Girls Global Academy Updates
Greetings Girls Global Academy Community!
January 15, 2020

Although we continue to face the same COVID-19 health crisis and political tensions, our focus remains the same; we have an unwavering commitment to you and the students that attend Girls Global Academy. Together we are partners in the mission of fostering pathways to lead and learn. While COVID continues to impact education, we appreciate the choice that families have made to have your student attend Girls Global Academy. We remain excited for the school year and all that we will experience together in 2021!

We concluded the Because Girls Matter fundraiser on December 31st. Our goal was to raise $10,000 by December 31st to strengthen our virtual enrichment programs. With your support, I am pleased to announce that we have met and actually exceeded our goal. We raised $12,199.30!

Thank you for continuing to partner with us to create a successful virtual learning experience and environment for students. We are encouraged by our attendance rates of over 93%, daily evidence of learning, and student ownership of their growth by setting goals. As our partners in education, thank you for everything you do to support your students learning virtually. The focus for Trimester 2 is to continue to build relationships and self-care. I host Executive Director roundtable discussions on the 2nd Wednesday of the month to hear feedback about the school and on areas that matter to you most.

We also have other avenues for your voice to be heard and we need your voice. Parent organization meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. These sessions will be led by our GGA parents. We also will continue to offer parent workshops. The most recent was on our student information system PowerSchool.

Some of you may be thinking about how long we will be in a virtual learning pattern and testing in a virtual setting.

Reopening Plans
We surveyed our families in November to gather interest in reopening school in December or after the winter break. 48% of families expressed interest with the majority stating only when it is safe. Safety remains the priority and we continue to monitor COVID-19 cases in the city. Based on the collective feedback from our entire school community we will continue to offer virtual learning to our students. We will bring students on-campus on a case by case basis. Please contact Jason Mellen at jason@girlsglobalacademy.org. Another interest survey for reopening school and participation on the reopening planning team will be sent later this month.

Together,

Karen Venable-Croft

Academic Updates
ACT Aspire assessments
We will administer ACT Aspire Reading and Math on January 19th and 21st. The purpose for this assessment is to measure growth in both reading and math from the beginning of the school year.

What is an interim assessment? 
An Interim assessment is an assessment that Girls Global will use to evaluate where a student is with their learning progress and to predict how a student might perform on future assessments.

What does the interim assessment measure? 
Girls Global interim assessments measure each students’ reading, writing, mathematics, and science progress to gauge a student’s college and career readiness.

How do I receive information about my student’s performance on the interim assessments? Girls Global staff will provide students and their families with access to interim assessment data on report cards and in PowerSchool.

"ACT Aspire is an assessment system that measures academic achievement in English,
math, reading, science, and writing in grades 3 through 10. ACT Aspire is linked to the
ACT College and Career Readiness Standards, research-based information that makes
test results meaningful by connecting a student’s ACT Aspire score to specific skills and
knowledge important for college and work success. Your child’s teacher can use this
information to address areas for improvement, build on strengths, and most importantly—
impact your child’s potential."
Service Learning & LEADership Academy
GGA Virtual MLK DAY of SERVICE


Card Making event for Seniors
Create your card at home and drop it off at Girls Global Academy before February 5th.
There will be a container labeled GGA Cards Seniors
Because YOU matter is about more than ourselves. We live in a global world and ripple effects have both small and big impacts. Our girls will develop a “roll up our sleeves” approach to making change using compassion and understanding of both themselves and others.
IB Learner Profile Traits: Caring; Thinkers
Welcome one and all! January 19th
We are so excited to introduce you to our LearnServe team who will be guiding the students through our 6-week LearnServe Hackathon program.

The purpose of this orientation will be to introduce LearnServe, provide an overview of the program, and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

We look forward to getting to know you and can’t wait to begin this exciting journey soon!

What will you do on January 18th! YSA has a mission to activate young people, ages 5-25, to find their voice, take action, and acquire powerful civic and 21st century skills as they solve problems facing their communities.

If you complete an activity on Monday, January 18th please reach out to Ms. Swift. We encourage all GGA students to explore something new! 
Health & Safety Reminders
More than ever we need to find ways to connect and practice self-care. Join GGA in the self-care challenge. Commit to one thing you want to do for yourself.


Do you want to get to know others in the GGA community while participating in activities? Complete the Be Well Together Google Form
Wellness Wednesdays Behavioral Health Supports for Parents
The Department of Behavioral Health has developed coping tools for parents and families. Please see the list of tools and the flyer, English and Spanish, for Wellness Wednesdays. Click the link for directions on how to join: Webex Instructions.

Join using this link: https://bit.ly/2Kr4PDk
Password: WW20
District of Columbia updates on health and safety.

Girls Global Academy Families
Mayor Muriel Bowser established and championed the Kids Ride Free transit subsidy program to ensure that enrolled District students who are also District residents can get to school and school-related activities for free.

The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus, Metrorail, and the DC Circulator while travelling within the District.
In School Year 2020-2021, DC students can request a new SmarTrip Card for traveling on public transit systems within the District. Students can collect their new School Year 2020-2021 KRF SmarTrip cards from Ms. Cynthia via email cpope@girlsglobalacademy.org

Remember: No Card, No Free Ride
Students riding Metrobus, Metrorail, or DC Circulator should always have their Kids Ride Free SmarTrip card with them or be prepared to pay the regular fare for their trip.
Meet Parent Board Members
Our Board of Trustees voted Janice Brown Parker and Lakisha Myrick to be the parent members of the Board. 
Ms. Brown Parker is a parent of a GGA freshman. She is a Speech-Language Pathologist. Ms. Brown Parker has expertise in a variety of fields including PTSA, student advocacy, and board service.
Ms. Myrick is a parent of a GGA freshman. She is a Team Coordinator at Community of Hope. Ms. Myrick has a plethora of experience in mental health support, board service, and parent organization.
Your Support Matters
@GirlsGlobalDC Follow and like us on Instagram & Facebook
GGA Ambassador Share our Donation Page

GGA Supporter Share our Open House Events


If you have not yet had an opportunity to sign up for enrichments, please reach out to Ms. Olt (aolt@girlsglobalacademy.org) We encourage all GGA students to explore something new! 
Important Dates
January 18th - No School MLK Day of Service
January 19th- ACT Aspire Reading Benchmark
January 19th - LEADership Academy Meeting 6:00 - 7:00PM
January 20th - No School
January 21st - ACT Aspire Mathematics Benchmark
January 23rd- Assignment Recovery starts
January 25th- Board meeting
January 26th- Progress Reports are released
Resources Folder
We know that keeping track of the different newsletters with resources is a challenge and we have now started housing everything in one place! Click the image to the left to explore resources.
Girls Global Academy
733 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001