Baldwin Herald

Hello to our amazing students and parents,

We hope you enjoyed a wonderful summer. We missed you! We are excited to welcome you back to school! This year will be our best year yet! When you walk in the doors, you will see our new displays to inspire students to lead by example.

Our mission at Baldwin Elementary is to “Motivate and Engage All Students to Achieve Academic Excellence.” You will see our commitment in everything we do. Although we made significant gains last year, we will continue the work of closing learning gaps caused by the pandemic. We will partner with our amazing parents to ensure students continue the work at home. Our teachers and staff are highly qualified and prepared to deliver rigorous instruction in the classroom, as well as provide enrichment courses to target the needs of the whole child. In addition to the core curriculum, all students will explore their creativity in art, music, health, physical education, STEM, and computer science.

In this welcome back letter, you will find information and updates to help you plan for the 2023 - 24 school year. We also updated our website with additional information and calendar dates to guide you throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you soon!

With joy and love,

Dr. Brenda F. Johnson,

Principal

GCPS Blueprint for the Future: Building the Bridge from Empathy to Excellence will be our foundation for providing a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and Opportunity and Access to high quality and rigorous lessons and enrichment activities.

• English/Language Arts where students will further develop their skills in the five elements of literacy instruction (vocabulary, knowledge-building, syntax, fluency, and decoding).
• Mathematics: Our balanced numeracy workshop will focus on small group instruction to drill down to the rigor of the standard while addressing any misconceptions in understanding.
• Science and Social Studies: Lessons will engage students in hands-on labs, experiments, and standards-based learning.

Enrichment Curriculum:

Other Learning Programs:

• Dual Language Immersion: Our elite Dual Language Immersion program (DLI) allows students to learn high level mathematics and science while immersed in a target language (Spanish). Students learn Literacy and Social Studies in English. As students advance through this K - 5 program, they will enter middle school and graduate high school with advanced knowledge, skills, and placement in two world languages (English and Spanish). We have limited spaces available in our 2023 - 2024 cohort. Parents interested in their kindergarten child enrolling in our DLI program should email zoveida.arbolayvazquez@gcpsk12.org.
• Accelerated/Gifted Education: Gifted programs provide academic challenges by extending the core curriculum. Students participating in the program may receive instruction in resource, cluster and/or advanced content classes.
• Multilingual Learner Program: Students who are not yet proficient in English are considered to be Multilingual Learners and are eligible for language support services.
• Special Education: The Individual Educational Programs (IEP) of students who are eligible for special education and related services, are provided an array of interventions and supports based on their identified needs.

IMPORTANT DATES and REMINDERS:

• Check our school website for ongoing calendar updates and information.
• Thursday, July 27th is MEET THE TEACHER/NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION from 8:30a - 11:00a in our school gym. Returning students can meet their new teacher and see their classroom. If you are NEW TO GWINNETT, please complete the required online registration prior to coming to the school. Once the online registration is complete, you will finish the enrollment at the school.
  
• Monday, July 31st is LATE REGISTRATION for NEW STUDENTS ONLY from 9:00a - 11:30a. This is for new students ONLY who were unable to attend the main registration. Again, you must complete the online registration prior to coming to the school.
• Wednesday, August 2nd is the First Day of School!
• Thursday, August 24th is Curriculum Night from 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Parents and students will meet with administrators and teachers to discuss academics, assessments, and school events.
  

STUDENT HOURS:

• Student Arrival is 7:45am
• Tardy Bell/Late Arrival is 8:15am
• Early Check Out Ends at 2:15pm ***The latest students can be checked out is 2:15pm to allow us time to prepare for the safe arrival of buses and dismissal of students.
• Student Car/Bus Dismissal begins at 2:45pm

STUDENT SUPPLY LIST:

• We understand that this year is especially challenging for parents economically. We are committed to providing your child with the materials and resources needed to be successful for the school year.
• An additional list of recommended school supplies can be found on our website. If you are unable to purchase all or any of the items on the list, it will not impact your child's success in school.
• Students will need to bring personal (inexpensive) headphones to wear when they work independently on their computer.
• Finally, the early months of school are hot. We encourage all students to bring refillable water bottles to stay hydrated throughout the day.

STUDENT LAPTOPS:

• We will continue to provide each student with a laptop. Students in grades 3 - 5 can use their laptops at school and at home throughout the year! Students in grades K - 2 will keep their laptops in the classroom. If needed, students can take them home. We will begin distribution with our older kids and then move to our younger grades after we complete Acceptable Technology Use orientation.
• Students will no longer be asked to bring their personal devices to school. If you DO NOT want your child to have a laptop checked out to them, please submit your written request to Dr. Brenda F. Johnson, Principal.

ICE CREAM SALES:

Beginning Friday, August 18, students can bring $1.00 to purchase ice cream during lunch on Fridays.

SCHOOL STORE and BALDWIN SPIRITWEAR:

This year, students can purchase Baldwin student spirit wear, pencils, and other cool items from the Baldwin Student Store. More information will be shared at Meet the Teacher (July 27th) and Curriculum Night (August 24th).

YMCA (after school care):

YMCA is an aftercare program located at Baldwin Elementary. Parents looking for an after care program at a no cost, reduced cost, or affordable rate can sign up directly with the YMCA to enroll their child. The hours for after school care is 2:45pm - 6:00pm.

PARENT and STUDENT HANDBOOK:

Our local school parent and student handbook will be available on MyPaymentsPlus. Please review the following instructions to set up an account on MyPaymentsPlus for each student in your household.

1. Visit www.MyPaymentsPlus.com and click on “Register Now”.
2. Select “Georgia (GA)” as your state and “Gwinnett County Public Schools” as your institution in the dropdown.
3. Create a profile by entering your name, email, and password and click “Register”.
4. Select “I am a Parent or Guardian with student(s) in Gwinnett County Public Schools,” then click “Next”.
5. To link your student’s account, enter your student’s GCPS ID and last name. Once you have entered your student’s information, then click “Done”.
   Student ID numbers may usually be obtained by contacting your student’s school. If your child’s last name has a suffix, please keep that in mind when entering the last name. Examples: “Smith Jr.”, “Smith IV”, “Smith-Arnold”
6. You will receive an email confirming your registration is complete. You may enter your username and password to begin using MyPaymentsPlus.

Please click on the following links to view instructions:

• English
• Spanish

Children need healthy meals to learn. Gwinnett County Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day.

• Full Pay: Breakfast costs $1.50 (daily); Lunch costs $2.25 for elementary (daily) and $2.50 at middle and high schools.
• Eligible Reduced Pay: The reduced price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch.

WHO CAN GET FREE OR REDUCED-PRICE MEALS?

• All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP or TANF are eligible for free
• Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free
• Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free
• Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free
• Children may receive free or reduced-price meals if your household’s income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Chart. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart.

Improving student academic and behavior outcomes is about ensuring all students have access to the most effective and accurately implemented instructional and behavioral practices and interventions possible. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provide an operational framework for achieving these outcomes.

Baldwin will kick off our 1st year as a PBIS School! Students will receive Baldwin Bucks for modeling choice behaviors throughout the day. Students can use their bucks to purchase items in our school store, earn extra recess, homework passes, popcorn parties, and so much more.

CLICK HERE TO ACTIVATE YOUR PARENTSQUARE ACCOUNT NOW

We are excited to announce that our school district has adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with your child’s school and Gwinnett County Public Schools.

ParentSquare provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to receive and send information, such as:

• Weather-related closings & delays
• School and class information
• Share pictures and files
• See calendar items
• Upcoming class activities

Beginning July 18, 2023, district and school information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text via ParentSquare. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). Please note that some schools and teachers may still use other district approved tools for the 2023-2024 school year to communicate with their families.

Get involved with the great things going on in your child's school!

PARENT CENTER:

Volunteer, check-out resources, and get engaged in the community! Contact Us!

Dr. Viviane Moore, Parent Instructional Support Coordinator

Evelyn Torres, Parent Instructional Support Clerk

BALDWIN SCHOOL COUNCIL:

• The A+ Education Reform Act of 2000 established school councils in Georgia to bring communities and schools closer together in a spirit of cooperation to achieve the following: solve difficult education problems, improve academic achievement, provide support for teachers and administrators, and bring parents into the school-based decision-making process. In short, School Councils provide advice, recommendations, and assistance to principals and local boards of education. Baldwin school council meets four times a year (September, November, January, and March).
• If you are interested in joining the Baldwin School Council for the 2023 - 2024 school year, contact Dr. Brenda F. Johnson, Principal