November 14, 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 Students Wow in Showcase of Bands Performances
On November 13, talented GGUSD musicians from all seven comprehensive high schools delivered spectacular performances in the district's annual Showcase of Bands event at Bolsa Grande Stadium. The coordination of music and movement was outstanding! McGarvin Intermediate students got the show started with the Star Spangled Banner. GGUSD's Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) team does an amazing job at helping students prepare and develop their musical talents! Stay tuned for the video...
Heritage Elementary Fosters a Positive School Culture for All Students
As part of our Choose Wellness campaign, we want to shine a light on schools' best practices in creating a positive culture and climate where students feel valued and respected. Watch our video to get an inside look at Heritage Computer Science Academy whose team has done an outstanding job promoting a positive school culture and climate! Learn more about the school's award-winning PBIS program, its system of check-ins/check-outs, the benefits of the mindfulness elective, and the impact of the school's Positive Calls Home initiative!
Parkview Elementary Students Put the "I" in Kind
For kindness week, students and staff at Parkview Elementary are talking about the importance of being the "i" in kind! We love seeing our students excited about contributing toward a culture of kindness on their own campuses.  #GGUSDPRIDE
Sharing our PBIS Success
Administrators from Hare High School and McGarvin Intermediate School shared best practices about their school's award-winning PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) programs at a state conference recently with educators from across California. Our district Student Services team also attended the conference to show their support and learn about successful strategies regarding PBIS implementation and expansion!
Love from the Lion's Club
This week, the Lion's Club donated two PlusOptix vision screening devices to the GGUSD nursing team to help with vision screening for our students. We're so grateful for this wonderful partnership! Thanks to Dave Stewart and the entire Lion's Club organization for supporting our students! 
Students Shine for K-12 Production of Seussical the Musical
Students from more than a dozen GGUSD elementary, intermediate, and high schools joined together for a terrific performance of Seussical the Musical ! Kudos to the Visual and Performing Arts team from Garden Grove High School and several other schools for coordinating this collaborative production!
Newhope Students Engage in Art
Newhope Elementary School students adopted the artistic style of painter Jackson Pollack during a recent art assembly. Kudos to teacher Maria Gragsen on getting students excited and engaged in art!

GGUSD to Offer Free and Discounted ACT/SAT Prep Workshops
GGUSD high schools are offering free and discounted ACT and SAT Prep Courses to all eleventh grade students beginning in January. Registration for the prep courses begins in November.

To offer the ACT and SAT Prep Courses, GGUSD partnered with Revolution Prep, a leading education company with trusted strategies to help students improve their scores on high-stakes exams and achieve greater academic success. Typically, these courses cost parents a minimum of $700, but GGUSD will cover the majority of cost per student, and parents will pay only $50! Additionally, free and reduced rates are available for income-eligible students based on their free and reduced meal status.  The ACT and SAT exams are administered in the spring.
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.