The (Gwinnett) HEAT is on!

Congratulations to the Gwinnett HEAT on the program’s 10-year anniversary!

The Gwinnett HEAT is the district’s coed, adapted sports program for students in grades 1-12. The program gives students with physical disabilities or orthopedic impairments an opportunity to participate in athletic competitions.

The HEAT fields three teams— wheelchair handball in the fall, wheelchair basketball in the winter, and wheelchair football in the spring. Participating student-athletes may or may not use a wheelchair on a day-to-day basis. However, wheelchairs—both manual and power—serve as a tool that allows students to play competitive sports.

Over the last decade, the program has won five state championships and teams have been state runner-up 15 times. Most recently, the HEAT placed second in the 2017 Georgia High School Association Wheelchair Handball state championship tournament in early November.

"Throughout the past 10 years, we have seen many of our athletes go onto college and into successful careers,” says Mike Phillips, area coordinator for the Adapted Sports Program. Mr. Phillips cites a Gwinnett HEAT student-athlete who went on to graduate from the University of Georgia and is now teaching and coaching at Mill Creek HS. “The adapted sports program has been very successful in giving students with a physical disability an opportunity to participate in competitive sports, and, in return, we're able to make a difference in their lives and future," he says.

Interested students, parents, and family members should contact Mr. Phillips at 678-301-6885 or by email at mike_phillips@gwinnett.k12.ga.us.

The Gwinnett HEAT is a member program of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs.

Gwinnett County needs your input on its countywide transportation plan for the future

If you live, work, go to school, or drive in Gwinnett County, you have a stake in how the county handles future transit needs. Based on community input, county transportation officials have developed a Comprehensive Transportation Plan, called Destination2040. That initial work is now complete, and officials are sharing a draft version of the plan for public feedback before finalizing and sharing recommendations with the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.

That’s where you come in. You can provide input on the draft version by reviewing the plan online before the Nov. 26 deadline. Email your questions and comments to the planning team at Destination2040@gwinnettcounty.com.

Destination2040 serves as a roadmap for how transportation will develop in Gwinnett County. The comprehensive transportation plan was funded by Gwinnett County and the Atlanta Regional Commission and has examined the many changes that have occurred in the County’s population, employment, land use, and development since the last plan update. The plan considers all modes of transportation including major roadways, all transit in the county, an overview of how people walk and ride bicycles, truck routes, and the Gwinnett County Airport.

Since the last plan was completed in 2008, much has changed in Gwinnett County. There have been major changes in population and employment, new developments have been built, and some transportation policies have changed That’s why this update is so important! With these changes in mind, the county has worked with the public to re-evaluate the vision, goals, objectives, and investment strategies set forth in the 2008 plan. The final plan provides a direction for transportation in Gwinnett County going forward, with a horizon year of 2040.

For additional information on the Destination2040 planning process, visit the project website.

Archer HS students thankful this season

Archer HS students have plenty for which they are thankful during this Thanksgiving season. A “Thankful Chain” that spans the school’s commons area represents those heartfelt sentiments as the students shared their thanks for family and friends, health and home, and more. The idea for the chain started with Archer Peer Leaders who visited guided study classes last week and asked their classmates to create their own link, sharing something for which they are thankful. The peer leaders collected more than 2,400 links, stapling the links into two chains that are more than 300 feet long combined.

Enjoy your time with family and friends

All GCPS schools will be closed for Thanksgiving Break during the week of Nov. 20. Students will return to class on Monday, Nov. 27. Gwinnett’s district offices will be open next week, closing Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holidays. If you have questions about the student calendar, you can find a copy on the GCPS website. Have a safe and restful holiday!

Attend Nov. 28 session on life beyond HS for students with special needs

Parents of students receiving special education services in Gwinnett are invited to attend an upcoming informational session on Tuesday, Nov. 28, part of the Gwinnett County Parent Mentors Present” series. Stacy Poteat and Allison Vernon, both part of the district’s Special education team, will present “Life Beyond the High School Diploma.”

This monthly learning series is designed for families of children with disabilities, and presented by Gwinnett County Parent Mentors Dawn Albanese and Jackie McNair in collaboration with GCPS' Special Education Department staff and community leaders and organizations. Typically, the sessions are held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in Building 200 at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center (ISC), located at 437 Old Peachtree Road, NW, in Suwanee.

Parent Mentors are parents who work within GCPS' special education department, providing information and support to other families who have children served in special education. The mentors have first-hand knowledge of raising a child with special needs as they both have a child who has been served or is being served in GCPS. 

To RSVP for the meeting, contact Ms. Albanese by phone at (678) 301-7212 or by email at dawn_albanese@gwinnett.k12.ga.us by Nov. 27. For more information regarding the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership, go to www.parentmentors.org.

School Psychology Awareness Week

School communities are most successful when students, staff, and parents are connected and all feel supported. During School Psychology Awareness Week (Nov. 13-17), our school psychologists encourage everyone to “power up” and serve as a “positive charge” to reinforce those critical connections and to spark positive change. The awareness campaign emphasizes that every individual— child and adult— can use his or her talents, skills, behaviors, and mindset to grow and contribute to the quality of the school and the wider community.

Families, teachers, school psychologists, administrators, and all school staff can work together to create a culture where making positive connections and taking action is the norm, simply by modeling and embracing the expectation. Small, positive steps taken each day can have a profound impact on our students and the culture of our schools.

So, every day (and this week especially), look for ways to pass along a “positive charge”… be kind, show gratitude, offer help, include others, celebrate creativity, work hard, be curious, explore ideas, try new skills, and support a team effort.

We thank our school psychologists for what they do to help our school communities to “power up” and provide the positive school culture in which our students thrive.

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