Spring is upon us, with flowers blooming and the days growing longer and warmer.

It is important that we keep our children moving forward at this time with their learning. Learning is a social experience that happens because of the relationships we have at school and at home. Families should do everything they can to get their kids to ask questions and talk about what they are learning so that they can gain valuable experiences and think about how they came to their conclusions.

For learning to move from the surface level to a deeper level, our students must be exposed to real-life situations that help them learn. Asking students about what they are learning can help them use the ideas and skills they learn in school.

Your effort and involvement as a parent are directly linked to your child's success, so THANK YOU! We continue to ask for your help and support in reminding your child of their role and responsibilities at school: Come to school ready to learn, follow LES school rules, and ALWAYS be Ready, Respectful, and Responsible. Let's continue to do our BEST!!

Your Principal,

Mike Bender

• March 2, 2023, is National Read Across America Day. Read Across America is a special day when we celebrate the joy of reading. At Lilburn Elementary, we will celebrate Read Across America in the following ways.
• Lilburn Elementary will hold its first-ever Read Across America Read-A-Thon. A Read-A-Thon is a great way to build strong reading habits and foster a love of reading. Our Read-A-Thon will be held from March 6 - March 8.
• Students may log reading minutes into Beanstack at school and/or at home from March 6 - March 8.
• The grade level that has the highest number of minutes on March 8 at 9 pm wins. FYI-Beanstack is set to only allow each student to log in a maximum of 30 minutes per day.
• On March 9th, our Read Across America Day, the Assistant Principal with the winning grade level will dress up like a dinosaur for the day. Each class on that grade level will meet in the cafeteria on March 9th to hear the dinosaur-dressed Assistant Principal read the book, Brontorina by James Howe about a dinosaur that wants to dance. After reading the book, the AP will lead the kids in the "just wanna rock" dance.
• On March 9, 2023, we will have guest readers read their favorite books to several of our classes. The guest readers will include parents, community members, and business partners. We are so excited to have them join us in promoting the love of reading.
• Lilburn Elementary will hold its First Annual Reading Fair on Read Across America Day on March 9, 2023! We will have awesome book displays, a book exchange, community guest judges, a presentation of medal winners, and prizes. The LES READING FAIR is an event designed to promote literacy and get students excited about reading.

• Friday, March 17th, 2023, is a Digital Learning Day (DLD). If something has changed since the last time you completed the form on tech needs, please fill it out again so we can understand what your child needs to take home.
  

• Each year, to help improve our schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools collects feedback from our families, students, and staff members about their school experience. This year, the school district is giving Educational Effectiveness Surveys to get feedback on nine characteristics of high-performing schools. GCPS staff participated in the survey in January.
  
  The Family Survey is open from February 28 through March 10. We will send you an email link to the survey on February 28, or you can access it from the survey information page on our website. The survey—available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese—also will be available in the Parent Portal.
  
  Go to https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/32312 to learn more about these surveys and to access the Family Survey starting on February 28.

How to Teach Kids About Diversity and Acceptance

What Is Diversity?

Diversity: Difference(s) between two or more things.

Examples:

• Diversity in plants include trees, bushes, flowers, grass, etc.

• Diversity in dogs include big dogs, small dogs, long haired dogs, short-haired dogs, etc.

• Similarly, in people things such as race and skin color, religion, age, disabilities, etc. make us different from one another and add to the diversity of the world.

Diversity is something to be appreciated and celebrated. When it comes to teaching children about diversity and acceptance, there are a number of diversity activities for kids that are beneficial in their understanding of cultural awareness.

Diversity Activities for Kids

The following activities are a great way to begin developing a sense of acceptance and appreciation for different cultures in the world around us:

One way to learn about other cultures and explore cultural diversity deeper is to have your young children learn about and create artwork from another culture. Art has reflected the core values of different cultures for centuries and is a great way to learn more about other groups of people.

Here are a few simple and culturally-rich arts and crafts ideas:

• Dreamcatchers (American-Indian)

• Origami (Japanese)

• Rangoli sand art (Indian)

• Paper mache maracas (Carribean and Latin)

Go On Virtual Field Trips

Another great diversity activity for children is going on virtual field trips. Traveling can require quite a bit of time and money, however, with today’s technology, children have the ability to explore the world around them right from their own home.

From YouTube videos to Google Map’s street view feature, your child can see how people live in various parts of the world without leaving their home. A fun way to explore this virtual type of travel is to search for kids travel videos on YouTube, or simply drop a pin anywhere in the world on Google Maps and go for a “virtual walk” through an unfamiliar neighborhood. Not only will this act as a fun way to explore cultural differences, it may even ignite your child’s desire to travel and experience the diversity in the world as they get older.

Cook Food from Other Cultures

Similar to art activities, cooking food from other cultures is a great way to highlight diversity and cultural differences. Food is one of the most important aspects of culture and making culturally-rich dishes can be a fun activity for you and your child to take part in together.

As an activity, let your child choose a culture they are interested in learning more about and make one of the culture’s popular dishes. As you are making the dish, you can listen to the culture’s music to fully embrace and celebrate diversity in the process.

Diversity and Inclusion

No matter how you choose to teach your children about diversity and acceptance, help them learn to appreciate culture in the world around them. Not only do these activities expand their knowledge and understanding of multicultural themes in early childhood, but this gives you an opportunity to learn and grow with your child as well.

Families must complete the Free & Reduced Lunch Application annually to qualify for free or reduced lunch prices. Please use the link below to access the 2022-2023 school year application.

Full Price

Breakfast= $1.50

Lunch= $2.25

Reduced Price (after qualifying through application)

Breakfast= $0.30

Lunch= $0.40

If you have any questions please email snp.fr@gcpsk12.org or call 678-301-6307.

Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch HERE.