#GOCOWLS

The weekly newsletter for Gwinnett Online Campus

Thursday, February 9, 2023

We would like to take this opportunity to remind our families with students in grades 4-12 that on-site CORE and Learning Labs run from 9 a.m.-12:35 p.m.

For the safety of all, we ask that parents/guardians pull all the way down to the end of the front sidewalk into the turn during the drop-off and pick-up process. This will help ensure that we do not block Hi Hope Road. Also, parents MUST remain in their vehicle during drop-off and pick-up in the car rider line in front of the school. Please do not park your vehicle and walk up to the school to drop-off or pick-up your student during the car-rider process.

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

Arrival drop-off begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. for weekly CORE and Learning Labs. For the safety of everyone, students MUST remain in their vehicle until staff members are stationed along the car rider lane to begin the arrival process. Students CANNOT be dropped off prior to 8:30 a.m. unless a pre-arranged meeting or appointment with a faculty or staff member(this includes the weekly Roost & Boost) has been scheduled.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Students MUST be picked up within 15 minutes of their lab or on-campus scheduled activity; please be mindful, GOC does not have available staff to monitor students after this time.

All students will arrive through the main front entrance and will be dismissed through the front entrances. Please review the 2022-23 GOC Car Rider Map to familiarize yourself with GOC's traffic flow plan for arrival and dismissal.



We appreciate your support and cooperation!

#CARE

#OnlineWeLearnSuccessfully

Grades 3-12: Milestone Benchmarks

Milestone Benchmarks will take place Monday, March 6 through Thursday, March 16 at Gwinnett Online Campus. This in-person assessment will determine where students are performing academically in preparation for the state Milestone assessments in April. Students will need to bring their GCPS Chromebook and charger with them to campus.

VIRTUAL LABS During Testing

Due to testing on campus Monday, March 6 through Thursday March 16 - grade levels that are not testing will have VIRTUAL LABS from home following the regular lab schedules. There will be NO on-campus labs during this time.

Please email the Assessment Office with questions.

Grade 12: May 2023 Graduation Information URGENT

It's an exciting time of the year as many families are beginning to prepare for the upcoming May 2023 full-time graduation. Students who meet all graduation requirements and pay their senior fees will be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony at the Gas South Ballroom scheduled for Friday, May 26 at 6 p.m.

Students who plan to walk in the commencement ceremony must visit their MyPaymentsPlus account by Friday, February 17 at 11:59 p.m. to pay their senior fees (which includes a sizing selection form for the GOC approved gown).

While we CANNOT confirm all of the graduation details at this time since we are still in the planning phase, we ask that students and parents/guardians pay particular attention to their email inbox over the next few months as we will begin communicating on a regular basis with important information and updates as it becomes available.

Please click HERE if you have any questions.

Grades 4-12: Roost & Boost

Come join us for Roost and Boost where you can connect with a content teacher to receive support with specific subject areas. This is an in-person academic assistance session, where a teacher from each content area (math, language arts, science, and social studies) will be available to provide academic support to students. All students are welcome and may choose which content area to attend but are strongly encouraged to attend a targeted content area if they receive a personal invitation from a teacher.

Grades 6 & 8: On-Campus Scoliosis Screenings

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, scoliosis screening is required for all students in grades 6 and 8 who attend public school in Georgia. Scoliosis screening can be completed by the students physician, the local health department or by a nurse at the local school. Parents, please take a moment to read this important Parent Scoliosis Screening Letter.

Scoliosis Screening will take place during the students on-campus learning lab according to the following schedule:

Parents or guardians may choose to not have their student screened at the local school by selecting the opt-out portion of the Parent Scoliosis Screening Letter and returning it to Ms. Petra Ordini, Office of Student Services, no later than Wednesday, February 15.

Students without an opt-out form on file will be asked to participate in the screening event on campus.

Grades 4-12: Join Us for Gym Fun & Games!

Please join us for some gym fun and games according to the grade level lab schedule below. Please be mindful that students must sign-up by Monday, February 13 in order to attend this event.

Grades K-8: Spring Dance

We are excited for GOC's Springtime in Paris Dance for students in grades K-8 scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, February 10. Please be mindful that there will be NO tickets sold at the door the day of the event and doors will open 15 minutes prior to the start of the event.

Please contact Ms. Hope Campbell with questions.

Grades K-12: GOC Family Skate Night

Come out and support GOC and our Parent Advisory Committee at our Family Skate Fundraiser. All proceeds will go to support our GOC PAC and all the great work they do here at GOC.

Our next off-campus family event at Sparkles Family Fun Center, Gwinnett is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28 from 5-9 p.m. This is NOT a drop off event; every student should have a parent or guardian accompany them to this event. On school skate nights, the venue offers special pricing of $7 admission which includes skates. Non-skating parents are free. There is also a $15 Meal Deal which includes 1 large cheese pizza and 1 pitcher of your choice beverage. Click HERE to RSVP for this event.

Please contact GOC's Parent Advisory Committee with questions. Also, be sure to add their email address (gwinnettonlineparents@gmail.com) to your address book to prevent emails from going to spam.

Grades 4-12: Club & Activities Friday

We hope to see everyone at our next Club and Activities Friday scheduled for Friday, March 10.

Also, as a reminder we do not have Club Friday during the month of February due to the long February break.

Please note that the typical Club Friday schedule has been modified due to testing in the afternoon.

Click HERE to RSVP for this event.

Mark your calendar for our last Club Friday of the school year which will be held on Friday, April 21.

Please contact Ms. Hope Campbell with questions.

Grades K-12: PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) Meeting

Calling all parents!! We need your help to plan lots of fun student events here at Gwinnett Online Campus!

Please join us on Friday, March 10 from 10:45-11:45 a.m. for a parent volunteer meeting to discuss how you can help with upcoming events.

The PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) would like to reach out to the parents who are not already involved this year. To stay up to date on the upcoming events and other information for the rest of this year and next year, please complete and submit the Parent Information Form.

For questions and to RSVP for the in-person parent meeting, please email

GOC's PAC (Parent Advisory Committee).

Grades K-12: Coping Skills for Students

Teaching children coping skills will help them manage difficult emotions and the effects of stress and gain resilience. It will assist them as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood and face more complex challenges.

The Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has created valuable tools for parents to use with their children. Please click HERE for more detailed information.

Please contact your student's counselor with questions.

Grades K-12: Random Acts of Kindness Month

Please celebrate Random Acts of Kindness month with GOC!

Grades 9-12: Social Lounge Meetings

Please join us for our next Social Lounge meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 22 from 1-2 p.m.

Please email Ms. Denise Billingsley with questions.

Grades 6-12: Spring Musical Rehearsals

We are thrilled to be starting rehearsals for GOC's Spring Musical "Mary Poppins Jr."! Upcoming rehearsals for the cast & select crew are as follows:

Please click HERE for a full list of rehearsal and performance dates.

Parents, if you are willing and able to volunteer, please click HERE to complete the SignUp Genius.

Please contact Mr. Miro Gomez with questions.

Grades K-12: Purchase Your 2022-23 GOC Lookbook

We have some exciting news! GOC will have our version of a yearbook again this year called The GOC Lookbook!

We have a group of students who have been working with one of our teachers on designing and publishing our Lookbook since August, and we are happy to announce that they are now available for you to purchase. Our GOC Lookbook will capture full-time students on campus in grades K-12, including classroom shots as well as pictures from clubs and activities throughout the school year. We hope this will be a book that your student can keep as a memory of their year at Gwinnett Online Campus. The GOC Lookbook will not include individual portraits of students.

Please note that the GOC Lookbook can only be purchased by the deadline of Friday, March 31. We will NOT have extra or additional copies for sale when the books are delivered.

Please click HERE for instructions on purchasing your very own 2022-23 GOC Lookbook.

Grades 5, 8 &12: GOC Lookbook - Purchase an Ad

Are you a parent/guardian of a student in grades 5, 8 or 12? If you have a student in one of these milestone grades and would like to honor your student with a personal and customized ad in our 2022-23 GOC Lookbook, please click HERE for

instructions to purchase your ad by our deadline of Friday, March 3.

Grades K-12: Valentines for Veterans

The Salute to Service Activity Group is collecting Valentines for Veterans through Friday, February 10 at which time they will be delivered to local veterans in the Gwinnett County Community. We are hoping to have each family donate one or more letters to the collection. You may drop off your letters in the front office any time you are on campus.

We will also have a Valentine table set up during the dance on Friday, February 10 with valentine making supplies.

Please contact Ms. Laura Hunnings with questions.

Extracurricular Podcast

Make sure to check out the latest episode of Extracurricular, GOC's podcast about the amazing hobbies and interests GOC students, staff, and faculty members have outside of school. There are two episodes this week! You can listen by clicking on the links below or searching for Extracurricular on your podcast app.

Grades 6-8: Breakfast with Buddies

GOC's "Breakfast with Buddies" Program allows students to enjoy breakfast from home with their school counselor and peers every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. to develop meaningful relationships! This connection may positively impact the student and their learning!

We are considering offering an in-person Breakfast Buddies. Please click HERE if you are interested in this opportunity.

Please click HERE to reserve your spot for next Wednesday. The counselors will provide a participation link to those who have reserved a spot for this event.

For questions please contact your middle school counselor, Ms. Teshia Dula or Ms. Nikita Johnson.