Dear Woodward Mill Families,

As you have heard, the district has made the decision to shift to digital learning for all students from January 19th-January 22nd. We are ready to pivot and continue to give our students the very best education. If your child is in need of a device for digital learning next week, please let your child’s teacher know or contact the front office. Devices were sent home on Friday if one was requested. Students will be expected to complete their lessons digitally each day and attendance will be documented. Students are expected to log in each day no later than 8:15 a.m. for morning meetings with their teacher. Teachers will share the daily schedule including Zoom meetings in which students are expected to log in and engage in learning.

Breakfast and lunch meal service will continue to be provided at no charge to students. The district will deliver meals along all bus routes countywide next week. Families should expect buses to run their routes from approximately 10:45 a.m. to noon, beginning at the first stops on the route. Additionally, meals will be provided at Woodward Mill for curbside pickup from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the car rider lane. When you arrive for meal pickup, please stay in your car and open your trunk. A staff member will place the meals in your trunk.

All students will use eCLASS to complete two lessons for their Special Area class for the week. Please see the schedule below.

-Kindergarten= Art

-1st Grade= Art

-2nd Grade= Music

-3rd Grade= Music

-4th Grade= P.E.

-5th Grade= Computer Science/STEM

Thank you for your continued support!

Mike Bender

Principal

1/18: Report cards mailed home from District

1/18: MLK Day (No School!)

1/19-1/22: Digital Learning Days for GCPS

1/26: Digital Learning Day for ALL Students

Monday: No School

Tuesday: Peanut butter & jelly

Wednesday: Chicken sandwich

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Peanut butter & jelly

Starting January 25th, we are participating again in the Kids Heart Challenge to help raise life-saving funds for the American Heart Association. Last year, Woodward Mill was the #7 Kids Heart Challenge School in Gwinnett County and raised $6,863. Woodward Mill's Kids Heart Challenge will kick off on January 25th and will end February 12th. Please see the flyer for more information.

While digital learning, your counselors are still here for you! Students can have individual sessions with their counselor during office hours or by appointment. To talk to a counselor, visit our eCLASS page.

We all share a common goal for our children to be safe and protected from all things harmful. Related to that goal, our school counselors are required to present annual personal safety lessons designed to prevent sexual abuse. The Think First & Stay Safe program is a research-based program that teaches specific personal safety education by way of interactive classroom lessons. This program enables students to take an active and necessary role in protecting themselves from abuse and exploitation. You can learn more about the detailed lesson plans and research behind this program at www.childluresprevention.com. (Please be aware that more information is provided on the website than is actually used in Gwinnett County.) These lessons will take place for grades K-5 in January (in-person and digital students). Please contact your child’s counselor for more information or if you do NOT want your child to participate in the lesson in January. Unless written documentation is received, your child will participate in the sexual abuse prevention and safety lessons.

The character word for the month is citizenship. Showing citizenship means trying to make your community and world a better place. For our students, that can mean something as simple as picking up trash left on the ground or being kind to a new student. Teachers will be on the lookout for students exhibiting citizenship to be chosen for the Cub of the Month!

The weather is getting colder out there! A generous community partner has donated some new jackets for our students in need. Please email your school counselors, Chavonne O’Rear, chavonne.orear@gcpsk12.org, or Anne Woodworth, anne.woodworth@gcpsk12.org, if your child needs a coat this season. Please provide your child’s name and coat size, S-XL in the email. We also have additional school supplies available for digital or in person students who need them.

When newsworthy events happen in the world, kids need help making sense of it all. While you may not have all the answers to their questions (and that’s OK!), there are guiding principles you can follow that help with any type of difficult conversation. Our school partners at Strong4Life have gathered some resources to help you navigate difficult conversations with your children.

Strong For Life Link

Digital families, be sure to use the Destiny Discover catalog to place your media center holds. Once your book request is ready for pickup, you will receive an email notification. Please wait for the email notification before coming to the school. Email notifications are sent on Mondays and Wednesdays of each week.

Curbside service is offered on Tuesdays of each week. Our Tuesday hours are from 11:00-1:00. Please place your sign, with your child’s name and teacher name, in a visible place when you drive up to the front of the school.

If you can not make the curbside hours on Tuesday, you are welcome to come to the school and pick up the books anytime during school hours. We will bring the books to you in the front lobby. Use the following link to get you started with reserving media center books.

Book returns can be made at any time during the school day. Please return your media books to the basket by the front door of the school.

How to Place Media Center Holds for Digital Students

Contact Jennifer.Alden@gcpsk12.org if you have any questions.

I hope your child has been reading and documenting their January minutes! The goal of our Reading Rewards program is to help students develop a consistent habit of reading. We look forward to rewarding our December readers next week!

The monthly requirement is to read, outside of school hours, at least 20 minutes a day for at least 20 days of the month. Students are expected to list book titles and minutes read on each of the 20 dates that are logged on the form. Parents must initial each of the entry dates.

For students to be recognized, the reading log must be turned in on time and considered complete. Students can complete and submit a paper or digital log. The digital log, which can be found on the school home page of eCLASS. The digital log is an editable pdf file that can be downloaded and saved to your computer at home. Once complete the digital log is submitted as an eCLASS assignment.

If you have any questions about the Reading Rewards program, please email Jennifer.Alden@gcpsk12.org.

The Cave

Written and illustrated by Rob Hodgson

The wolf tries everything to get a creature to leave the cave, to no avail. But what will happen when he's finally successful? This is a laugh-out-loud story with a BIG surprise ending!

The purpose of this annual program is to foster a love of reading in the children of Georgia and to introduce students to books of literary excellence. After reading at least ten of the twenty nominees, students will vote for their favorite book. All votes will be submitted to the University of Georgia in late February. The Georgia Picture Book Award Winner will be announced in March.

Facemasks are still available to order through My Payments Plus. Masks are $8 each and available in Youth small and Adult medium and large.

You are an important partner with your child’s teacher, whether your child is learning at home or at school. To help you support your child’s learning, GCPS is launching a new initiative called AKS at Home. With this project, families will learn ways to help their child practice skills they are learning in class as part of the district’s Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum. Parents have access to a library of recorded sessions and tipsheets. Find more information on the AKS at Home web page.

Return to Learning Hub

"The Promise of Gwinnett” campaign is a means of focusing attention on the importance of public education, the role it plays in our nation, and the outstanding schools found right here in Gwinnett County. In addition, the campaign focuses on the accomplishments of our students and the promise they hold for a bright future. Click here to visit the Promise of Gwinnett.

In5ive is a fast-paced, fact-filled informative program that gives you a quick five-minute update on the latest good news in education from Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Woodward Mill just received our quarterly check from the Publix Partners program for $122 dollars. Please help us raise more money for our school by registering for a Publix Partners account and entering your phone number every time you grocery shop at Publix. Every dollar counts!

Woodward Mill would like to take this opportunity to thank the numerous business partners that support the students and teachers at our school. Our business partners support our school in various ways such as sponsoring after-school clubs, providing teacher appreciation gifts, donating supplies, and mentoring students. Please check out our wonderful business partners below: