A Message From Our Principal, Dr. Merisme
Families, you are our partners in education. Now that you have met with your student's teacher for Fall conferences, what have you learned are your student's strengths and areas for growth? What academic, behavioral, or social and emotional goals do you have for your scholar? What support will you put in place at home to help your student get better at getting better? Please remember to stay in close contact with your teacher regarding progress and concerns throughout the year.
Gwinnett County Public Schools finds that the quickest and most effective way to resolve a concern regarding your child is by addressing it at the most direct level. In our school district, we care about each and every student. We also believe that open and honest communication between parents and teachers is key to student success. Thank you for partnering with your child’s teacher and school to address any concerns.
Follow this protocol for voicing concerns:
1. Teacher - First, talk to your child’s teacher at school for assistance. Most concerns are resolved at the classroom level.
2. Assistant Principal - If the concern is not resolved at the classroom level, please reach out to your child’s assistant principal.
3. Principal - If working with the assistant principal does not adequately address the issue, please reach out to the school principal.
4. Cluster Superintendent - If the issue persists, please call 678-301-6000, and ask to speak to the assistant superintendent who is assigned to the school your child attends.
5. Associate Superintendent's Office - If, after following steps one through four, your concern has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please contact the Associate Superintendent for School Improvement and Operations.
It is important for you to make an appointment if you would like to meet with a teacher or school administrator. Dropping in does not guarantee your needs will be met immediately. We have many meetings and would like to provide you with our undivided attention so we can hear your concerns.
Yours in partnership,
Dr. Guerlène Merisme
Proud Principal
Learning at Home
Use the information to reinforce learning at home. As part of Gwinnett County Public Schools’ family engagement initiative, the school district seeks to empower parents with tools that allow them to help their children at home. Our AKS at Home project provides math and language arts resources to support families of children in grades K-5 so that they truly are partners in their children’s learning. This support is available for families to access in the format that suits them and their schedule best. They can attend live virtual meetings, view recorded information, and gain tools and suggestions on how to best help their children through tip sheets on a wide variety of topics.
Click here to register for upcoming sessions offered between November 15 and November 17, and view tip sheets and recordings from previous sessions. New recordings will be available at the end of each session series. Happy learning!
Classroom Connections
- 1-5 grade students will take literacy and math assessments.
- 3-5 grade students will take science and social studies assessments as well.
PBIS at Magill ES
I am proud to say that the overwhelming majority of our students are displaying exceptional behavior daily. They are also learning to be empathetic towards other students and display wonderful character traits through our daily SEL lessons. Our students believe in themselves and their abilities more each day because they repeat a Daily Affirmation during morning announcements. Magill Comets SOAR every day!
Gwinnett County Public Schools has instituted a Board’s Theory of Action for Change to Improve Student Behavior and Outcomes which includes the following tenets:
- Adhering to disciplinary expectations is a developmental process, and effective discipline strategies should meet students' varied behavioral and developmental needs with tiered responses and interventions as part of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS).
- Schools should view disciplinary incidents as teachable moments and design responses to capitalize on the opportunity to teach life-long lessons of appropriate behavior and self-control.
- Behavioral interventions should be restorative, educational, and supportive, as well as implemented within a school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) framework.
As a PBIS school, Magill ES staff work on adhering to the Board's Theory of Action by continuously teaching, reinforcing, and praising expected behaviors. When students behave, we reward them. If they misbehave, we work on reteaching expectations and giving students an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Appropriate consequences are given when necessary since the safety and well-being of our students are paramount to academic success. It is important for students to understand that they can recover from their missteps and have an opportunity to make things right.
We like to keep the lines of communication open with you and will call you in the event a serious disciplinary infraction occurs at school. During the conversation, we will inform you of your student's involvement in a situation and the consequences of his/her actions. We will not be able to discuss another student's consequences with you as this is a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) law. FERPA law forbids us from disclosing students' education records information. These records include but are not limited to grades, transcripts, health records, and student discipline files.
Let's continue to work together to reinforce our students' behavioral expectations. Our student SOAR by being
- Safe
- On-Task
- Accountable
- Respectful
Updates from the Parent Center
Come Check Us Out!
The Parent Center has resources available for you to check out. You can borrow books, games, and more to help your scholar learn at home.
If there are any questions or concerns, please contact:
Nakia Miller, Assistant Principal @ 770-554-1030 or nakia.miller@gcpsk12.org
Volunteer Opportunity: Magill's Day of Awesomeness
We are looking for volunteers to help out at Magill's Day of Awesomeness. Please review the available slots provided in this link and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!
Lunchroom News
Parent Lunches: We are tentatively scheduling a Family Holiday Lunch on December 6 and December 8. More information will be forthcoming.
Help Needed: GCPS is hiring SNP workers. Click here for more information.
Mark Your Calendars
November
- 11/8 Digital Learning Day
- 11/11 Step It Up Day of Awesomeness
- 11/15 Fall Picture Retake Day
- 11/16-11/18 Book Mobile Visit
- 11/21-11/25 Thanksgiving Break
December Preview
- 12/6 TENTATIVE Holiday Lunch for K-1-2
- 12/8 TENTATIVE Holiday Lunch for 3-4-5
- 12/8 Cultural/Heritage Night
- 12/12 Holiday Shop
- 12/19 Winter Break Begins
Stay informed. Print a copy of the GCPS Calendar for home.
Stay Informed......
Gwinnett County Communique is an online magazine with news and stories about, your classrooms, your schools and your community!
http://gcps-communique.com/
MES - Connect With Us
Email: guerlene.merisme@gcpsk12.org
Website: www.jcmagill.org
Location: J. C. Magill Elementary School, Brushy Fork Road Southwest, Loganville, GA, USA
Phone: 770-554-1030
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jcmagill/
Twitter: @jcmagilles