What a wonderful week we have had a White Oak! Each week is filled with learning, connecting, and enrichment. Our communication team works hard to showcase our great work on our social media platforms. Please make sure you check out the pictures and posts on our social media pages, like them, and comment.
Attendance
Attendance will continue to be a big focus for us this year. Every day a child is absent is a lost opportunity for learning. During the 23-24 school year, we had 29% of White Oak students absent 10 or more days.
In the elementary years, it is quite challenging to “make up” a missed day of instruction. Our learning is often hands-on, collaborative, and discussion based. While we understand the need to miss due to illness, please consider the following suggestions to help improvement.
When checking your children out, make sure to do so after 11:30 am when possible. Check outs before that time are considered a full day absence.
GCPS has a number of breaks built into the calendar. Schedule trips and family vacations during these times to avoid missing school. Link: GCPS 2024-2025 Calendar
If your child wakes up late, or has a difficult start to the morning, please bring them to school. We have a fabulous counselor and other support staff here to welcome them.
Lockdown Drill
This week we will be having our first of two lockdown drills for the year. It is an important opportunity for our students and staff to practice our emergency procedures. We partner with our School Resource officers to ensure that we conduct our drills in the same exact way that things would unfold in a real situation. Given recent events, I would ask that you talk to your child about the drill this week. Our teachers will also be discussing the drill with them, to not only review our procedures, but also to put their mind at ease that this will be a drill/practice.
I will send out communication through ParentSquare once our drill is complete. Please take a few minutes to talk to your child again that evening about their experience. While I hate that we live in a time where these types of drills are necessary, I strongly believe that preparation is key. Thank you for your partnership with safety and security.
In Partnership and Service,
Stacey Pickett
Mark your calendars for the Boot Scoot! Friday, October 4th
When? 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. A complete Boot Scoot packet was sent home on Friday in your child's Friday Folder.
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
At White Oak Elementary, we are respectful, responsible and ready! It just so happens that September’s Character Strong word has us practicing respect. Respect is seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care. During Morning Meeting and in Health Specials, we are learning about the importance respect plays in our daily lives and how it can help better our relationships with others. Read this month’s Family Newsletter for ways to practice respect with your child at home.
Lanier Robotics - DLD Opportunity
Lanier Robotics DLD Homework and STEM Camp
Sept 20, 8am-3pm
Open to Lanier Cluster Boys & Girls grades 3-6
Sign up on MyPaymentsPlus.com
Email michael.reilly@gcpsk12.org for more information
Gwinnett has a Digital Learning Day coming up on Sept 20, and our all-girls robotics team, the "Sea Cows" will be offering a one-day event. They will help students with their DLD assignments, and have some fun STEM activities for breaks. If this is something you'd like to learn more about, check out this link:
Sugar Hill E Center DLD Opportunity
The E Center Classrooms will be available on our upcoming GCPS Digital Learning Day. Sugar Hill's E Center will open the classrooms and gymnasium for families to come and complete all school assignments. This is NOT a drop off, students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. They will have Wi-Fi available and admission into the gym is free for the day.
They will have a guest speaker from 11am-1pm educating families on financial literacy and investing.
The intent of DLD at the E center is to bring community together while providing free Wi-Fi and the ability to allow recreation time.
K-12 Students Invited! Georgia Tech STEM Fest 2024
Quick Event Summary:
- Event: STEM Fest at Georgia Tech
- Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
- Time: 9 AM to 12 PM
- Location: Georgia Tech McCamish Pavilion
- For: K-12 students (elementary, middle, and high school)
- Cost: Free
- Activities: Interactive STEM experiments, robot demos, coding workshops
- Registration: linked here
- Event website: linked here
STEM Fest is an interactive event designed to introduce K-12 students to the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) through hands-on experiences and real-world applications.
This event aims to spark curiosity, foster innovation, and inspire the next generation of STEM leaders. We welcome students from elementary, middle, and high school levels to participate in age-appropriate activities.
STEM Fest is sponsored by Southern Company and supports our mission to make STEM education accessible to all students in the metro Atlanta area.
Each student must be registered individually (linked here), and we encourage early registration as there is a limit on attendees. If you have any questions or need more information, please don't hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to welcoming your students to STEM Fest 2024!
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.
White Oak Elementary School
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