Bear Essentials

Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week and we are so excited to honor our staff for the work they do each and every day. When I walk the halls and visit classrooms in our building, I see students taking academic risks, demonstrating creativity, and engaging in collaborative learning. I know this would not be possible without the love and care our teachers and staff have for our students. They create safe spaces where our students feel valued and encouraged. They inspire, motivate, and nurture each and every student so they can reach their full potential. I know I am not alone in my appreciation for their dedication to our students and school community.

Thank you Berkeley Lake teachers and staff. We appreciate you!

Sincerely,

Ashley Coughlin

Ashley.Coughlin@gcpsk12.org

The 5K is our only fundraiser of the year to put new books into kids' hands!

Let’s top last year’s number of 766 registrations and make this an even greater day to support literacy!

Remember: the school with the most 5K registrations wins a visit from the GCPS Book Mobile! The trip fee is waived, and the first 200 books given away are free!

Register at bookmobile5k.com and get the awesome shirt shown here.

If you aren't able to do the 5K and would like to make a donation to the Book Mobile program with a credit or debit card, follow these steps on the GCPS Foundation page:

• Use this link to get started
• Select or type the amount as a one-time gift to the Book Mobile fund
• A $100 donation gets your name or an honoree listed on the back of the race day t-shirt.
• Complete the billing and payment information
• You will receive a confirmation letter from the GCPS Foundation in the mail.

As we to continue to learn about the various cultures and backgrounds our BLES families come from, our students will participate in several activities to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander month through May.

If you happen to be in our school, you will notice a map of Asia in the main hallway near the cafeteria entrance. On the map, there are pictures of these 5 books. Students will be voting for the book they would like to hear read-aloud by a staff member.

On the morning announcements, we will be showing short videos from different staff members sharing what they find to be special about their culture and heritage.

You can also check out this slideshow of books, which help celebrate Asian heritage through literacy. Our teachers will be sharing some of these books with their students throughout the month.

All Week Long - Teacher Appreciation Week

Monday, May 8

• Due date for parents to email Amy Potter their 5th grader's baby picture. (More info. below)
• GMAS Make-Ups
  
• 3:00pm Chess Club
• 3:15pm Green Team meets
  
• 4:00 - 8:00pm Spirit Night at Cue'

Tuesday, May 9

• 9:30am Play to Learn
  
• BLES Student Council Meets
• 5:30pm Office of Family Engagement Virtual Focus Group (Zoom) for Parents/Families
  

Wednesday, May 10

• Deadline to send in your desserts for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon from PTO (more info. below)
• 9:00am Basic English Class in the Parent Center
  

Thursday, May 11

• No events other than Teacher Appreciation Week activities.(see the flyers below)

Friday, May 12

• Progress reports
  
• 10:00am Little Learners Academy

Saturday, May 13

• No events

Sunday, May 14

• Mother's Day

Desserts and Treats needed for the Teacher Appreciation Lunch on May 10th

• Let’s treat our teachers and staff to some delicious desserts. Please click here to sign up to bring in a dessert for the appreciation lunch on May 10th.

Please see the attached flyers below for more information about Teacher Appreciation Week.

Hello BLES Families!

For next week's Teachers Appreciation Week, Mathnasium of Berkeley Lake will be giving back to our teachers. Help us to choose 3 teachers who will be gifted with each!

How Can You Help Your Child's Teacher Win a Gift Card?

1. Follow Mathnasium of Berkeley Lake on Facebook and Instagram.

2. Fill up the details in this Teacher Giveaway Nomination Form

Additionally, ALL schools that receive more than 25 votes will receive $100 worth of snacks for their teacher lounge!

Team Mathnasium of Berkeley Lake

770-881-8462

berkeleylake@mathnasium.com

Chess Club and Green Team will meet after school.

Come out and join us for our last spirit night of the year at ‘Cue BBQ, anytime between 4:00 - 8:00 PM. Be sure to tell them you are there to support Berkeley Lake Elementary and a percentage of the sales will be donated back to BLES PTO. We hope to see a big turnout.

9:30 - 11:00am

The BLES Student Council will meet in Ms. Sobh's room during 4th and 5th grade lunch and recess time.

The Office of Family Engagement is partnering with The Office of Research, Evaluation, & Analytics to present a Parents/Families Virtual Focus Group. The focus group will be held on May 9, 2023, from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm. During the session, parents will be introduced to the School Profile, and have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

Click here for the ZOOM link

and

click here to see the flyers for this event in different languages.

Parent liaison, Sandra Orci, will continue her basic English class free to BLES parents in the Parent Center from 9:00-11:00am. Anyone is welcome.

If your current 4th grader is interested in becoming a K-Kid member for the 2023-2024 school year, applications are now available outside Mrs. Ashadele's classroom and will be due Wednesday, May 10th.

We will say goodbye to our current 5th grade group on May 18th at 1:45 in the BLES Café and award our K-Kid of the Year and the K-Kid that was selected for the Mel Hayden Medallion Award for outstanding service.

Other than Teacher Appreciation Week PTO designated event.

PTO Board Elections

• Voting for the ‘23-24 PTO Board is now open. Click here to view the slate of officers.
  

• Please use this link vote. Voting opened today and will be open until May 17.
  

5th grade Parents We Need Your Child's Baby Picture by May 8th

• Email one single picture to Amy Potter at oakyma2023@gmail.com and please include your child's name and homeroom teacher's name in the email.

Parent Volunteers needed for 5th grade Fun Day on May 24th!

• We are so proud of our 5th graders, and we have a super fun last day of school planned! We could use some help to make it a success. Please plan to come and help make it a fun and memorable day by clicking on this link to sign up! (Make sure to be on time and bring your ID for check in.)

Monday - Friday

Hours: 10:15 AM - 1:15 PM

$15 per hour

Please email pam.frey@gcpsk12.org if interested!

County-wide, negative charging has been disabled for adults and students in the cafeteria for the rest of the remaining school year. Student accounts must not be negative, so please bring cash or add money to your MyPaymentsPlus account to make sure any fees are paid and your child will have a positive balance through the remainder of the school year.

Now that Digital Learning Days are over for the year, all student Chromebooks should be back in the building, and we are asking teachers not to send them home any more at this point. We will be assessing and collecting student Chromebooks, loaned out hotspots, and adding fines to the students' eCirc and MyPaymentsPlus accounts, if necessary. If your child has a hotspot, Chromebook, or any powercords at home, please be sure to send them back as soon as possible so we don't have to charge any fines.

From May 1st - May 24th, all students should please return all of the Media Center books they have checked out as they become due. (This does not mean they need to return their books ON May 1st. Students should return the books as they become due.)

Students will be bringing pink notices home if they have overdue books or outstanding fines. Please remind your students to return their overdue books to the Media Center or take care of any outstanding book fines before they leave for the summer.

This summer, all Berkeley Lake Elementary students in grades K-5 are encouraged to participate in the Beanstack Summer Reading Challenge! We want to give students a summer reading experience that will help instill a love for reading among all of our students.

The Beanstack Summer Reading Challenge runs from June 1 to July 31, 2023. All students will be enrolled automatically in the challenge on our Beanstack site. We challenge our students to participate and keep track of their reading on our Beanstack site at http://gcpsk12berkeleylakees.beanstack.org/

Mrs. Norby will be monitoring the progress of BLES students who participate in the challenge and rewards will be given to those who participate! Students who participate will also be helping our school get to the top of the leaderboard! We're competing against schools and libraries across the nation for a chance to win cash prizes from Beanstack.

1. Click here to log into your student Beanstack account. For student login, students should use their student number and 4-digit birthday (mmdd).
2. Once students are logged in, they can access the Summer Reading Challenge, where they can log their reading and receive badges!

Who: Parents/Guardians of students receiving Special Education services

What: Parent Mentors Present: “Self-Determination – What is it and How can I Support my Child?”

When: Thursday, May 11, 2023, 9:30am – 11:00am or 6:00 pm-7:30pm

Where: Click here for the In-Person registration link for 9:30am session

or

Click here for the Zoom registration link for 6pm session.

The Gwinnett Summer Meals program will provide free grab-and-go breakfast and lunch to children 18 and younger and those 19 and older with physical or mental disabilities. Meals are available from Tuesday, May 30 through Tuesday, August 1, and can be picked up Monday through Friday from 11:00am to 1:00pm (including County holidays) while supplies last. Visit GwinnettSummerMeals.com to learn more and find a complete list of meal locations.

If you're interested in volunteering for the Summer Meals program, visit VolunteerGwinnett.net.

GASP, Georgia's After School Program, offers an in-house affordable after-school program here at BLES. Click here to learn more or see the details of next year's pricing in the screen shot below.

Duluth Youth Football and Cheer will once again be holding registration.

If your child is receiving special education services from GCPS, then the state is asking you to participate in a parent survey to measure parent/family perceptions of the success of parents engagement between home and local schools. The survey is now available and will run through May 31st. Click here to access the survey.

Parents, please do not bring fast foods or carbonated drinks into the cafeteria. Fast food is not permitted in the Cafeteria.

We still have camp scholarships left...

Discount Rate for Camp Invention Available Through Scholarship Funds

• Thanks to the generous support of the Nordson Corporation Foundation, a limited number of need-based scholarships are now available for students on a first-come, first-serve basis. The scholarship is for the amount of $150, which leaves a remaining camp fee of $125. If you are interested in this scholarship opportunity for your child, please email Trina.Ashadele@gcpsk12.org.
• More information about Camp Invention can be found in the Summer Camps section below. This camp will run June 5th - June 8th from 8:00AM - 4:00PM, but an extended day option is available for an additional charge.

Camp Invention is in search of Leaders in Training (LIT).

• Leaders in Training are adults or older teens looking who are willing to work the camp and learn more about its program. Leaders in Training can receive special codes to bring their own children to Camp Invention. Click here for more information about this program.

The fresh market at Friendship Baptist Church is now only open on Fridays from 3:00 - 5:00 PM.

Laundry Love is a non-profit program that provides free laundry service for low- or no-income families. There is a new location in our area.

• Simpson Circle Cleaners, 2880 Simpson Circle Norcross, GA 30071 (at intersection with Buford Highway)

Laundry Love events at this location are planned to take place monthly, but check with the laundromat or laundrylove@pleasanthillpc.org for details and updates.

Monthly Events:

• 1st Thursday mornings, 10am to noon
• 3rd Thursday evenings, 5:30-7:30pm

Click here to preview summer enrichment opportunities and activities for gifted and high ability students. Students can benefit greatly by participating in summer enrichment opportunities and activities.

Registration Monday-Friday from 2:00-7:00 PM.

Ages 6-18

Click here for more information or scan the QR code in the image below.

Click here for more information.

We are looking for High School Leaders, Middle School leaders and Campers. Please check out this link for more information. Email Trina.Ashadele@gcpsk12.org if you have questions.

See flyer below for details or click the link here to register.

This camp is not the same as the coding camp above. This camp is different and intended for rising 1st to 6th graders.

"Cat Camp' is a one day camp hosted by Duluth Middle School for rising 6th graders. It will take place on July 20th, from 9:00 - 3:00.

Camp Rise was founded by a Speech Language Pathologist and an Occupational Therapist for children with special needs. It is a summer camp geared towards individuals with various diagnoses ages 4-13.

We provide a friendly, supportive, and cooperative atmosphere. Our approach fosters individual growth in functional communication and motor skills at each camper’s own pace. Click here or on the image below to learn more.

• Withdrawing or Enrolling a Student? Click here to learn the steps for the process.

• Parents, please do not bring in fast food to the school cafeteria. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

• Would you like to purchase a small gift item for our PBIS (Positive Behavior and Intervention Store)? Click here to see our Wish List.

• Podcasts in English and Spanish

• If your family does not have internet at home and you will need it for the various Digital Learning Days, click here to request a hotspot now. You only need to request one per family and you may keep it for the entire school year. You will need to return it at the end of the year in May.

• Student fines - click here to see if your child has a library, technology, or other school fine.

• GCPS 2023-2024 School Year Calendar

• GCPS is Hiring

• Weekly eTips for Parents in English and Spanish

• Reminder about sending in birthday treats for students Per the Student Handbook: Parents may provide snacks only, no drinks, favors, balloons, or flowers for the child’s birthday. Whole cakes that need to be sliced by staff are not permitted. All students should be included. Nutritious snacks are encouraged. Birthday treats should be handed out and eaten in the cafeteria during the last ten minutes of the lunch period. Please make sure that students mainstreamed in your classroom are included in the count for treats. Buying ice cream at school for each class member is encouraged. Students may not pass out invitations to parties at school unless all members of the class are invited.

• If your family needs additional support, our counselors and Care team can help with basic needs like food, clothes, personal hygiene items, etc. If you would like to access these resources please contact Lyndsay Murphy (K,2,4) Lyndsay.murphy@gcpsk12.org 770-582-7523, Laura Marantz (1,3,5) Laura.marantz@gcpsk12.org 770-582-7522, or Sandra Orci (Spanish) Sandra.orci@gcpsk12.org 678-291-4232

• Afternoon Transportation Changes Parents, please remember that afternoon transportation changes must be made by 1:30 and there are only two ways for you to make an change for your child: Use the PikMyKid app or send in a signed note. Dojos, emails, or phone calls to change afternoon transportation will not be accepted. Thank you for helping us enforce this rule and keep our kids safe!

• No Student checkouts after 2:15 PM

• If your child misses school Information needed on the excuse note includes: today’s date, the child’s full name, child’s teacher, child’s grade level, date(s) of absence, reason for absence, and parent signature (typed full name if sending via email or Class Dojo).

• Berkeley Lake Elementary's Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI)

• Follow us on Social Media Facebook and/or Instagram

• MyPaymentsPlus Gwinnett Public Schools uses MyPaymentsPlus as a site for school-related payments and documentation sign off. If you do not yet have an account with this site, you will need to set one up. Click here to learn more.

• We recycle: Berkeley Lake recycles aluminum cans and old clothes and shoes (in any condition) in the two bins in the upper parking lot. The Green Team receives 10¢ per pound of donations, which helps pay the fee for the weekly paper and cardboard pick-up. The aluminum cans are recycled at Progressive Recycling on Simpson Circle. Please support our Green Team by recycling these items here at Berkeley Lake. Thank you!

• We Collect Box Tops Online. Here are instructions for how to continue to give to our school using the new Box Tops process.

• Do You Have a Parent Portal Account? You may have heard about Gwinnett's Parent Portal. The Parent Portal is a website that will allow you to log in and see your child's information, such as attendance, grades, standardized test scores, etc. If you need to register with the portal, please print and complete this registration form and turn it in to the main office. Along with the completed form, you are required to show a photo I.D. for verification.

• Georgia After School Program (GASP) Click here to get more information about the Georgia After School Program.

• Our Parent Center The Berkeley Lake Parent Center is located across from the front office and it's providing services by appointment. For Parent Center support please call Ms. Sandra Orci, Parent Liaison, at 678-291-4232 or email her at Sandra.Orci@gcpsk12.org

• We Thank our Business Partners - if you would like to learn more about a business partnership with our school, click here.
• The Tutoring Center, Duluth, Ga.
• Mathnasium
  
• Ultra Baby LLC (Ultrasound and Photography)
  
• Atlanta Urgent Care - 5246 Peachtree Pkwy
• Brooks Injury Law (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• Peachtree ESQ (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• Fives Group (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• Friend of BLES (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• Georgia After School Program (GASP) (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• JR's Log House (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• Ms. Sweet - 3rd Grade (Boosterthon Business Partner)
• CAMP RISE GEORGIA (Boosterthon Business Partner)

Berkeley Lake Elementary

4300 S. Berkeley Lake Rd.

Duluth, Georgia 30096

P: (770)446-0947

F: (770)582-7514