Friday Finale

What an amazing start to the 2026–27 school year! We are so excited to share that the first two days at GRDC have been a great success.

It has been so exciting to see our students back on campus, reconnecting with friends, meeting their teachers, and settling into their new classrooms. Our students have started the year with open minds, big smiles, and such a positive spirit. We are incredibly proud of the way they have jumped into the school year and embraced these first few days.

A huge thank you to our amazing GRDC staff for all the time, care, preparation, and teamwork that went into making these first days so successful. It truly takes all of us working together to create a school community where our students feel welcomed, supported, and ready to learn.

And to our GRDC families, thank you for partnering with us and trusting us with your children. We are grateful to have such a supportive community and look forward to all that we will accomplish together this year.

We have an exciting year ahead, filled with opportunities for learning, growth, connection, and achievement. I can’t wait to see all that our students will accomplish!

Have a wonderful and restful weekend, GRDC families. Enjoy some time together, and we’ll see everyone back on Monday ready for another great week!

Here’s to a fantastic 2026–27 school year! Go Miners!

GRDC staff has been hard at work training, preparing, and getting fired up for the new school year! From setting up classrooms to planning engaging lessons, we’re ready to welcome our students with energy, enthusiasm, and a shared commitment to making this our best year yet.

Please join us for a GRDC Family Information Night! This is a great opportunity to learn about school orientation, academics, accessing the Parent Portal, and important middle school updates.

We’ll share helpful information to keep families informed, connected, and prepared for the school year. We hope to see you there!

We have been noticing many students on campus too early. Please remember that students may not be on campus until 7:45 in the morning unless they are eating breakfast.

Breakfast begins at 7:35. Students eating breakfast are expected to stay in the cafeteria until 7:45

Every Friday is School Spirit Day at GRDC! Encourage your student to wear their GRDC gear—shirts, hoodies, or school colors—and show their Miner pride. We love seeing our campus filled with spirit, unity, and pride as we celebrate being part of the GRDC family!

Looking for some new GRDC spirit wear? Spirit wear will be available for purchase at Back-to-School Night, Coffee Hour, and the Back-to-School Picnic.

Check out our new High Five Friday shirts! 🎉 PTO has several fun new designs available for students and families of all ages. We can’t wait to see our GRDC students and families showing their school spirit and rocking their High Five Friday shirts! 🙌💙💛

Please take a moment to review our Electronic Device Policy (LINK). This policy will be consistently enforced throughout the school year. We encourage families to discuss the expectations with their students so everyone understands the importance of following the policy.

We also want to remind families that Meta smart glasses are not permitted on campus.

New This Year:
Electronic devices must be turned off and put away as soon as students arrive on campus and must remain put away throughout the school day.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us maintain a focused, safe, and positive learning environment for all of our students!

Where do I register my child and what is the cost?

Registration for Middle School Volleyball (co-ed) is through Orangevale Parks & Recreation. The cost for the season is $145 per person. Scan the QR code to access the registration page.

ho can I contact with questions about registration?

Orangevale Parks & Recreation via Phone: (916) 988-4373 or Email: info@ovparks.com

Tryouts are Monday and Wednesday, 8/24 and 8/26, then practices start 8/31.

These are the tryout days.

Monday, August 24th:

1. 6th Grade: 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
2. 7th Grade: 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM
3. 8th Grade: 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Wednesday, August 26th:

1. 6th Grade: 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM
2. 7th Grade: 5:15 PM – 6:30 PM

3. 8th Grade: 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM

Picture day is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25th!

Online orders are encouraged. Preorder gallery remains open for 48 hours after pictures have been taken. To order online, https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001150072 Your schools Gallery Password/Online Code is GRDCF24 Parent FAQ: https://excel-ed-resources.com/parent-help-page

1st - 5th Grade BTSN - Wed. Sept. 2nd

5:00-5:45 - Class presentation (1st, 2nd, 3rd grades only)

6th - 8th Grade BTSN - Thurs. Sept. 3rd

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Gold River Multipurpose Room

Join us for this year's Back-to-School information night from 5:00-6:00. We will begin in the multi-purpose room with a presentation from our Principal and Vice Principal. From there, you'll be dismissed to your student's classroom for the teacher's presentations.

We have a dedicated attendance line to report an absence 916-979-8975.

Parents can email to report an absence and also upload any doctors notes to GoldRiverAbsence@sanjuan.edu.

The Parent Portal has an option on the top right when logged in to report an absence:

https://sis.sanjuan.edu/parentportal

Parents can always call the office directly to speak to office staff.

School Site Council is a group of teachers, staff, parents and community members that help determine the best use of funding as well as developing and monitoring the implementation of our SPSA (Single Plan for Student Achievement). The intent of these funds is to provide an opportunity for school sites to determine the educational needs of the students and to have access to financial resources to meet those needs.

The GRDC School Site Council will be overseeing the SPSA and measuring its academic progress through the year. If you would like to be considered for a position on the GRDC School Site Council, please email Mrs. Z. your name, contact info., and the name of your student by Friday, August 28th.

We are in need of two parent/community members to represent GRDC. SSC will meet 5 times each school year after school. If you would like to be considered for a position on the GRDC School Site Council please email Mrs. Z (kzeltvay@sanjuan.edu) your name, child's name and a good contact/email. You will then be contacted for a short statement about yourself for us to print on the ballots.

Beginning this 2026–27 school year, a new state law (Senate Bill 848) requires that all volunteers in California schools complete child abuse and mandated reporter training. Volunteers will also need to submit proof that they are free of infectious tuberculosis (TB). New and existing volunteers will be notified of the changes and how they can complete the required training and TB screening if they wish to remain an active volunteer.

If you are interested in volunteering at GRDC, please use the link below to begin the volunteer process.

Tue. Aug. 18th - Middle School parent information night

Tue. Aug. 25th - Picture Day

Wed. Sep. 2nd - 1st-5th grade BTSN

Thurs. Sept. 3rd - 6th-8th grade BTSN

Fri. Sept. Min. Day - Min. Day - Early dismissal at 12:10 P.M.

Mon. Sept. 7th - Labor Day Holiday - No school

We’re excited to kick off another great year at Gold River Discovery Center with lots of fun events and plenty of ways to get involved. We’d love to have you join our team, find out how you can help!

Join Us for The Great PTO Kickoff!

Monday, August 17th at 6:00 PM at Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Gold River

Come meet other families, learn what the PTO has planned, and find out how you can make a difference this year!

Stay connected:

Website: GRDC.board.com

Facebook: facebook.com/GRDCPTO