THE NORCROSS ELEMENTARY EAGLE
September Newsletter
Important Due Dates and Reminders
Picture Day: September 2
IOWA Testing for 2nd Graders: September 1 -3
Labor Day/Systemwide Holiday: September 6
Rosh Hashanah: September 6-8
Digital Learning Day #1: September 14
Title 1 Parent Meeting: September 14
Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15- October 15
Yom Kippur: September16
Academic Challenge and Progress Reports: September 17
Cognitive Abilities Testing (CogAT) for 1st, 2nd, and 5th Grades: September 21- September 23
Remembering September 11, 2001
Remembering September 11, 2001
Essential Question: What is a hero and how can people show gratitude to those who act heroically in their own communities?
We will commemorate September 11 with in class activities. Also on Friday, we encourage students to participate in the wearing of red, white, and blue on Friday, September 10.
On Friday, September 10 - Let's do the following.
- Kindergarten, First Grade to wear RED tops and blue jeans/bottoms
- 2nd Grade, Third Grade to wear WHITE tops with blue jeans/bottoms
- 4th Grade, Fifth Grade to wear BLUE tops with blue jeans/bottoms
Meals on Digital Learning Days
Meals will be provided.
Title 1 Annual Meeting
Learn all about Norcross Elementary School’s Title 1 program.
Title 1 Annual Meeting
September 14, 2021
4:30 pm via zoom
Zoom link: https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/j/96900390274
Hispanic Heritage Month - Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope
From September 15th through October 15th, Norcross Elementary School will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. During this month, we recognize contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States and celebrate their rich heritage and culture. We invite our families to join in on our celebration by working with your child/family to create a flag that represents one of the many Hispanic countries. These flags will be displayed around our school during our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. If you would like to participate, please send in your homemade flag no later than September 20th. The flags can be given to your child's teacher or to Mrs. Turner. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Desde el 15 de septiembre hasta el 15 de octubre, la Escuela Primaria Norcross celebrara el Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Durante este mes, reconocemos las contribuciones de los hispanos y latinoamericanos a los Estados Unidos y celebramos su rica herencia y cultura. Invitamos a nuestras familias a unirse a nuestra celebración trabajando con su hijo(a)/familia para crear una bandera que represente a uno de los muchos países hispanos. Estas banderas se exhibirán alrededor de nuestra escuela durante la celebración del Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Si desea participar, por favor envié su bandera casera al no tardar de 20 de septiembre. Las banderas se pueden entregar a la maestra(o) de su hijo(a) o a la Sra. Turner. ¡Por favor háganos saber si usted tiene alguna pregunta! Gracias.
Local School Council Meetings
Learn more about our school by attending the Local School Council Meetings.
What is the purpose of school councils?
- To help the local board of education develop and nurture participation
- To bring parents and the community together with teachers and school administrators to create a better understanding of and mutual respect for each other’s concerns
- To share ideas for school improvement
The dates for the meeting are:
September 24, 2021
December 10, 2021
January 28, 2022
March 4, 2022
All meetings will start at 7:30 AM and should last about 45 minutes.
Join Zoom Meeting for all meetings
https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/j/97409082104?pwd=a0p0OFJPbFZyeXlWWHVoMUx0SlJGUT09
READING AND WRITING AT HOME BOOSTS ACADEMIC SUCCESS
1. Make books a priority. Don't save books for bedtime - read them any time of day. Keep books where your child can get o them. Check new titles from the library. And set a good example: When yo u have some downtime, reach for a book instead of the remote. Your child will notice.
2. Start a family journal. Each weekend, have your child jot down something special about her week. It doesn't need to be long; a couple of sentences will do. After her entry, add your own, you'll have a written record of memories!
3. Play word games. Each round of Scrabble does more than entertain your child. It hones her reading and writing skills. Best of all, she won't suspect you're "teaching" her anything.
Source: N.L. Altston-Abel and V.W. Berninger, "Relationships Between Home Literacy Practices and School Achievement: Implications for Consultation and Home-School Collaboration
Free/Reduced Lunch Forms
Parent Learning Opportunities at Norcross Elementary.
AKS at Home
AKS at Home is a Gwinnett County Public Schools’ family engagement initiative that empowers parents with tools to support the learning of their children at home. This initiative highlights foundational skills and activities taught in the areas of Math and Language Arts for grades K-5.
YOU ARE INVITED!
We invite all our families of students in K-5 grades to sign up for our AKS at Home virtual sessions.
See the information below.
GCPS Learning Hub
Gwinnett School Board to host Area Board Meetings
This fall, the Gwinnett County Board of Education will go on the road, meeting once in each Board member’s district. At this year’s Area Board Meetings, attendees will have the opportunity to meet Gwinnett County Public Schools’ new superintendent, Dr. Calvin J. Watts, and members of the Gwinnett County Board of Education. During the meeting, Dr. Watts will share information about the new school year and his focus as he begins leading Georgia’s largest school district. In addition, meeting participants will learn more about the district’s work to engage the community and will be able to provide input through an online survey to share topics that are of interest to them.
Please note that interpreters will be available at all meetings to assist attendees who speak Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, or Chinese.
Tuesday, Aug. 24— District I meeting, hosted by Karen Watkins, 2021 vice chair, at Grayson HS
Thursday, Aug. 26— District II meeting, hosted by Steven B. Knudsen, at Mill Creek HS
Tuesday, Aug. 31— District III meeting, hosted by Dr. Mary K. Murphy, at North Gwinnett HS
Tuesday, Sept. 14— District IV meeting, hosted by Everton Blair, Jr., 2021 chair, at Berkmar HS
Tuesday, Oct. 5— District V meeting, hosted by Dr. Tarece Johnson, at McClure Health Sciences HS
Stream Area Board Meetings
Unable to attend any of the scheduled Area Board meetings? Join us online! The meetings will be streamed live on GCPS TV and on the GCPS TV app. The mobile app is available for these devices: Apple, Android, Amazon Fire, and the Roku Channel. In addition, each meeting will be recorded and available to view on the website
The Area Board Meetings are organized to host students, families, and staff members from school communities located in each Board member’s electoral district. The physical location of the school determines which Area Board Meeting each school is designated to attend. However, citizens may attend any one of the five meetings. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the host school’s theater, with a Board Governance Team Meet and Greet beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Masks are required for all students, families, staff, and community members attending events in GCPS facilities. For the Area Board Meetings, seating will be limited to accommodate the need for physical distancing under COVID-19 mitigation strategies. However, citizens can watch the meetings live on GCPS TV.
SCHOOL HOURS
SCHOOL OPENING AND CLOSING TIMES
The designated school hours for Norcross Elementary School are 8:50 A.M. to 3:20 P.M. For safety reasons, please abide by these hours. Students may begin arriving at 8:20 A.M. Students may NOT be dropped off prior to 8:20 A.M. because supervision is not available. Students arriving after 8:50 A.M. will be marked tardy. If your child is late, students will need to be checked in by a parent or guardian. Please walk them into the building.
HEALTH UPDATES
STUDENT PASSWORDS
We have important information to share regarding the password students will use to obtain initial access to the student portal and instructional resources at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
On July 23, 2021, student passwords will be reset to reflect their birthdays.
To access the student portal, students will be required to type their numeric birthday in the password field using two digits for their birth month, two digits for their birthday, and four digits for their birth year. For example, if a student’s birth occurred on June 9, 2015, their reset password would be 06092015.
Students in Grades K-5 will retain their birthdate password for the first six weeks of school. After Labor Day, K-5 students will be provided a unique passphrase as their password. More information on how to access an elementary student’s unique passphrase will be provided during the first few weeks of school.
The privacy and security of the information belonging to our students, families, and employees is a strategic priority and we appreciate your support in the district’s efforts.
Previous Newsletters
How to Stay Connected
Principal – Kassia Sutton (kassia.morris.sutton@gcpsk12.org)
Assistant Principal - Gr. K, 1 – Jamie Elsey (jamie.elsey@gcpsk12.org)
Assistant Principal - Gr. 2, 3 – Staci Gelbaum (staci.gelbaum@gcpsk12.org)
Assistant Principal – Gr. 4, 5 – Contacia Cross (contacia.cross@gcpsk12.org)
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/NorcrossES
Location: 150 Hunt Street, Norcross, GA, USA
Phone: 770-448-2188
Facebook: facebook.com/NorcrossElementarySchool-GCPS