News & Announcements

Dear Golden Families,

Thank you to everyone for your incredible support of our Jog-a-thon! It was a huge success! We loved having so many families on campus cheering on our Golden Eagles. It was truly a great event! A huge thank you to our amazing Golden PTA for always going above and beyond to support our school, our students, and our community. We are so grateful for you!

This Tuesday is Veterans Day. Please enjoy the day with family and friends in remembrance of all our brave veterans, soldiers, and first responders. Your service and sacrifice are deeply appreciated.

Wednesday is College Wear Wednesday! We can’t wait to see everyone representing their favorite colleges and universities.

And now for some exciting news. Just a little sneak peek before a formal announcement comes out! U.S. News & World Report has released its new rankings, and Golden Elementary was ranked #56 out of more than 5,400 elementary schools in California! That places us in the top 1% of all schools in the state! This incredible recognition would not be possible without your partnership and support.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge our exceptional team of teachers and staff. They are some of the hardest working, most caring, and innovative educators around. In the spirit of gratitude, this is the perfect time to thank your child’s teacher or any staff member who has made a difference. I know I am truly thankful for our supportive community and our amazing Golden team!

As we begin the second trimester, please remember that although the holiday season is approaching, our focus remains on providing a high quality education every single day.

We have seen an increase in absences and independent studies, which is concerning. Nothing can replace the value of your child being in class for dynamic, in person, high-quality instruction. Please make every effort to ensure your child attends school daily. Our office team will be reviewing data regarding independent study requests closely. We ask that you help by scheduling family trips during planned holiday breaks. More information will follow, but we appreciate your partnership in supporting strong attendance. As you know our teachers work extremely hard, and independent study requests add to this time. Nothing is more disheartening or upsetting, when a request is made and work is provided, and yet work does not happen during the trip. We ask that you truly consider this when making your request. Independent studies will also not count toward attendance recognition and awards.

Finally, I hope everyone has scheduled a parent teacher conference. This one on one time is a wonderful opportunity to connect, share, and collaborate about your child’s growth and goals. Thank you for making time to attend.

Please be on the lookout for a separate email later this week with the link to our new Golden Spirit Wear Store! We are excited to have a few options we will be sharing! The goal is to have all orders in quickly so we can have it back to families/students before the holidays! Stay tuned! More information will be coming!

Have a wonderful week! I am so grateful for this amazing Golden community and for your continued support and partnership.

With appreciation,
Kristin McDonald
Proud Principal, Golden Elementary
Shine Bright. Stay Golden. 🦅

Dear Golden Families,

What an incredible week we’ve had at Golden! Red Ribbon Week was AWESOME, and Halloween was fantastic - especially when it lands on a Friday! I absolutely love the school culture we’ve created together, full of joy, spirit, and excellence. Thank you for being such an important part of that!

As we head into November, my heart is full of gratitude: for our students, our families, and the amazing community we call Golden. Your children are truly exceptional, and each and every one of them belongs here. 💛

Let’s keep the momentum going as we kick off the week with Motivational Monday! This will be another exciting week as we wrap up our first trimester.

A friendly reminder: This Friday is a minimum day, with dismissal at 12:45 PM. It’s also our annual Jog-A-Thon! Woo hoo! LET’S GO GOLDEN! 💛🦅

During our recent School Site Council Meeting, I shared how our school's site budget works. Our base budget to run Golden is $49,837. This amount primarily covers essential needs like classroom supplies, our three copy machines, paper, ink, and a few instructional resources.

This is exactly why our Golden PTA is so incredibly important! They help provide:

✔️ Additional instructional activities, curriculum, and programs
✔️ Community engagement opportunities
✔️ PBIS rewards and incentives
✔️ Field trips
✔️ Family nights and walkthroughs
✔️ And so much more! (Like a bazillion other things we all love!)

As we head into our Jog-A-Thon this Friday, we are asking for your support. Any donation you can help gather - from family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers - goes directly back to making Golden the incredible school it is. We truly could not be Golden without you.

This is a big ask, but it's an important one.
Thank you, from the bottom of our Golden hearts! 💛
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we make Golden shine!

With appreciation,

Kristin McDonald
Proud Principal, Golden Elementary
Shine Bright. Stay Golden. 🦅

Dear Golden Families,

Thank you to all the families who came out for our first-ever Math Night! We had a wonderful turnout and so much fun learning together - and we were right... Math is not scary! 👻➕

It’s a BIG and exciting week at Golden! Not only are we celebrating Red Ribbon Week, but we also have our Halloween Parade coming up! 🎃

❤️ Red Ribbon Week kicks off Monday — be sure to have your children wear RED to show their school spirit and commitment to making safe, healthy choices. Thank you to our amazing PTA for sponsoring this weeklong celebration and for helping us make these meaningful activities possible!

🎃 Halloween Parade:
We are thrilled to continue our traditional Halloween parade on Friday morning, and we can’t wait to welcome all of our families as spectators! Please see all of the important parade and costume details below so that we can keep the day safe and fun for everyone.

🏃‍♂️ Jog-a-Thon Update:
Don’t forget we’re still collecting Jog-a-Thon donations as we race toward our $100,000 goal! Every contribution helps support the incredible programs, events, and resources that make Golden shine so bright. We’re getting close, let’s finish strong! 💪💛

✨ Let’s make this a wonderful week filled with excitement, laughter, and learning. Thank you for your continued partnership and support in keeping our school a safe, joyful, and connected place for all our Golden Eagles.

With gratitude,
Kristin McDonald
Principal, Golden Elementary
Shine Bright. Stay Golden. 🦅