What's New in GUHSD

GOT PLANS? Career & College Fair on Oct. 10

The East County Education Alliance is hosting the twelfth annual Got Plans? Career & College Fair for high school students and parents on Saturday, October 10, 2015, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Grossmont College in El Cajon.

The annual event awakens students to the many opportunities available to them after high school, both locally and across the country. Once they make contact with college and career representatives at Got Plans?, students begin to think more seriously about their options after high school.

At the event, students and parents will be able to interact with admissions representatives from public and private universities, community colleges, vocational schools, and the military.

Free workshops will be presented on topics including financial aid and career opportunities. Additional information will be available regarding NCAA eligibility for student-athletes, updates and changes to the SAT and ACT tests, transfer options and more.

Grossmont College is located at 8800 Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon. Admission to the fair is free and open to the public. 

GUHSD Receives Generous Grant for Health Pathways Program

The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD), a public agency that supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego’s East County region, recently awarded the Grossmont Union High School District with a grant of $168,000 for the Health Pathways Program.

The grant will benefit more than 2,000 Health Pathway students at six GUHSD high schools who are pursuing careers in healthcare including: El Cajon Valley, Mount Miguel, Granite Hills, Santana, West Hills, and Valhalla.

The GHD grant will help pay for specialty prepared curriculum materials for biology and chemistry classes, including medically-oriented laboratory experiments and medical case studies, as well as field trips to medical facilities, summer internships, lesson preparation time for teachers and salary for a program coordinator.

The grant also will help support the Health-Careers Exploration Summer Institute (HESI), a program featuring career exploration activities, including summertime community service learning projects and an internship program at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.

Founded in 2002, GUHSD’s Health Pathways Program promotes development of a future-qualified healthcare workforce by strengthening students’ performance in science classes and offering opportunities and experiences that prepare students for a variety of health careers.

High Tech Fair on Oct. 14: Share the Wonder of Science

Students learn about green-screen technology at last year's High Tech Fair

Parents can connect with their children and learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at the upcoming High Tech Fair.

The San Diego Science Alliance and the San Diego County Office of Education are organizing this free event, which features hands-on, interactive exhibits from local businesses and organizations. The event is intended for students in middle and high school.

The High Tech Fair will be held in Bing Crosby Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar. A student-parent evening event on October 14, is free and open to the public from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Online registration is encouraged. More details are available here.

The High Tech Fair is an opportunity for businesses, organizations, research institutions and college programs to showcase their work and inspire students to pursue STEM careers and become the next generation of engineers and scientists.

The interactive demonstrations reinforce the concepts students are learning in school and provide them with important insight into possible college majors and careers related to STEM subjects.

The event has grown in the past 17 years to include more than 60 exhibitors, more than 4,000 students, teachers, and parents, and more than 50 schools from across 25 districts. During that time, an estimated 50,000 students from throughout the county have attended and found inspiration.

The High Tech Fair is made possible through the support of corporate sponsors, community partners, and exhibitors. 

Superintendent Ralf Swenson

What's New in GUHSD

GUHSD Health Pathways Students Volunteer at Kids Care Fest

GUHSD Health Pathway students volunteer at the 2015 Kids Care Fest

Last weekend, Health Pathway student-volunteers from Granite Hills and Mount Miguel High Schools represented the GUHSD Health Pathways program at the 2015 Kids Care Fest at the Lakeside Rodeo grounds.

The Grossmont Union High School District Health Pathways and Academy programs are designed to meet the demands of the ever-growing healthcare industry. Students interested in the healthcare field usually join as a freshman or sophomore and begin taking A-G core classes with a health/medical emphasis as the labs are focused on healthcare matters.  

This public health event, hosted by the Grossmont Healthcare District, provided free health screenings, flu shots, and educational materials to East County families. Our students volunteered at the children's booths, networked with healthcare professionals and gained career exposure, on top of being given the opportunity to make a positive impact on their community. Three health pathway seniors were interviewed by KUSI weatherman, Dave Scott.

These experiences, as well as the hands-on curriculum, including labs that connect students to real-world applications, are designed to expose students to the career opportunities in the healthcare field and to develop skills for success. Ultimately, our programs prepare students to enter into post-secondary education coursework in the health/medical field in order to become our future nurses, physical therapists, dentists, physicians, ultrasound technicians, paramedics and other healthcare providers. 

2015 Health-Careers Exploration Summer Institute

GUHSD's 2015 HESI Class is recognized by the Grossmont Healthcare District

For nearly a decade, the Health-Careers Exploration Summer Institute (HESI) has provided Grossmont Union High School District students with a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience healthcare before they go to college. The knowledge our students gain from a hands-on experience like this is irreplaceable. 

Participation in the program is very competitive. Of the 42 students who applied this year, 19 were selected and completed all of the program requirements, which included extensive pre-internship studying of anatomy and physiology, nightly research and case studies, and 78 hours of shadowing experience.

Each student rotated through at least ten different departments at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, giving them the opportunity to shadow a wide range of healthcare professionals. It is this exposure to the diverse options healthcare has to offer that helps guide our students into rewarding careers that suit their unique personalities.

The Grossmont Healthcare District began the Health Pathways program with a $25,000 grant in 2002. The financial support has grown to over $160,000 annually just for the Health Pathways. The ongoing grant and program support from the Grossmont Healthcare District has been crucial to maintaining these programs. This truly is a collaborative partnership.

SAVE THE DATE: GOT PLANS? Career & College Fair on Oct. 10

In partnership with the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, the East County Education Alliance is hosting our twelfth annual Got Plans? Career & College Fair for high school students and parents on Saturday, October 10, 2015, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Grossmont College in El Cajon.

Students and parents will be able to interact with admissions representatives from public and private universities, community colleges, vocational schools, and the military.

Free workshops will be presented on topics including financial aid and career opportunities. Admission to the fair is free and open to the public. More information is available by calling Jason Martinez at (619) 644-7524 or email: jmartinez@guhsd.net.

Superintendent Ralf Swenson

What's New in GUHSD

2015 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Assessment Results 

On September 9, 2015, the California Department of Education released statewide results from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The CAASPP system, established on January 1, 2014, includes the new computer-based Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) summative tests that measure student knowledge of California's English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics standards.

These new assessments replace the former paper-based, multiple-choice assessments for students in grades three through eight and eleven. Student scores are reported across four performance levels Standard Exceeded, Standard Met, Standard Nearly Met, and Standard Not Met. The new ELA and mathematics summative tests allow students to demonstrate analytical writing, critical thinking, and problem solving skills along with their knowledge of facts.

Our students scored at or above the State average on tests that are significantly more rigorous than the prior CST test. Click here for more detailed information. As soon as individual student scores come in, we will mail them home. 

New Student Support Center at Granite Hills

Principal Mike Fowler cuts the ribbon as staff, Superintendent Swenson and Trustees Gary Woods and Jim Kelly look on

On Thursday, August 27, in preparation for students’ return, staff participated in a ribbon cutting for the new Student Support Center at Granite Hills High School, which houses many of the support services found at the school. 

Several important offices are now located under one roof - Health (nurse), Finance, Attendance, Campus Security, Counseling and Administration. Included in the design is also a college and career center where students can explore and research their options for the future. For the first time, guidance counselors and administrators are able to work side by side to better serve the students. The building also changes the orientation of the campus. Granite Hills now has a "front door" with a visitor parking lot allowing the community easier, less confusing, more convenient access to the school. The new Student Support Center provides a one-stop-shop for Granite Hills' students. 

Granite Hills Receives $65K Chargers Champions School Grant 

Granite Hills Receives $65K Chargers Champions Grant

Earlier this week, Granite Hills was home to a Chargers media event announcing their 2015 Chargers Champions School Grant recipients. In attendance were #76 Guard D.J. Fluker and #27 Safety Jimmy Wilson.

Granite Hills High opened in 1960, and after three decades of use its weight room had seen better days. All that has changed now, thanks to a $65K grant from the Spanos family and the Chargers Champions program. The school’s new weight room will benefit students at Granite Hills for years to come. 

On behalf of the District, I thank the Spanos family and the Chargers for their generous support. Working together, the Chargers and our local schools are creating better opportunities to help our children get and stay healthy and in shape.

West Hills Wins Most 2014-15 League Championships

Principal Robin Ballarin accepts the award on behalf of West Hills' student-athletes

Congratulations to West Hills High School whose athletic teams won eleven League Championships among our eleven schools for the 2014-15 school year. Principal Robin Ballarin along with Athletic Director Don Rutledge and Assistant Principal Josh Reiderer accepted the award on behalf of their student-athletes. Presenting the awards were Conference President Brian Wilbur and CIFSDS Commissioner Jerry Schneipp. I am happy to report that all eleven schools won at least one title last year. 

Superintendent Ralf Swenson

Welcome to the 2015-16 School Year

Dear GUHSD Families:

Welcome to the 2015-16 school year! All of us in the Grossmont Union High School District are excited to embark on a new year of discovery, challenge and learning.

If your family is returning, welcome back! If you have not yet experienced GUHSD, you will soon find that we are an exceptional community of learners.

I feel a deep sense of pride in our strong reputation as a District. Our goal is to prepare every student for college and careers with engaging programs that inspire students to reach for their dreams.

As I enter my sixth year as Superintendent in GUHSD, it is a great honor to work alongside such hard-working faculty and staff who are dedicated to making a positive difference for children. The educators in GUHSD truly care about our students, and want to help them grow to be successful.

In the coming weeks, I will share more about our concerted focus on expanding programs, enhancing the support provided to students and teachers, and the impact we're having on preparing students for their future. Click here for a brief overview of our most significant achievements.

Whether you are a long-time member of our school district community or new to GUHSD, you will see reflected in my weekly communications the deep commitment of our staff toward excellence and a strong desire to deliver our very best each day.

Once again, welcome! I look forward to seeing you at our schools!

Superintendent Ralf Swenson