On March 11 one year ago the World Health Organization declared COVID 19 a pandemic. At the time, we were focused on the coming spring and all the school activities that go with the last quarter of the school year. In what seemed to be an instant, the uncertainty of COVID-19 turned our schools and the world upside down. In the interest of public health and safety, Governor Newsom ordered schools closed beginning March 16, and over the following weeks, our community went into lockdown to stop the spread of the COVID-19. Early on, we acknowledged, “we are in this together.” Throughout this last year, that collective spirit has held us up and brought us through the rough waters of this pandemic. It has been through our collective community sacrifices, support, and hard work that the GCC school community was recently able to begin welcoming our students, faculty, and staff back to their mission of preparing our students for their future. Let me say this to all of you, “Thank you!!!” I am humbled and proud to be a member of the GCC family! I have observed our administrators, teachers, and staff implement the numerous and ever-changing expectations placed on us by public health officials, watched students and families work with school staff to navigate virtual learning environments and participated in virtual celebrations and events. Everyday Heroes on all of our campuses!!

Most recently, as we turned our daily attention toward reopening our physical campuses to more students, I was and continue to be impressed by the efforts of our teachers, principals, school staff, and stakeholders who labored for months to design a safe environment for returning to school. Recognizing the unpredictable nature of COVID-19, we have all learned to be flexible and responsive to individual needs while keeping everyone safe and healthy. You may remember our theme for the year; “Dream, Design, Adapt, and Persevere!” As we venture into the next phase of reopening, let’s continue to do so with hope and optimism while being disciplined and focused.

Finally, we must remember that although technology has been a key element of our current educational model, our mission continues to be not the delivery system but a student-centered focus for both their well-being and their learning. It is critical that we continue to support and recognize the social-emotional needs of our students, staff, and families as we forge our way back to in-person instruction. We must keep in mind that COVID-19 is still out there, and we must continue to stay focused on doing our part to keep our community safe. Please remember that wearing masks, maintain social distancing, and washing hands are essential in our community’s public health efforts. The availability of vaccines and the increasing number of vaccinated staff and community members will also move our schools forward.

Thank you for your support and trust. We are in it together and will be stronger as a result. I wish each of you my very best as we prepare to welcome spring!​

Sincerely,

Cindy Petersen, Ed.D.
Superintendent/CEO
Gateway Community Charters

COA Elementary celebrated Read Across America Day with our students and teachers. Students had fun doing all sorts of activities and reading Dr. Seuss books with their teachers. Our teachers got into the spirit of things as well since we had a Dr. Seuss spirit day at school on the same day!

We also welcomed all of our students back onto our beautiful campus in cohorts. We’re so excited to see everyone in person, and our students are thrilled to finally see their teachers and friends.

COA Middle School eagerly waited to welcome our first group of COA Middle School 6th graders for their Hybrid Learning orientation! Welcome to our new Huskies!

Picture Day was a success for students and staff today at COA Middle!!

In celebration of International Women's Day, COA MS distributed gift bags to the moms, grandmas, and women of our COA MS families.

EPIC was excited to have our K-6 students back on campus for in-person learning and we are preparing to welcome our 7th and 8th graders back on March 12th. We are ecstatic to have all of our students back on campus and see their smiling faces.

Futures' National Honor Society is hard at work beatifying and cleaning the neighborhood and the school site. Even when in distance learning, the students find a way to serve the community. We are very proud of them!

We had our Charter Renewed for another 5 years with San Juan Unified School District!

We had our first hearing on January 12th, and big thank you to Mr. Sample and to GCC for supporting and making GIS shine during the hearing. Later, on February 24th the San Juan Unified Board proceeded with an action to renew our school charter for another 5 years!

GIS is rewarding our students with an online Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) system. Students are learning how to save, manage, and spend their points! Points are received as affirmations of positive behavior! After students earn their points, they have an opportunity, once a month, to spend their points on some really cool prizes at our GIS Store!

Our students had the opportunity to join a virtual assembly hosted by NED! Taylor our host, taught our Grizzlies the importance of a positive mind and attitude! Our Grizzlies also learned this positive acronym for NED:

Never give up

Encourage each other

Do your best

We all celebrated Dr. Seuss Spirit Week in celebration of Read Across America Week. Principal Erin Marston and RSP teacher, Nichole Foppiano, are pictured in Cat in the Hat costumes.

And HLA is really excited that the New Modular Buildings are finished!

SAVA held its first Education and Workforce Convention. We are excited that we had over 130 participants for our first convention. GCC leadership represented on our Expert Hiring Panel for the convention. In addition to this session, we also included multiple job shadow rounds for all students and mock interviews for our graduating seniors.

We are excited to have most of our staff back at the sites and central office. As we all return to work on-site, please continue to follow the GCC guidelines for Covid-19 protocols in order to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all. As you receive your vaccines, COVID-19 testing will still be required and HR will send email reminders to employees regarding re-tests that are needed.

You should have received your W-4 and 1095-C which were mailed out to all employees. If you need additional copies of your W-4, you can access these on the Employee Self Service portal.