Jaguar Bytes
Seckinger High School Newsletter
October 14, 2022
Announcements and Reminders
Dismissal Delayed on Wednesday, October 18 and Thursday, October 19
Expect our dismissal bell and afternoon buses to be delayed by up to 20-30 minutes to accommodate the Elementary and Middle School Early Release Days.
PSAT on Tuesday, October 25 - Great Opportunity!
Seckinger is funding the administration of the PSAT to all 9th, all 10th, and some 11th grade students on October 25 from 7:10 - 11:15 AM. Students need to arrive on time and there will be no check-outs during this time. The PSAT is a great primer for the SAT, and even the ACT, but it's more than just a trial run. PSAT scores are used to identify National Merit Scholars and award merit scholarships. Students that are not testing will have the opportunity to explore college and career options.
Hispanic Heritage Month
We enjoyed celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month over the last couple of weeks! Thank you to our Hispanic Heritage Month Committee, Ms. Shearon, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Antonson, and Mr. Galindo-Castellon, for all your hard work planning the activities, and thank you to our students and staff who participated in our Hispanic Heritage Month Spirit Week!
Block Schedule and Personalized Learning Period in October
We are excited to offer our students a Personalized Learning Period (PLP) this week. The Personalized Learning Period will take place at the end of the day on Thursday. During this period students will participate in advisement lessons and will have an opportunity for enrichment and remediation. PLP is the PURR-fect time for Jaguars to get caught up if needed!
- Wednesday, October 19, 2022
- Thursday, October 20, 2022
Winter Artificial Intelligence and Humanities Program Led by Stanford Graduates
Inspirit AI is a live online 25-hour pre-college AI program that prepares students passionate about the humanities for an AI-driven future, guiding them to build socially impactful projects like art creation, fake news detection, and criminal justice reform! Students learn in small-group classrooms, and cohorts for beginner and advanced coders are available. Apply for winter 2022 programs by Nov. 15th. Please find the high school program application here and the middle school program application here. Feel free to contact our program coordinator Jared at jared.greene@post.harvard.edu with any questions.
2023-24 School Calendar Feedback - LAST CALL
We value your feedback on the calendar options provided for the 2023-24 school year and hope that you will take the time to review these options and share your thoughts with us. Click on Options 1-4 to view calendars. You can also provide feedback directly to GCPS through the GCPS Engagement Office website. https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/34406
Attention Students Enrolled in Advanced Placement Courses - Fall Semester AP Exam Registration
Student Registration:
- All students pay a $10.00 non-refundable registration fee.
- GCPS Students can register between Friday, September 30th through Friday, November 4th, 2022.
- Students will pay the $10 registration fee, along with any other exam costs, at MyPaymentsPlus.com
GCPS students enrolled in AP Courses:
- GCPS will pay for 1 exam ($97) for each student if they are enrolled in the course for which they are testing.
- GCPS will only pay $97 for an AP Capstone Exam (AP Seminar OR AP Research); the parent/student is responsible for the additional $48 and will be billed $48 in My Payments Plus.
- Each additional exam is $97.00, except for AP Capstone Exams (AP Seminar or AP Research), which are $145.00 each.
GCPS Students who are Free/Reduced Lunch students and enrolled in AP Courses:
- Gwinnett County Public Schools will pay for all exams after the $10 registration fee. F/R Lunch Application
Students NOT enrolled in Gwinnett County Public Schools AP Courses:
- The cost is $97.00 per exam, except for AP Capstone Exams (AP Seminar or AP Research), which are $145.00 each.
Notes:
- The fee of $40.00 for any exam that is a late order, requires late-testing, or is canceled (and does not meet College Board approved guidelines) has been reinstated.
- A late order fee of $40.00 will be applied to each exam ordered between November 16, 2022, and March 15, 2023,at 11:59pm for 1st semester and year-long courses. As of March 16th, 2023, no more AP exams may be ordered.
- Students who have AP Comparative Government, AP Government/Politics, AP Macroeconomics, or AP Microeconomics during the 2nd semester may register for those exams during the first registration window, or between Monday, January 9th and Sunday, March 5th, 2023.
Contact Dr. Shanti Grund, Assistant Principal supporting Advanced Placement Testing, at shanti.grund@gcpsk12.org or 678-288-0800 for additional information.
STEAM Workshop Registration is now OPEN
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR OCTOBER STEAM WORKSHOP
October 22nd STEAM Workshop Session:
Coded Beats
Cost: $65 per session
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Scholarships are now available
Georgia Tech CEISMC has received funding from the Georgia Department of Education to provide scholarships for underserved youth.
Who qualifies for scholarships?
- Students of families who qualify for free and reduced lunch.
- BOOST scholarships are only available for in-person programs.
*Scholarships are awarded annually and are valid from September until July. If you were a BOOST Scholarship recipient in the 2021-2022 school year you will need to reapply for the 2022-2023 scholarships.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at kidsclub@gatech.edu or call 404-913-KIDS (5437)
Yearbook Photos Update
Families should have received a direct link from CADY studios. For families to access their underclass photos: navigate to https://www.cadystudios.com/. Under the first link you can click underclassmen. In the space for the school's name, you will search for Seckinger, and it will autofill the school information. Fill out your student's first and last name. If there are multiple students with the same name, you will select the correct student (have the student's student number handy for identification purposes.) After you select the student, you will be able to view and purchase photos if you wish.
Picture Retake Day is October 19th. If for any reason your family would like to do a retake, please submit the following form by October 15, 2022: https://forms.gle/sCwYewCkavyZGrNt7
Seniors who have taken their photos in the studio can access and select a yearbook photo through the mycady.com/seniors23 to view and select their yearbook portraits and purchase a package if they so choose. We will have a Senior Road Show for students who cannot find transportation to the studio in early November that includes the yearbook photos and four scenes. Packages will be available for purchase once all details have been finalized.
We will also have a "Yearbook Only" event for Seniors at SKG after the Senior Road Show for any Seniors who have not had their drape/tux photo taken at that time. Stay tuned for more information. Contact Laura Plate', Yearbook Advisor, at laura.plate@gcpsk12.org if you have additional questions.
Counseling Canopy
Announcements
SKG Credit Recovery:
*Please note that Seniors have priority!
- When: Session 1: Begins October 17
- Must attend M-Th 2:15-4:00 p.m.
- Where: Room T214
- What: Sign up using the following link: SKG Credit Recovery
Academic Assistance and Tutoring: If you are in need of academic assistance, please be sure to check out the tutoring schedule here. It is also available on our website under counseling and academic resources.
College & Career: Do you need assistance with college applications, scholarships, financial aid, and military or career information? We welcome our College and Career Specialist, Ms. Evita Antwi. Feel free to schedule an appointment with her regarding all of your post-secondary needs. Click here for an appointment.
Transcript Requests: If you need to request a paper transcript, please note that it is $5 per copy and a one-time $5 for an electronic copy. The fee can be paid on MyPaymentsPlus. Allow 3 days for processing.
Certificate of Enrollment: This can be requested via MyPaymentsPlus for a $5 fee. Allow 3 days for processing.
Replacement ADAP Certificate: If you did NOT take Health at SKG or took it virtually, do not pay on MyPaymentsPlus. You will need to go online to eADAP for your certificate. If you took Health at another school, you would need to request your replacement ADAP through that school. If you need your ADAP certificate sooner--eADAP can be obtained online at https://online.dds.ga.gov/eADAP/. When you register and take the online sessions (4 sections), you can print your certificate.
SKG Athletics, Arts, & Club Activities
Updates
- Have you seen our Athletics Newsletter yet? Check out Java's Journal here: https://www.smore.com/ntxrf
- All elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by an adult at all sporting events.
- Please click here to access the head coach's directory and email the coach for more information.
- All Jaguar athletic events are available for purchase online. Visit the GoFan website here: https://gofan.co/
Seckinger Singers Chorus Concert
You are invited to attend our VERY FIRST Seckinger Singers Chorus Concert, on Monday, Oct. 17th at 7:00 pm. There will be songs sung in Latin, two English Folk songs, some Dancing with "Brand New You", a Spiritual, The Alma Mater, some South African folk music, a Korean folk piece, and some amazing solos from four of our last year's Governor's Honors Program vocal majors!
Tennis Interest Meeting
There will be a Tennis student interest meeting on Thursday, October 20th from 2:20-3:00 in Lecture Hall T212. E-mail Logan.Gruenenfelder@gcpsk12.org with any questions.
Reflections Contest Now Open
The PTA Reflections Competition is an annual, nationwide competition for students. This year's theme is "Show Your Voice"
Students are challenged to create a unique entry in Visual Art, Photography, Dance, Literature, Music, Film, and/or Special Artist that communicates their interpretation of the theme. Students can submit Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts entries. Attached are the rules for each category and the entry form. Please follow these guidelines for submission. Attach an entry form for each submission. Students may submit multiple entries. The deadline is October 28 to Mr. Lasseter in T431.
1st and 2nd place winners in each grade and each category will advance to the county level of judging. Then state, then national. Big opportunity!
Find Your Spot in a Club!
See attached for a list of clubs and when they meet. E-mail the club sponsor listed for more information. https://www.gcpsk12.org/domain/14382
Teen Entrepreneurship Workshop
Applications are now open for the Gwinnett County Public Library's Teen Entrepreneurship Workshop. Teens, ages 13-19, interested in gaining entrepreneurship skills and developing a small business, should apply. For more, visit https://lib.gwinnettpl.org/TEP
Homework Helpers Volunteers Needed
Beginning in January 2023, Hamilton Mill Public Library will be hosting Homework Helpers on Thursday evenings. This program is meant to help students succeed academically and improve self-esteem by providing assistance with homework assignments and continuous learning.
This is an excellent opportunity for students and adults to earn volunteer hours to satisfy any personal or academic club requirements. The GCPL will be hosting two information sessions for anyone interested in learning more.
November 10 @ 5:30pm
December 17 @ 2:00pm
Communication
Connect with Us
To support your child’s individual needs and interests, we offer multiple ways to connect with your family to address questions.
- Phones – Our main line is 678-288-0800.
- Email – You may email Administration with your child’s name, questions, and a preferred method of contact, email or phone. Administration Directory
- Social Media - Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. See details below.
Please forward the Jaguar Bytes to your child, as we are not able to email students directly with external communication tools.