We had two amazing events this week at White Oak Elementary, the Hispanic Heritage Luncheon and the Boot Scoot. As your principal, I feel extremely blessed to have such a supportive community that partners with us to cheer on our students and staff. Please enjoy the overview and photos of our Hispanic Heritage lunch below. Thank you to the families who provided food and fellowship, as well as learning about the Hispanic culture.

Boot Scoot was a blast. Thank you to the overwhelming number of families that came out to enjoy the event and lend your support. Our PTA went above and beyond with the organization, prizes, and fun. We are grateful for all of your donations and to have our Super Hero Anonymous donor who made an appearance on the morning news. Remember every $1 that is donated will be matched with an additional $0.50. Our last donation day is on Tuesday, so let’s finish strong.

In Partnership and Service,

Stacey Pickett

It's not too late! Help us reach our Boot Scoot goal of raising $30,000 to support teaching and learning at White Oak. If each student raises at least $50 in donations, we will reach our school-wide goal. Thanks for your support!

Tuesday is the final collection day!

Prizes Galore!

• Students who raise $25 or more are entered into a drawing for a new bike!
• Any student that raises $50 or more by Tuesday will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a Nintendo Switch Lite!
• Top Class: Teacher receives a BOGG bag stuffed with spirit wear and the students get a pizza party AND an obstacle course event hosted by RISE Flag Football League
• Top 20: Ice Cream Dance Party!
• Top 10: Limo ride and lunch with Mrs. Pickett
• Top 5: SILLY STRING! These students will be on the morning news and will get to select a teacher for our Silly String surprise!

All donations directly support teaching and learning at White Oak!

A complete Boot Scoot packet with donation dates and prize information was sent home in Friday's Folder. Can't find your copy? Use this link: Boot Scoot Fundraiser Packet

Thank YOU!

Breaking News!

We have a Superhero anonymous donor who is adding some superpower to our Boot Scoot Fundraiser! For every dollar we raise up to our $30,000 goal, they are matching 50 cents. That means every dollar you give is actually $1.50! Once we reach our $30,000 goal, our superhero is matching dollar for dollar up to an additional $10,000. That means every $1 will actually be $2! This is amazing news for our school and provides the opportunity to meet all our learning initiative goals and more! Let’s go!

*Note: the matching donation will not count toward your child’s personal goal or any teacher or class level gifts.

Schedule your parent-teacher conference!

We will be holding Early Release conferences on October 23 and 24. One of our Local School Plan for Improvement goals this year centers around Excellence, including world-class engagement. Our goal is 100% attendance for these conferences. Families can choose either in-person or virtual conferences. These conferences are an essential way for us to partner with you to ensure that your child is on track for academic and social-emotional success. Our teachers have a lot to share, so please see the link below to sign up for a conference with your child’s teacher.

Use this link to schedule a conference with your child's teacher: Conference Scheduling

A heartfelt thank you to Sarai Morales, our White Oak Parent Liaison, and to all the families who prepared and shared their delicious dishes with us in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. We had a variety of food and desserts from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Honduras, Cuba, and Brazil represented.

This was our second annual Hispanic Heritage luncheon, and we truly enjoyed coming together to experience the diverse flavors from various Hispanic countries. Thank you for making this event special!

White Oak PTA will be hosting our annual Trunk or Treat from 6-8pm on October 17. This is a free event that includes fun activities, face painting, and candy. You are welcome to wear costumes. A food truck will be there with food for purchase.

Join the Lanier Cluster for a Trunk or Treat at Lanier High School on October 18th from 5-8PM. Lots family activities and fun - including the GCPS Book Mobile, music, games. You're welcome to stay for the varsity football game!

They are collecting fruit cans for the North Gwinnett CO-OP!

Thank you to our fabulous White Oak PTA for supporting our teachers and students. How can you help? Join White Oak's PTA today!

Stay connected with our PTA on Facebook!

We're on social media! Make sure to like, follow, and engage with our posts to stay connected and be part of the conversation. Thanks for spreading the word and helping us to connect. Let's keep it growing!

Connect on Facebook: White Oak Elementary Longhorns

Connect on Instagram: White Oak Longhorns

Gwinnett County Schools is committed to providing the highest level of safety for our students and staff. Please review the visitor procedures that we will follow for the 24-25 school year. White Oak visitors will have a three - step process for entry into the school.

1.Primary Door

• Visitors use the intercom to request entry, stating their reason for visiting (lunch, check-out, check-in, classroom volunteer, etc...) These intercoms have cameras, and the audio quality is excellent.
• Receptionist communicates with the visitors to grant access to the entry/vestibule.

2. RAPTOR System

• Once in the entry/vestibule, visitors scan their driver's license, government I.D. or passport.
• Everyone needs to have their identification upon arrival.

3. Secondary Door

• A second intercom is installed in the entry/vestibule area.

• If you are here for lunch, as a classroom volunteer, or for a scheduled meeting, the receptionist will grant entry into the school and provide you with a yellow sticker.
• If you are here for student Check-Out, you will remain waiting in the entry/vestibule area.

Our goal is to provide a welcoming atmosphere when you come to White Oak. We have added some seating, decor, and plants in our entry/vestibule for visitors' comfort. Again, we thank you for your patience as we work together to ensure safety for all.

Student and staff safety are the top priority at White Oak Elementary. For the 24-25 school year, the bus lane and front parking lot will be closed off during active bus unloading/loading. As soon as all buses unload/load, the parking lot will be opened. You are welcome to wait in the middle school parking lot during the time the White Oak lot is closed.

The bus lane will remain closed off between the hours of 7:45-8:15 and 2:45-3:15. If you need to pick up/drop your child off your child, please use the car rider lane. We will be issuing car rider tags at Open House for anyone who needs one. Reminder, the last student check out occurs at 2:30 each afternoon. We appreciate your support and understanding with this process.

Last year GCPS adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with Gwinnett County Public Schools.

ParentSquare is a unified communication platform that offers a whole host of tools that allows district leaders, school administrators, and teachers to communicate and engage

with families and students more effectively. Some features include:

• Mass notifications and Urgent Alerts with two-way communication
• Mobile application for administrators and parents (iOS and Android)
• Attendance notifications (district-managed)
• Teacher and classroom communication
• Direct Messaging with two-way translation
• Social (Facebook and Twitter) and website share
• And so much more!

New families should have received an activation email for their ParentSquare account by the week of July 21. Parents who download the app can interact by viewing photos, downloading attachments, leaving comments, messaging teachers, signing permission slips, and managing their communication settings and preferences.

Wondering about the difference between ParentSquare and ParentVUE? Check out this link to see how these GCPS tools help families support their student's learning.

It's official. Our NEW White Oak Elementary School Sideline Store is LIVE. Need some new spirit wear? Check out the link below.

Link: White Oak Longhorns Store

Mrs. Stacey Pickett, Principal

6442 Suwanee Dam Rd

Sugar Hill, GA 30518

678-546-5550

https://www.gcpsk12.org/WhiteOakES

School Hours

7:45 AM - 8:10 AM Student Arrival

8:15 AM - 2:45 PM Instructional Time

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM Student Dismissal