Dear Parents,

It is a busy time of year! Please make sure you read all the good information in this newsletter and follow us on social media to see all the great things that are happening!

I want to take a moment to recognize some specials groups of students who have volunteered their time to serve others through Safety Patrol, Peer Mediators, School Store workers, K-Kids members, and Student Council. These are great leadership experiences and I appreciate your help in ensuring students can come in early or stay late for these opportunities.

Wednesday was School Nurse Appreciation Day and we want to recognize our "Murse", Mr. Rodrigo Maragni, for all he does. The clinic is a very busy place and Rodrigo handles all that comes his way with kindness, grace, and good humor!

Have a great weekend!

Your Principal and Partner,

Dr. Pendleton

Lesley.Pendleton@gcpsk12.org

Field Days will be May 17-20 and it's not to late to volunteer to sign up by clicking here!

If you missed ordering a Field Day shirt, there may be a few left - please reach out to your teachers about this.

If you would like your child to wear his/her own t-shirt but in the same color as the Field Day t-shirts each grade level will have, the colors will be as follows:

• Pre K: Light Heather Blue
• Kindergarten: Violet (It looks like a light periwinkle blue)
• 1st Grade :Red
• 2nd Grade: Royal blue
• 3rd Grade: Kelly green
• 4th Grade: lemon yellow
• 5th Grade: Lime green

(Thank you to Pam Bloch for organizing and distributing the the Field Day T-shirts. She and a few helpers have done an amazing job. We appreciate you!)

We are looking for 3 energetic Cafeteria Monitors for next school year.

Hours would be Monday - Friday, 10:15 AM- 1:15 PM.

Duties include managing cafeteria schedules, assisting students and selling ice cream. If interested, apply at https://www.applitrack.com/Gwinnett/onlineapp/default.aspx

We are also looking to hire Parapros (teachers' helpers):

ESS has partnered with Gwinnett County Schools to manage the recruitment and hiring for Paraprofessional positions. We offer excellent employee perks, including health benefits, training, support, weekly pay, 401(k), bonus opportunities, award programs, and more. To work as a Paraprofessional in Gwinnett County Schools, please apply today at www.ESS.com.

www.applitrack.com Job Posting # 77656

Please call the front office if you need more information. We would love to have you join our Berkeley Lake team!

School Supply Kit ordering will open May 15 and run until July 18. Be sure to take a look and place your order to save yourself time and supply issues by ordering instead of purchasing from various stores for Back-to-School Shopping. Go to myeasyschoolsupply.com to order your child's grade specific supply kit and it will be delivered to your school for your child's first day!

Our 5th graders will do their annual walk of recognition 1:00 on Monday, May 23rd, with the Duluth High School Marching Band drumline assisting. If you are a parent and would like to watch the walk online, it will be available for viewing in three different ways:

1. through this Zoom link real time (no passcode is needed)
2. through our school's Facebook Live account in real time
3. a recorded link will be available on the website after the walk to watch at your convenience

Thank you to our cafeteria volunteers:

• Mrs. Xochitl Portillo
• Mrs. Antonia Perez
• Mrs. Emilia Colotl

Mark your calendars now:

• Students in Pre K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade will start next year off in-person on Wednesday, August 3
• Students in grades 2 - 5 will start next school year off with a Digital Learning Day on Wednesday, August 3rd and then come to school in-person on Thursday, August 4th.

Why the staggered start? Having only the younger students in the building on the first day allows for more staff to be available for support and helps to make the transition for the younger students less chaotic and stressful.

If you know your 2nd - 5th grader will need to borrow a Chromebook and/or Wi-Fi hotspot for the Digital Learning Day on Wednesday, August 3rd, be sure to check back to the BLES website ahead of time to submit your request. Devices for 2nd - 5th graders will be available for pick up on Meet Your Teacher Day on Friday, July 29th IF A REQUEST IS PUT IN AHEAD OF TIME.

Please note: Devices will not be loaned out to students with existing fines, until the fines are paid.

If your child borrowed a Chromebook and/or hotspot from the school and there was damage or the equipment was not returned, you will be notified by email and a fine will be added to your child's account before the last day of school.

You can pay the fine using any of the following methods:

• paying cash up in the front office
  
• by sending in a check
• through MyPaymentsPlus using these directions

Please note that there are four digital learning days scheduled on next year's calendar and 3rd - 5th grade students will start the new year with a digital learning day, so it is important any fines are paid ahead of time or we will not be able to fulfill any new request for technology equipment next year.

The K-Kids Induction/"Goodbye" Meeting will be May 19 at 2 pm. We will welcome in our rising 5th grade "New" K-Kids, and send off our amazing 2021-22 5th grade group. If you missed signing up for K-Kids, there will be another opportunity in August for the 2022-23 school year. We will also name our K-Kid of the Year next week. Please note, due to limited time, this meeting will be for students only.

If you would like for your child to continue working in some of the educational websites they have been using all year, they will continue to have access through July 12th. Some of the sites that will still be available are:

Under Additional Resources in My eCLASS:

• iReady (Math)
• Amplify (Reading)
• Classworks (Reading and/or Math)

Other subscription sites:

• Brainpop
• Brainpop Jr.
• Brainpop ESL
• Typing Club
• Imagine Learning

Please encourage your children to wear tennis shoes (not crocs, sandles or slip-ons) daily during these last few weeks of school - especially during P.E. classes and your Field Days!!

Thanks and play on!!!

The Gwinnett County Public Library System will be offering FREE Eye Exams and FREE Glasses for Kids ages 5-18 on July 13th from 9:30am to 3:00pm at the Duluth Library, 3180 Main St, Duluth, GA 30096.

NO walk-ins will be accepted! Space is Limited! You MUST pre-register by emailing the form in the flyer below to Georgia@visiontolearn.org.

Exams are on a first come first come basis. You will receive a confirmation email IF your child has been selected for an exam.

• Click here to see the English flyer
• Click here to see the Spanish flyer

Under state laws passed by the Georgia State Legislature, parents of students who receive special education services or accommodations under a Section 504 Individual Accommodation Plan may request to transfer their child to another public or private school in Georgia

Any student who currently receives special education services, grades PK-11th and any returning 12th grader, as well as students who are eligible for a Section 504 Plan and are in grades Kindergarten-11th.

Click here to learn more.

If you or someone you know will be new to Gwinnett County Schools or to Berkeley Lake Elementary next year, you will want to attend one of our virtual orientation meetings. They will be held every Friday for the next few months in both English and Spanish, with the English meetings occurring from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and the Spanish meetings occurring from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Call the front office at 770-446-0947 to register for the date of your choice or click here for more information.

Want to experience how summer looks like at Mathnasium? Now you can! Bring your child(ren) in for a one-hour complimentary summer session.

Your kids will get a sneak peek at our unique real-time instruction.

Sign up at berkeleylake@mathnasium.com to reserve your session. Spots are limited so RSVP as soon as you can!

P.S.- For every new student enrolled this summer, $25 proceeds will come back to the school PTO!

When: June 20-24

Cost: $405

What We Will Be Doing: Canoeing, Crafting, Forestry, Hiking, Swimming and more

Space is limited so go to GwinnettExtension.com to register today.

More information is in the section below labeled "Summer Camps" and on the BLES Website under Quicklinks > Summer Camps

Registration for Grayson Tech's Summer Academy is open on MyPaymentsPlus.

Click here for more information about the camp.

Maxwell High School of Technology will be hosting Middle School Summer Adventures Camp, May 31-June 3!

Our programs are open to current 5th thru 8th grades (students will be going into 6-9th grade for school year 2022-2023). Registration is now open through MyPaymentsPlus. This sells out QUICKLY every year!

Click here to go directly to the website for more details and information.

Parents, are you tired of waiting in those long car-rider lines? Or, do you need someone to watch your student after school until you can get home from work? If so, the Georgia After School Program may be something you want to consider. The program is offered at our school and follows strict COVID protocols. If you want to learn more about the program, click here.

In Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), our people are our greatest resource, including our substitute teachers and the tremendous support they provide to our students, staff members, and schools. GCPS substitutes play a critical role in our students’ education, making a difference in the lives of children every day! Click here to learn more about the GCPS substitute teaching program.

Visit the BLES website and check out each day's Family Engagement tip. There is a tip for every day, Monday - Sunday, and they are offered in both English and Spanish.

Box Tops for Education is Online: Box Tops are being collected online only. Here are instructions for how to continue to give to our school with Box Tops.

You may have heard about Gwinnett's Parent Portal. The Parent Portal is a website that will allow you to log in and see your child's information, such as attendance, grades, standardized test scores, etc.

If you need to register with the portal, please print and complete this registration form and turn it in to the main office. Along with the completed form, you are required to show a photo I.D. for verification.

Gwinnett Public Schools uses MyPaymentsPlus as a site for school-related payments and documentation sign off. If you do not yet have an account with this site, you will need to set one up. Click here to learn more.

Follow us on all of our social media accounts by clicking the links below:

• Follow us on Facebook

• Follow us on Instagram

The Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation is offering a discount on a portable WiFi hotspot for its families for $50/month. Data is unlimited and there is no contract required. See the image below or click here to learn more.

Berkeley Lake recycles aluminum cans and old clothes and shoes (in any condition) in the two bins in the upper parking lot. The Green Team receives 10¢ per pound of donations, which helps pay the fee for the weekly paper and cardboard pick-up. The aluminum cans are recycled at Progressive Recycling on Simpson Circle. Please support our Green Team by recycling these items here at Berkeley Lake. Thank you!

The Berkeley Lake Parent Center is located across from the front office and it's providing services by appointment. For Parent Center support please call Ms. Sandra Orci, Parent Liaison, at 678-291-4232 or email her at Sandra.Orci@gcpsk12.org

To provide learning experiences in a secure and stimulating environment where every child can develop to his/her fullest potential academically, socially, and emotionally.

BLES is a positive safe, nurturing environment that fosters respect among all students, teachers, parents and community members, while forwarding world-class achievement that successfully maximizes each student's individual potential through engaging instruction.

• The Tutoring Center, Duluth, Ga.
• Barnes & Noble
• Chick-fil-A
• Mathnasium
• Publix at Tree Summit
• Ultra Baby LLC (Ultrasound and Photography)
• Atlanta Urgent Care - 5246 Peachtree Pkwy