September 13
4:45 pm
GCC Board Meeting @GCC Board Room
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October 4
4:45 pm
GCC Board Meeting @GIS
SOME Upcoming Events
ENGAGE
Welcome 2016-17 and Welcome/Welcome back to each of you reading this newsletter! I am honored as the Superintendent/CEO of Gateway Community Charters (‘GCC’) to have this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of our schools and the many programs we offer to the families and students of the greater Sacramento region. During our welcome back event I was humbled and appreciative of the nearly 500 employees present who commit every day to the development and growth of our students.
As we welcome another exciting school year we also welcome another opportunity to continue to impact the lives of our students and pave a future that holds many options for them. We are humbled to once again have been honored this summer as one of 15 Charter Management Organizations nationwide to be recognized for quality and innovative programs by the Broad Foundation. Our theme and focus for the 2016-17 school year is “Cultivating Excellence” by creating a coherent/cohesive system with a focus on learning, collaboration, and results.
“We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet” (Margaret Mead, anthropologist). As we look to the future, GCC schools are investing in increased classroom technology and expanding methodologies to bring our students and their education into a rich and diverse future. We are excited about the opportunity to prepare our students for the 21st Century through innovative, quality schools. Thank you for being a partner on our journey to Cultivating Excellence in 2016-17 and Welcome to a new and exciting year at GCC!
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~ Dr. Cindy Petersen, Superintendent/CEO
EXPLORE
COMMUNICATE
EMPOWER
LAUNCH
Facilities Department Update
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The Facilities Department was hard at work all summer long to repair, maintain, and create new spaces for all of our sites. Some of the highlights include:
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GCC Theatre: The renovation of the theatre is near completion.​
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EPIC: 2 new classrooms were added to the campus this summer and are full of excited students as this goes to post.
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GIS: 6 new portables and a new restroom building will be completed in the next several weeks. The week before school, the facilities department assisted the SAVA Women in Construction program in the delivery and set up of a storage shed.
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SAVA EG: We are near completion of a new sound recording booth and kitchen/home economics lab.
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CCCS North Sacramento: Renovations on the new site will completed in the next couple of months.
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COA Rafferty A: Several projects were completed this summer, including new paint, new lights in
the MPR, new flooring downstairs, and a new reception desk.
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HLA: New planter boxes were installed (thank you SAVA staff for creating these!), repairs made to the benches and tables, and several other maintenence items were completed during the summer.
News and Updates from the Human Resources Department
The New School Year brings many exciting changes in the Human Resources Department. At our Welcome Back Event, we celebrated our employees who have given 5 and 10 years of service to GCC.
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We also were able to welcome our newest employees as well our new principals and vice principals:
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Deborah Avalos, Principal of HLA
Erin Marston, Principal of EPIC
Amos Nugent III, Acting Principal at CCCS North Sacramento
Tatyana Kisel, Vice Principal at COA Elementary
Chad Owes, Vice Principal at EPIC
Ric Reyes, Vice Principal at SAVA PI
Michael Serdi, Vice Principal at COA Elementary
Summer Sorosinski, Vice Principal at CCCS McClellan
Michael Ettner, Vice Principal at Futures High School (*start date 8-26-16)
Good Things Newsletter
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The GCC HR department was very active this summer as we move into the 2016-2017 school year! Our department strives to move toward excellence in everything we do – whether it is processing payroll, facilitating benefits for our employees, scheduling trainings, or recruiting/processing new employees. As you might of heard, there is a teacher and substitute teacher shortage in California, and our department has been working hard to meet the needs of our schools.
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We are working very hard to keep our GCC Professional Development Calendar up-to-date. It can be found at www.gcccharters.org (calendar tab) and we encourage GCC staff to send any information regarding GCC or school level professional development to Lisa Brabo, who will update the calendar with your information. Also, we will be building on the GCC EdCamp program in 2016-2017, which will provide opportunities for all GCC employees to share an area of expertise with fellow GCC colleagues. We encourage all of our principals, department heads, and other employees with expertise to share the opportunity of conducting an EdCamp with your employees!
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We have a great team in the HR Department, whether it is Laura and her work with certificated staff, Annie and her work with classified staff, Nicki and her work with substitutes and hourly employees, or Lisa and her willingness to do whatever it takes the department! If you have any HR related need, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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Important Benefits Information
The HR department has been working hard to implement an online Health & Welfare benefits enrollment system for the 2016-2017 open enrollment period.
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Open enrollment period will begin in October with an effective date of January 1, 2017 for Health & Wellness coverage.
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More information will be available in October.
5 & 10 Year Recognition
at our Welcome Back Event
Congratulations to Gateway International School who is now an official International Baccalaureate World School (PYP)! This recognition is the result of several years of hard work among the staff and students and is a huge accomplishment!
Great job on EPIC's Annual Presentation to the
Yolo County Office Board of Education
Dir. Sample and Principal Marston!
"There is only one proof of ability: action." ~ Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
Welcome Back!
On Tuesday, August 30th, Gateway Community Charters was proud to host the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rancho Del Paso school site. The Rancho Del Paso school site will house Higher Learning Academy (HLA) and Futures High School. The day was celebrated with special guest speakers that included Dr. Cindy Petersen, the GCC Board of Directors, Sacramento City Councilmember Allen Warren, former Sacramento City Councilmember Sandy Sheedy, and Twin Rivers Unified School District Board Member Basim Elkarra.
