Steve & Kate’s Camp is coming to GGA!

March 17, 2026

by girlsglobal Latest News Newsletters

We’re excited to announce that Steve & Kate’s Camp is coming to our campus this summer! Since 1980, Steve & Kate’s Camp has put kids in charge of their own learning experience–allowing campers to choose from a variety of activities in real-time. Activities include sewing, stop-motion animation, coding & gaming, sports & recreation, maker crafts, water play, baking, and more. And there’s plenty of perks for adults too. Families can attend for a day, the entire summer, or anything in between. There’s no weekly sessions or reservations required. Plus–they’ll automatically refund any unused Passes at the end of the summer. Lunch, snacks, and all hours (8am–6pm) are included. Want to learn more? Check out their website!

GGA News | Business Luminary Sheila Johnson Hosts Girls Global Academy Students at The Salamander Resort

July 19, 2021

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News School life Students

Girls Global Academy hosted a Sisterhood Virtual Summit for Women’s History month in March. The purpose was to spotlight women that are making a difference in our community, to provide opportunities for dialogue on topics that impact girls and women, and to give students space to share projects they are passionate about.

GGA Newsletter – May 2021

May 26, 2021

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

GGA Newsletter – January 2021

January 21, 2021

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

Girls Global Academy Updates

Greetings Girls Global Academy Community!

Although we continue to face the same COVID-19 health crisis and political tensions, our focus remains the same; we have an unwavering commitment to you and the students that attend Girls Global Academy. Together we are partners in the mission of fostering pathways to lead and learn. While COVID continues to impact education, we appreciate the choice that families have made to have your student attend Girls Global Academy. We remain excited for the school year and all that we will experience together in 2021!

We concluded the Because Girls Matter fundraiser on December 31st. Our goal was to raise $10,000 by December 31st to strengthen our virtual enrichment programs. With your support, I am pleased to announce that we have met and actually exceeded our goal. We raised $12,199.30!

Thank you for continuing to partner with us to create a successful virtual learning experience and environment for students. We are encouraged by our attendance rates of over 93%, daily evidence of learning, and student ownership of their growth by setting goals. As our partners in education, thank you for everything you do to support your students learning virtually. The focus for Trimester 2 is to continue to build relationships and self-care. I host Executive Director roundtable discussions on the 2nd Wednesday of the month to hear feedback about the school and on areas that matter to you most.

We also have other avenues for your voice to be heard and we need your voice. Parent organization meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. These sessions will be led by our GGA parents. We also will continue to offer parent workshops. The most recent was on our student information system PowerSchool.

Some of you may be thinking about how long we will be in a virtual learning pattern and testing in a virtual setting.

Reopening Plans

We surveyed our families in November to gather interest in reopening school in December or after the winter break. 48% of families expressed interest with the majority stating only when it is safe. Safety remains the priority and we continue to monitor COVID-19 cases in the city. Based on the collective feedback from our entire school community we will continue to offer virtual learning to our students. We will bring students on-campus on a case by case basis. Please contact Jason Mellen at jason@girlsglobalacademy.org. Another interest survey for reopening school and participation on the reopening planning team will be sent later this month.

Together,

Karen Venable-Croft

Academic Updates

ACT Aspire assessments

We will administer ACT Aspire Reading and Math on January 19th and 21st. The purpose for this assessment is to measure growth in both reading and math from the beginning of the school year.

What is an interim assessment?

An Interim assessment is an assessment that Girls Global will use to evaluate where a student is with their learning progress and to predict how a student might perform on future assessments.

What does the interim assessment measure?

Girls Global interim assessments measure each students’ reading, writing, mathematics, and science progress to gauge a student’s college and career readiness.

How do I receive information about my student’s performance on the interim assessments?

Girls Global staff will provide students and their families with access to interim assessment data on report cards and in PowerSchool.

“ACT Aspire is an assessment system that measures academic achievement in English,

math, reading, science, and writing in grades 3 through 10. ACT Aspire is linked to the

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards, research-based information that makes

test results meaningful by connecting a student’s ACT Aspire score to specific skills and

knowledge important for college and work success. Your child’s teacher can use this

information to address areas for improvement, build on strengths, and most importantly

impact your child’s potential.”

GGA Test Taking TIPS

Service Learning & LEADership Academy

GGA Virtual MLK DAY of SERVICE

Card Making event for Seniors

Create your card at home and drop it off at Girls Global Academy before February 5th.

There will be a container labeled GGA Cards Seniors

Because YOU matter is about more than ourselves. We live in a global world and ripple effects have both small and big impacts. Our girls will develop a “roll up our sleeves” approach to making change using compassion and understanding of both themselves and others.

IB Learner Profile Traits: Caring; Thinkers

Welcome one and all! January 19th We are so excited to introduce you to our LearnServe team who will be guiding the students through our 6-week LearnServe Hackathon program. The purpose of this orientation will be to introduce LearnServe, provide an overview of the program, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. We look forward to getting to know you and can’t wait to begin this exciting journey soon! LearnServe Hack-a-thon Orientation

Resources Folder

We know that keeping track of the different newsletters with resources is a challenge and we have now started housing everything in one place! Check out the info from the DC Libraries, summer enrichment opportunities and COVID-19 recovery. Click the image to the right to explore!

GGA Newsletter – May 2020

May 31, 2020

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

May's Erollment Opportunities

From our Founding Teachers

We conduct discovery sessions with our families and also conduct them with our founding staff. There are two quotes from our founding Engineering teacher and founding Physical Education & Health teacher that resonated. We wanted to share these words of wisdom with you. Stay tuned for additional staff spotlights!

“Balance one day does not look like balance the next day”

“With all the uncertainties, optimism and gratitude are our greatest allies”

Resources Folder

In This Issue:

Erollment Roll Call
Erollment Support
What’s Upcoming

GGA Newsletter – April 2020

April 30, 2020

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

April is Financial Literacy Month

From The Girl Scout Research Institute:

“Financial literacy is a growing concern given the state of the U.S. economy over the past five years. The recession has led to high unemployment, foreclosures, personal and national debt, inflation, and financial uncertainty. In order to properly grasp these concepts and prepare themselves for their financial future, today’s youth need a solid understanding of age-appropriate money management and economics. This is especially important given the fact that financial literacy is not currently a standard component of the K−12 education curriculum in the United States, and thus the responsibility for teaching these skills has fallen to parents, families, and out-of-school-time programs.”

GGA’s take on financial literacy:

Question

Who takes financial literacy at GGA?

Answer

EVERY STUDENT AT GGA!

Welcome Paige our Student Support Services Coordinator

Paige will oversee and support our students who have Individualized Education Plans, 504 Plans, and students who are English Language Learners to ensure our instructional staff meet student needs and families are our partners.

In This Issue:

Four Pillar Resources
Priority One: We will know our students
Financial Literacy Reads

GGA Newsletter – March 2020

March 12, 2020

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

March is Women’s History Month which celebrates the important roles women have played in American History!

We are participating in the 2nd Annual #FITDC HerStory 5K Walk/Run on Saturday March 7, 2020. It is not too late to join us. Check out the activities Apple is hosting this month at their store near us using the link below.

Apple Activities

Girls Global's Four Pillars

A true global sisterhood is about being able to discuss the universal struggles of womanhood. Shared language is used to celebrate, support, and uplift each other to ensure students are writing their own narratives for their futures both individually and as a collective.

How will GGA do that?

Advisory
Community Meetings

The world is our backyard and “just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” Through service-learning you try on a range of leadership identities while supporting your community in both local and global contexts.

How will GGA do that?

LEADership Academy
Global Partnerships

Future-ready scholarship must address the fact that skill-sets will change based on industry. Students must be life-long learners so they have the ability to flex, adapt, and pivot to gain additional skills as needed or reinvent themselves if the skill-sets become out-of-date.

How will GGA do that?

Global Curriculum
Engineering &
Entrepreneurial Mindsets

Safety starts with you by having compassion for yourself and others. Physical and emotional safety are critical for wellness. Confidence is fostered when students feel safe and is a skill that is taught, much like the development of muscle memory and supports moving thoughts to actions.

How will GGA do that?

Safe Passage to School
Developing a Growth Mindset

Post-Lottery & March Open House Events

Priority One: We will know our students.

One of the best parts of working in education is getting to know students and their families. We have met with eight awesome students and their families thus far for one-to-one meetings and would love to get to know more of you. If you need interpreter services, then we will provide it to you. Schedule a coffee/tea/water meeting with us!

Parent Perspective
~ by Shanti Martin, parent of a rising 9th Grader

This kind of meeting is important from a student and parent perspective because it gives the student a chance to ask questions that are important to them entering high school. It also gives the staff the opportunity to meet the student to see personality traits and ask questions that could possibly help the school be more empowering when it comes to activities, subjects, community service etc.

These meetings are important because the staff will have a head start before the school year starts on what to offer students and what’s best for the the school, parents etc as a whole. It truly takes a village and it’s better when the students have input so that they know the school truly cares about any needs and concerns.

After our meeting Savannah was relieved and felt so much better. She is super excited to become apart of the Girls Global Academy. I as a parent would love to join their organization as well because I believe in the mission and what they are offering to all young ladies…our future entrepreneurs.

What do you discuss during the meeting?

Hopes and dreams
Excitement and fears about high school
Student areas of strength and areas of growth
Interests, hobbies, and activities
Anything else the student and their family would like to discuss

Where do you conduct the meeting?

Your home
Local library
Starbucks
You pick the location

How long is the meeting?

Just one hour of your time

What do I bring to the meeting?

Your ideas
Your hopes
Your dreams
Your questions
Your concerns
Anything else you think would help us get to know you

Repost: Families Are Our Partners

Parent Perspective

by Tosha Crawford, parent of a rising 9th Grader

I was honored to be asked to participate in a panel interview for prospective teachers at Girls Global Academy (GGA). I jumped at the chance and thought it would be a wonderful experience where my voice could be heard by the administrators regarding the culture and expectations of teachers.

Over the years, I have listened to students and parents talk about teachers and their inability to connect to girls of color. So it was important to me to have my voice heard when establishing the culture at GGA.

I wanted to meet candidates who chose teaching as a passion rather than a job. Teachers who would be able to relate the subject area to the real everyday world for the girls. And most importantly, I wanted to hear authentic responses to scenarios which included understanding urban girls of color and cultural sensitivity.

The experience was eye opening!

Here are some ways for you to be involved right now:

Click here to complete a short form on how you would like to support Girls Global.

~ Follow us on Social Media @GirlsGlobalDC and like our posts.

~ Attend our service events and volunteer beside your student.

~ Weigh in on what social-emotional skills we should prioritize for year one.

~ Distribute flyers/posters to get the word out about Girls Global.

~ Join our steering committee to guide engineering and business pathways.

~ Make a suggestion on how you would like to be involved!

~ Participate on our hiring panels for staff members.

In the News

Check out the linked articles below to inspire and support our next generation of global leaders:

For the first time, flagship law journals at top U.S. law schools are all led by women

Lash Nolen Is Harvard Medical School’s First Black Woman Class President

Know Your Worth: Why Women Should Talk Openly About Salaries

GGA Newsletter – January 2020

January 31, 2020

by girlsglobal with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

MLK Day of Service

What a joy it was to have so many enthusiastic children and adults come out to our event on the MLK Day of Service. 88 volunteers packed over 10,000 meals and made over 150 care packages . The meals have been picked up by the Capital Area Food Bank and the care packages were delivered to So Others Might Eat. Thank you to WGirls, Palantir Tech, and CHCI for volunteering as groups.A special shoutout is extended to Miss District of Columbia’s Outstanding Teen, Kiana Kelly-Futch for volunteering with us.

Our next community event is the #FITDC Her Story 5K walk/run on March 7, 2020 to honor Women’s History Month. The race begins at Freedom Plaza and we would love for you to join us! Please email us if you would like to participate!

The My School DC Lottery closes soon!

My School DC tutorial video!

Year One Instructional Priorities

As a new school, we are prioritizing what we have identified from five years of feedback from families and community members:

We will know our students academically and social-emotionally.
We will establish a culture for learning with parent and student input.
We will assess learning in diverse ways to meet student need.
We will communicate regularly and transparently with families.

Families Are Our Partners

“Educators need to tear down the artificial wall between schools and parents”

~The Merrow Report

We sought family feedback when we started the application writing process in 2015 and continue to seek input and feedback from families. It is both appreciated and expected that your voice is at the table in making decisions.

Here are some ways for you to be involved right now:

~ Follow us on Social Media @GirlsGlobalDC and like our posts.

~ Attend our service events and volunteer beside your student.

~ Participate on our hiring panels for staff members.

~ Weigh in on what social-emotional skills we should prioritize for year one.

~ Distribute flyers/posters to get the word out about Girls Global.

~ Join our steering committee to guide engineering and business pathways.

~ Make a suggestion on how you would like to be involved!

Click here to complete a short form on how you would like to support Girls Global.

The Girls' School Advantage: By the Numbers

“I was really lucky because I went to an all-girl school and that single sex education really helped me because I really learned to bond with women and to not compete with or compare myself as much because we were all allowed to be ourselves and be unique and kind of have our unique strengths. But I always felt like my value was much more in my intellect than it was in my appearance, and so that’s what I spent time cultivating .

~Actress, Kerry Washington

GGA Newsletter – December 2019

December 29, 2019

by Girls Global Academy with No Comment Community Latest News Newsletters

GGA's First Open House

GGA hosted its first open house. Thank you to the families who braved the bitter cold on the evening of December 18th to hear more about our model.

A special ‘shout out’ is extended to our former students who graciously gave their time to talk to prospective families! See below for our next open house events in January.

The My School DC Lottery closes soon!

My School DC tutorial video!

Girls Global 2020 Open House Dates

Join us to learn more about our destination high school!

Girls Global Academy will be the premier training ground for high school girls in the areas of global citizenship, entrepreneurship and engineering in Washington, DC. Our program ignites empowerment and develops their confidence to lead and succeed at the local or global level. Refreshments will be served!

Meet our newest team member!

Jason Mellen has experience in the charter school sector and worked as the Chief Operating Officer of Vertus Charter High School. At Vertus he led the operations of the school that tripled in size, relocated to a new state of the art facility, and developed extensive systems and routines.

Learn more about Jason here.

GGA's First EdFEST

What an awesome first experience for the Girls Global team at EdFEST. We met over sixty families and community members. We appreciate everyone who stopped by our table to talk with the founding team and our board members. We even had a prospective parent join our table to discuss why an all-girls option was one that was the best choice for her and for her older daughter!