Mark your calendar for Wednesday's job fair for substitutes

GCPS’ Substitute Teaching Job Fair is set for Wed., Oct. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Central Gwinnett HS (564 W. Crogan Street in Lawrenceville). At the event, learn more about being a Gwinnett substitute and complete an online application. All applicants are required to have at least 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of college credit, but teacher certification is not required for substitutes. Compensation ranges from $87 a day up to $97 per day for long-term subs (10 consecutive days in the same classroom). Apply today at www.GCPSjobs.org. 

8th graders to take PSAT 8/9 on Oct. 26

Gwinnett’s 8th graders have an early opportunity to set their course for college and careers. GCPS students in 8th grade will take the PSAT 8/9 on Oct. 26 at no cost. The PSAT 8/9 is a test that helps determine what students need to work on most so that they are ready for college when they graduate from high school, and offers a preview of assessments they may choose to take in high school. It’s part of the College Board family of assessments that includes the SAT college-admission assessment and the PSAT NMSQT, a preview of the SAT. The PSAT 8/9 tests the same skills and knowledge as the SAT and PSAT NMSQT, but in a way that makes sense for 8th graders. It takes the place of the Iowa Assessments for Gwinnett 8th graders. Learn more about the PSAT 8/9 on the College Board website. 

Learn more about college, careers at Grayson's tech ed open house

GCPS students, especially sophomores and juniors, are invited to experience the exciting courses that will be offered through the Grayson HS Technical Education Program in 2017-18. The upcoming Open House—set for Thursday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m.-- will feature live demonstrations and displays of student work. Students can visit classrooms, meet teachers, speak with current students, and tour the Grayson Technical Building!

Attending the event is recommended for students so they can learn about the programs before registration begins in early spring semester, and work with their counselors now to ensure that their schedule will accommodate a Grayson Technical Program. During registration, programs are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

At the GHSTEP Open House, students also can attend a min-College Fair where more than 20 college representatives will answer questions about admissions, financial aid, and Move On When Ready options.

For more information, call 770-554-7082 or visit the GHSTEP website. The school is located at 50 Hope Hollow Road in Loganville.

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.

Vote daily for $100,000 i-BLAZE grant

Don't forget that you can vote daily (once from every email address you use) in the Farmers Insurance $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge. And, of course, we hope you'll vote for i-BLAZE, an innovative after-school intervention program for students at Brookwood ES and Meadowcreek ES. Check out the proposal by Dr. Sharon Smith and cast your vote every day through Oct. 31.  (Each time, you'll be asked to verify your vote via an email link. If you don't, it doesn't count, so please take this extra step.) Six Dream Big winners will be named in December, earning $100,000 each.

Weigh in on AKS through Oct. 13

Parents, community members, and GCPS staff members can give their feedback on proposed changes and additions to the district's Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum. This review is addressing AKS for Social Studies (K-12), Science (K-12), American Sign Language, a few Language Arts courses, and a Mathematics course. Review the proposed AKS online and offer your feedback through an online survey. Feedback will be accepted through Oct. 13. Changes in the AKS will be considered at the GEMS Oversight Committee meeting on Nov. 3. The committee will make recommendations to CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks for adoption by the School Board.

Exhibitors needed for Oct. 28 Career Connections event

To better prepare our students for a smooth transition from high school to college and career, GCPS will conduct Gwinnett's third annual Career Connections Exhibition for the district’s Career Academy 8th graders on Oct. 28. The event will bring together close to 200 exhibitors from across the career spectrum for “show and tell” interviews and activities. GCPS is seeking business people who can provide engaging presentations about what they do and what it takes to pursue a successful career in their field. There's no cost for exhibitors to participate. If your business is interested in exhibiting, please complete the exhibitor registration form online. You can learn more about the event by checking out this video from the first Career Connections event and an article about the 2015 event. Nearly 5,000 middle schoolers will participate this fall. Students from 11 middle schools feed into our seven College and Career Academy high schools: Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Discovery, Lanier, Meadowcreek, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett. Questions? Contact Dr. Savela Pappas in the Office of Academies and Career and Technical Education at 678-301-6085, or e-mail savela_pappas@gwinnett.k12.ga.us.

Schools celebrating golden anniversaries

Two Gwinnett schools are celebrating 50th anniversaries this fall. Current and former students, staff, and community members are invited to celebrate this milestone for Harris ES and Berkmar HS.

The Berkmar HS celebration is scheduled for Sat., Nov. 5. Watch for details soon. The school is located at 405 Pleasant Hill Rd. in Lilburn.

Another GCPS school-- Lovin ES in Lawrenceville-- celebrated its 10th anniversary with a community event on Sept. 30.

The Harris ES event took place on Sat., Oct. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. 

Looking for a few great exhibitors

Community members from across the career spectrum are needed for “show and tell” interviews and activities at the upcoming Career Connections event, set for Oct. 28. The event supports college- and career-readiness for the district’s Career Academy 8th graders. Prospective exhibitors can find information about the event and a sign up form online. To learn more, contact Dr. Savela Pappas by e-mail at savela_pappas@gwinnett.k12.ga.us or call 678-301-6085.