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During the school year, the Department of Communication & Media Relations produces a media tip sheet called "News You Can Use, which is distributed to metro Atlanta news outlets electronically. This publication provides school and system news, including recent honors, upcoming events, calendar items, and photo opportunities at local schools and central office locations. The tip sheet is sent out at the end of each week, and covers news and GCPS items of interest for the coming 7-10 days.
View All Archived News You Can Use
News You Can Use…
A Gwinnett County Public Schools Tip Sheet For The News Media
01/27/2013 - 02/03/2013
TONIGHT
Dyer Elementary will host a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) Night on Jan. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Hands-on STEM activities will include the following:
- Can you construct the tallest tower? Who can build the strongest boat?
- Conquer the Estimation Challenge
- Use Technology to create a Paper Movie
- 3rd-5th Grade Science Fair Projects on Display
For more information, call Teacher Matt Bonk at 770-963-6214.
Harbins Elementary will host the school’s annual Instructional Fair on Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Parents will have a chance to practice Bring Your Own Device “BYOD” and participate in eCLASS learning activities. For more information, call the school at 770-682-4270.
HONORS
The Duncan Creek Elementary Cardinal Choir has been invited to perform at the Georgia Music Education Association Conference in Savannah on January 24 and 25. Duncan Creek Elementary is one of only two elementary schools in the state invited to perform at the conference. Music Teachers John Cypert and Jane Roth will direct the performance by 90 students. These 4th and 5th grade students participated in an audition process at the beginning of the year. For more information, call 678-714-5800.
UPCOMING
Peachtree Ridge High will host a performance for students on Jan. 28 at 11 a.m. “Duo Virtuosi” showcases the talents of world renowned Bulgarian Viennese violinist Bojidara Kouzmanova and Spanish classical and flamenco guitarist Virginia Luque. The duo’s remarkable performances have inspired audiences wherever they perform. For more information, call the school at 678-957-3100.
Harbins Elementary will host teachers from other GCPS schools on Jan. 30 to share the work they are doing in eClass. Teachers will have the opportunity to learn about Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) implementation at the school. For more information, call 770-682-4270.
The 2013 Gwinnett Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Gwinnett County Association of Educators, will be held at Central Gwinnett High on Feb. 2 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration will be held at 7:15 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. The oral portion of the bee will begin approximately 30 minutes after the written portion of the bee. For more information, call Louis Mair, with the Gwinnett County Association of Educators, at 770-638-2300.
More than 200 colleges and universities will be represented at the National College Fair in Atlanta. Open to middle school and high school students, the event is scheduled to take place on Feb.10 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center. Information on financial aid and college admissions will be available at workshops during the fair. Students may register at www.gotomyncf.com, and watch a video with more information at http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/students-parents/resources/Pages/video.aspx for a complete overview of the fair.
Maxwell High School of Technology will hold an Open House on Feb. 21 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. for sophomores and juniors interested in attending the school next year. Programs of study include Aircraft Flight Operations, Early Childhood Education, Architecture, Auto Collision Repair, Automotive Services, Construction Welding, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Drawing and Design, Electronics, Graphic Communications and Design, Healthcare, Interior Design, Law and Justice, Medical Services, Nursing, and Sciences: Diagnostics. For more information, call 770-963-6838 or visit www.maxwellhigh.com to register online beginning Feb. 1.
The 2013 Gwinnett Regional Science & Engineering Fair will take place on Feb. 22, at the Gwinnett Center, beginning at 9 a.m. An open house will be held at 3:30 p.m. and the event concludes with an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to celebrate science and engineering and take part of inspiring the next generation of leaders in Gwinnett County. Call 678-301-7036 or visit the Science Fair website— www.gwinnettsciencefair.com— for more information or to sign up to support the 2013 Science and Engineering Fair as a sponsor or judge.
The 2013 Miss Peachtree Ridge High Scholarship Pageant will be held on Feb. 23. This year’s theme is Pretty in Pink and will honor contestants’ friends and family members by making a donation to the American Cancer Society with a portion of the proceeds. The Miss Freshman/Miss Sophomore Pageant will be held at 3 p.m. and the Miss Junior/Miss Peachtree Ridge High Pageant will begin at 7 p.m. in the school theater. For more information, visit the school website at www.peachtreeridge.org.
RECENTLY
Kanoheda Elementary hosted a visit from two members of Camp Jam recently through the “Little Kids Rock” program. Camp Jam is a Day and Night rock music camp where students are schooled in every aspect of playing in a rock and roll band. Steve Freeman, the National Director, and Pat Vally, Camp Instructor, were guests for the day. Students participated in a question and answer session. Prizes were awarded to students that included T-shirts, music books, guitar picks, and temporary music tattoos. Fifth Grader Dylan Garcia was the recipient of the grand prize— an all-inclusive week at Camp Jam. Students also participated in a jam session with Instructor Pat Vally. For more information, call Music Instructor Melvin Jordan at 770-682-4221.
Rockbridge Elementary is the recipient on the birthday of community partner Ms. Gloria Watson of playground balls for each classroom. Two years ago Ms. Watson asked that her friends donate coats for Rockbridge Elementary students, and last year she asked that books be donated for students on her birthday. This year, for her birthday, Ms. Watson asked friends and family to donate one playground ball per classroom. For more information, call Leigh Britt, media specialist, at 770-417-2427.
ONGOING
This year’s review of GCPS’ curriculum offers two opportunities for parents, staff, and community members to share their feedback about the school system’s Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS). The school system is seeking input on new AKS that have been developed to align with new state Common Core Standards as well as AKS for other new courses. In addition, citizens may give feedback on additions, changes, or deletions for the current AKS. Both reviews run Jan. 14 through Feb. 15. A committee will consider both community and staff suggestions and will make its recommendations to CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks for adoption by the Board of Education. Following adoption, feedback will be provided to staff members who made suggestions. See below for details on each review, and links for both the current 2012-13 AKS and the proposed 2013-14 AKS.
- Review of AKS aligned with NEW Common Core Math Courses and NEW AKS for other courses-- Last year, the Georgia Department of Education adopted a new state curriculum-- the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS)-- for K-12 Language Arts, K-12 Mathematics, and literacy standards for Science, Social Studies, and Technical Education. The first phase of this revised curriculum began in 2012-13, with K-12 Language Arts and K-9 Mathematics.
This next phase for 2013-14 includes five new Common Core-aligned mathematics courses for grades 9-12-- Algebra II CC, Geometry CC, Accelerated Geometry CC, Precalculus CC, and Accelerated Precalculus CC. Parents, staff, and community members are invited to review the proposed AKS to provide input on the recommended curriculum revisions for the five new mathematics courses for grades 9-12.
In addition, AKS are under review for two Junior Leadership Corps courses for middle school students, and Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) courses for the district’s Army program at the high school level.
Click here to review and comment on the NEW AKS via an online survey. Comments will be accepted through Friday, Feb. 15.
- Annual review of CURRENT Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum-- If there is an AKS participants would like to see added, deleted, or revised, they may complete the AKS Review Form, which is available on the GCPS website. A copy of the review form is also available at the local school.
- AKS Review Forms may be submitted by e-mail to AKS_Review@gwinnett.k12.ga or by U.S. mail to Curriculum Development Office, 437 Old Peachtree Rd. NW, Suwanee, Georgia 30024.
Comments will be accepted through Friday, Feb. 15.
Public review for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) runs through January 29. Georgia is among 26 states leading development of the standards in natural science and engineering for grades K-12. The NGSS process is being managed by Achieve, a non-partisan education non-profit. The movement is designed to increase readiness for college and careers in science as studies expect growth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs will continue to outpace those of non-STEM jobs. Georgia has not adopted the Next Generation Science Standards and will form working groups to study their adoption after the final version of the standards is released by the end of March 2013. The public’s feedback is welcomed. To provide comments, participants can visit www.nextgenscience.org and click on any of the links that say “Go to the NGSS Survey.”
The school district’s charter schools and a special technical education program have scheduled information sessions and registration dates as they prepare for the 2013–14 school year.
- Gwinnett Online Campus (GOC), GCPS’ diploma-granting, virtual charter school, will serve grades 4–12 next year. GOC will hold information sessions around the district including a meeting tonight at Collins Hill High, and on Jan. 31, and Feb. 7. Registration for full-time students will be open Feb. 1–28.
- Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST), the district’s STEM-focused charter high school, will hold informational meetings for interested 8th graders on Jan. 15. The registration packet is available for download with a Feb. 1 deadline. If more registrations are received than available seats, the school will hold a public lottery on Feb. 11.
- Maxwell High School of Technology begins online registration on Feb. 1. Maxwell is GCPS’ technical career-focused charter high school. Students attend classes at both Maxwell and their regular GCPS school.
- Grayson High Technical Education Program is a career-focused special program housed at Grayson High. An information session for the 2013–14 school year is scheduled for Feb. 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Registration applications will be available online Feb. 1.
Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) invites parents and members of the community to join GCPS staff members by participating in a review of proposed curriculum materials. Parents may provide input on the proposed materials by participating in the public review. GCPS holds an extensive review before adopting materials for classroom use. Materials submitted by publishers are reviewed by teachers, administrators, and parents for alignment with the school system’s Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum. During the review that runs from Feb. 11 to Feb. 23, GCPS staff and members of the Gwinnett community will review mathematics materials for grades 6-12 and non-fiction books for grades K-5. Reviews are scheduled as follows:
Instructional Support Center
Hallway between Buildings 100 and 200, 437 Old Peachtree Road NW, Suwanee
- Monday–Friday, Feb., 11-22, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Thursday, Feb. 21, 5–8 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 23, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Based on all input gathered from this review, a recommendation will be made to the Gwinnett County Board of Education for adoption of materials. For more information about the instructional review process, please contact Ryan Queen, Director of Instructional Materials, at 678-301-6828.
GCPS TV
Tune in to Gwinnett County Public Schools’ educational access channel for education programs and information. TV cable channels and providers include: Charter on Channel 22, Comcast on Channel 24 and 26, and for AT&T check under local government listings. For more information, call the GCPS Broadcast and Distance Learning Department at 678-301-7800, or e-mail gcpstv@gwinnett.k12.ga.us. GCPS TV is now available via live video streaming on the GCPS TV web site-- www.gcpstv.org.
Visit the school system website at www.gwinnett.k12.ga.usfor the most current News Releases.
SIGN UP TODAY TO RECEIVE SCHOOL SYSTEM NEWS
Sign up to receive Gwinnett County Public Schools’ e-newsletter, GCPS eNews... a quick, easy way to learn more about Georgia’s largest school system. In this newsletter, you’ll find stories on teaching and learning, school leadership and governance, and the partnerships that make Gwinnett County Public Schools successful. Go to the school system’s homepage for sign-up information (www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us) and to check out the e-News archives.
CALENDAR
February is National African American History Month and Technical Education Month.
February 3 is Scout Sunday.
February 4-8 is National School Counseling Week.
February 10-16 is National Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Week.
February 12 is Georgia Day.
A regular meeting of the Gwinnett County Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m., February 21, 2013, at the Instructional Support Center (ISC), located at 437 Old Peachtree Rd. NW in Suwanee.
The following schools will hold Local School Council Dates in January. Call the local school for the time and location.
| School | January |
| Cedar Hill Elementary | 30-Jan |
| Cooper Elementary | 29-Jan |
| Craig Elementary | 28-Jan |
| GIVE Center West | 30-Jan |
| Stripling Elementary | 29-Jan |
| Sugar Hill Elementary | 29-Jan |
| Suwanee Elementary | 28-Jan |
| Winn Holt Elementary | 31-Jan |
| School | February |
| Alcova Elementary | 5-Feb |
| Annistown Elementary | 5-Feb |
| Arcado Elementary | 7-Feb |
| Archer High School | 25-Feb |
| Bay Creek Middle | 22-Feb |
| Beaver Ridge Elementary | 21-Feb |
| Berkeley Lake Elementary | 21-Feb |
| Berkmar High | 25-Feb |
| Berkmar Middle | 5-Feb |
| Bethesda Elementary | 11-Feb |
| Britt Elementary | 5-Feb |
| Brookwood High | 5-Feb |
| Buice School | 1-Feb |
| Burnette Elementary | 8-Feb |
| Centerville Elementary | 8-Feb |
| Corley Elementary | 8-Feb |
| Crews Middle | 21-Feb |
| Dacula Elementary | 1-Feb |
| Dacula Middle | 12-Feb |
| Duluth High | 19-Feb |
| Duluth Middle | 5-Feb |
| Dyer Elementary | 27-Feb |
| Fort Daniel Elementary | 1-Feb |
| Freeman’s Mill Elementary | 1-Feb |
| GIVE Center East | 5-Feb |
| Grayson Elementary | 22-Feb |
| Grayson High | 1-Feb |
| Harmony Elementary | 22-Feb |
| Head Elementary | 13-Feb |
| Hull Middle | 8-Feb |
| Jackson Elementary | 14-Feb |
| Jenkins Elementary | 21-Feb |
| Jones Middle | 14-Feb |
| Knight Elementary | 8-Feb |
| Lanier High | 5-Feb |
| Lawrenceville Elementary | 12-Feb |
| Lilburn Middle | 5-Feb |
| McConnell Middle | 26-Feb |
| McKendree Elementary | 1-Feb |
| Meadowcreek Elementary | 12-Feb |
| Mill Creek High | 12-Feb |
| Minor Elementary | 1-Feb |
| Monarch School | 28-Feb |
| Mountain Park Elementary | 4-Feb |
| Nesbit Elementary | 5-Feb |
| Norcross Elementary | 8-Feb |
| North Gwinnett Middle | 19-Feb |
| Parkview High | 19-Feb |
| Patrick Elementary | 1-Feb |
| Peachree Ridge High | 21-Feb |
| Pharr Elementary | 7-Feb |
| Puckett’s Mill Elementary | 21-Feb |
| Radloff Middle | 21-Feb |
| Richards Middle | 4-Feb |
| Roberts Elementary | 8-Feb |
| Rock Springs Elementary | 14-Feb |
| Rockbridge Elementary | 21-Feb |
| Rosebud Elementary | 22-Feb |
| Shiloh High | 12-Feb |
| Shiloh Middle | 22-Feb |
| Summerour Middle | 12-Feb |
| Sweetwater Middle | 5-Feb |
| Trip Elementary | 22-Feb |
| Woodward Mill Elementary | 8-Feb |
EVENTS AT GWINNETT ENVIRONMENTAL & HERITAGE CENTER
Part science and nature center, part energy institute, and part history center, the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center (GEHC) is a collaborative educational initiative. Partners are GCPS, Gwinnett County Government, the University of Georgia, and the Center’s foundation. The Center is dedicated to student field studies and activities Mon. through Sat. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is open to the public Mon.-Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more at http://www.gwinnettehc.org/ or call 770-904-3500.
Peanuts...Naturally - February 2, 2013
Black History Month at LFS - February 2, 2013
Visitor Services for February Peanuts…Naturally - February 2, 2013 |
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