This has been a difficult week. I know we all have a heavy heart as the students and staff of Apalachee High School are on our minds. In difficult times, my go-to approach is to focus on GRATITUDE. I am grateful for our amazing staff who love our children so well. I am grateful for you, our supportive community, who trust us with your children and encourage us along the way. Your smiles, hugs, and encouraging words this week were really sustaining. You are FOR us. I am grateful for the law enforcement community who showed up this week to stand beside us and give us a little bit of peace on some very hard days. I am grateful for all the grandparents who showed up to have lunch and remind us to choose joy.

As your principal, I want to assure you that safety and security is my top priority. We have an extensive Safety and Security plan along with regular training with staff and students. I would like to highlight some of the ongoing security measures we have in place at White Oak.

• We share a School Resource Officer, Officer Merriam, with Lanier Middle School. He is on campus daily and has positive relationships with our students.
• We utilize the Centegix Crisis Alert System. This system allows staff to discreetly call for help and provides first responders with precise location details, down to the room and floor.
• We have numerous cameras inside and outside our building. These cameras can be accessed remotely by law enforcement when necessary.
• White Oak is equipped with a security vestibule, giving administrators control over who enters the building. The Raptor system screens all adult visitors against the National Sex Offender Registry to enhance student safety.
• Our school counselor, Dr. Wilson, and our school psychologist, Jenny Scheessele, are trained to identify students at risk of violent behavior and to provide appropriate interventions before issues escalate.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you again for your support.

I am very appreciative to the family members who expressed interest in serving on the School Council for the 2024-2025. Please take a minute to vote on our School Council using this link.

In Partnership and Service,

Stacey Pickett

Thank you, grandparents and special guests, for attending last week's luncheons. It's one of our favorite annual events at White Oak! And, a BIG thank you to our White Oak PTA for planning, decorating, and hosting the luncheon. We appreciate your support!

Save the date! Join us on Friday, September 13th from 7-7:40 a.m. for our next All Pro Dad breakfast meeting in the White Oak cafeteria. Purchase breakfast ahead of time on MyPaymentsPlus or pay cash at the meeting. The cost is only $5 per family. See you there!

Friday, September 20 is the first GCPS scheduled digital learning day of the school year. Students will complete at-home, asynchronous learning while teachers participate in a professional learning day. Here are a few details that will guide you in supporting your child on the DLD.

• Students K-5 will bring home their GCPS Chromebooks on Thursday, 9/19.
• Teachers will send the digital day learning plan through Parent Square on Thursday at 5 p.m. for you to preview.
• The digital learning plans and all activities will be posted in Google Classroom beginning at 7 a.m. on Friday, 9/20. (General education classrooms will find their learning plans posted in their Homeroom Google Classrooms.)
• Teachers will be available via email if there are questions about assignments. Please keep in mind that teachers will participate in professional learning meetings throughout the day and may not be available to respond immediately.
• For any technology-based issues, please complete the Tech Support form. It is linked here for you, as well as on our website. Members of our White Oak Tech Team will monitor the responses and reach out to assist you. Link: Student Tech Support Form

Thank you for your continued support of White Oak Elementary. Please reach out to your child's teacher with any specific questions about the upcoming digital learning day.

Date: Friday, October 4th

Time: During your child's specials time

Save the date! White Oak's annual Boot Scoot fun run will be held on Friday, October 4th during specials time. Watch this week's Friday Folder for the Boot Scoot PTA packets containing complete prize and donation details. Use the link below for a digital copy with all the details! Thank YOU for supporting teaching and learning at White Oak Elementary!

Link: Boot Scoot Fundraiser Packet

Join in the fun as we kick off the Boot Scoot with the Penny Wars! Grade levels complete to bring in as much change as they can.

Sign-ups are now open for Longhorn Basketball for girls and boys ages 5-14. Early Bird $10 off until 9/17. Go to lanieraa.com for more information.

Stay connected with all the events happening in September at the Buford-Sugar Hill Library. Click on the links below for their full schedule.

Link: Buford-Sugar Hill Library (English)

Link: Buford-Sugar Hill Library (Spanish)

The school year 2024-2025 Free & Reduced-Price Meal application is now available online. As a reminder, Free & Reduced eligibility from school year 2023-2024 will only carry over for the first 30 days of school (through 9/16). Families need to reapply each school year. Please note that only one application per household is needed.

Link: Frequently Asked Questions about the Free and Reduced-Price School Meals

Link: GCPS Free and Reduced Meal Application

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