Paul Duke STEM Newsletter

To support the transition to high school, ninth graders will be required to attend Flex Friday for the first five weeks of school – 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, 8/25, and 9/1

*Attendance is required for all 9th grade students*

What is PBIS? PBIS is an approach schools use to promote school safety and good behavior. With PBIS, students learn about behavior expectations and strategies for the school and classrooms. The school matrix explains the behavior expectations and is posted throughout the school.

• Students can earn points for exhibiting these behaviors in the hallways, classrooms, and cafeteria. Students can view their points at any time in the PBIS Rewards App (linked on the PDS eClass page) and can redeem these for treats and events.
• Last week the students participated in a schoolwide pep rally to learn which house they would be grouped into for the year. The houses allow students to build community with their advisement class, compete against other houses, and earn points for end of semester events.

The counselors are hosting Senior Parent Night on Thurs, September 7th from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM in the Auditorium. This will be part of the Fall Parent Expo and Curriculum Night.

We will be discussing topics such as:

• Senior Class Information

• What Colleges Consider

• SAT/ACT

• Exploring College Options

• College Applications

• Admission Data

• PDS Application Procedures

• HOPE Scholarship Programs

• Naviance

The Office of Family Engagement is excited to present Universal Screeners Family Night for all GCPS families., part of the Engage, Equip, Empower Series. This virtual meeting is an opportunity for families to learn about the iReady and MAP Universal Screeners and how screeners formulate the next steps needed in instruction to support all students.

The Universal Screeners Family Night will occur virtually on August 29 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. Please share the following advertisements with your school community and families. The advertisements are translated into Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese for your convenience.

Join us Thursday, September 7th

from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Come and learn about the amazing things happening with our students to ensure their success at Paul Duke STEM! We will have sessions for PBIS/Discipline, Core Content, ESOL, Student Supports, CTAE Pathways, and more!

We will review important information related to our Title I program and budget and share our calendar of family engagement activities for this year. If you want to learn how to get involved and how we plan to partner with you to support all our students, please make plans to join us!

Want to test drive the ACT without the pressure of an official score? Sign-up for Applerouth's full-length practice exam under test like conditions. Afterwards, you will receive a comprehensive score report that identifies strengths and targets areas for improvement.

To register go to www.applerouth.com/signup and enter the event code: PAS8425F

More info here: https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections

We are excited to announce that our school district has 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 your child’s school and Gwinnett County Public Schools.

ParentSquare provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to receive and send information, such as:

• Weather-related closings & delays
• School and class information
• Share pictures and files
• See calendar items
• Upcoming class activities

Beginning July 18, 2023, district and school information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text via ParentSquare. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). Please note that some schools and teachers may still use other district-approved tools for the 2023-2024 school year to communicate with their families.

If you received our notification about ParentSquare and you have questions about confirming your account access, please send an email to PSQHelp@gcpsk12.org.

Students who need to leave campus during the day must check out through the Attendance Office in the back of the school building. No student will be released until contact with parent/guardian is made. Students who do not follow this procedure will be considered AWOL and may receive appropriate consequences.

Check Out Procedure:

• Parents, guardians, or verified emergency contacts must enter through the Attendance Office in the back of the building. You must bring a proper ID in order to check out a student.
  • Parents are not required to come inside if verification has been made over the phone with the Attendance Clerk.
• Student Drivers: Parents or guardians of student drivers that wish to check out their students early may do so by calling the Attendance Office or sending a note.
  • If Calling: Please call by 8am to allow time to verify.
  • If Sending a Note: The student must bring it to the Attendance Office by 7am in order for the check out to be verified. The note should include the student's full name, student ID, date, check-out time, reason for the check out, parent signature and phone number(s) for verification.

*Students are not allowed to check out after 1:15 p.m. OR during final exams.

• Mrs. Turner - Counselor for students with the last names A - Gon
• Mrs. Percy - Counselor for students with the last names Goo - N
• Mrs. Patel - Counselor for students with the last names O - Z
• Mrs. Morris - Special Projects Counselor

Paul Duke STEM will be a host site for the Peach state College Tour again this year. The tour includes Admission Counselors from The University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and Augusta University. The event is open to the public, but you do need to pre register using this link

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM

The Care Team has created a wish list to help keep our "Need One, Take One" personal care supplies stocked. It's been a tough year, and some may find themselves having to pick and choose what makes it into the grocery cart each month. We have placed a bin in one of our girl's restrooms, hoping to share items in a more discrete way.

Thank you for your support of our students!

Please, click here to view our Care Team Amazon Wish List

For only a $5 donation to the Counseling Care Team!

Form found in MYPayments Plus under School Fundraisers

A Certificate of Enrollment is required to test for both driver's permit and driver's license. Students must submit a request form to receive this document. The request forms are available in the front office. The cost for this document is $3.

If you lost your ADAP certificate, you may get a replacement from the front office. ADAP certificates can be replaced for $5.

Please note there is a 48-hour turnaround for Certificate of Enrollment and replacement ADAP certificate requests.

Eligible licensed student drivers must provide proof of insurance, a valid driver's license, and a completed parking application. Click here for an application. Additionally, students must pay $70 for their parking pass. Click here to pay through MyPaymentsPlus. Students parking without a valid parking pass will be subject to disciplinary consequences including a boot on their car.

Click here for INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINORS

Are you planning on doing some community services but don't know where to start?

Contact Ms. Dobbs in the Parent Center or email at olaya.dobbs@gcpsk12.org

We need students who:

*Love their community

*Have a passion helping others

*Bilingual preferred but not required

Email: olaya.dobbs@gcpsk12.org
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/pauldukestemhs
Location: 5850 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Norcross, GA, USA
Phone: (470) 323-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/PaulDukeSTEM
Twitter: @Paul_Duke_STEM