Multi

Oct 30 Trunk or Treat

Oct 31 Super Minimum Day