April 3, 2017
#GGUSDPRIDE E-newsletter
Read our #GGUSDPRIDE E-newsletter to learn about all of the great things happening in GGUSD.
Equity in Schools

The Rancho Alamitos High School Mariachi Band performed at the 2017 CABE (California Association for Bilingual Education) Leadership Symposium last week in Anaheim.  

Education leaders from across the state gathered for the annual conference to discuss equity in schools under the current state and national context.

Superintendent Gabriela Mafi provided opening remarks to highlight the importance of this issue and many GGUSD administrators, board members, and educators attended the conference.



GGUSD Shows Growth on
New CA Dashboard
On Friday, we emailed all families with an update about the state's new school accountability website, the California School Dashboard.  The tool, launched earlier this month, is designed to provide multiple measures of school success, and replaces the more narrowly-defined Academic Performance Index (API) which was suspended three years ago.

The School Dashboard shows significant academic growth from GGUSD students.  We received the second highest growth rating - a green color-coded ranking, in four key areas - English Language Arts, graduation rates, Math, and suspension rates.    

The California School Dashboard is still a work in progress. However, we are committed to keeping parents informed about the tool and what it means for GGUSD schools.  
LIVE TO GIVE

About 50 Latinos Unidos high school students spent their time last weekend packing food for the hungry at the Orange County Food Bank.  We love our kind and caring students!
A Special Recognition!
Thank you to Garden Grove Mayor Steve Jones and the Garden Grove City Council for recognizing the success of GGUSD's Monroe Language Academy at Tuesday's council meeting.  We believe in the power of a dual language immersion education and are so pleased that our students are succeeding on their path to bilingualism.
  Scientists in Training

Four GGUSD students were presented with college scholarship funds awarded by Endologix, a medical equipment manufacturer, which hosted the Science Fest Showcase and scholarship presentation on Tuesday at the company’s headquarters in Irvine.

The idea for the Science Fest Showcase originated from a unique partnership with GGUSD, Endologix, the United Way of Orange County, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. 

The partnership created after-school programs for students at Bell, Fitz, and Jordan intermediate schools to develop science projects and conduct experiments. Students were also given the opportunity to tour Endologix Worldwide Headquarters in Irvine to observe product creation, experiments conducted in labs, and interact with professional engineers. 

He's Got The Beet!

Bryant Elementary School kindergarten students loved learning about nature and agriculture during their field trip to Centennial Farm.  To stay up-to-date about all of the great things happening at Bryant, follow them on Twitter @BryantGGUSD.  


Pride in Pacifica
Pacifica High School was one of three schools in California to receive the Civic Learning Award of Excellence.   As part of the recognition, school administrators will receive a plaque, an invitation to the California Gold Ribbon Award Banquet, and a visit from Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye set for April 6.