Principal's Message

Welcome Joe A. Gonsalves Families to the 2022-2023 school year!

The staff here at Gonsalves is dedicated to providing the best educational experience possible for our students.  This is done through a team effort where all stakeholders- staff, parents and families, students and community members- work collaboratively to create an environment conducive to learning and student achievement.  It is this combination of high quality teaching in the classroom, the commitment of our families to promote and support learning, and desire of our students to do their very best that makes Gonsalves a special place to be.

Safety is of the utmost importance here at Gonsalves.  This school year, we will be Covid-19 safety protocols in alignment with the LA County Department of Public Health.  See the link in our News and Announcement section on our website for the ABC Covid-19 Safety Message.

Our school has received many awards including being named a National Blue Ribbon School, a California Distinguished School, and a California Business for Education Excellence Honor Roll School.  Through a rigorous standards-based curriculum, use of effective instructional strategies, grade-level collaboration, data analysis and strategic interventions, we know that our students will continue to achieve and be successful academically as we move forward.

At Gonsalves, we implement the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework.  Gonsalves Grizzlies will be STAR students when they Stay Safe, Take Responsibility, Act Respectively and are Ready to Learn.  They demonstrate these behaviors in all areas of our school.  We will use school-wide and classroom acknowledgements to recognize positive student behaviors and provide effective consequences for inappropriate behaviors.

The success of our school is due in large part to the immeasurable contributions made by our parent organization, Booster Club.  Our Booster Club, consisting of parents, community members, and staff, helps provide a well-rounded educational experience for our students by sponsoring field trips, assemblies, PE, Fine Arts, Music and other special activities throughout the school year. They also contribute resources such as classroom projectors, computer hardware and software, and student incentives. Parents volunteer hours and hours of their time inside and outside of the classrooms, and parent groups help organize special cultural events such as Lunar New Year and Diwali celebrations.

At Gonsalves, we will strive to create the best learning environment for our students online, and working together, I know we will make this happen!

Robert Benko- Principal of Joe A. Gonsalves Elementary School