Ed Briefs

In this episode, Dr. Watts meets up for coffee with the finalists for 2023 School Social Worker of the Year and for conversation about how they support each other in this challenging but vital role.

People love to see, read, and hear about the wonderful and creative programs, events, and lessons that our schools are planning and hosting during Women’s History Month. The communications team would love to know what you have planned so we can share the information with our external media partners and our internal audience. Click here to find your school, fill out the form with details, dates, and any pertinent information about the events and activities your school is working on for Women’s History Month. Don’t forget to include a link to a couple of action shots.

There’s a new opportunity to get outside with your community and learn about all of the amazing resources GCPS has to offer! On Saturday, March 4, GCPS hosts Spring Into Health 2023, a health and community resource celebration at the Central Gwinnett High School stadium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Gwinnett families and students are invited to “come to the castle” for kids yoga on the lawn, parent versus kids races, Building Babies’ Brains games and tipsheets, opportunities to learn about the details on nutrition labels, giveaways, raffles, resources, food trucks, and connections with health and community resource organizations in our district. Please plan to join us!

Thank you to our sponsors, partners, judges, volunteers, and community members for your dedication to each and every GCPS student at #GwinnettScienceFair23!

When you act with kindness, you make a bigger difference than you may realize. This is because we underestimate the impact of our kind acts on others. The recipients of kindness tend to appreciate it greatly–because kindness makes them feel valued.

The gestures can be quite simple. A hand-written note of encouragement for a co-worker, a call or text to check-in on an old acquaintance, or a surprise visit to a friend can each be quite meaningful–as well as provide health benefits like lowered stress levels.

Here are examples of small acts that can make a big difference:

1. Tell your administrator or supervisor one thing you appreciate about him/her.

2. Bring in a favorite treat and leave it in the break room. (It’s extra fun if you do it anonymously.)

3. Compliment a colleague to your boss.

4. Deliver coffee to an office assistant.

5. Post sticky notes with uplifting messages on the bathroom mirrors.

6. Stay late for a co-worker who needs to get home.

7. Invite a co-worker who is alone over the holidays to your home to celebrate.

8. Share your knowledge freely.

9. Write a thank you note to someone who has helped your career.

10. Add a positive comment to the conversation if office chatter becomes negative.

We celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week from February 14 to February 20 annually. It’s a celebration of all the ways we can become a positive influence in each other’s lives. For more examples, read more at 100 Random Acts of Kindness Ideas.

Georgia’s Public Education Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers various resources to help you when facing issues that interfere with your health and well-being at home or work, including up to six sessions of mental health counseling. GaDOE, in partnership with Kepro, provides the EAP for all K-12 public school teachers and staff in Georgia, along with Pre-K teachers. Household members and children up to age 26 are also eligible.

Services provided by the EAP are confidential and at no cost to you, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Access the EAP by visiting www.EAPHelplink.com, using access code GADOE, or calling 1-866-279-5177.

A wealth of resources are available on GaDOE Community at https://login.community.gadoe.org/events/qa-public-education-employee-assistance-program. Scroll to the bottom of the webpage to download Georgia’s Public Education EAP Toolkit. Please contact the GaDOE Office of Communications with questions, comments, or concerns.

Instead of scrolling through the calendar to pick a specific date for an appointment or meeting, type phrases like “next Saturday” or “two weeks from now” into the date field and let Outlook do the rest.

Get ready to "spring forward" (set those clocks ahead by one hour) for Daylight saving time at 2 a.m. EST, Sunday, March 12. Are you aware that this may very well be the last time Georgians will have to worry about changing the time? A bipartisan federal bill called the Sunshine Protection Act would allow us to stop springing forward and falling back for good, but it is waiting on the House for approval and then the President's signature. It unanimously passed in the Senate in March 2022.

Gwinnett County Public Schools will host a Spring Career Fair on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Gas South Convention Center from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. We are hiring all staff, including teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, school nutrition workers, substitute teachers, bus drivers, and others, for the 2023-24 school year.

We will be accepting walk-in candidates. For more information, please visit our website.

Mark your calendars and save the date! The Gwinnett County Public Schools Business Operations Division will host its 24th Annual F&O Classic Golf Tournament on May 8th at the Royal Lakes Golf and Country Club, in Flowery Branch. Golfers of all levels are encouraged to join us for a great time on the golf course, while raising money for a great cause! The tournament format will be a four-person scramble, so everyone will be able to contribute to an exciting round of golf. Registration is $125 per individual and $500 per foursome and includes tournament entry fees, breakfast, entry in both the longest drive and closest to the pin contests, beverages, and an awards luncheon. GCPS employees receive a $25 discount for individuals and $100 discount per foursome registered. Register today by clicking on this link, or email John.Hodgson@gcpsk12.org to sign-up. Don’t delay, as registration closes on April 24, 2023!

March 17 is a scheduled Digital Learning Day (DLD) for all students. To ensure that students have a nutritious breakfast and lunch to fuel their learning, our bus drivers will be on the road and at every bus stop to deliver meals prepared by the School Nutrition Program staff. Schools can inform families to expect buses to run their routes from approximately 10:45 a.m. to noon, beginning at the first stops on the route on March 17. These delivered meals are provided at no cost to families and are provided to anyone 18 years old and under.

Make a new routine to take care of your social and emotional wellbeing. Use Viva Insights in Teams to send praise and stay connected with colleagues, reflect on your stress level, take a breather break, and book Focus/Quiet Time on your calendar to get things marked off your to-do list with minimal notification interruptions. Improve your work life balance by protecting your time, and don't forget to set up a Virtual Commute to help you wrap up your day with a reminder about your end-of-day time.

1. Click ‘…’ in Teams along the left rail, search for “viva”, and select Viva Insights.
2. Right-click on your Viva Insights icon and Pin it to your rail for easy access. Note: You can also click-and-drag it into a new order on the rail.

Every year, GCPS recognizes a male and female student at each high school who have shown excellence in athletics, academics, leadership roles in the school, and community service. Help us celebrate our outstanding senior athletes from the Class of 2023! Put the focus on your senior athletes, tag us @gwinnettschools, and use the hashtags #GCPSOutstandingAthletes and #GCPSClassof2023.

The Innovative Education Fund Grant Program may be just what you need! The Innovative Education Fund provides $1,000-$25,000 over one year for eligible organizations – traditional public and charter schools, school districts, and nonprofit organizations partnered with public schools and districts – to contribute unique solutions to improve outcomes for Georgia students. The Innovative Education Fund is funded with donations from the Qualified Education Donation Tax Credit. Winners can either be a Non-Profit, www.gcps-foundation.org, or a School or a Department. Staff can reach out to the Strategy, Performance, and Accountability team or GCPS Foundation for support if needed.

An electronic copy of your W-2 is available on the Employee Portal under About Me > W2. Paper copies were mailed out at the end of January to those employees who have not opted to go ‘paperless’. The Payroll department will also be issuing 1095-Cs this month to all eligible employees. As a reminder, the 1095-C is provided to all employees eligible for healthcare coverage through their employer. The sending of the 1095-C is a requirement of the Affordable Care Act. However, you do not need to have received your 1095-C to file your taxes. Questions about your W-2 or 1095-C? Email Payroll.Support@gcpsk12.org for assistance.

For the past few years, the IRS has published this list of twelve scams that taxpayers should watch out for during tax season. Don’t forget that the IRS offers free tax help. See what services — like “Where’s my Refund?” and free filing software — the IRS offers to taxpayers for free.

Want to share a success story about your school or department with the entire GCPS community?

Are you looking for a way to recognize a teacher, student, or team member for their work? Do you want to share an upcoming event or opportunity?

Do you have GCPS Good News to share? Click here to let us know.

2023 Library Media Specialist of the Year

Media Services surprised Nicole Duque of McKendree Elementary with the news that she is the 2023 Library Media Specialist of the Year.

Counselor of the Year Celebration 2023

Enjoy highlights from this year's winners at the GCPS Counselor of the Year Celebration.

Stay on top of the latest news, calendar events, and emergency information by downloading our free Gwinnett County Public Schools mobile app. You can enable notifications and choose your preferred language and schools.

Why download the app?

• Receive alerts for school closures or delays and important districtwide information.

• Check school and district events calendars.

• Access your school’s lunch menu and add money to your student's account.

• Access districtwide digital resources.

• Read the latest district news.

Search for Gwinnett County Public Schools in the App Store or Google Play to download our app for free.

• Coffee with Calvin (February 3)
• Board meeting and work session (February 23)
• Connected (February 24)
• GCPS Links (February 17)
• News Releases
  
• Student Calendars
  
• News You Can Use
  

• Keep Connected with news from GCPS TV… the next episode airs March 10!
• The next regular Board meeting is March 16. (Online, find links to sign up for the public comment sections of the meeting.)
  
• Watch for the next issue of GCPS Links on March 17!