Ed Briefs

In this episode of Coffee with Calvin, Dr. Watts sits down with the six 2025 Teacher of the Year finalists for coffee and a chat.

Gwinnett County Public Schools recently adopted school calendars for 2024-25 and 2025-26 after seeking input from families and staff. The decision came after offering all students, staff, and parents the chance to vote on four calendar options, two of which accommodated various religious holidays. Despite the majority choosing a calendar similar to the current version, the district remains committed to cultural sensitivity, engagement with the community, and acknowledging and respecting diverse holidays. Although the new calendar doesn't add days off for religious observances, GCPS maintains policies for excused absences during such holidays, ensuring respect and support for students observing them.

Take three minutes and respond to the Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey. The survey will close on December 8, and reports will be shared with schools and departments in February 2024.

Look for an email from support@mail.gallup.com, and the subject line is “Gwinnett County Public Schools Q12 Employee Engagement Survey”. You must be logged into the network for the survey to launch properly. If you need assistance completing this survey, please contact Gallup Client Support by calling 1-888-486-9104.

Thank you in advance for responding to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Development Survey by December 11. Your participation is one of the first steps in the budget development process for FY2025 (the 2024-2025 school year). Please continue to watch the Board Work Sessions for more information about FY25 budget development.

Each month of the 2023-24 school year, we will spotlight one of our strategic priorities or Portrait of a Graduate competencies by sharing the stories of two clusters—highlighting their classrooms, notable events, community insights, achievements, community service projects, student organizations, volunteer efforts, and more.

Focusing on equity in education means acting with intention and passion about the conditions under which each and every child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. GCPS is committed to providing access to ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills to succeed as contributing members of a global society, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, English proficiency, faith, socioeconomic status, or disability.

In December, we'll focus on Equity in the Norcross cluster and at our Special Entity schools.

This December, the “CharacterDares” for your family involves forgiveness, helping others, taking a walk, and gratitude! Do you have what it takes to be CharacterStrong?

The temperature is dropping and the winter weather is setting in. Many people have turned on their home heating systems, increasing the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, which can be deadly to humans and animals. According to the CDC, at least 420 people die in the U.S. every year from CO poisoning. CO is found in fumes of vehicles, stoves, furnaces, generators, charcoal and wood-burning fireplaces, and many other sources. Make sure your home has at least one carbon monoxide monitor to help prevent poisoning from this odorless gas.

This episode from GCPS Tech Tips gives tips and tricks on organizing, sharing, and searching for files in your GCPS Google Drive.

The holidays are fast approaching, and we’re about to enter the busiest shopping season of the year. Unfortunately, cybercriminals are anticipating the coming holiday season as well. While you’re planning your Amazon wish list, cyber crooks are planning how to steal your account information in any way they can. The last thing you need on your plate this year is a stolen credit card number or compromised bank account, so we are here to help you remain stress-free and cyber-savvy while shopping online. Here are a few ways you can keep yourself safe from cyber crooks.

After more than a year of officially operating as Corebridge Financial, earlier this month the company announced improvements to its online platform. To simplify the digital experience, Corebridge has discontinued previous custom websites and now gcps.corebridgefinancial.com is your main source of information. Bookmark gcps.corebridgefinancial.com for quick and easy access to important plan information and powerful planning tools.

If you have questions about this website or GCPS Retirement Services, please contact the Gwinnett Retirement Services Department.

The “net pay” you see when you look at your online pay advice or your paycheck describes only part of your compensation. The Gwinnett County Board of Education (BOE) provides additional compensation to you in the form of employer-paid portions of insurance, retirement contributions, and accumulated leave that can add 30% or more to your actual salary.

Your Hidden Paycheck does not match your actual pay advice, benefits summary, or your paycheck, because these summarize what you, the employee, pay for benefits by payroll deduction. The Hidden Paycheck illustrates what the BOE pays on your behalf for benefits. It is a summary of the value-added compensation provided by the BOE toward an employee's various benefits including basic life, health, and dental insurance, retirement, and other payroll taxes such as workers compensation and Medicare. It also illustrates the value of the leave you earn each year.

Remember to sign up to receive tax forms online: Don’t take chances with your important tax forms! Accessing tax forms via the Employee Portal is fast, secure, and environmentally friendly! Visit the Portal and click on “About Me.” Under the Payroll section (left column), select the two consent forms—W-2 and 1095-C Healthcare Tax Statement—and follow the directions. You will receive an email receipt confirming the change. Once posted, you will have secure access to your tax forms 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Both your W-2 and 1095-C will be available online prior to the IRS’ required mailing dates.

Keep an eye on your mailbox: If you choose to receive your tax forms via the mail rather than online, your Tax Year 2023 W-2 will be mailed during the week of January 29, 2024. If you do not have access to the GCPS Employee Portal and you do not receive your W-2 by February 14, you may request a duplicate tax form by sending an email with your name, employee ID number, and current address to payroll.support@gcpsk12.org or by sending a fax to 678-301-6310. For those who do not enroll for access to their 1095-C online, the forms will be mailed in accordance with IRS guidelines in late February.

Verify contact information: If you choose not to enroll for online receipt of your W-2 and 1095-C, be sure to verify your address and telephone information before the end of the year. For changes, go to the About Me tab in the Employee Portal and select Employee Contact Information. Follow the instructions to make changes.

The Library Media Services Department's annual book fair to raise funds for the Book Mobile program will be held in the downstairs atrium of Building 200 at the ISC from Monday, December 4-Friday, December 8. On Monday and Tuesday, the book fair will be open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Wednesday from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

All items are 20% off: books, puzzles, crafts, and games! Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted.

In addition, homemade scented candles with scents including Reading at the Bakery, Reading by the Fire, and Reading at the Beach, will be available. Stop by and support our mission to put books into the hands of children!

Each month, look here for answers to frequently asked legal and policy questions. These questions and answers are directly from Special Assistant to the Superintendent Jorge Gomez. You can also find this information and additional resources in your Local School Legal Issues Update 2023 that you received via email in July.

The McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, state educational agencies must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children, and youth. Below are three frequently asked questions regarding the program.

Question: How are students experiencing homelessness identified?

Answer: Students are identified at the local school. If a parent indicates they are experiencing homelessness, they should be directed to complete the online Student Residency Questionnaire (SRQ) on the GCPS website to determine their eligibility.

Question: Is proof of residency required when enrolling a homeless student?

Answer: No, homeless students must be immediately enrolled even if critical records, including immunization and enrollment records, are not available. Local school staff will work with the parent/guardians to obtain them in a timely manner, including those records needed to meet residency requirements of the district for all students. A Student Residency Questionnaire must be completed, and the student deemed eligible to be protected under the McKinney-Vento Act.

Question: How is "School of Origin" determined?

Answer: School of Origin is defined as the school the child or youth attended when permanently housed or the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled, including a preschool. Students that are new to GCPS do not have school of origin in Gwinnett. Students must register in their zone school unless a permissive transfer is granted by local school administrators.

Want to share a success story about your school or department with the entire GCPS community?

Are you looking for a way to celebrate an honor and recognize a teacher, student, or team member for their work? Do you want to share an achievement, upcoming event, or opportunity?

Do you have GCPS Good News to share? Let us know through this online form.

• Board meeting and work session (November 16)
  
• Connected (November 9)
  
• GCPS Links (November 16)
  
• Coffee with Calvin (November 2)
  
• News Releases
  
• Student Calendars
  
• News You Can Use
  

And much more at www.gcpsk12.org!

• Keep Connected with news from GCPS TV… the next episode airs December 7!
• The next regular Board meeting is December 14. (Online, find links to sign up for the public comment sections of the meeting.)
  
• Watch for the next issue of GCPS Links on December 14!