September 2021 Vol 2; Issue 1
Family and Community Engagement
Idea Source
(Approx. 1 min. 32 seconds)
Early Learning and School Readiness Department- Contributor
Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains is a collective group whose mission is to ensure that all children are ready to thrive in Kindergarten. Their strategy is to ensure that all parents have access to the information and tools they need to be their child’s first and best teacher so that all of the children in Gwinnett will have access to high quality learning at home or elsewhere. Check out all the great resources on their website by clicking on the QR code to the right.
Have you heard? 52% of children are NOT READY to learn when they enter Kindergarten. As a school system and with many partners, we have worked diligently to improve these numbers by ensuring all parents have the necessary tools to be their child’s first and best teacher! Gwinnett Building Babies’ Brains and Play 2 Learn are two of the great resources we have in Gwinnett that we are highlighting in this first issue!
In looking for solutions to the Kindergarten readiness issue, GCPS created a high quality, free and accessible program for all families in Gwinnett with children birth to age five called Play 2 Learn. The program is offered at all of the 42 Title 1 elementary schools with the goal of empowering parents to be their child’s first and best teacher through play! Contact the Early Learning and School Readiness department at 678-301-7298 to find a program near you!
Scan here for more info
Our Early Learning and School Readiness team has also created video content to ensure that families could access high quality read alouds and learn how easy it is to provide engaging learning opportunities at home. These videos help to both encourage engagement and model how to to differentiate and find the teachable moments in everyday life. Click on the QR code to the left to Play 2 Learn@home!
-B4K, from Bottles to Backpacks will provide parents with information related to early learning, birth to five. We look forward to helping our future students and their families gain information and access to all early learning initiatives offered in Gwinnett County so that parents can be their child’s first and best teacher!
Engaging the Community Builds Partnerships
Sharing Resources With Your School Community and Beyond
By: Vivian Hernandez
Shenée Holloway- Contributor’s Choice
This past school year, a lot of educators tapped into their professional learning networks (PLNs) for help with things like figuring out how to make distance learning work or how to make students feel comfortable at school during a time of intense upheaval. A lot of this help came in the form of teacher-created videos or other online content. Creating these resources can be a valuable way to help your school community and fellow teachers going forward.
There may be hesitation in how to get started and comfortable in either video or audio recordings. My best advice is, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Making mistakes is part of the process. Once I embraced that reality and read a few articles, such as “7 Tips for Teaching With Videos,” I started to feel more confident. The simple answer to getting started is to be yourself, practice a few times, and then do the best you can.
Continue reading here
Baggett Elementary School
Corley Elementary School
Lawrenceville Elementary School
Lilburn Elementary School
Peachtree Elementary School
Sweetwater Middle School
Berkeley Lake Elementary School
Harris Elementary School
Knight Elementary School
McKendree Elementary School
Partee Elementary School
The Georgia Department of Education’s Title I website explains that Title I Distinguished Schools are among the top 5 percent of Title I schools in the state. The recognition is based on a school having the “highest absolute performance for the all-students group based on the current statewide assessment.”
Click here for more information
Seven Ways to Inspire Purpose in Students during a Pandemic
By: Jesse Mintz
Motivation over marks
COVID-19-induced anxiety can make learning and information retention difficult. With added pandemic pressure, grades are bound to slip. Approach lower grades with compassion, and help kids find intrinsic motivation. A sense of fulfillment and interest will help them uncover what they love instead of just what they’re required to do.
Nurture teamwork
Imagine a high school grading system based on how well students work together, mentor and advise others. With the social and collaborative nature of classrooms lost to distance learning, fostering these skills is more important than ever. This, says Cook-Deegan, would train young people for workplaces where teamwork is an essential skill while teaching them to think about others.
Find a trio of “spark coaches”
Cook-Deegan says most people who have found their life’s purpose had at least three “spark coaches”—people who took an interest in their lives beyond school to help ignite and guide their passion. The quality and intensity of relationships in young people’s lives has a whole host of positive outcomes, from increased engagement in school and community, to higher aspirations for their future and a greater sense of belonging. Teachers are perfectly positioned and traditionally fill this role—but it’s become more of a challenge with online learning. Into that vacuum, parents can, and should, take an increased interest in their children’s non-academic lives, connecting them—safely—with other mentors in their networks to help lead them through this traumatic time.
Take students out into the world—safely
Most learning is being done at the kitchen table right now—not only inside, but away from peers. According to Cook-Deegan, students learn about themselves and the world best when they’re given a chance to push their comfort zones and explore.
Learning from failure
Many students (and parents) think they need a perfect GPA to get into the university of their choice, so they take the classes they know they’ll excel in instead of taking a risk and challenging themselves. Especially right now, it’s important to remember that getting a B won’t stop a student from accomplishing their goals—and it may just teach them the critical skill of perseverance.
For more information visit: Inspire Purpose in Students
How Does GCPS Spell Relief?
“AKS at Home”
Milena Fuentes, Contributor
As part of Gwinnett County Public Schools’ family engagement initiative, the school district seeks to empower parents with tools that allow them to help their children at home. Our AKS at Home project provides math and language arts resources to support families of children in grades K-5 so that they truly are partners in their children’s learning. This support is available for families to access in the format that suits them and their schedule best. They can attend live virtual meetings, view recorded information at a time that best fits their schedule, and gain tips and suggestions on how to best help their children through tip sheets on a wide variety of topics.
GCPS hosted their first round of virtual AKS at Home sessions August 23-31 and there were more than 2200 families in attendance. Simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean was provided during the sessions. In addition, Parent Instructional Coordinators, Instructional Specialists, and a representative from the Gwinnett Public Library shared tips and resources with the parents during the live sessions.
Tip Sheets and Recordings can be accessed by selecting the appropriate grade level by using the link: https://www.gcpsk12.org/domain/13286
We invite our families to sign up for upcoming virtual sessions to learn more about how they can support their children at home.
2. Model reading love.
“Children take cues from adults,” says Schwartz. “When you grow up surrounded by junk food, you like junk food. When you grow up surrounded by books, you like books.” Annette Uvena, a mom of two reluctant readers, shares her excitement often: “I make sure they see me reading, but I also talk to them about the book. I’ll excitedly point out something that reminds me of the story, because I want them to see that books bring me joy and will bring them joy too.”
More tips...
3. Theme your nook
4. Help bring books to life
5. Celebrate writers
6. Read the book, then watch the movie
7. Stash books all over
8. Read aloud- even when they don’t need it
9. Turn your library visits into adventures
10. Reread the same books to little ones
11. Conquer the log
12. Get cooking
13. Start a club
18 Genius Ways To Make Kids Love Reading
These tricks should get your kids reading on their own in no time.
1. Swap Ariana Grande for an audiobook.
Yes, audiobooks count as reading—and they can help children do it better. “Hearing someone reading a book confidently is a great way to experience fluency, which is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with good expression,” says Elissa Mostransky, a grade-school reading teacher and mother of four. Her favorites: E. B. White reading Charlotte’s Web and The Magic Tree House series, which her boys listen to in the car on the way to and from soccer practice. Borrow them at your library, or get a free listening app at Audible.com.
Amy Jensen- Contributor’s Choice
By: Erin Zammett Ruddy
18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading
Thank you to this month’s contributors
Shenée Holloway
Milena Fuentes
Shenèe Holloway
Avery Baker
Amy Jensen
and...
The Early Learning and School Readiness Department
It is our hope that you will find inspiration in these ideas and be able to implement them in your schools, with your families, and with your community.
If you have an idea that you would like to share, please email:
Hispanic Heritage Month- Approximately 5 mins. 42 seconds