 Principal's Message
Dear Sea Lion Families,
I ❤️ McGaugh! We have the best parent volunteers ever! Thank you for working to support our teachers and students. It’s great to have McKinkos and the Jester Program back on campus. These programs, particularly the Jester Program, get students excited about school. Students are also excited about earning RAH BUX. This is one of the incentives students earn for displaying Responsible, Aware, and Honorable behaviors. One of the fastest ways for a class to earn a RAH BUX is to have all students in their seats and ready to learn before the tardy bell rings!
We know this can be challenging if your child is unwell or identified as a close contact. If your child is not feeling well please see the Student Symptom Tree.
I’m reminded of a study that was accepted for publication in the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk which reflects on how chronic absence correlates with weaker achievement scores and social-emotional skills in students as young as kindergarten. I know we all agree that school attendance is important. So again, thank you for your continued partnership. We’ve got this Sea Lion Families!
Here are a few things you should know about:
If your child is identified as close contact to a person at school (student or staff) who tested positive for COVID-19, your child may have the option for an In-School Quarantine vs. At Home Quarantine. Please see below:
In-School Quarantine
- Students must be asymptomatic.
- Appropriately wear a mask indoors and outdoors on campus through day 14 from last exposure.
- Undergo testing at least twice weekly during the 10-day quarantine.
- Avoid all extracurricular activities at school, including sports, and activities within the community setting, through day 14 from last exposure.
Additionally
- Students are allowed to stay in school as long as they test twice weekly during the ten-day period.
- According to the guidance, students do not have to wait to come to school until they have the negative test. Students can continue to attend school while they get tested and do not need to wait until they have taken and received a covid test in order to attend school.
- Parents can choose to take their child to be tested for COVID-19, or McGaugh’s nurse can administer a test at school and send the test to a lab for results.
At Home Quarantine
If your child is unable to do the above, there are 2 out of school quarantine options:
- Quarantine at home for 10 days without testing and your child can return to school 24 hours after being symptom-free
- Should you choose, you can have your child tested 5 days into the quarantine. If the test is negative, they may return to school on day 8 of their quarantine.
- While at home, students cannot attend extracurricular activities at school, including sports, and activities within the community setting, through day 14 from last exposure.
Similar to independent study, teachers will prepare work for students to complete while they are quarantining.
If the results come back positive, students will need to be removed from school.
SSC - Update
- Please select two candidates to fill the two vacant SSC seats. You must be signed in to a Google account to vote. Thank you in advance. Voting will close on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, @ 4:00 PM. Click here for the electronic ballot
On the Horizon :
Tues. (9/14) |Project Seek Meeting - Auditorium
Wed. (9/15) |School Site Council Meeting @ 2:45PM
Mon. (9/20) |Seek Skate Night
Tues. (9/21) |Picture Day @ 8:00AM
That's all for now.
Dr. Issaic Gates
Principal
He/Him/His
J.H. McGaugh Elementary School
Rah, McGaugh!
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You’re Invited to Project SEEK’s First Meeting of the Year on September 14th!
Join us at the first Project SEEK meeting of the year! Learn more about Project SEEK while meeting new friends and fellow parents at McGaugh.
When: Tuesday, September 14th at 8:05 am
Where: Courtyard outside the McGaugh Auditorium
Please RSVP to Claudia Vecchio Wille at president@projectseek.org for more details! We hope to see you there!
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Skate Night!
Project SEEK Skate Night is Back! Come have some fun and support your children’s art, STEM and media classes. NOTE: Everyone in attendance needs a ticket, even non-skating parents.
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Dining for McGaugh Next Tuesday, 9/21
 Feeling like the sixth week of school has you running out of dinner ideas? Dominos has you covered! From 10am-12am on Tuesday, 9/21, the Seal Beach location will return 25% of all sales to Project Seek to support art and technology programs at McGaugh. Make sure to mention Project Seek when ordering and fill out your child’s name and classroom to be entered into a drawing for free pizza! Help us kick off our school year by supporting both a local business and our school! Print the flyer here or look for a copy coming home in your child’s backpack.
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Come Walk In My Shoes Is Coming Back on Friday, September 24th!
We are happy to announce that a McGaugh tradition is returning on campus on Friday, September 24th - Come Walk in My Shoes!
What is it?
- McGaugh students to experience activities that simulate what it is like to live with a physical or developmental challenge
What do we need?
- If you are interested in volunteering for this activity, please contact Emmy Harris.
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CALLING ALL CREATIVE KIDS!
Get ready for this year's Reflections program. How will you change the world? Use your creativity to show us!
Click here to download the submission form and get started!
Entries Due by Wednesday, October 6th.
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McGaugh Carnival – We Need Your Help!
McGaugh’s 2021 Carnival Committee is looking for some talented parents/volunteers to help utilize their skills for bringing back our carnival in a major way!
- Graphic Designer
- Need: Edit/work on Carnival graphics (1-2 hours of time)
- Disc Jockey
- Need: A professional to volunteer their time or offer a discounted rate or a student/aspiring DJ with equipment on October 23rd from 10am-4pm.
If you can help in these areas or know someone that can, please contact Denyse Rabbat for more information.
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Missed the PTA Meeting? We Got You Covered!
New Topics: Volunteer Rules, Quarantine at School & Attention Golf Cart Drivers:
Sept. 2 McGaugh PTA Meeting Recap
PTA President Denyse Rabbat shared an overview of PTA programs and encouraged everyone to become a member. (Join here now!)
She also shared what PTA's gift from the 2020-21 school year helped pay for at McGaugh --> leveled reading books for EVERY classroom and a new supply room for McGaugh teachers!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Denyse mentioned PTA volunteer opportunities including Carnival Chair. This person is in charge of the team for PTA’s biggest event of the year happening on Oct. 23. More volunteer info here.
VOLUNTEER RULES: Speaking of volunteers, McGaugh Principal Dr. Isaaic Gates outlined updated rules for parent volunteers on campus during school hours. All visitors must check in at the office and:
- Volunteers need to show proof they’re fully vaccinated for COVID-19 OR proof they’ve tested negative for COVID-19 within the five days prior to volunteering. Campus volunteers also need to have a negative TB test.
QUARANTINE AT SCHOOL: Dr. Gates also discussed the modified quarantine at school option for students deemed a “close contact” of a person infected with COVID-19 on campus. (ICYMI: a second-grade class at McGaugh was under quarantine this week after one student tested positive for COVID-19 and several others were symptomatic). Since all exposed students were wearing masks at the time, they can continue to attend classes during their 10-day quarantine if they:
- Do not develop COVID-19 symptoms
- Continue to wear a mask indoors and outdoors while at school
- Get tested for COVID-19 at least twice weekly
- Stop participating in all extracurricular activities at school, including sports, and in the community setting for the duration of the quarantine
Questions? Contact McGaugh’s Nurse Melida Pineda.
ATTENTION GOLF CART DRIVERS: After expressing their commitment to keeping the McGaugh campus safe, Seal Beach Police Department Lt. Nick Nicholas and Officer Ben Jaipream shared a friendly warning to parents who drive Golf Carts to drop off and pick up kids from school. Golf carts are NOT street legal and drivers could be ticketed or have their golf cart impounded. They also brought their very cute police facility service dog Yosa.
ONE LAST THING: A McGaugh parent asked if there could be an option to leave Chromebooks at school some days. Dr. Gates said he would look into it.
The next PTA meeting is Thursday, Oct. 7 at 8:15am in the McGaugh auditorium. Visit the PTA website for all the latest information. And don’t forget to JOIN PTA!
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The Jester Program is BACK and we are looking for some volunteers to be our Jesters!
NEW! Submit this request for a Jester visit your child’s class here. We will do our best to accommodate short notice requests.
Here’s how it works:
- Parents can pay a $25 fee to have a Jester visit their child’s classroom for a birthday or special occasion, and the Jester will read a book of their choice to the class.
- An inscription/dedication from the parents is placed in the book and your child will receive a gift, too!
- Your student can also take the book home for a week to enjoy before returning it to the library.
- This program has really helped to build such an amazing library at our school and we can’t wait to continue this McGaugh tradition.
Jester Volunteers Needed
If you like reading books to kids, have a flexible schedule and love dressing up, then we would love to hear from you. Any Jester will tell you it is one of the most rewarding and joyful volunteer jobs around! And this year we have some extra fun things planned great for ALL grades!
If you are interested in being a Jester or learning more, please reach out by email to Jennifer Katz.
And check out our Surf Jester who did a virtual visit here!
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Project SEEK’s Annual Fall Donation Drive!
Please consider becoming a Sea Lion Sponsor of Project SEEK. 100% of your donations fund our art, innovation, and media lab teacher’s salary and supplies.
To become a Sea Lion Sponsor of Project SEEK, snap the QR code. Grandparents and family members are always welcome to donate and get involved, as well.
If every McGaugh family were to donate $150, we would meet our annual fundraising goal to fully fund these programs. Of course any amount is always welcome and greatly appreciate! We hope you can join us in our efforts to keep these amazing programs running. We are so grateful for your continued support of art and technology at McGaugh!
Warmly,
Claudia Vecchio Wille
Project SEEK President 2021-2022
To find out more about Project SEEK and follow us on social media, click on any of the links below.
Instagram: Projectseek_mcgaugh, https://www.instagram.com/projectseek_mcgaugh/
www.projectseek.org
Please join and follow McGaugh Parent group on Facebook for updates, as well.
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Project SEEK Presents:
Meet McGaugh’s Enrichment Teachers and Learn About our Programs!
Meet McGaugh’s Enrichment Teachers and Learn About our Programs!
Please take a minute to “meet” the amazing Project SEEK funded programs and teachers who make it all possible!
Visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WHlL8GjcPsZu99xUwmRBCd5idsadHeIc/view or Snap the QR Code.
 The smiling faces in this video need your help! Project SEEK is McGaugh's non-profit organization that raises money to fund our art lab, innovation/STEM lab and media center. We fund three teachers' salaries and all the supplies for these labs to enrich the education of every McGaugh student. Research shows that art, innovation and media education encourage problem solving, creativity, and a growth mindset in all subject areas.
Please consider volunteering for Project SEEK!
Project SEEK needs your expertise for the following roles:
Donations Director for The Event - In this role, you will oversee all donations needed for our silent and live auction at our annual gala The Event, April 8, 2022. You will have access to past donors and can select a co-chair and other volunteers to help you. You will manage a team of parent volunteers soliciting for these donations and follow-up with donors, where needed. Someone with community relationships and great organization skills would be fantastic in this role.
Community Donations Chair for The Event - In this role, you will solicit donations from local businesses to be auctioned at our annual gala The Event, April 8, 2022. You will have access to past donors and can select a co-chair and other volunteers to help you
After-School Assembly Chair - In this role, you will solicit organizations to perform a show in the fall and spring during parent conferences. You will coordinate with the performers, make a flyer for distribution and collect payment (with help from Project SEEK officers). You will need to be present during the performances.
If these roles seem like the perfect way for you to contribute to your child's art, innovation and media education, please contact me, Claudia Vecchio Wille at president@projectseek.org, 917-547-0035. Even if you're not sure, but you would like to help, please contact me or look for me around school. Thank you for your time and continued support!
Sincerely,
Claudia Vecchio Wille
President, Project SEEK
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Still Need School Supplies?
 Project SEEK has a limited amount of 1st Day School Supply Kits still available for purchase. If you need an SDC kit, TK Kit, or 3rd Grade Kit, email Claudia Vecchio Wille at president@projectseek.org.
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LAEF Fall After-School Enrichment Classes
Sign up for our new after-school and virtual language classes at LAEF4kids.org!
Classes begin September 13th! This is an experience your children will not want to miss. There are opportunities every day of the week to get some physical activity in and to possibly try something new/exhilarating. The TK-K only classes will be 55 minute classes (Welcome to LAEF, TK-K families!) and the 1st -5th classes as well as Wednesday classes will be 1 hour and 15 minutes. The classes available at McGaugh are Basketball, Beginnings of Volleyball, Breakdance, Broadway Bootcamp, Chess, Creating Creepy Creatures, DIY Science, Golf, Jiu Jitsu, LEGO Academy, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Nature Art, Origami, Soccer, Tennis, and Volleyball. The class fee is $175. Class fee increases after September 7th.
FREE virtual world language classes for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders begin September 20th!
Multi-class discounts available – 10% off the 2nd class and 15% off any class thereafter. All registration information including class descriptions and instructor bios are presented at LAEF4kids.org/afterschool. Call (562) 799-4700 x80424 or email programdirector@LAEF4Kids.org.
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