The Parsons Happenings
March 19, 2021
In this edition...
Message from your proud principal
GCPS Announces Plans for Fall 2021
In Person Field Day
Hard Lockdown Drill
Kindergarten Registration
21 Day Racial Equity Challenge
National Women's History Month
Child Lures Prevention Information
GCPS 2021-2022 Approved Calendar
Gwinnett Online Campus Registration
Spring Picture Day
Relay for Life Campaign
Attendance Reminders and Updates
Autism Awareness
Weekly Events
Updated COVID Travel Guidelines
Media Center Updates
PTA News
Business Partners
Message from your proud principal
Spring is here!
What does Spring mean to you? Most people look forward to the signs of winter ending and warmer weather ahead. The first day of spring and the Spring Equinox are celebrated around the world as a time of fresh beginnings and new life. It marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. We also get to experience two days of 12 hour daylight so let's all make the most of this weekend. Whether you get outside to work in the yard, visit a farmers market, or do some spring cleaning, enjoy the first day of spring!
At school, spring time means warmer weather at recess, kids leaving jackets on the playground (be sure to have your child visit our Lost & Found), our last nine weeks of school, and preparing for the upcoming school year. We are excited to be able to have Field Day and our 5th Grade Finale Celebration in May.
As announced at the Board Meeting on Thursday night, parents will have the opportunity to opt out of in person instruction for next school year. Please see the attached information for more details. Once this survey information is collected, we will be able to continue to work on our school schedule and class lists for next school year.
Happy Spring!
GCPS Plans for Fall 2021
2021-22 In-Person Learning Opt-Out Survey
The 2021-22 In-Person Learning Opt-Out Survey will allow parents to opt-out of in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year. Below are the upcoming steps and processes related to this survey:
- The 2021-22 In-Person Learning Opt-Out survey for parents will open March 22nd at 12:00 AM and will close on April 4th at 11:59 PM.
- The survey should be completed by parents who are opting out of in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year.
- Parents decision is not final until 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 4.
- The 2021-22 In-Person Learning Opt-Out survey for parents will open March 22nd at 12:00 AM and will close on April 4th at 11:59 PM.
- The survey should be completed by parents who are opting out of in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year.
- Parents may access this survey via the Parent Portal to make a change at any time during the survey period.
- If you choose digital for your students, they are not guaranteed a teacher from Parsons Elementary.
- Students in the Korean Dual Language Immersion program are limited to in person instruction.
- Students eligible for Advanced Content courses are limited to in person instruction.
In-Person Field Day
Parsons' Hard Lock Down Drill
Our school, in coordination with our cluster School Resource Officers, will be participating in our school wide Lock Down Drill on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. A lock down drill is part of our local school's comprehensive safety plan and allows staff and students the opportunity to practice in case there was ever a potential threat within our school. The goal of practicing drills is to help our students feel safe at school and to know what to do should an emergency arise. During the lock down drill, students will practice staying quiet and unseen within classrooms. Nobody may leave their classroom during the lockdown drill and entry to the school is not permitted. We encourage you to talk to your child about the lockdown drill, and please let us know if you have any questions.
Kindergarten Registration Information
Parsons Community...Let's participate in the United Way's 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
GCPS encourages staff, students, families and community members to join the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge starting in March. Sponsored by the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the self-guided learning activity will explore the history and impact of racism and how it has shaped child well-being across Greater Atlanta. Registration is free and anyone can participate—individually or with a group. Please click here to learn more about this informative and engaging opportunity.
March is National Women's History Month
Click here to download our 2021 Women's History Month Resource Toolkit, filled with links to biographies, events and programming to celebrate this important month.
Child Lures Prevention
GCPS 2021-22 Approved Calendar
Gwinnett Online Campus Registration 2021-2022 School Year
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
You should have received flyers to send back on Tuesday if you would like to order pictures for your students. Please send in the order form with payment on Tuesday with your student and have them give the form to the photographer.
You can also order online @ mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVTB9GFSJ
Digital Student Picture Day Information
Picture Day is coming up Tuesday, March 23rd. We will have a camera set up for digital students to use in the gym between 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. Parents will park in the car rider parking lot, walk your student to the gym door and wait by the gym for your student to return. There will be a staff member there to check students in and get them prepared. Parents and students must wear masks (students will take off for picture only) and stay socially distanced while waiting. There is hand sanitizer to be used before going in the gym and may be used on exit. The wait time should be minimal. There will be no intermingling with in person students or classes.
Students need to bring a card with them to give to the photographer with the following information:
Teacher Name/Grade
Student Name
Student ID
There will be no make up day.
Parsons Elementary School
Relay for Life Stronger Together One Time Gift Campaign
February 24th – March 31st , 2021
We are Stronger Together! We can do so much more together to beat cancer! We would like to challenge each family to give a one-time donation to help us reach our Parsons 2021 Relay for Life goal of $2,000. If we could have 200 families give $10/each, it is within our reach!
This year has been a very challenging one with only half of our students here in the building. So, this would be a fundraiser that would be easy for every student and staff member to be able to support, whether you are a Roomie or a Zoomie.
As the American Cancer Society's most successful fundraiser and the organization's signature event, the mission of Relay for Life is to raise funds to improve cancer survival, decrease the incidence of cancer, and improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their caretakers. Won’t you help us with this most important mission of raising money to help cancer patients?
We all have someone in our life that we know or love that has had cancer. You can make a donation in honor or in memory of that person. Once your donation of $10 or more has processed on MyPaymentsPlus, you will receive a link to a Padlet that you will be able to upload information and a picture about your person you are honoring with your donation.
Attendance Updates and Reminders
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17rrvfvlZb8jhD7vioGsN6E0KxEMOY3DclXCgez0CVU8/edit?usp=sharing
We've also had a few parents ask the following question about attendance, so we wanted to share with everyone just in case you had the same question...Why was my child, who is an in person student, marked absent from school even though they completed the work digitally on the day they stayed home? For students who are "in person" learners, their classroom teacher takes attendance based on if they are "in person" in the classroom. If the student is not present in the classroom, they will be marked as absent even if they complete the work from home digitally. Make up work is expected from all students when they miss a day.
Support Autism Awareness
Please keep these dates in mind for planned Autism activities:
On March 19, 2021, donate $1.00 and get an autism puzzle piece to be decorated at home and bring them back to school the week of March 22nd- 26th, 2021. We are planning to use the decorated puzzles on the trees in the school hallways.
On April 2nd and April 30th, students may wear something blue to school and donate $1.00.
We need your participation to make this event a success! All proceeds will go towards Autism Speaks Organization. Brought to you by the Parsons Special Education Department.
Thank you for helping to support a great cause!
Monday, 3/22/21
- Autism Decorated Puzzle Pieces Drop Off
Tuesday, 3/23/21
- Spring Individual Picture Day ~ Digital Students please see instructions above
- Autism Decorated Puzzle Pieces Drop Off
Wednesday, 3/24/21
- Autism Decorated Puzzle Pieces Drop Off
Thursday, 3/25/21
- Autism Decorated Puzzle Pieces Drop off
Friday, 3/26/21
- Autism Decorated Puzzle Pieces Drop off
- Staff Goody Day (1st grade parents send in packaged healthy snacks)
- Family Life Lessons 5th Grade
GCPS shares CDC guidelines for international travel
If your family has international travel plans for Spring Break, make sure to build in an extra week away from school to self-quarantine. Gwinnett County Public Schools follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding international travel.
Media Center Information
All students can still get library books during digital days using curbside checkout. When ANY student is digital, curbside checkout is available. Curbside is not available for in-person students when they are actually in the school building. The Media Center staff always wears gloves and a mask when they handle books and also quarantine books based on GCPS guidelines. It is easy to check out books even if students are at home learning digitally. Here are some guidelines:
- Books must be placed on hold by midnight each Sunday night for pickup that week. They will go off hold if they are not picked up. All books are shelved each Friday and not held over to the following week. Students should only place books on hold if their parent/ neighbor/relative is able to pick up the books that particular week.
- Parents will receive an email on Monday morning letting them know the books are ready to pick up.
- Parents drive through the car rider lane on Wednesday or Thursday between 11:30 - 1:00 based on the first letter of their last name. A-M come on Wednesday & N-Z come on Thursday. Library books will be given through the window or placed in the trunk as requested. Parents will not exit their car.
- Students should place only one graphic novel and one book from a series on hold at a time so others can enjoy these books too.
Library books can be kept for 2 weeks before they need to be returned. When students are finished with a library book, they can return it either to curbside checkout or to the book return outside the front of the school. Books must be returned before new books are checked out. If students checked out books this week at school, those books need to be returned before getting new books.
- Students who are digital get to place one extra book on hold since they might not be able to get library books as often as in-person students. When students are learning from home, they are all considered digital learners for library curbside pickup.
- The Gwinnett County Public Library also offers curbside pickup with later hours and weekend pickup options. Students can login to the Public Library using their student number and 4-digit birthday as their pin just as they use for Beanstack to log reading minutes for the Parsons Schoolwide Reading Challenge.
- Visit Ms. Britt's eCLASS page for more information about curbside checkout along with videos to learn how to place a book on hold.
Mocha My Day Staff Treat
Thank you Parsons PTA for treating our staff with Mocha My Day on our Digital Learning Day! The staff certainly felt the love and appreciated the yummy treat!
For President: Mabel Goldsmith and Janet Shin
For Vice President: Greta Aramburu and Jennifer Lee
For Secretary: Katherine Johnson
For Treasurer: Natasha Enos
Signed and Dated:
Qiong Ly 3/5/2021
Jenni Yoon 3/5/2021
Liz Oh 3/5/2021
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