September 19, 2018
#GGUSDPRIDE E-newsletter
The #GGUSDPride E-newsletter features many of the great things happening in GGUSD.   
Send your photos to pio_department@ggusd.us to highlight your school or students in the e-newsletter.
Celebration of Culture
On Sunday, more than 100 GGUSD students joined Board of Education Vice President Lan Nguyen, Trustee Walter Muneton, Superintendent Gabriela Mafi, and staff in the Fiestas Patrias Parade in Santa Ana. It was a wonderful celebration of the rich culture of our district and community. We were pleased to have so many students participate, including Latinos Unidos Club students, ASB student leaders, the choir from Los Amigos High School, and a group of talented elementary and intermediate school baile folklórico dancers! With six schools in Santa Ana and 20% of our students residing in Santa Ana, we were thrilled to be part of this community-wide event!
Know Paine, Know Gain
School is back in session and these Paine Elementary School students are ready to train their brains! The outstanding educational programs at Paine help students realize their potential and achieve their dreams. A strong sense of community is a pillar of strength at Paine. Students feel empowered and valued and are thriving with rigorous academic programs as well as cutting-edge technology, music, art, and physical education programs. Paine is honored to be recognized for outstanding performance and academic improvement as a 2018 California Distinguished School.
Welcome Back to Warren
At its Back to School Night, Warren Elementary teachers and staff presented Board of Education Trustee Walter Muneton with a thank you message for the Board of Education for supporting air-conditioning which Warren received over the summer thanks to the successful passage of Measure P. Warren Elementary students and parents enjoyed tacos and visited classrooms to meet teachers and check out student work.
Employees of the Year

At its September 18 meeting, the Board of Education recognized our Teachers of the Year Jennifer Zarkades, Eisenhower Elementary; Celeste Paul, Lake Intermediate; and Jeannine Verellen, Los Amigos High School. They also honored Classified Employees of the Year Laurie Bacarella in Food Services; Letty Estrada, Secretary at Monroe Elementary Language Academy; Kandi Du, Instructional Aide at La Quinta High School; Ben Olariu, bus driver; and Tino Silva, custodian at Stanley Elementary. These employees were recognized in the Orange County Department of Education Teachers of the Year and Classified Employees of the Year programs for all they do to support the success of our students!
Thanking the Board for A/C

At the September 18th meeting, Trustee Walter Muneton presented the Board of Education with a thank you message he received at Warren Elementary School's Back to School Night for the board's longstanding support of air-conditioning our schools. Warren was one of several schools to receive new air-conditioning over the summer. By 2020, all GGUSD schools will have a/c thanks to the community support for Measure P, the district's $311 million bond measure approved in 2016.
GGUSD is committed to providing families with top-notch customer service! As part of our ongoing goal toward transparent and open communication, we created a new document called “ Communication Guidelines for GGUSD Parents/Guardians" to help navigate communication channels in the district. The document is being sent to all parents as a helpful tool to ensure they receive answers to their questions in a timely manner and know who to call when they have questions. "Communication Guidelines for Parents" is also posted on the district website in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Financial Literacy Learning
More than 250 seniors at Pacifica High School participated in an interactive event called "Bite of Reality," a financial education simulation about money management. Students used a mobile application to take on a simulated job, salary, spouse, student loan debt, credit card debt, medical insurance payments, and the freedom to make their own financial decisions. The event was run by staff from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union who volunteered their time, as well as parent volunteers. The simulation gave students a better understanding of the challenges of adulthood without the real-life risks.
Dual Immersion at Russell

Transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students at Russell Elementary Language Academy are fully immersed in learning Spanish and English, and are already on the path to becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural.
Computer Immersion at Heritage

In November, Charter Spectrum will launch a new 24-hour local news tv channel dedicated to covering Orange County stories. Already, they came out to capture the success of our new Computer Immersion Academy at Heritage Elementary School.
Serving Diverse Communities
Communicating with our diverse families is important and GGUSD has a dedicated team of translators who work to ensure we can send out documents in multiple languages. Last week, the Assessment and Registration Center celebrated International Translators Day. Thank you to our translators for all they do to support the needs of our schools, families, and students!
 

Nominate an Employee of the Month!

Garden Grove Unified School District has amazing employees who consistently go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of our students and schools. It is our employees who make us a great school district and we are committed to recognizing them for their many contributions to our district.
We invite you to nominate a staff member who you feel is deserving of recognition as an Employee of the Month!

Please nominate a GGUSD employee who:
  • puts others first
  • goes above and beyond to make a difference in their role
  • carries out each day with a positive attitude and strong work ethic​​
  • demonstrates innovation, leadership, or passion for the job

Those employees who are selected as Employee of the Month will be recognized at a Board of Education meeting. Their photos will be posted on our website and displayed prominently in our district office lobby. They will also be highlighted in our GGUSDPride e-newsletter.