GGUSD Celebrates Student Abilities with Special Games

More than 700 special education students participated in GGUSD's 53rd Annual Special Games, competing in Olympic-style competitions including relays, softball toss, soccer kick, basketball, dancing, and more. The Special Games are organized by the district's Adapted Physical Education Department and supported by more than 400 student leaders from our district's eight high schools. The event showcases the heart of our GGUSD community and all we do to cheer for each other, build each other up and celebrate the hard work and abilities of ALL students! #GGUSDPride #GGUSDGoalGetters

GGUSD Teacher Named OC Teacher of the Year Finalist

CONGRATULATIONS: We are thrilled to celebrate Irvine Intermediate School teacher Jordanna Jahn who was named a 2025 Orange County Teacher of the Year Finalist, news announced during a special surprise visit to her classroom on Thursday, May 2. Jordy was one of six finalists from across Orange County to receive a surprise visit from a school bus filled with camera crews, sponsors, reporters and representatives from the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) including OCDE Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes who presented her with the Teacher of the Year award. Other special guests who took part in the surprise were GGUSD Board of Education President Teri Rocco, Vice President Lan Nguyen, Irvine Intermediate Principal Holly Jefferson, Jordy's family members, colleagues and a classroom full of cheering students including eighth grader Dang Tran who wrote a letter of recommendation for the award.

GGUSD High Schools Host College-Signing Day Events

GGUSD's eight high schools are celebrating hundreds of college-bound seniors with festive College Signing Day events, complete with music, cake, student performances, and photo stations. At each College Signing Day event, students are photographed proudly holding signs displaying which colleges they plan to attend.

College Signing Day events are an annual tradition in GGUSD, celebrated in April and May in alignment with California State and University of California college commitment deadlines.

The district will feature the College Signing Days photos on its website at https://ggusd.us/CollegeSigning and on its Facebook and Instagram pages using #GGUSDCollegeSigning #Goal3 #LifelongSuccess #GGUSDGoalGetters

GGUSD is consistently a leader in college readiness with 59.8% of GGUSD’s Class of 2024 scholars meeting rigorous college entrance requirements qualifying students to attend UC or CSU schools, compared to 57.3% across Orange County and 52.4% at the state level.

CABE Presents Murdy Elementary School with Seal of Excellence Award

Big congratulations to Murdy Elementary School for their outstanding achievement! 🏆 They've been honored with the Seal of Excellence Award by the California Association for Bilingual Education, distinguishing them as one of only two elementary schools out of more than 5,700 in California to receive this prestigious award. This recognition celebrates their unwavering commitment and excellence in bilingual education.

This week, CABE presented Murdy with the Seal of Excellence award banner during a special ceremony which was a heartwarming showcase of talent, featuring performances by 4th and 5th grade dual-immersion students. The event also spotlighted the incredible teachers at Murdy Elementary, whose efforts and passion for bilingual education have made this achievement possible.

Monroe Elementary Language Academy Hosts Open House

Monroe Elementary Language Academy recently hosted its Open House and International Celebration! Families visited classrooms and were treated to student performances and a cultural fashion show to celebrate the diversity and many backgrounds of Monroe's families and communities. Monroe scholars have much to be proud of as they continue on the path to becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.

GGUSD Cook Earns State's Top Award for Classified Employees

There's no doubt that GGUSD has the BEST employees. This week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced California's nine Classified Employees of the Year including Connie Flores, who has served for more than two decades as a cook/baker in GGUSD! Connie is EXCEPTIONAL at her job, making 1,000+ meals each day at Garden Grove High School, serving as catering chef for our district's Apple Cart Cafe, and fostering a supportive work environment that nurtures the skills of her colleagues and student workers!

Sunnyside Elementary Welcomes Special Guest Reader

Sunnyside Elementary had a very special guest this week! Former Los Angeles Clippers player Craig Smith stopped by and read his book “Craig and His Magical Basketball” to over 100 students! These students had the most reading hours in their classes and helped Sunnyside rank in the top three out of all elementary schools that participated in the LA Clipper’s Read to Achieve Challenge! Sunnyside Elementary students are definitely goal-getters!

GGUSD Hosts Choose Wellness Event

Thank you to all of our community partners who helped make our Choose Wellness Education & Resource Fair a success! We loved partnering with you to provide our families with free health screenings, wellness resources, boxes of food, and workshops covering important topics about what families can do to support the mental health of their children (Goal 2). #GGUSDPride #GGUSDGoalGetters

The musical performances from Monroe Elementary Language Academy Choir, Eisenhower Elementary's Disney cast, and Fitz Intermediate Language Academy's mariachi made the event extra special!

GGUSD Superintendent Advocates for Expansion of TK in Sacramento

Last week, California Assemblyman Tri Ta welcomed GGUSD Superintendent, Dr. Gabriela Mafi and Downey Superintendent Dr. John Garcia to the Capitol to advocate for legislation that waives financial penalties imposed by the state on districts like GGUSD that accelerated the expansion of Transitional Kindergarten. Dr. Mafi has been an unwavering advocate for the accelerated expansion of Transitional Kindergarten which GGUSD implemented at the urging of our community to ensure families have access to GGUSD’s free full-day high-quality education for their young children.