Meadowcreek Community Newsletter

February 1- February 28- National Black History Month

February 5- February 9- National School Counseling Week

February 6- Georgia Milestones Assessment Family Night 5:30-6:30PM

February 8- Valentine's Dance 5:30-7:00PM

February 15- February 19- Student/Staff Holiday (No School)

February 27- Spirit Night @ Chick-Fil-A 4:30-8:30PM

February 28- ACCESS Testing Ends

March 4- March 8- Book Fair

March 5- Spring Pictures (Individual & Class Pictures)

March 6 & 7- Early Release/ Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 12- ESOL Workshop @ 10:30AM

March 14- Kindergarten Transition Meeting @ 5:30PM

February is Black History Month! GCPS celebrates #EachAndEvery individual as we cultivate a culture of belonging while leading with empathy, equity, and excellence to ensure that #TeamGCPS students, families and staff feel welcome, safe, accepted, valued, and prepared for the future.

February is Black History Month and Meadowcreek Elementary will honor the lives of African Americans who have contributed to our history. Join us as we celebrate Black History Month!

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 7. These are early release days, we will dismiss students at 12:00PM. Please visit the link below and select your child’s teacher to schedule a parent-teacher conference:

https://ptcfast.com/schools/Meadowcreek_ES

**When scheduling your conference, under “Special Request”, please state if you would like a Zoom Conference OR In Person Conference. PTCFast will close on March 1 at 9:00PM. After this time, please contact your child’s teacher to schedule a conference**

If you need support with signing up for a parent teacher conference on PTCFast, please visit the Family Center on the following days/times:

Tuesday, February 21 & Wednesday, February 22

9:00 AM-11:00 AM or 1:00PM-2:00PM

The Office of Family Engagement in the Department of Federal Programs invites all families of students in grades 3 – 12 to join the “Georgia Milestones Assessment (GMAS) Family Night” led by the Executive Director of the Accountability & Assessment Office on February 6th from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. During this family night, GCPS families will receive information about the Georgia Milestones assessment (GMAS), sample questions, and tips to help your child at home.

The Georgia Parent Survey was developed to measure parent perceptions of school climate at your child’s school. Your opinion is very important to us. Your survey responses are confidential and will be combined with the survey responses of other parents at your child’s school to identify areas in need of improvement. It should only take ten or fifteen minutes to complete the survey.

Thank you for your time and participation!

Each year, GCPS collects feedback from our families about their children's school as part of our commitment to improvement. This year, the school district is partnering with the Center for Educational Effectiveness to give Educational Effectiveness Surveys (EES) that provide feedback on nine characteristics of high-performing schools. Those characteristics are:

• A clear and shared focus
• High standards and expectations for all students
• Effective school leadership
• Strong communication and opportunities to work together
• What we teach, how we teach, and how learning is aligned with state standards
• Frequent monitoring of learning and teaching
• Focused professional development
• Supportive learning environment
• High levels of family and community involvement

In addition, the survey asks about two other areas associated with high-performing schools- district support for improvement and respect for diverse cultures and backgrounds.

The survey will be available for you to complete through Thursday, February 29. We hope you will lend your voice to making Gwinnett County Public Schools the best it can be for our students.

Each month, our teachers nominate a PBIS Star Student of the Month in their class. These students were nominated by their teachers because they consistently demonstrate positive behaviors that align to our school-wide PBIS expectations. Each student photographed is a responsible, respectful, problem solver. Way to go, Mustangs!!

Also, Congratulations to our Teacher of the Month, Ms. Copeland and Support Staff of the Month, Ms. Odonkor!

We’re celebrating National School Counseling Week! Thank you to all our counselors for your commitment to excellence, empathy, and equity in education! School counselors support academic achievement, career awareness, and personal and social growth, helping to ensure that #EachAndEvery student feels welcome, safe, accepted, valued, and prepared for the future.

We are so grateful for our counselors Ms. McKnight, Ms. Nelson, Ms. Reynolds and Ms. Yeldell! Thank you for all you do for our school and our students every day!

We wish our students, families, and staff a happy Lunar New Year as they begin the Year of the Dragon! Lunar New Year marks the start of Spring and the new year in the lunar calendar.

Learn more about Lunar New Year—one of the most important holidays of the year for Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and other Asian communities—in this article from History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/chinese-new-year

GCPS students will be on break from Thursday, February 15, through Monday, February 19. Students and staff return to learning on Tuesday, February 20. Note that GCPS does not offer meal service on student holidays.

Book it for the bus! The 2024 GCPS Book Mobile 5K and Fun Run will be held on Saturday, May 4, at the GCPS Instructional Support Center, located at 437 Old Peachtree Road NW in Suwanee.

The event will raise funds for the Book Mobile program to help get books in kids’ hands and promote the love of reading. A family-friendly atmosphere before and after the race features door prizes, snacks, music, and more!

Early Bird Registration ends Thursday, February 29.

Meadowcreek Elementary families have the opportunity to connect with the Family Center in person, by phone, or Zoom to become familiar with:

• School procedures

• Check out free educational games and resources to help your child at home

• Familiarize yourself with the new communication tool ParentSquare

• Support with Imagine Learning

• Navigate the Parent Portal

• Complete free/reduced lunch application online

• Support your child with eCLASS/Google classroom

• Make payments on MyPaymentsPlus (cafeteria, school field trips, spirit wear, etc.)

• Anything else that you may need support with!

In-Person: Parents may visit the Family Center Monday - Friday during school hours

Virtual: Click on the following link from 1:00pm-2:00pm on Wednesdays & Thursdays beginning on September 6, 2023: https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/j/92626367024

Phone: Mrs. Rosell: 770-638-2374 or Mrs. Pena-Perez: 770-381-4248

We look forward to serving you!

Between January 10, 2024 and February 27, 2024, all English Language Learners will participate in the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Assessment™.

About the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Assessment

All English learners enrolled in K – 12th grade in the state of Georgia take the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 each year. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the academic language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Students are tested in four different domains: speaking, listening, reading, and writing in order to determine the English language proficiency of the student. The school uses the information to ensure that your student is receiving appropriate academic support to achieve his/her best.

Because the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment is composed of several subtests, students will complete the test over multiple school days.

How your student can prepare for test taking—and what you can do to help

A student who is well rested and well fed and has a positive attitude about testing is best prepared for testing. You can help your student do his or her best by considering these tips:

• Make sure that your student is in school and on time on test days.
• Make sure your student gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
• Emphasize that you have confidence in his or her ability to do the best job possible.
• Remind your student to listen to the directions and read each question carefully during testing.

Thank you very much for encouraging and supporting your student during testing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Haley Thompson at Haley.Thompson@gcpsk12.org.

At Meadowcreek, all of our students have an Imagine Language & Literacy account and utilize this online program to improve students' language and literacy skills in the English language. Students utilize this program during instructional time, technology specials with Ms. Mack, and at home. Teachers have shared Imagine Language & Literacy login information with parents so that students can utilize this resource at home as well. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Please see the flyer below for the Imagine Language & Literacy Blockbuster Awards happening now until April 2024!

YOU ARE INVITED!

COME TO LEARN WHAT EVERY PARENT WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS:

• Expectations for you and your child to be successful at school

• How to support your child with his or her learning

• Hear other newcomer parents share their personal experiences

• Learn about resources available to all our families

These meetings start promptly at 10:00AM. Meetings are for parents/guardians. Classes will be taught in ENGLISH.

Location: The International Newcomer Center

495 Maltbie Street, Lawrenceville.

School Culture- March 27, 2024

GCPS Family Resources- April 10, 2024

Community Resources- April 24, 2024

Rights and Responsibilities- May 1, 2024

Who: Families of students who are receiving special education services

What: Each state is required to conduct a parent survey to measure parent/family perceptions of the success of parent engagement between home and local schools.

When: Available January 16, 2024.

Where: Please use the following link to access the survey.

The 2024 Georgia Milestones End of Grade Assessment will be administered to all students in 3rd - 5th grade from April 22 - May 3, 2024. Attendance is very important on testing dates so that your child does not have to make-up the tests on a different day. Students must arrive at school on time. Testing will begin at 8:30AM each morning. Please plan ahead to ensure that your child is present for all testing days. We appreciate your support in ensuring we have a successful Georgia Milestones administration!

Parent information has been posted to the Accountability and Assessment public-facing webpage found HERE.

Regular school attendance is vital to your student’s success. At Meadowcreek ES, our goal is to ensure that all students fully benefit from their education by getting to school on time (in class by 8:15) and attending school regularly. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. You can help your student learn that going to school on time, every day is important. Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

Below are the times we expect students to be at school:

• Students arrive no earlier than 7:40 am
• The bell rings and instruction begins at 8:15 am. Attendance is taken in class.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:

• Have your child ride the bus as this assures your child will get to school on time. If you have to drive your child to school, leave yourself extra time in case of traffic or inclement weather. Our doors open at 7:40, so you can drop your child off starting then.

• An unexcused tardy means your child arrived in class late (after 8:15) because of sleeping in, traffic, missing the bus, running late, etc. Examples of excused tardies are illness, health condition, medical appointment, and family emergency. You must come inside the building to sign-in your child with the reason why your child was tardy.
• Arriving late to school/class impacts a student’s learning as well as the classroom atmosphere. Being on time for school/class is a positive goal for each of our students. Research has shown that your child's attendance record may be the biggest factor influencing his/her academic success.

If your student is going to be absent or late, please contact your child’s teacher. If your student is absent, you will need to send in an excuse letter for the absence.

Meadowcreek is tracking students with perfect monthly attendance! Students with perfect attendance will receive a certificate of perfect attendance by the end of each month. If your student receives a perfect attendance certificate, their name will be entered in a drawing for a NEW BIKE! We will pick the winner at the end of the semester. Good luck!

Parent Lunch

Students can have no more than 2 visitors for lunch. Strollers are not allowed in the cafeteria. Parents may sit at the Parent Table with their students during your student's scheduled lunch time. Students are expected to return to their class and teacher when the class dismisses from the cafeteria. If a parent needs to check out a student after lunch; please go to the front office to request a student checkout with your ID. Parent visitation beyond the cafeteria is not allowed. Thank you for helping us to maintain a positive, safe, learning environment for our students.

Strollers

Please remember that strollers are not permitted in the cafeteria during lunch. Strollers have to be left in the hallway next to the cafeteria.

Outside food

Please refrain from bringing in birthday treats and outside food for a class. We want to remain sensitive to classroom allergies. Ice Cream is available to purchase for a class if you desire. Please no cupcakes, balloons, flowers, etc.

Car Riders

During morning arrival, please do not park in the parking lot and walk your child inside the school. Please remain in the car rider lane and drop your child off in line with a staff member. We do not want students and parents walking across the car rider lane. This slows the line and creates a safety concern.

Tardies

Please make sure your child arrives at school on time. Students should be in class and ready to begin instruction by 8:15 am every day. When students are late, it is disruptive to the learning environment. Please help us make sure our students are prepared for daily learning by being on time.

On scheduled DLDs, students access lessons in eCLASS but do not have virtual class time with their teachers.

To ensure that students have a nutritious breakfast and lunch to fuel their learning, our bus drivers will be on the road and at every bus stop to deliver meals prepared by School Nutrition Program staff.

Families should expect buses to run their routes from approximately 10:45 a.m. to noon, beginning at the first stops on the route. These delivered meals are provided at no cost to families, and are provided to anyone 18 years old and under.

• Friday, March 15
  

Internet available as low as $9.95 plus tax!

Call 855-846-8376 for assistance.

Get news, updates, announcements, school resources, and more! Download the new GCPS App today!

GCPS Tech Tips is a place where GCPS educators offer quick tips and tricks for technology integration in the classroom. Each week, a new video will be released which focuses on how to effectively use your Chromebook and other tips/tricks. Check out the entire playlist here.

Fit Lots of Learning Into Small Amounts of Time

If you have five extra minutes during the day, you have enough time to help your child learn. Teachers recommend that families use small amounts of spare time to:

• Boost creativity. Ask your child questions that stimulate thinking. "What if the sun came up at night?" "What if we had eyes in the back of our head?"
• Ask for an opinion. Find out what your child's favorite subject, book or song is. What makes it special?
• Be a storyteller. Fill your stories with information about the real world.
• Express your love for your child. Children need to feel loved and accepted to take the risks necessary to learn.
• Review basic life skills. Have your child practice tying shoes or calculating sales tax.
• Explore the world together. Encourage your child to look, touch and ask questions.
• Ask your child to tell you something interesting. Listen attentively.

Brought to you by:

Gwinnett County Public Schools

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We are so excited to offer Little Learners Academy for our early learners at Meadowcreek Elementary! The program will be held the last Wednesday of every month. This program is now open to ALL FAMILIES. Please see flyer below for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Pena-Perez at 770-381-4248.

DATES:

February 28 ,2024

March 27, 2024

April 24, 2024