Ed Briefs

In this episode of Coffee with Calvin, Dr. Watts chats with James Rayford of the Community-Based Mentoring Program and then visits with a mentoring pair at Duluth Middle School to learn firsthand about "the Power of One."

Each month of the 2023-24 school year, we will spotlight one of our strategic priorities or Portrait of a Graduate competencies by sharing the stories of two clusters—highlighting their classrooms, notable events, community insights, achievements, community service projects, student organizations, volunteer efforts, and more.

GCPS students and staff know that excellence is not an option, it is the standard. Teaching and leading excellence, combined with our curriculum, create pathways to postsecondary and workforce success.

In April, we'll focus on Excellence in the Berkmar and Discovery clusters.

Whether it’s helping cancer patients get the support they need or funding research for better treatments, when you give to Relay For Life, you give hope to those who need it most.

Team GCPS, be part of our Relay For Life campaign this year!

You can add a payroll deduction, one-time or monthly; or follow these steps to join a Relay For Life team:

1. Go to www.relayforlife.org/gwinnettga, then
2. Click JOIN THIS RELAY
3. Follow the instructions. You’ll need to have a name for your team.
4. Link your team to Gwinnett County Public Schools Company (search for GCPS).
5. Then, share your team link (using the QR Code is the best way) with everyone to join. When your friends and family scan that code, it’ll take them to your team page to sign up or donate.
6. To maximize your fundraising efforts, you can add the QR code to your social media accounts, email, or print.

And be sure to mark your calendars for the Relay For Life of Gwinnett event on Saturday, April 27, at 6 p.m. at the Suwanee Town Center.

On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. In Gwinnett County, weather permitting, we will experience a partial solar eclipse between 1:45 p.m. and 4:21 p.m., with the maximum viewing time at 3:04 p.m.

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) will operate on a normal school schedule on April 8, 2024. To help ensure safe viewing for our students and a safe dismissal of students, GCPS will take all precautionary measures to make this exciting experience safe, educational, and enjoyable.

The Gwinnett County Board of Education (BOE) has been on the road this spring. If you still want to attend a meeting, the last one will be held on April 8 at 7 p.m. at Mill Creek High School. Steven B. Knudsen, District II representative and 2024 Board Chair, will join other Board, school, and district leaders for a meet and greet starting at 6:30 p.m.

The GCPS Library Media Services department is busy planning the 2024 Book Mobile 5K and Fun Run. This family-friendly event falls on May 4, 2024, and we are excited to celebrate putting books into kids’ hands. This year's t-shirt logo celebrates Star Wars Day, and Darth Vader and other Star Wars characters will be at the event!

The 5K is our primary fundraiser for purchasing new books for the Book Mobile program. Since 2017, more than 142,000 Gwinnett children have received new books at 698 school and community visits. During the summer, the Book Mobiles help combat summer slide by visiting 90 weekly stops in neighborhoods and apartment complexes. This ensures that students have the opportunity to keep reading during June and July.

Register at bookmobile5k.com and join us at the ISC on May The Fourth at 8 a.m.

You must be registered 30 days prior to any election to be eligible to vote in that election. If you are already registered and have had a change of name or address, it must be changed 30 days prior to any election.

Check your registration status, even if you’ve voted before. Visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/ to check your registration. If you can’t locate any information about your voter registration status, contact the Gwinnett County Board of Registrations and Elections office at 678-226-7210. Follow this same procedure if you’ve recently made a change to your name and/or address. Please do not wait until Election Day to check your voter registration status!

The general primary and nonpartisan election (including Board of Education races) is Tuesday, May 21.

Collaborating with others can upgrade your workflow and productivity on different tasks. Check out this video from GCPS Tech Tips on how to manage collaboration in Google Docs and make the most of your collaboration time together.

Join us in celebrating individuals from across Gwinnett County on May 2! Our inductee class includes Anne Marie Armstrong from Wesleyan, Cam Heyward from Peachtree Ridge, Collin McHugh from Providence Christian Academy, Jodie Meeks from Norcross, Coach Kevin Maloof from Duluth, Loganville, Meadowcreek, and Dacula, Nick Green from Duluth, and a surprise 7th inductee.

Get ready to "Rise Up" with keynote speaker Rich McKay, CEO of AMBSE and the Atlanta Falcons, alongside Taylor Rooks, NFL and NBA Commentator and Peachtree Ridge alum, as she hosts a Q&A session with this NFL legend!

Don't miss out on this event! School tables are available at 50% off for $1,250 (10 seats), and employee tickets are discounted at 50% off for $250 each. We look forward to celebrating with you!

This training is open for Spanish/English bilingual school personnel with a working knowledge of academic language who serve or want to serve as school-wide interpreters. Please note that attendance at all four sessions is required to complete the program and will occur in person at our location. If you are off contract on the training dates, you will receive a daily stipend for attending. If you have any questions or for further information, contact Michelle Moody, Language Services & Parent Outreach Manager, at 770-277-4418

1. Register in PD&E. Course #32965, Section #59504

2. Download the application from PD&E, print it, and fill it out. Completed application must have principal's signature.

Sessions (you must attend all four sessions)

June 3 & 4, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Initial session (stipend available)

September 13, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Intensive Interpretation

March 28, 2025, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Intensive Translation

Electronic copies of the W-2 form for this year and prior years are available on the Employee Portal under About Me > W2.

The Payroll department also issued 1095-Cs to all eligible employees. The 1095-C is provided to all employees eligible for healthcare coverage through their employer, as required by the Affordable Care Act. You do not need to have received your 1095-C to file your taxes. Questions about your W-2 or 1095-C? Email Payroll.Support@gcpsk12.org for assistance.

Staff, parents, students, and community members are invited to review and provide input on supplemental resources that have been proposed to support Multilingual Learners at the elementary school level. The virtual review of all resources will run through April 27.

Supplemental resources are used to support core instructional materials in the teaching and learning of the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum, or to support a districtwide initiative or priority in a non-instructional capacity. Before implementing supplemental resources for classroom use, GCPS holds an extensive review involving a variety of stakeholders.

To begin the review, please visit this link.

For more about the supplementary resources review process, contact the Office of Instructional Resources and Support at 678-301-6828.

When you are preparing to retire, it is important to contact the Retirement Services Department at 678-301-6100 to schedule an appointment as soon as possible prior to the date your pension is to begin. You must file a written application with the Gwinnett Retirement System for benefits no later than seventy-five (75) days before retirement benefits begin.

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.

Want to share a success story about your school or department with the entire GCPS community?

Are you looking for a way to celebrate an honor and recognize a teacher, student, or team member for their work? Do you want to share an achievement, upcoming event, or opportunity?

Do you have GCPS Good News to share? Let us know through this online form.

• Board meeting and work session (March 21)
• Connected (March 15)
  
• GCPS Links (March 21)
  
• Coffee with Calvin (March 7)
  
• News Releases
  
• Student Calendars
  
• News You Can Use
  

And much more at www.gcpsk12.org!

• Keep Connected with news from GCPS TV… the next episode airs April 11!
• The next regular Board meeting is April 18. (Online, find links to sign up for the public comment sections of the meeting.)
  
• Watch for the next issue of GCPS Links on April 18!