Branch Out! To get the most of library resources

Branch Out!— a partnership between GCPS and the county library system— is available for all GCPS students. With Branch Out!, a student's school ID doubles as a library card, giving access to the county's extensive collection of digital and print resources for students who opt into the program. Even better, overdue library fines are a thing of the past for Branch Out participants. Students who registered for Branch Out! at the beginning of the school year already have access, but it's not too late to take advantage of the program. Just fill out the online registration form and return it to your student's school. To access library resources, participating students need their GCPS ID number and a PIN (preset for birth month and day as MMDD). Students may change their PIN anytime via the GCPL website or by calling or visiting any library branch.

Election Day is a student holiday!

Families are reminded that Tuesday, Nov. 8, is a holiday for Gwinnett students. Adults and older students (age 18 as of Election Day) who are registered to vote and haven't advance voted yet, can find locations that offer early in-person voting through Nov. 4, or make their way to their regular polling place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day. Find poll locations on the Secretary of State’s (SOS) website at MVP (My Voting Page). Georgia voters can expect a lengthy ballot, including important local, state, and national races as well as four state amendments, a countywide SPLOST in Gwinnett, and additional local measures for some municipalities. (Find a sample ballot online.) Registered voters are encouraged to learn more about both issues and candidates under consideration this election cycle, and to be certain to complete the entire ballot.

Frontier Faire offers fun learning opportunity for families

Journey back to the 19th century this Saturday, Oct. 15, for the 8th annual Frontier Faire, set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the at the Fort Daniel Archaeological Site located at 2505 Braselton Hwy./GA 124 in Buford. "Dynamic Borders" is the theme of the annual event, which features supervised excavations and archaeology activities for the whole family, a trading post, demonstrations, access to the Fort Daniel Museum, a visit on the ArchaeoBus, reenactors exhbiting fromtier life, and story telling (10:30 a.m.) Admission is $5 per family or $2 for an individual. The site is owned by Gwinnett County and managed by the Fort Daniel Foundation.

Be Prepared, Have a Plan, Stay Informed

When disaster strikes, there’s no time to prepare. The folks at Ready Georgia help Georgians prepare for the unexpected and want you to be ready with a Ready Kit, a communications plan to connect with family and friends in an emergency, and pertinent preparedness information. Add the Ready Georgia app to your smartphone to be Ready,Georgia! Know that GCPS is prepared for emergencies, too. Learn more in this video.

Honoring our veterans, telling their stories

On Nov. 11, across the county, Gwinnett schools and offices honored our veterans with patriotic displays and special events. Here are photos from just a few Veterans Day activities in the Archer, Brookwood, Discovery, Mill Creek, and North Gwinnett clusters.

Please thank our veterans for their service, but, also take a moment to honor them with the gift of listening, particularly our older veterans. The Veterans History Project (a project of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress) "collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war." As you gather with family and friends over the next few months for holiday celebrations, consider how you can help your loved ones tell their stories.