May 4 deadline approaches to register for Online Campus for 2018-19

Students interested in participating in the full-time program at Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC) next school year have just a few more days to register. May 4 is the registration deadline to fill remaining slots in grades 4–12. Registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The registration process is not complete until all required documents are presented to the school office. GOC’s registrar is available Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m., and Fridays, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Once a grade level is full, a waiting list will be established. GOC does not offer mid-year enrollment.

GCPS schools accepting rising kindergartners for language programs

Families of rising kindergartners interested in GCPS’ Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program can register for the 2018–19 school year through May 10 at 3 p.m. (Families also must register at the school to which their child is zoned.) DLI is available at eight schools—Spanish at Annistown, Baldwin, Bethesda, Camp Creek, Ivy Creek, Level Creek, and Meadowcreek elementary schools and French at Trip ES. The schools will accept transfers if available slots are not filled by students in the school zone. Out-of-zone families must provide transportation.

Don’t miss need-to-know Essentials

Check your mailbox or your student’s book bag… The spring issue of Essentials takes a look at the some of the ways GCPS supports safe, secure, and successful schools as well as brief notes on summer school, information and opportunities for rising kindergartners, budget dates, an invitation to Area Board Meetings, and more!

Last Area Board Meeting set for April 17

If you haven’t made it to an Area Board Meeting yet, your last chance is Tuesday, April 17, at Dacula HS. Families from the Archer, Central Gwinnett, Dacula, and Grayson clusters, and Oakland Meadow School are encouraged to attend the meeting, hosted by Carole C. Boyce, 2018 Chairman and District I Representative. However, the meeting is open to all. CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks will give his annual address on the state of the school district, focusing on the district's strategic direction, recent successes, and new initiatives. This year, audience members are able to ask questions about the information shared, using their smartphone, tablet, or laptop to access an interactive mobile website. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the school theater. Refreshments will be served, starting at 6:15 p.m.

Registration continues for HS learning options for Summer 2018

High school students can register now for summer school to make up a class or get ahead. (Rising 9th graders can take Health and PE classes.)

June 3 is the deadline to register for online summer classes through Gwinnett Online Campus. Classes run June 11-July 3.

June 4 is the deadline to register for face-to-face summer classes that will be offered at three locations— Discovery, Mountain View, and South Gwinnett high schools— from June 11 to July 3. (Online registration ends June 3, with walk-in registration available at Discovery HS on June 4, 4-7 p.m.)

Parent Mentors invite bilingual families for special education session

Parents of students receiving special education services in Gwinnett are invited to attend an upcoming informational session on Tuesday, April 17, part of the “Gwinnett County Parent Mentors Present” series. Waleska Ackerman, a bilingual speech-language pathologist with GCPS, will present “Raising a Bilingual Child with Special Needs.”

This monthly learning series is designed for families of children with disabilities, and presented by the district’s Parent Mentors Dawn Albanese and Jackie McNair in collaboration with GCPS’ Special Education Department staff and community leaders and organizations. The sessions will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Central Gwinnett Room (2.111) 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 April 16. For more information regarding the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership, go to www.parentmentors.org. Families unable to attend the session may contact the Parent Mentor office for additional information.

2018-19 registration reopens for GOC, continues for other programs

Registration is underway for the following charter school and GCPS schools and programs for the 2018–19 year.

• Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC): Full-time registration reopens April 10, for students in grades 4–12 interested in attending GOC for 2018–19. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The registration process is not complete until all required documents are presented to the school office. The registrar is available Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Currently, there are openings for students in grades 4-12 for the 2018-19 school year. Once a grade level is full, a waiting list will be established. To secure a space, families are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Full-time Registration closes on Friday, May 4. Please note: GOC does not offer mid-year enrollment.
• Maxwell High School of Technology: Registration for the 2018–19 school year is underway.
• Grayson HS Technical Education Program: Online registration for 2018-19 continues. Students can apply from any GCPS computer, and must be in the GCPS network to apply.

Citizens encouraged to attend Area Board meeting in April

Don’t miss the remaining opportunities to hear CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks' annual address on the state of the school district, focusing on the district's strategic direction, recent successes, and new initiatives. This year, audience members will be able to ask questions about the information shared, using their smartphone, tablet, or laptop to access an interactive mobile website.

GCPS’ annual Area Board Meetings are organized by cluster schools, but citizens may attend any one of the meetings. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the host school’s theater. Refreshments will be served, starting at 6:15 p.m.

• April 10 at Mill Creek HS, hosted by Daniel D. Seckinger, 2018 Vice Chairman and District II Representative, for Collins Hill, Lanier, Mill Creek, and Mountain View clusters, and GIVE Center East, Gwinnett Online Campus, and Phoenix HS
• April 12 at Berkmar HS, hosted by Louise Radloff, District V Representative, for Berkmar, Discovery, and Meadowcreek clusters, and GSMST, Maxwell HS of Technology, and the International Transition Center
• April 17 at Dacula HS, hosted by Carole C. Boyce, 2018 Chairman and District I Representative, for Archer, Central Gwinnett, Dacula, and Grayson clusters, and Oakland Meadow School

Meetings for District III (Dr. Mary Kay Murphy) and District IV (Dr. Robert McClure) were held before Spring Break.