#GOCOWLS

The weekly newsletter for Gwinnett Online Campus

Thursday, March 23, 2023

GOC will have VIRTUAL LABS next week, March 27-31 due to additional on-campus testing. Students will follow their grade level lab schedule from home unless they are testing on campus.

Please mark your calendar; GCPS will observe Spring Break from Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 7. Students and staff return to learning on Monday, April 10.

#CARE

#OnlineWeLearnSuccessfully

Grades 4-12: Roost & Boost

There will be no Roost & Boost on campus next week, March 27-31 due to on-campus testing.

Students who are not testing will have VIRTUAL LABS from home during this time.

Grades K-5: Parents & Students - Ask a Counselor!

Ask a Counselor is an opportunity for students in grades K-5 to ask questions about making friends, succeeding in school, getting along with others, managing anxiety, and other things. Students, please click HERE to submit your question via a Google Form which is submitted directly to our grade K-5 Counselors. The counselors, Dr. Dana Edwards and Ms. Barbara Santiago-Fecht, will answer the questions, without naming the student who asked, during the Ask a Counselor videotaped segment. These segments will be shown on Fridays during the live K-3 counseling lessons and posted in the 4th and 5th grade course announcements.

Parents, we will also have an Ask the Counselor opportunity for you periodically. We’re here to help, so ask away!

Please contact Dr. Dana Edwards or Ms. Barbara Santiago-Fecht with questions.

Grade 12: 2023 Graduates

First, congratulations on being a potential GOC graduate of the Class of 2023. Please be mindful that students must pass all course and graduation requirements in order to qualify for graduation.

Second, it is MANDATORY that you take approximately 5 minutes to complete a Senior Exit Survey. Please click HERE for instructions on how to access and complete this quick survey.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter!

Please click HERE to contact your High School Counselor with questions.

Grades K-12: Matinee Tickets Still Available - Mary Poppins, Jr.

There are still tickets available for the 2 p.m. Friday, March 24 Matinee of Mary Poppins, Jr. at Gwinnett Online Campus.

Don't miss this amazing performance which showcases our students in grades K-12! Tickets are limited so act fast!

We would love to see all of you at the show so get your tickets by clicking HERE!

Grades 4-12: Get Your Game Face On - It's Time to Lead

Please join us for a Leadership Workshop on Wednesday, March 29 from 1-3 p.m. This event is required for SLT and GSLT members and also open to all other interested students.

This workshop will offer lots of fun activities geared to get you ready to lead. Activities will include a Leadership Escape Room and Leadership Cornhole.

This is a great opportunity to join your friends for leadership, fun and snacks. Please wear your favorite jersey or your SLT shirt!

If you are interested in attending this event, please click HERE to RSVP.

Please contact Ms. Hope Campbell with questions.

Grades K-12: Spring Musical Toy Donation Drive

SWAG (Students Working Around Gwinnett) will be hosting a Toy Donation Drive on Thursday, March 23 and Friday, March 24 during the Spring Musical, Mary Poppins Jr., at GOC. By bringing in new/lightly used toys, you can help decide what characters will get a Spoonful of Sugar after the show!!

Grades 9-12: Prom/Spring Dance

Students in grades 9-12, please mark your calendar to save the date for GOC's Prom/Spring Dance scheduled for Friday, April 21 from 7-10 p.m. The theme will be Met Gala - A Night in Paris and will be Semi-Formal/Formal attire.

This year our venue will be 550 Trackside in Downtown Lawrenceville. Please note the date and venue change due to issues with the original location.

Please visit the student's MyPaymentsPlus account by Friday, March 31 to take advantage of early bird ticket pricing ($50 per person). Students may purchase one additional guest ticket (for a similar age peer) to accompany them to this event. Prices will increase soon so please get your tickets now!

Students, please check your GCPS email to participate in a survey to submit your nominations for Superlatives, Prom Court and song requests.

Please contact Ms. Hope Campbell with questions.

Grades 9-12: Donations for a Dinner Drawing -Prom/Spring Dance

Are you heading to the Prom/Spring Dance in April? SWAG is offering an opportunity for students to win a complimentary dinner on the Square in Downtown Lawrenceville for you and your guest on Friday, April 21 before the Prom/Spring Dance. In order to be eligible to win, students must have purchased their Prom/Spring Dance ticket by the drawing.

SWAG (Students Working Around Gwinnett) will be offering an opportunity for students to donate items for the Gwinnett Co-Op. Our remaining collection dates will be before the Wise Owl Summit on Wednesday, March 29 and during on-campus labs on Wednesday, April 12.

SWAG will be collecting the following new/unopened items for the Gwinnett Co-Op. Students will receive one raffle ticket for each item donated. The more you donate, the more chances to win! The drawing will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, April 12.

Students in grades K-8 are also welcome to make donations of hygiene items for the Gwinnett Co-Op through Friday, April 14.

Please contact Ms. Lindsey Woodward or Ms. Hope Campbell with questions.

Grades K-12: GOC Family Skate Night

Come out and support GOC and PAC (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. We had a great turn out in February and hope to see even more of our families in March.

Our next off-campus family event at Sparkles Family Fun Center Gwinnett is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 from 5-8:30 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.

Please 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 4-8: Geography & History Bees

Are you interested in testing your Geography or History skills? Do you like to compete with other people? Then you should consider competing in a Geography or History Bee!

Geography and History Bees are now hosted by International Academic Competitions. To learn more, please click HERE.

Registration and participation are easy and free! Interested students will need to register for and take an Online Regional Qualifying Exam. This is a 20-minute qualifying exam with 50 multiple choice questions, and this exam can be taken at home!

If students qualify in any of the subject areas, they will be eligible to register for the North Georgia Regional Finals, which will be held on Saturday, April 15 at Commerce High School, in Commerce, Georgia. If you qualify, please click HERE to register for this competition by the Sunday, April 2 deadline. Again, students may only register for the North Georgia Regional Finals if they qualify on the Online Regional Qualifying Exam.

If students are interested, they can also register for the Science Bee offered by this organization if they qualify. The North Georgia Regional Finals for Science will be held at Commerce High School on the same day.

Students may only register for the North Georgia Regional Finals if they qualify on the Online Regional Qualifying Exam.

Please contact Mr. Zain Malik 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 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 4-5: Virtual Success Skills Counseling Lessons

Ms. Santiago-Fecht, GOC Counselor, will be hosting a series of 10 virtual counseling lessons focusing on the success skills of good character to real life situations starting Thursday, February 23 for 4th and 5th grade students. There will be 10 sport-themed lessons on the following topics: respect, responsibility, thankfulness, caring, self-discipline, cooperation, honesty, good citizenship and courage. Each week will focus on a different character skill and the last lesson will be a summary of all the character skills discussed.

Please watch for an email from Ms. Santiago with the link, dates and times for the 4th and 5th grade counseling lessons. Students do not need to attend all the lessons, but it is recommended.

Please contact Ms. Santiago-Fecht with questions.

Grades 8-9: Spring GOC College Bus Tour

The GOC Counselors are happy to announce that Gwinnett Online Campus will be offering a spring College Bus Tour for students in grades 8 and 9. The trip is scheduled for Thursday, March 30 and we will meet at GOC at 7 a.m. and return to GOC by 4 p.m. We have space available for 25 8th grade students and 25 9th grade students to participate on a campus tour of Georgia State University, Kennesaw State Marietta Campus with a drive through of KSU Main Campus!

We have limited spots available which will be filled on a first come, first serve basis via MyPaymentsPlus. Please plan to bring a sack lunch.

Please click HERE to register your student on their MyPaymentsPlus account. Once all spots are full, this item will not longer be available on MyPaymentsPlus.

Please contact your counselor Ms.Teshia Dula, Ms. Nikita Johnson, or Ms. Jessica Pompilus with questions.

Grades K-12: Fort Yargo's 18th Century Market Faire

Fort Yargo will be hosting the 12th Annual 18th Century Market Faire from Friday, March 31 through Sunday, April 2. Students and families will get to venture back in time to the days of the Revolutionary War to see what life was like back before cell phones and indoor plumbing. There will be hands-on experiences and opportunities to shop in the 18th century market for toys and other items that would have been available back then.

For more information please click HERE.