Principal's Message

Dear Garden Park Community,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year at Garden Park Elementary!

I hope this letter finds you and your family well.  As a Garden Park Community we have persevered through many challenges over the past two years, and we have come out stronger than ever before.  I look forward to a new school year filled with new and exciting opportunities.  I thank you in advance for all that you do as parents and guardians to ensure your scholar continues to learn and grow.

As we embark on this new school year with the high expectations for student achievement, we will continue our focus on developing the whole child, both the academic skills and personal skills in order to prepare them for lifelong success.  We will focus on each child’s social-emotional well-being, by continuing our work in practicing Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning.

This year we will begin the initial implementation of our school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (commonly known as PBIS). Implementing PBIS creates a common set of expectations for all students on the playground, in the classroom, and throughout our campus.  PBIS encourages positive behavior, with a focus on "catching students doing good or doing the right thing".  Every student is a Gecko STAR when they follow the school-wide expectations:  SAFETY, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, ACHIEVEMENT, RESPECT.

We hope that you will find our website helpful and informative.  The website calendar has important dates for all events and activities for this school year.  In addition, important information and updates are sent on a weekly basis via ParentSquare. Using the website and ParentSquare are the two best ways to stay informed as we go through the school year.

It is my hope that as our students and families return to campus, you feel the strong sense of community and family pride.  Our school in partnership with our amazing PTA and various parent groups provide many events that strengthen and enrich our home & school community.  I want to encourage you to get involved as a volunteer and to participate as a family in as many of these activities as you possibly can.   Please refer to our school website and the various PTA flyers that are shared with you to be kept informed of these opportunities.

I am honored to serve as the principal of Garden Park Elementary School for the ninth year.  It is truly a privilege to be a part of a community where parents, teachers, staff and students care for each other and strive to build positive relationships that support academic and social growth.  Please feel free to contact me at 714-663-6074 or at mmorales1@ggusd.us.

Sincerely,

Michelle Morales

Our School

Welcome Garden Park students, families and community!

At Garden Park, we are committed to equipping all of our more than 225 students with the academic and personal skills for lifelong success. Our school has a long record of academic excellence and students consistently outperform the state average on rigorous state standardized testing.  We are in our third year of AVID Elementary (Advancement Via Individual Determination), with a focus on Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading.  

We offer a variety of school programs to help enhance the educational experience of our scholars, including:

• The Art Masters program is offered every trimester and provides students with an opportunity to learn about iconic artists and utilize artistic techniques to express their creativity!
• Chess Masters teaches students the skills and critical thinking strategies of chess and allows them the opportunity to compete with each other in chess matches.   behind chess. 
• Our Coding program teaches participants early levels of computer science and the importance of technology. 
• College and Career Mentor Program which supports our sixth graders in building self-esteem, life long learning opportunities and setting college and career goals.
• Sixth Grade Academic Pentathlon is a team of nine sixth graders that study a specific region and culture of the world in the core subjects of Math, English Language Arts, History, Science and Fine Arts and then compete against other schools in Orange County. Students become collaborative critical thinkers as they work in groups during county competitions.

We are grateful our PTA is very active on campus, and organize many popular events such as Skating Night, Trunk-or-Treat, Winter Cookie Workshop, Movie Night, Sweetheart Dance, Walk-a-thon, and more. Every month, our PTA also holds the Family Dining Night, where students and families have dinner at local restaurants. Families explore the community and form emotional bonds by spending time together. PTA members also fund programs and materials, such as the Accelerated Reading program and the Art Masters program, homework planners, field trips, and more.

We are committed to celebrating our students' many accomplishments. Our Monthly Geckos Award Ceremony awards honors students for demonstrating our monthly scholarly habits. Each teacher nominates two scholars from each class to be awarded during the outdoor Friday assembly. We also have the Trimester Awards which our GECKOS awards, Special Recognition awards and Accelerated Reader awards. 

Garden Park is a small school with a strong sense of community, with staff and parents working closely together with a focus on academic achievement.  

Please feel free to stop by our office for any questions, comments or concerns. We are excited for a new school year with our scholars, families and community!