The last Area Board meeting is April 16… Join us!

You're invited to the District III Area Board Meeting on Tuesday, April 16, at North Gwinnett HS! It's a great opportunity for families in the Duluth, Norcross, North Gwinnett, and Peachtree Ridge clusters to come learn more about GCPS. Check out the flyer for a complete listing of schools and clusters attending this meeting which will begin at 7 p.m. in the school theater. Refreshments will be served, beginning at 6:15.

2019-20 GOC registration reopens, continues for CTE options

Registration is underway for the following GCPS schools and programs for the 2019–20 year.

• Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC): Full-time registration has reopened for students in grades 4–12 who are interested in attending GOC for 2019–20. 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 2:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 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 3, at 2 p.m. If you are interested in a school tour, please contact the main office. Be aware that GOC does not offer mid-year enrollment.

• Maxwell HS of Technology: Registration for the 2019–20 school year is underway for programs with open slots. Online registration is open and accessible via the Student Portal.

• Grayson HS Technical Education Program: Online registration for 2019-20 continues, available through the Student Portal.

State Board of Education’s Kinnemore invites citizens to 4th District public hearing

State Board of Education member Lisa Kinnemore will hold a public hearing for citizens in the 4th Congressional District on Thursday, April 11. The meeting will be held 7-8 p.m. at Shiloh HS, located at 4210 Shiloh Rd. in Snellville. The purpose of the hearing is to hear comments from interested citizens and educators within the district regarding the performance and problems of public education. Persons wishing to speak should sign in upon arrival. For more information, please contact Debbie Caputo at 404-657-7410. The 4th Congressional District includes Rockdale County and parts of DeKalb, Gwinnett, and Newton counties. (You can find your congressional district online.)

Paint the Pavement Purple with ISC’s Relay run on April 27

If you like to run (or walk) and have a passion for stopping cancer in its tracks, plan to take part in the 10th annual Paint the Pavement Purple ISC 5K Run/Walk on Sat., April 27. Registration is now open for the annual event, sponsored by the Relay For Life (RFL) team for the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center. The Early Bird entry fee is $25 and includes a T-shirt. Register five runners for $100 with the Family Discount. Day of Race registrants will pay $30. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society and its efforts to fight cancer, fund research, increase prevention awareness, and support those battling the disease. GCPS is proud to be among the largest contributors to Gwinnett County’s RFL.

Parent Mentors share advice on key topics for families of students with special needs

Parent Mentors share advice on key topics for families of students with special needs

Parents of students receiving special education services in Gwinnett are invited to attend upcoming informational sessions, part of the Gwinnett County Parent Mentors Present” series. 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. 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.

·   Tuesday, April 16-- Waleska Ackerman, a bilingual speech-language pathologist in GCPS' Special Education and Psychological Services Department, will present “Raising a Bilingual Child with Special Needs.” Topics will include myths of being bilingual, benefits of being bilingual, disorder vs. difference, and how to maintain home language. The session will be held in the Central Gwinnett Room (2.111) in Building 200 of the  J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center (ISC) located at 437 Old Peachtree Road, NW, in Suwanee. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. To RSVP, contact Ms. Albanese by phone at (678) 301-7212 or by email at dawn_albanese@gwinnett.k12.ga.us by April 15.

·   Wednesday, April  17-- Chris Shaw, a special education instructional coach with GCPS, will present "Learning with Processing Deficits and the Impact on Life." In this session, parents will learn how to better understand their child’s needs. Ms. Shaw will share strategies to promote independence and personal responsibility. This special meeting will be conducted at the OneStop Centerville Community Center, located at 3025 Bethany Church Road in Snellville. Hours are 10 a.m. to Noon. To RSVP for the meeting, contact Ms. McNair by phone at (678) 301-7149 or by email  at Jackie_McNair@gwinnett.k12.ga.us  by April 16.

For more information regarding the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership, go to www.parentmentors.org.

Online Campus registration to reopen April 9

Registration for full-time students at Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC) for the 2019-20 school year will reopen on April 9 to fill remaining slots. Registration will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Currently, there are openings for students at all grade levels offered at GOC— grades 4-12. 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 when registration re-opens. GOC does not offer mid-year enrollment.

The registration process is not complete until all required documents are presented to the school office. The school registrar is available Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration will close on Friday, May 3, at 2 p.m.

Online, find answers to Frequently Asked Questions, learn about the benefits of online learning, and view a demo course. If you are interested in a school tour, please contact the main office.

Remember, Friday is a student holiday!

Not that anyone will forget, but just a reminder that this Friday, March 29, is a student holiday, followed by a week-long Spring Break.

Check out this opportunity for metro Atlanta’s next generation of leaders

Students, are you looking for an opportunity to grow your leadership skills? Do you care about traffic congestion, affordable housing, protection of greenspace, or the needs of older adults? If so, the Model Atlanta Regional Commission (MARC) is the perfect opportunity for you!

For more than 20 years, the MARC has been the only program of its kind to engage students in experiential learning in areas such as transportation, natural resource sustainability, and community development through the lens of the Atlanta region. During the six-month program, MARC participants learn from subject-area experts and community leaders within a diverse cohort of students to develop actionable solutions to regional issues.

The free program features interactive, hands-on activities, behind-the-scenes tours, and thought-provoking discussions with local civic leaders and experts in industries such as natural resource management, economic development, and transportation planning.

The 2019-20 MARC program application is available now. Applicants must be rising 10th or 11th grade students for the 2019-20 school year who attend school in the 10-county Atlanta region (which includes Gwinnett County) and who are interested in learning how they can act to promote change in metro Atlanta.

Visit the MARC website for more information and to apply. Contact Brittney Palmer at bpalmer@atlantaregional.org or call 470-378-1472 if you have any questions or need more information. The program is free to attend and most monthly sessions are held on Saturdays. Applications are due by April, 8, 2019.

Incoming kindergartners can learn a new language with DLI

Families of rising kindergartners interested in GCPS’ Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program can register for the 2019–20 school year through May 9 at 3 p.m. DLI is available at nine schools— Spanish at Annistown, Baldwin, Bethesda, Camp Creek, Ivy Creek, Level Creek, and Meadowcreek elementary schools; French at Trip ES; and, new for 2019-20, Korean at Parsons 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.

Note: In addition to completing DLI registration paperwork, families must register for kindergarten at the school to which their child is zoned. Parents should visit the website of their new kindergartner’s assigned school to register online, beginning April 1, and then complete the registration process at the local school on May 2. Parents unsure which school their child will attend, should go to the GCPS SchoolLocator online.