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December 2019, Vol. 18, No. 5
GCPS Scenes from...
Principal for a Day
Greg Cantrell of Living Stone Properties, left, served as Principal for a Day at Central Gwinnett High School and joined Principal Shane Orr to celebrate their Black Knight legacy.
Have you heard...
"I can think of no greater place to be in the business of teaching and learning than here in Gwinnett County. On behalf of Gwinnett County Public Schools and your Board of Education, I wish you all the best for the holidays." 
  
  -- CEO/Superintendent
J. Alvin Wilbanks
GCPS congratulates Rebecca Carlisle, 2020 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year!
At the Nov. 14  Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year (TOTY) banquet, Rebecca Carlisle , an AP World History teacher at North Gwinnett High School , was named   2020 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year and High School Teacher of the Year! Vivarine Argilagos of Lovin Elementary School was named 2020 Elementary School Teacher of the Year, and Brad Zickefoose of Radloff Middle School was named Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Laura Ross of Five Forks Middle School
named National Counselor of the Year

Laura Ross of Five Forks Middle School has been named the 2020 School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The School Counselor of the Year award honors professionals who devote their careers to advocating for the nation's students and addressing their academic and social/emotional development and college and career readiness needs.
Georgia's Gold Dome
Board approves Legislative Priorities

On Dec. 5, the Gwinnett County Board of Education and district leaders met with the Gwinnett legislative delegation to share key issues and concerns that affect our schools and programs, students and staff, and finance and governance. Following are highlights in four key categories:
  • Funding
  • Fiscal and School Improvement Initiatives
  • Governance/Local Control
  • Continuing Positions held by the Gwinnett County School Board
The 2020 session of the Georgia General Assembly begins Jan. 13. Review the Legislative Priorities document for 2020.
2019 Principals for a Day celebrate American Education Week

In recognition of American Education Week ( Nov. 18-22), GCPS hosted 140 members of Gwinnett's business community at local schools to serve as "Principal for a Day" and, in one case, "Superintendent for a Day." Thank you to these community leaders for their interest in and support of our schools!
Bilingual and biliterate teachers can learn more about DLI program
Do you hold early childhood education certification? Are you bilingual and biliterate in French, Korean, or Spanish and interested in teaching Gwinnett's AKS curriculum in your native language? Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs currently are available in nine elementary schools in GCPS. Annistown, Baldwin, Bethesda, Camp Creek, Ivy Creek, Level Creek, and Meadowcreek elementary schools offer a Spanish program. French is offered at Trip Elementary, and Parsons Elementary hosts the district's Korean DLI program. If you're interested in learning more about what it's like to teach DLI in GCPS, you are invited to an informational session:
  • Tues., Jan. 21, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center (ISC) in the Cafeteria Meeting Room #2.021 (Building 200)
  • Mon., Jan. 27, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the ISC in the Cafeteria Meeting Room #2.021 (Building 200)

Please RSVP to Dr. Virin Vedder if you'd like to attend. If you're not yet certified but are interested in pursuing certification for DLI, you are welcome to attend this meeting or contact Dr. Vedder with questions about what steps to take toward DLI certification.
Save the date: GCPS Special Education Teacher Job Fair on Jan. 25
GCPS is holding a career fair for special education teachers on  Jan. 25 , and the district will be offering contracts at the event for the 2020-21 school year!   Prospective teachers and candidates eligible to attend must be certified (or will be by July of 2020) in any field of Special Education .
Be aware of inclement weather procedures
Be prepared for inclement weather that could affect Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). Parents and community members can access information about the school district's winter weather procedures on the GCPS website and through the Teaching Gwinnett podcast.
It's flu season... Be informed about health and wellness
Flu typically peaks between December and February, so it's not too late to get a flu shot. When children are sick with the flu, they miss school and are at risk for complications, parents may miss work, and others with whom they have contact may get the flu. Please check out health and wellness resources from GCPS, including our "Healthy Habits" flyer for tips on flu prevention.
See how you can support the 2020 Science Fair!
Envisioning the Future... That's the theme of the upcoming 2020 Gwinnett Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair, encouraging students, judges, and partners of the event to look forward to creative and innovative STEM application in our world. And you can be a part of it! District leaders are looking for sponsors and judges for the Feb. 21 event, which also will include breakout sessions and highlight career opportunities in STEM. Need more information? Contact the event's planning team online.
Give the gift of literacy... support the GCPS Book Mobiles!

If you want to give a holiday gift with some real mileage, consider a donation to GCPS' "fleet" of well-stocked Book Mobiles ! During the school year, the specially renovated buses visit Gwinnett schools for literacy events, school parades, and other school-sponsored events. Learn more about how you can support the GCPS Book Mobiles .
Registration begins for GCPS charter school and programs
The school district's charter school and a number of other special school programs have scheduled information sessions and registration dates for students interested in attending one of the schools in the 2020-21 school year. Check out upcoming dates and deadlines:
Consider GCPS Foundation in end-of-year giving
As the end of 2019 approaches, please consider a donation to Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation Fund, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to providing financial resources to enrich and enhance education in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). Whatever you give and however you designate your gift, know that your donation to the GCPS Foundation is appreciated and will make a difference for Gwinnett County schoolchildren and staff members! Questions about Fund contributions or estate giving? Call 678-301-6335 or email Daniele Aurandt.
Calendar notes...  
Keeping up with GCPS
Stay Connected to GCPS with social media
Follow @GwinnettSchools on Facebook, Twitter, and new this year, Instagram, and the Teaching Gwinnett podcast, and coming soon, Pinterest! With Instagram, we'll go behind-the-scenes with photos, videos, and stories about our schools, students, and staff. And, coming later this fall, we'll be "pinning" information and resources on Pinterest boards you'll want to follow. For now, we'll put a "pin" in that announcement, but we'll let you know when GCPS' Pinterest account is live!