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 Tuesday, July 12, GCPS will host its New Teacher Orientation at Gas South Convention Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Nearly 1,500 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. Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts 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.
During the event, the teachers will hear from 2022 GCPS Teacher of the Year Jamie Garcia Caycho and Peyton Jesse, a student at Dacula High School. 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 Wednesday, July 13, teachers will report to one of two local high schools where they will spend a full day taking part in grade-level and curriculum-specific assessment literacy and reviewing ways to foster a supportive community for each and every student. The educators also will learn about the various instructional resources 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:
Over the next few weeks, 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 and support throughout their teaching career. The system’s goal is that every teacher will have high-impact 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 Communications and Media Relations at 678-301-6021.