GGUSD is committed to keeping our community informed about the impact of the coronavirus public health crisis on our school system. All coronavirus related messages or updates from GGUSD to our families are posted here. For academic, wellness, and community-based resources, click here to visit our COVID Resources page.
Distance Learning Support, Survey Results, Vaccine Resources, Mental Health and More
Dear Families,
Garden Grove Unified School District administrators are hard at work planning for the reopening of schools for in-person instruction under the Governor’s new Safe Schools for All Plan. We expect to have more details to share in the upcoming weeks.
Distance Learning Customer Satisfaction Survey Results
In the meantime, instructional leaders remain focused on finding new ways to strengthen GGUSD’s distance learning program for all students. Our recent survey was helpful in identifying key areas of strength and areas for growth. We received about 7,000 survey responses (approximately 17.5% of all students), which, while not the majority of families, did provide useful information.
Elementary school parents expressed an overall satisfaction with distance learning (79%), while also expressing an interest in greater direct instructional time (33%) and reporting (43%) that their children were not spending the asynchronous/independent time daily. Secondary parents also expressed an overall satisfaction with distance learning (77%) while also expressing that their children would benefit from additional academic support (59%). Overall, parents reported that, while their children benefited most from in-person instruction (59%), 68% indicated that they would prefer for schools to remain in distance learning until COVID-19 rates improve.
Resources to Support Online Learning
This week, we hosted three parent webinars on Pathblazer (TK-6) and Edgenuity Courseware (7-12), an interactive platform designed to supplement classroom instruction and support students across many subject areas. In case you missed it, click here to watch the video. We also thought it would be helpful to create a tip sheet to help inform parents and students of the behavioral expectations while in their online classrooms. Click here for “Zoom Norms for Students.”
COVID-19 Vaccine Info
State and county leaders are advancing their efforts to make the COVID-19 vaccine accessible in our communities beginning first with critical and healthcare workers and recently announcing a Super POD vaccination site at Disneyland Resort for individuals age 65 and older. Click here for the most recent update about the COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Orange County.
Mental Health and Wellness and Unity and Civility
To close, we know that both students and adults alike are feeling stressed and anxious over the horrific violence that unfolded in our nation’s Capitol last week and the hostility of our current political climate. These tragedies are difficult to understand at any age. Now more than ever, we must support each other and build each other up – in words and actions. We must remain committed to civil discourse and kindness to others – no matter how divided our views may be. Together, we can show our students that our nation is resilient and we can provide our students with the support they need to overcome any troubling emotions they are facing.
Part of our district’s Choose Wellness campaign is tackling hate and bias that can often rise to the surface when political tensions are high. We have made great strides in fostering a positive school culture and climate focused on inclusivity. We hope that that our commitment to unity and civility will have ripple effects throughout our community. Our work on these topic is ongoing. Save the Date for the evening of March 8 at 5:30 p.m.! GGUSD will host a VIRTUAL Choose Wellness event for parents and students with a variety of online workshops from local experts on important mental health and wellness topics.
Included below are some resources and tools that might be helpful to your family during this difficult time.
- National Association of School Psychologists: Talking to Children About Violence
- The Learning Network: 10 Ways to Talk to Students About Sensitive Issues in the News
- Commonsense Media: Talking to Children about Tragedies and other News Events
- Anti-Defamation League: Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events
Previous Updates
- GGUSD Update for Families
- All GGUSD Schools resume Distance Learning Jan 4.
- Wishing You a Safe Holiday Season
- Regional Stay-at-Home Order
- Criteria for Schools to Remain Open
- New Restrictions on Gatherings and Travel
- Reopening Update – November 13, 2020
- Reopening Reminder: Frequent Hand Washing
- Grab and Go Meal Update
- High School Reopening Announcement
- Weekly Reopening Update – October 30, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - October 23, 2020
- School Reopening Announcement
- Weekly Reopening Update - October 16, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update – October 9, 2020
- School Reopening Announcement
- Weekly Reopening Update - October 2, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - September 25, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update – September 18, 2020
- POSTPONEMENT OF IN-PERSON CLASSES
- Weekly Reopening Update – September 11, 2020
- Important Announcement about School Reopening
- Weekly Reopening Update – August 28, 2020
- First Day of Distance Learning is August 24
- Weekly Reopening Update – August 14, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update – August 7, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - July 31, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - July 24, 2020
- Important Announcement from GGUSD
- Weekly Reopening Update and Survey Question - July 17, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - July 10, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update – July 2, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - June 26, 2020
- Weekly Reopening Update - June 19, 2020
- End of Year Update
- Elementary Report Cards
- GGUSD COVID-19 Response Plan for Parents
- GGUSD COVID-19 Response Plan for Students
- GGUSD Virtual Graduations for Class of 2020
- Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards
- District Update
- Cancellation of Summer Sports
- GGUSD Senior Spotlight
- GGUSD Launches Helpline to Support Students and Families during COVID-19
- Expectations for Student Behavior during Distance Learning - 5/13/2020
- Interim Grading Policy - 5/8/2020
- Virtual Graduations - 4/30/2020
- School Calendar Clarification - 4/29/2020
- At-Home Learning Support - 4/24/2020
- Frequently Asked Questions for High School Seniors - 4/16/2020
- Grab and Go Meal Update - 4/14/2020
- Grab and Go Meal Update - 4/09/2020
- Mailer to All GGUSD Families - 4/02/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 4/02/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/31/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/30/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/27/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/20/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/18/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/16/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/14/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/13/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 3/12/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 2/28/2020
- Coronavirus Update - 1/29/2020
Things You Should Know
- Governor Newsom declared a Stay at Home executive order effective March 19, mandating individuals across the state to, except for essential services, remain in their homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Click here for the details.
- The order does NOT change the directive for school districts to continue offering distance learning and meal service for our students. These are considered essential services.
- As part of our transition to at-home learning, the district is closing its schools and district office to the public effective Monday, March 23. The majority of GGUSD’s employees are working from home, responding to calls and emails as quickly as possible.
- Teachers are working diligently to provide learning opportunities that can be accessed from home and schools have distributed laptops/devices to students as appropriate.
- Parents are strongly encouraged to make sure your contact information is up to date in the Parent Portal. This will ensure that you receive regular communication from GGUSD via ParentSquare (voicemail, text, and/or email).
For updates about the coronavirus
visit www.ochealthinfo.com/novelcoronavirus or call the OC Health Care Agency Referral Line at (800) 564-8448.
Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Coronavirus
- Orange County Health Care Agency: Coronavirus
- OC Health Care Agency: Guidance to Schools
- OC Health Care Agency: FAQ
- California Department of Public Health: Coronavirus
- CDC Healthy Habits to Help Prevent the Flu
- OCDE Newsroom: Coronavirus updates