Gwinnett County Public Schools’ (GCPS) newest educators will gather at a districtwide event before the start of the new school year to learn about their new jobs and the support they will receive during their Gwinnett careers.
On Monday, July 19, GCPS will host its New Teacher Orientation at Gas South Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. More than 1,400 teachers— those new to the district as well as those who were hired mid-year last school year— will convene to take part in this half-day, district-level orientation. CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks will join members of the Gwinnett County Board of Education in welcoming the new hires. Teachers will learn about GCPS’ culture of teaching and learning and the critical role teachers play in supporting students on their quest to success. In addition, all new hires attending the event will have the opportunity to get vaccinated at the arena between noon and 4 p.m.
During the event, the teachers will hear from 2021 GCPS Teacher of the Year Katie Blum and a student representative, 2021 Peachtree Ridge High School graduate, Shivani Desai. The keynote speaker for the event is well-known author and speaker John Antonetti who works with schools and districts throughout North America on student engagement, writing, rigor and relevance, and high-yield best practices.
On Tuesday, July 20, teachers will report to their local schools where they will spend half of the day taking part in grade-level and curriculum-specific professional learning sessions. New teachers who are digital only will have a full day of learning in this area. The educators also will learn about the various instructional resources (digital and print) provided by the district to support their teaching and learning efforts. These sessions are part of GCPS’ work to create a continual learning community that supports teachers, providing the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to be successful.
Additional staff development:
During the remainder of the week, new teachers will spend two additional days at their local schools working with their mentors and leadership teams. As Gwinnett teachers, they can expect to work in teams of professionals, have mentors who will assist them in their work, and take part in ongoing staff development activities that support their efforts in leading GCPS students to high levels of achievement. In order to deliver high-quality staff development for new teachers that is standards-based, results-driven, and job-embedded, GCPS provides induction activities at the onset of their careers in Gwinnett. The system’s goal is that every teacher will have high-quality staff development as part of his or her daily work, and use this learning to improve student learning.
Media outlets needing additional information on New Teacher Orientation should contact the Department of Communication and Media Relations at 678-301-6021.