Ed Briefs

In this episode of Coffee with Calvin, Dr. Watts visits Starling Elementary School for a glimpse into the varied, vital duties of GCPS Custodians.

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) teachers participated in an inaugural orientation for the newly launched Georgia State STEM Education Master's Program—a GCPS and Georgia State University (GSU) partnership geared towards enhancing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) teaching practices. The program focuses on equipping educators with the skills to excel in STEM education, signifying a substantial stride in STEM teaching within GCPS.

Through this collaboration, GCPS teachers can pursue a tuition-free Master of Education (M.Ed.) in STEM Education via a 100% online format. The program caters to educators holding renewable certificates in middle-level education, science, or mathematics at the middle or secondary levels, enabling them to deepen their understanding of STEM content and integrate it into standards-based curricula. This initiative underscores the commitment to elevating STEM education in the region's public schools while alleviating financial burdens for participating teachers.

Each month of the 2023-24 school year, we will spotlight one of our strategic priorities or Portrait of a Graduate competencies by sharing the stories of two clusters—highlighting their classrooms, notable events, community insights, achievements, community service projects, student organizations, volunteer efforts, and more.

Adaptability is one of the six competencies of our Portrait of a Graduate (and Portrait of a Leader!). GCPS students and staff will

• work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities, demonstrating flexibility when acclimating to various roles and situations;
• respond productively to feedback, praise, setbacks, and criticism; persevering to achieve success despite difficulty, opposition, and/or failure; and
• are confident working independently and with diverse groups through various situations.

Stay tuned this month as we showcase the Collins Hill and Grayson clusters' fantastic work in their commitment to adaptability as they show examples of our #GCPSBlueprintInAction.

GCPS is proud to announce the return of Community-Based Mentoring, a program that continues to positively impact our students. Students have shown significant academic improvement by having a positive and encouraging mentor in their corner. In the spirit of community, the Mentoring program is seeking the help of Team GCPS to mentor our students. To make a difference in a student’s journey through GCPS, learn more about the impact of Mentoring and get involved.

We are happy to announce that we have adopted the CharacterStrong resources this school year, which takes on a Whole School, Whole Child approach! This curriculum includes staff and student activities around social-emotional skills that have proved to help us be productive, empathetic, and successful individuals.

Each month, we will include “Staff CharacterDares” that are low burden, high impact (LoHi). These dares help to strengthen relationships from staff to students, staff to staff, and staff to families. If you complete the monthly dares by the end of the school year, you will have engaged in thoughtful conversations, relationship-building activities, and character development at home. Find out more about September's "Staff CharacterDares.”

Did you know you can customize your Chrome browser settings to fit your needs? Set up Chrome profiles, customize your browser’s appearance, and find other helpful tips.

Amidst the excitement of the new school year, Collins Hill High School students and staff are enjoying a transformative upgrade to their school cafeteria. The school's cafeteria now includes a cutting-edge serving line that brings efficiency, flexibility, and modernity to mealtime. The cafeteria plays a vital role in the daily lives of students and staff as a place to build community. One of the standout features of the new serving line is its unparalleled flexibility. Designed to cater to a wide range of culinary offerings, the line can seamlessly accommodate hot and cold products, enabling the team to serve everything from deliciously hot pizzas to delectable sandwiches without missing a beat. With up to six wells, the serving line offers ample space for various dishes, ensuring students access a diverse and well-balanced menu. The new serving line at Collins Hill High School is equipped with individual, intuitive controls that allow cafeteria staff to switch between serving on and off and with ease. Bon appetit, Collins Hill HS!

As the weather changes and fall leaves drape the landscape, there's an undeniable excitement as students, athletes, and fans gear up for the kickoff of fall sports and extracurriculars. This year's season openers promise the thrill of competition and the community pride that comes with well-maintained athletic fields and grounds.

This season, our district will continue to enjoy the state-of-the-art artificial turf on all high school football fields, an installation completed in full last fall. The artificial turf fields enhance gameplay and foster a strong sense of community and local school pride by permanently installing school and cluster logos on the field.

As track season is underway, runners at Meadowcreek High School will enjoy a newly added asphalt track, new event pads for the high jump, long jump, other track and field events, and additional fencing with windscreens, put in last spring. Additions such as these promote precision and safety in training and elevate the quality of competitions held within the district.

Our GCPS Grounds department annually maintains over 4,500 total district acres, including 138 acres of playing surface. The kick-off of fall extracurriculars is more than just a celebration of student talent; it is also a time to see, in full display, the district's commitment to safety, community engagement, and excellence.

The 2023 Gwinnett County Sports Hall of Fame inducted six athletes and sports professionals who have made their mark on Gwinnett County and beyond. Coach Cecil Flowe, Brock Newman, Rhea Taylor, Amanda Winslow Rego, Jared Cook, and Will Hammock have all played their part in making Gwinnett County sports legendary. Championship basketball coach and player Kim Mulkey was the evening’s keynote speaker. Coach Mulkey opened the floor for a Q&A discussing her career, her take on the status of sports in 2023, and what she sees for the future of college sports as a community and a business.

Through the generosity and kindness of our donors, proceeds from the 2023 Hall of Fame will go to supporting academic initiatives and more than 100 scholarships for GCPS students. Events like these allow us to be a resource for student success, enrichment, and empowerment. Since 2010, more than 1,000 GCPS Foundation scholarships have been awarded and supported GCPS students as they pursue higher education. The Foundation is so grateful for the support we receive from our donors and our school district.

All GCPS schools and facilities are closed on September 4 in observance of Labor Day.

September 15 is a scheduled Digital Learning Day (DLD) for all students. To ensure that students have a nutritious breakfast and lunch to fuel their learning, our bus drivers will be on the road and at every bus stop to deliver meals prepared by the School Nutrition Program staff. Schools can inform families to expect buses to run their routes from approximately 10:45 a.m. to noon, beginning at the first stops on the route on September 15. These delivered meals are provided at no cost to families and to anyone 18 years old and under.

Safety signs for public areas and classrooms have been updated with the most recent tip line information. The signs are available on the SharePoint Communications Database now and translated versions of the tip line sign will be available soon. The signs above will also be printed for all schools to display in hallways and common areas. The Emergency Preparedness poster (not shown) will be printed for display in every classroom. Be on the lookout for new signs arriving in schools in September.

We offer up to $21.69 per hour and an outstanding benefits package! GCPS custodians make a difference in their school community while following a flexible schedule that provides paid time off. Never worked as a custodian before? No problem! GCPS provides fully paid one-on-one training—we will make you successful.

In Gwinnett County Public Schools, we believe in partnering with organizations that can help save lives while doing all we can to help prepare our students to become the best version of themselves. Our focus this month continues to spotlight the American Heart Association, and the importance of a healthy mind, body, and soul. Right now, someone you love may be in danger of a heart attack or stroke. If you ordered the new Gwinnett Has Heart shirt, those will be delivered on September 6.

Participating in the American Heart Challenge? You can find resources online and virtually connect with our local contact, Holly Marbut between late September-December. Book time with Holly Marbut: KHC/AHC Connect

Join us for a special GCPS gameday to see the Gwinnett Stripers take on the Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) at Coolray Field on Sunday, September 10th. The first pitch will be thrown at 1:05 p.m.

You can purchase a field box seat for $15 and $5 will go back to the GCPS foundation as well as a separate food voucher that includes a hot dog, chips, and soda for $7.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:

1. Add your friends and family ticket(s), friends and family food voucher(s), and/or optional employee donation to your shopping cart.
2. Click “checkout” to complete your purchase.
3. Enter your payment information.

The GCPS Foundation invites you to partner with Lidl’s Groceries that give back campaign and earn up to $50,000 for your school’s athletic programs and other extracurricular activities. To register your school to start earning money, Email your school’s name, a contact name, and details to highschoolgiveback@lidl.us by September 10.

In this Focus Moment, Parkview High School's 3DE Program brings all its students together for a kickoff event in fellowship, fun, and collaboration.

In this Falcons Freddie-Grams Surprise, Freddie Falcon visited Summerour and Lilburn Middle Schools to surprise our outstanding staff.

Want to share a success story about your school or department with the entire GCPS community?

Are you looking for a way to recognize a teacher, student, or team member for their work? Do you want to share an upcoming event or opportunity?

Do you have GCPS Good News to share? Let us know through this online form.

• Board meeting and work session (August 17)
  
• EdBriefs (August 4)
• Connected (August 25)
  
• GCPS Links (August 18)
  
• News Releases
  
• Student Calendars
  
• News You Can Use
  

• Keep Connected with news from GCPS TV… the next episode airs September 8!
• The next regular Board meeting is September 21. (Online, find links to sign up for the public comment sections of the meeting.)
  
• Watch for the next issue of GCPS Links on September 15!