December 6, 2019
#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.
GGUSD Celebrates its December Employees of the Month
At its meeting this week, the Board of Education recognized our December Employees of the Month including Pacifica High School Assistant Principal Stephanie Bartlett and Cook Elementary School Head Custodian David Trujillo. Read about these awesome employees who have big hearts for the students they serve.
GGUSD Honors Employees for Years of Service
GGUSD honored 536 employees for their years of service at the 32nd Annual Employee Recognition Program this week at the Garden Grove Community Center. We are grateful for our amazing employees who dedicate their careers to the success of our students, schools, and district.
GGUSD Students Participate in "Shop with a Cop"
GGUSD elementary students participated in the Shop with a Cop program with police officers from the Garden Grove and Santa Ana police departments. Students received a gift card and picked out items for themselves and their family members, and took photos with Santa and with the officers who helped them with their holiday shopping lists. GGUSD is grateful for the support of our local police officers who work hard to keep our students safe and volunteer their time to build positive relationships with students. Photos: Above - Garden Grove Police Officers and GGUSD School Resource Officers Link and Julienne push the carts as students pick out their gifts. Left: Santa Ana Police Officers pose for photos with students and Santa.
Board of Ed. Trustee Teri Rocco Announces Choose Wellness Event
Board of Education Vice President Teri Rocco highlights her commitment for the Choose Wellness campaign and announces her upcoming Choose Wellness event on January 30 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Alamitos Intermediate School. GGUSD high school students, families and staff are invited to attend.
GGUSD Nurtures Young Artists
Evans Elementary is proud of its Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program. Through this program, every student in the school explores art in a variety of settings, putting their creativity to work and gaining confidence in the process. A s a member of VALT (Visual Arts Learning Team) , Evans' teacher Mrs. Dormaier takes the lead, bringing knowledge and ideas back to Evans staff and creating after-school visual arts enrichment opportunities for students in all grades. Her students' artwork has been submitted to art shows and is prominently displayed across the school campus. Enjoy the Pop Art created by Evans' 5th and 6th grade students.

Students at Hill Elementary school participate in the Fibo Kids Art Academy program, and proudly display their artistic creations.
GGUSD Nurses Practice Life-Saving Skills
During our non-student day on Monday, professional development took place across the district. GGUSD school nurses participated in a CPR and First Aid training to continue improving their skills. We love the dedication of our employees! 
GGUSD Launches ParentSquare to Expand Parent Communication
GGUSD has launched ParentSquare, an easy-to-use communication platform to reach and engage every parent, ensuring all parents have the opportunity to actively participate in their children’s education and stay up-to-date on district and school news. 

ParentSquare features:
  • district and school-wide mass notifications through voice, email, text, and new mobile application
  • district, school-wide, and classroom posts received as emails or texts by parents with two-way communication features
  • principal and teacher direct messaging with instant language translation using Google Translate
  • automated attendance notifications on student absences and tardies
  • school calendars and event rsvp’s
  • teacher to student communication for seventh through twelfth grade students

ParentSquare allows parents to choose how to receive school and classroom communication via email, text, or mobile application. Parents can also select when to receive messages either instantly or in digest format at the end of each day. Urgent school-wide messages can be sent through voicemail as well.  Parents will receive emails, texts, or voicemail messages to the email address or phone number on file with the school as part of the student enrollment process. 

Parents can download the GGUSD mobile application now on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 
 
GGUSD’s partnership with ParentSquare will enable a stronger dialogue between school and home, and will help empower everyone within the school community to stay connected and informed.