Roosevelt Elementary’s Music Immersion Experience (MIE) program received a grant from the D’Addario Music Foundation, which will provide program funding and donate products like reeds and strings. The MIE program, which enhances student learning and achievement through immersive music education, is one of 110 organizations to receive a grant from the foundation this year.
San Gabriel Unified School District will welcome students for the new school year on Monday, Aug. 20. Students will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of academic and enrichment programs, including Spanish dual-language immersion, music immersion and STEM instruction in elementary school, mock trial team and AVID at the middle school and a nationally acclaimed speech and debate program at the high school.
Jefferson Middle School’s incoming sixth-graders will get to know their new middle school during a morning of friendly competition and group bonding during the Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) program orientation, held 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Aug. 13. WEB transforms eighth-graders into mentors and teaches them about leadership while providing sixth-graders with a sense of support and school spirit.
Nearly 40 San Gabriel Unified administrators and teachers learned how to execute Design-Based Learning (DBL) lessons during the DBL Summer Institute, held July 25-31 at Art Center in Pasadena. Educators from SGUSD’s elementary, middle and high schools learned how to implement DBL instruction, which helps students acquire, retain and synthesize classroom lessons through kinesthetic problem-solving. The District plans to introduce DBL instruction across all education levels and eventually establish a DBL demonstration school.
San Gabriel Unified will add transitional kindergarten classes at one new site in 2018-19, continuing its multiyear early learning program rollout. McKinley Elementary, which hosts a Spanish dual-language immersion program and STEM instruction with coding, robotics and augmented reality, will join Roosevelt and Washington elementary schools in offering transitional kindergarten in 2018-19.
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High School will expand its Mandarin course offerings with new instruction for both beginners and native speakers in 2018-19, furthering a districtwide effort to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism. “Mandarin for Heritage Learners,” which will be offered as part of the Mandarin 4 class, aims to enhance the overall education of Chinese heritage students who are native speakers by boosting Chinese literacy, intercultural knowledge and social development. The school is also considering an introductory Mandarin course, which will help students learn about Chinese culture, acquire Chinese conversational skills and have the opportunity to interact with people in Chinese-speaking communities.
Roosevelt Elementary students delighted parents with improv performances, surf rock songs and dance routines during the culminating performance of the school’s first-ever Music Immersion Experience (MIE) Summer Camp on July 6. The four-week summer camp gave students a chance to enhance their general music education and explore MIE electives, including a new creative improv course that will be offered in 2018-19.
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High received a silver medal on U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Best High Schools rankings. The list awards the top 5,948 public high schools with gold, silver and bronze medals based on several indicators of college readiness.
San Gabriel Unified’s Gabrielino High School earned its 11th consecutive School of Excellence Award at the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament on June 22. The honor is given to the top 20 schools at the national tournament. Photos are available.
San Gabriel Unified School District has selected Yolanda Mendoza to serve as deputy superintendent of educational services for the 2018-19 year. Mendoza, who has worked in San Gabriel Unified as the assistant superintendent of human resources since July 2017, brings more than 40 years of education experience to her new role.