The Parsons Happenings
November 13, 2020
In this edition...
Listen & Learn Podcast
Weekly Events
United Way Spirit Week
Parsons Earns Common Sense Education Award
Calendar Choice
AKS at Home
Native American Heritage Month
Korean Education Center Grant
Community Food Fight Challenge
Covid Guidelines
Media Center Updates
PTA Updates
GCPS Extends Preference Survey Until November 29 at 11:59pm!
As you are aware GCPS has a survey for parents to complete regarding their decision for their child’s instructional preference for the 2nd semester. The deadline to complete that survey was set for 11:59 pm on Sunday, November 15. Based on concerns and input the district has received from our community, along with changing dynamics, the decision has been made to extend the deadline for parents to make a decision to 11:59 pm on Sunday, November 29.
The Spring Instructional Preference Questionnaire is available in the Parent Portal. Again, the questionnaire will remain open through 11:59 pm on November 29. If a parent or guardian already has made a selection, changes can be made through the deadline. The updated preference will be displayed the next school day. Please note that what you see indicated in the Parent Portal as your decision will serve as confirmation of your selection. If a parent does not have a Parent Portal account, they can go to the school district website for information or contact Raiya Troshin, Parsons' Data Manager Clerk.
Listen and learn...the Teaching Gwinnett podcast is now online!
"Teaching Gwinnett" is a Gwinnett County Public Schools podcast that tackles important, relevant, and timely topics that impact the school district's more than 200,000 students and staff. As many of you are making the final decision this weekend of your preference for your child's learning platform for 2nd semester, I thought you may find the following podcast, How the school district is dealing with the pandemic beneficial in your decision making. The podcast is a 32 minute candid and revealing conversation with the Director of the Gwinnett County Health Department and Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Associate Superintendent of School Improvement and Operations. They discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the county and schools, address questions about the way GCPS shares information about positive cases with students and parents, and another edition of "Did You Know".
Happy Diwali to our families who be celebrating on November 14th
Monday, 11/16/20
- United Way Spirit Week ~ $5 to participate all week
- United Way Spirit Week ~ Mustache Monday ~ Purchase a mustache from the school and wear all day.
- International Day for Tolerance
- United Way Spirit Week ~ Tag it Tuesday ~ Get a Parsons Paw Print and Tag It
Wednesday, 11/18/20
- United Way Spirit Week ~ Wacky Wednesday ~ Wear your wackiest outfit
- 8:00 am - 8:20 am ~ Reflections Ceremony (Gym) ~ By email invitation only
Thursday, 11/19/20
- United Way Spirit Week ~ Stuffed Animal Day ~ Bring your favorite stuffed animal
Friday, 11/20/20
- United Way Spirit Week ~ Comfy Cozy Day ~ Wear your favorite sweats or PJs (wear outside shoes)
School will be closed November 23rd through November 27th in observance of Thanksgiving.
United Way Spirit Week is November 16-20!
In person students can also donate on MyPaymentsPlus or they can pay in person in the front lobby. For those in person students who pay on MPP, your teacher will receive your baggie of United Way spirit items. Let's do our part and support those in our community who are in need. The United Way has so many organizations they support. Recently, my father in law's house burned to the ground and the American Red Cross was on site within an hour. It was donations made to the United Way that provided this support to him during his time of need. We are "STRONGER TOGETHER" in our support of our community.
We can't wait to see ALL our Lion Cubs participate. Be sure to upload your pictures to the Padlet so we can all see!
Common Sense Education
Parsons Elementary School has just been approved as a Common Sense School, an honor that recognizes our efforts in teaching digital citizenship to young people and engaging the entire school community. This recognition acknowledges our school's commitment to helping students build skills that are essential for their well-being today and for the opportunities they'll have tomorrow.
This honor is provided by Common Sense Education, part of a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.
We are one of more than 80,000 schools across the country that have earned this badge and we have our "STRONGER TOGETHER" community to thank.
I would like to give a special shout out to our Media Specialist, Mrs. Sharon Britt, for leading this initiative at Parsons and for receiving her Common Sense Educator badge.
To learn more about Common Sense Education, visit www.commonsense.org/education.
Parsons' Calendar Preference for SY2021-2022 was Option 2. Our school option was submitted to the district.
AKS at Home provides online resources for families. AKS at Home provides math and language arts resources to support families, along with live and recorded sessions, tip sheets, and more.
NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Visit NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.Gov for more information and resources.This month's recommended book from the Social Studies Children's Book List is We Are Grateful by Traci Sorell. The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah. Click here for a read aloud of the book on Youtube.
A Special Thank You to the Korean Education Center of Atlanta!
Parsons has a lot to be thankful for! Recently, our Korean Dual Language Immersion Program received a $5500 grant from the Korean Education Center of Atlanta. The grant monies will be used to purchase resources that support our program's primary goal, which is for all students in our Korean Dual Language Immersion program to perform as well as any other student in Gwinnett County Public Schools in all content areas such as Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. However, we also have two additional goals for students in our Korean DLI program. First, we hope to see our students graduate with advanced-level proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the Korean language; and second, we expect our students to develop global competency and a deep understanding of the Korean culture. Partnerships, like the one with the Korean Education Center, will continue to support our DLI program. This is just another example of "Stronger Together"!
Friday Night Food Fight
Calling on the Lion Nation,
The Mill Creek High School Cluster has challenged the Peachtree Ridge Cluster, as well as 6 other clusters, to see who can raise the most money for a local food pantry today through 11/19. Due to COVID restrictions we will not be collecting cans. We will be supporting the Lawrenceville Co-op as they are a “vendor” in the system and MyPayments Plus donations can be allocated to their organization. The link is open to all schools in our cluster on MyPayments Plus under “School Fundraisers” (PRHS Friday Night “Food Fight”).
Thank you for your support!
Doing our part to stop the spread of Covid-19
Please use the COVID-19 Morning Checklist to help reduce the spread of Covid-19. Please continue to follow the guidelines each morning when sending your in person student to school. We have seen a slight increase of cases in Gwinnett and we want to make sure we are ALL doing our part.
Each school in our district has a trained Health Response Team (HRT). If a suspected case of Covid-19 is reported at our school, this team follows set guidelines and procedures. Please be assured that you will be contacted by an HRT member if your child has been identified as 'close contact' to someone in our school who has tested positive for Covid-19.
The most important thing we can do is continue to wear our masks, practice social distancing, and wash hands regularly. We are #STRONGERTOGETHER when we all do our part.
Media Center Information
Please note the following Curbside Checkout schedule and changes.
- November 17-19: Curbside Checkout Tuesday A-I, Wednesday J-R, Thursday S-Z
- November 24-26: No Curbside Checkout (Happy Thanksgiving!)
- December 1-3: Curbside Checkout Tuesday A-I, Wednesday J-R, Thursday S-Z
- December 8-10: No Curbside Checkout due to Media Center Inventory
- December 15-17: Curbside Checkout Tuesday A-I, Wednesday J-R, Thursday S-Z
- January 5-7: No Curbside Checkout
- Curbside Checkout will resume the week of January 11th. Happy Holidays!
SAVE THE DATE! The GCPS Book Mobile is coming to Parsons on Friday, December 4th for all digital and in-person students. Each student attending will get a FREE book. More details coming soon!
Box Top App
Parsons Business Partners 2020-2021
Proud Principal Laura Clark
Email: laura.j.clark@gcpsk12.org
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org
Location: 1615 Old Peachtree Road Northwest, Suwanee, GA, USA
Phone: 678-957-3050