Coffee With Calvin

Gwinnett County Public Schools is excited to welcome all students to the 2024-25 school year on Monday, August 5! In-person learning will begin for all grades on Monday, August 5. Download the 2024-25 Student Calendar today!

To ensure a smooth transition into the 2024-25 school year, we encourage you to review GCPS’ 2024-25 Virtual Back-to-School Backpack for Families. This comprehensive toolkit is designed to equip you with all the necessary information and district resources, fostering a strong partnership for student success.

• Get connected! Find the resources to support student success in GCPS!
• Nourish growing minds...Energize with Café Gwinnett!
• Power Up for Success!
• Support for Safe and Healthy Students!
• Be Ready for a Great School Year!

Stay in the loop with our key messages through ParentSquare, your go-to platform for important updates all school year long. Download the ParentSquare app to ensure you're always connected and well-informed about your school and the district!

Children need healthy meals to learn. Gwinnett County Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $1.75; lunch costs $2.50 for elementary and $2.75 for middle and high schools. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price meals, learn more and complete the application today! Parents must fill out a new application for the 2024-25 school year in order to maintain their Free or Reduced-Price meal benefits.

MyPaymentsPlus is the resource for student meal accounts and accessing options to review and pay for school activities. This free online service allows you to check your child’s account balance, receive low-balance emails, and monitor your child’s lunchroom purchases.

The school bus and its driver play a crucial role in a student's daily routine as a vital connection between home and school. While it is important to note that buses can sometimes be delayed on the first days of school, the Transportation Department is committed to working with parents and students to address any challenges that may arise during those first few days. For questions regarding routing, schedules, or bus stops, families can contact the student's school, the Transportation Department's customer service team, or the Transportation Supervisor assigned to the student's school before the first day.

For a smoother experience...

• Review Bus Safety Rules with your student before the first day of school.
• Make sure your child arrives at the correct stop 5-10 minutes before the bus arrives.

Caregivers are responsible for the safety and supervision of their children from the time they leave home in the morning until they board the bus, and from the time their children get off the bus until they arrive home. The care, supervision, and behavior of children at the bus stop (before loading in the morning and after unloading from the school bus in the afternoon) is the parent's responsibility.

The Superintendent's Student Advisory Council is a crucial avenue for middle and high school students to directly influence districtwide decisions, processes, and culture. It's an opportunity to share feedback, school experiences, and innovative ideas to address challenges with Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts on a variety of issues affecting students, schools, and communities.

The application for the 2024-25 SSAC will be available in the Student Portal from August 7–28, 2024. Two students from each middle and high school will be selected based on their completed applications. Alternate members from each school will also be identified. We will notify students selected to serve on the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council via student email on or before September 11. Learn more about SSAC on our website!

AI is rapidly changing industries and how we interact. To be prepared for the college and career opportunities of today and the future, students must be AI-Ready. AI-Readiness ensures that students can thrive, and learn to be ethical and responsible users, developers, and decision-makers of AI.

We know that AI is rapidly impacting the workforce, society, and even education. GCPS students and staff must be future-ready by understanding this technology, and using it responsibly and ethically. The GCPS Guidance for Human Centered AI Use is meant to communicate the principles we honor when making decisions around AI use and provide practical guidance and expectations as a system. As AI evolves, the guidance around its use will as well. This guidance was crafted collaboratively with a variety of partners and stakeholders, including students, teachers, school and district leaders, and trusted partners like Digital Promise and EdSAFE AI Alliance.

Please visit the GCPS Guidance for Human Centered AI Use to learn more about the use of AI tools in GCPS.

We can all help prevent suicide. The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

988 Fast Facts

• 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365, connecting those experiencing a mental health, substance use, or suicidal crisis with trained crisis counselors.
• Access is available through every landline, cell phone, and voice-over-internet device in the United States, and call services are available in Spanish, along with interpretation services in over 150 languages.
• The 988 dialing code is available for call, text, and chat.

You can learn more about 988 and access resources at 988lifeline.org.

• Board meeting and work session (July 25)
  
• GCPS Links (July 25)
  
• News Releases
  
• Student Calendars
  

• Keep Connected with news from GCPS TV… the next episode airs August 8!
  
• The next regular Board meeting is August 15. (Online, find links to sign up for the public comment sections of the meeting.)
  
• Watch for the next issue of GCPS Links on August 15!