Dear Families,

Happy New Year! We hope you had a fun and relaxing winter break! We enjoyed seeing our students in the building and on Zoom on Thursday and Friday. We are looking forward to a successful second semester!

Parents, please make note of a couple of important dates in January. First semester report cards will be mailed home by the district the week of January 18, 2021. Don’t forget that Monday, January 18 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and school will be closed for students and staff. Tuesday, January 26 is a district-wide digital learning day for ALL students. Students will be provided with assignments to complete on their own at home.

Have a great weekend!

Mike Bender

Principal

1/8: January Reading Rewards Logs Sent Home

1/11: December Reading Rewards Logs Due

1/18: Report Cards Mailed Home From District

1/18: MLK Day (No School!)

1/26: Digital Learning Day for ALL Students

Monday: Drumstick

Tuesday: Hot dog

Wednesday: Chicken nuggets

Thursday: Hamburger

Friday: Zeezee bar, yogurt, & cheese stick

Planning to clean out your child’s closet over winter break? Please consider donating new or gently used clothes to the WMES clinic.

Clothing items needed in elementary aged sizes:

• Elastic waisted pants
• Leggings
• Joggers for boys or girls
• NEW boy or girl undergarments

We all share a common goal for our children to be safe and protected from all things harmful. Related to that goal, our school counselors are required to present annual personal safety lessons designed to prevent sexual abuse. The Think First & Stay Safe program is a research-based program that teaches specific personal safety education by way of interactive classroom lessons. This program enables students to take an active and necessary role in protecting themselves from abuse and exploitation. You can learn more about the detailed lesson plans and research behind this program at www.childluresprevention.com. (Please be aware that more information is provided on the website than is actually used in Gwinnett County.) These lessons will take place for grades K-5 in January (in-person and digital students). Please contact your child’s counselor for more information or if you do NOT want your child to participate in the lesson in January. Unless written documentation is received, your child will participate in the sexual abuse prevention and safety lessons.

The character word for the month is citizenship. Showing citizenship means trying to make your community and world a better place. For our students, that can mean something as simple as picking up trash left on the ground or being kind to a new student. Teachers will be on the lookout for students exhibiting citizenship to be chosen for the Cub of the Month!

The weather is getting colder out there! A generous community partner has donated some jackets for our students in need. Please email your school counselors, Chavonne O’Rear, chavonne.orear@gcpsk12.org, or Anne Woodworth, anne.woodworth@gcpsk12.org, if your child needs a coat this season. Please provide your child’s name and coat size, S-XL in the email. We also have additional school supplies available for digital or in person students who need them.

Digital families, be sure to use the Destiny Discover catalog to place your media center holds. Once your book request is ready for pickup, you will receive an email notification. Please wait for the email notification before coming to the school. Email notifications are sent on Mondays and Wednesdays of each week.

Curbside service is offered on Tuesdays of each week. Our Tuesday hours are from 11:00-1:00. Please place your sign, with your child’s name and teacher name, in a visible place when you drive up to the front of the school.

If you can not make the curbside hours on Tuesday, you are welcome to come to the school and pick up the books anytime during school hours. We will bring the books to you in the front lobby. Use the following link to get you started with reserving media center books.

Book returns can be made at any time during the school day. Please return your media books to the basket by the front door of the school.

How to Place Media Center Holds for Digital Students

Contact Jennifer.Alden@gcpsk12.org if you have any questions.

Happy New Year! January Reading Rewards logs will go home in today’s Friday folders. I hope you have been documenting your January reading so far this month. Be sure to transfer any minutes that you recorded at home on notebook paper to the official reading log.

Reading Rewards logs for December are now due. Please send back your child’s reading log by Monday, January 11. Please be sure that your December reading log ONLY reflects dates in December (not January). If you are submitting your log electronically, be sure to upload it to the December Reading Rewards assignment in eCLASS. You can find the Reading Rewards widget on the school eCLASS homepage. Students submitting their logs as an assignment will receive feedback verifying that the log was received. There should be no paper or digital logs received before the 21st of each month.

We look forward to recognizing our December readers later this month!

The monthly requirement is to read, outside of school hours, at least 20 minutes a day for at least 20 days of the month. Students are expected to list book titles and minutes read on each of the 20 dates that are logged on the form. Parents must initial each of the entry dates. For students to be recognized, the reading log must be turned in on time and considered complete.

If you have any questions about the Reading Rewards program, please email Jennifer.Alden@gcpsk12.org.

What If...

Written by Samantha Berger and illustrated by Mike Curato

As a young artist sits down to consider her work, she wonders what would happen if her pencil disappeared? While imagining paper flowers, cranes, and unicorns, she knows she'd take the paper she's drawing on and fold it into art. And if there was no paper? She'd chisel the table she's writing on and the chair she sits upon. Thus begins a mixed-media exploration of what it means to be an artist. This nominee is a testament to the power of an imaginative mind.

After reading at least ten of the twenty nominees, students will vote for their favorite book. All votes will be submitted to the University of Georgia in late February. The Georgia Picture Book Award Winner will be announced in March. The purpose of this annual program is to foster a love of reading in the children of Georgia and to introduce students to books of literary excellence.

Facemasks are still available to order through My Payments Plus. Masks are $8 each and available in Youth small and Adult medium and large.

You are an important partner with your child’s teacher, whether your child is learning at home or at school. To help you support your child’s learning, GCPS is launching a new initiative called AKS at Home. With this project, families will learn ways to help their child practice skills they are learning in class as part of the district’s Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum. Parents have access to a library of recorded sessions and tipsheets. Find more information on the AKS at Home web page.

Return to Learning Hub

"The Promise of Gwinnett” campaign is a means of focusing attention on the importance of public education, the role it plays in our nation, and the outstanding schools found right here in Gwinnett County. In addition, the campaign focuses on the accomplishments of our students and the promise they hold for a bright future. Click here to visit the Promise of Gwinnett.

In5ive is a fast-paced, fact-filled informative program that gives you a quick five-minute update on the latest good news in education from Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Woodward Mill just received our quarterly check from the Publix Partners program for $122 dollars. Please help us raise more money for our school by registering for a Publix Partners account and entering your phone number every time you grocery shop at Publix. Every dollar counts!

Woodward Mill would like to take this opportunity to thank the numerous business partners that support the students and teachers at our school. Our business partners support our school in various ways such as sponsoring after-school clubs, providing teacher appreciation gifts, donating supplies, and mentoring students. Please check out our wonderful business partners below: