October 2025 Newsletter
October 2025
Elementary School
School in-session: 8:00am - 3:00pm
AM Carpool: 7:30am - 8:00am
PM Carpool: 3:00pm - 3:30pm
Middle School
School in-session: 7:45am - 3:00pm
AM Carpool: 7:30am - 7:45am
PM Carpool: 3:00pm - 3:30pm
ILLNESS
Here is a helpful guide for Reasons to keep your child home.
- Children with a temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher should stay at home until there is no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
- Any child who has vomited twice in 24 hours should stay home. Your child may return to school after 24 hours of no vomiting or fever.
In the event of an absence, please use our Online Absence Excuse Form, also found on the homepage of our school website.
If your child needs to take medication at school, you must drop the medication off at the school office with an Authorization Form. Please do not send your child in to school with the medication.
CARPOOL
Please do not arrive to the school carpool line until 2:00 PM.
❗ All cars outside of the NLAE campus may be subject to citations until 2:00 PM. ❗
Afternoon carpool ends at 3:30 PM, and late pick up is not permitted. Please be on time to pick up your child. Thank you for your cooperation.
LUNCH DELIVERIES
As a reminder, third party deliveries are not allowed at school (DoorDash, UberEats, etc)
Student Check-in and Check-out
Once morning carpool has ended at both schools, a parent/guardian MUST park and sign the student in at the front desk.
Elementary School tardies begin at 8:01 AM, Middle School tardies begin at 7:46 AM.
Student check-out ends at 2:00 PM. After this time, parents/guardians must enter the carpool line. Late check-outs interfere with dismissal safety. Thank you for your understanding.
ParentVue
Have you logged into your ParentVue account? Access student grades, attendance records, and information through the portal or the app.
If you do not have access, you may create an account by clicking on "forgot password" on gcpsk12.org under "families" at the top right.
You will need to use the email address used to enroll your child in school.
Item Drop-Off Procedures
For the safety and security of our students and staff, drop-offs will take place in the lobby (Elementary School) or vestibule (Middle School).
Please use the sticky notes provided to write your student's full name and teacher to place on the dropped-off item. Items should be left on the table, and will be delivered by staff to classrooms throughout the day to avoid disruption to instructional time.
Thank you for your cooperation.
District Assessments
New Life Academy of Excellence students in 4th - 8th grade will be administered the Interim District Assessments from Friday, October 3rd through Tuesday, October 7th.
We will operate on an adjusted schedule on these days. Please make sure your students arrive to school on time.
The Interim assessments provide monitoring of student progress towards the mastery of the AKS in core subjects. The GCPS Interims provide formative data that allows teachers to be responsive to student learning.
What can you do to prepare?
- Get plenty of rest
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Arrive to school on time
For more information on the GCPS Assessments, click HERE
Elementary School District Assessment Schedule
Middle School District Assessment Schedule
Spirit Night: October 8
The SWCC presents... Chipotle Spirit Night!
The class with the highest participation will win an ice cream party! So grab your classmates, family and friends and tell them to meet you there!
Wednesday, October 8th from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the 2040 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, GA location.
You can even order online, but be sure to use NLAE's special code: BHXPZB4.
Thank you!
The SWCC
National Bullying Prevention Day
Also known as Unity Day, our students will participate on Wednesday, October 15th.
Students may wear Orange while still following our Out of Uniform Dress Code:
- Clothing must cover the body. Undergarments and midriffs should not be exposed.
- Ripped/torn jeans should not be worn.
- No hats, hoods, or sunglasses.
- Articles of clothing that have words or designs that suggest obscenity, drugs, alcohol, weapons, and/or gang behaviors are prohibited.
- Bedroom shoes/slippers are prohibited.
- Pajamas should not be worn.
Students not adhering to these guidelines may be asked to call a parent/guardian to provide their child with a change of clothes.
Middle School Science Fair Interest Meeting
On October 15, 2025, we will be holding a Parent & Student Science Fair Interest Meeting.
We invite our 6th - 8th grade students and parents to hear about the upcoming Science Fair from some of our wonderful Science teachers at NLAE!
*Parents, please pick up your student during normal PM Carpool from 3:00pm to 3:30pm, then park and wait until doors open at 3:45pm.
Questions? Email Ms. Newkirk at rnewkirk@newlifeacademyga.com
Look for communication from your teacher regarding sign-ups for Parent Teacher conferences - coming soon!
Red Ribbon Week begins on October 23rd!
We will Kick-Off Red Ribbon Week with "Wear Red" on Thursday, October 23rd.
Students must follow Out of Uniform Dress Code while wearing red.
Fall individual pictures will take place on Friday, October 24th. Students must be in full uniform.
Career Day at NLAE is October 27th and 28th
If you are interested in presenting in one of our classes, and lending some of your knowledge and expertise with our students, please reach out to us: mwheeler_fair@newlifeacademyga.com
The School Nutrition Program Grace Period has ended. If you were eligible for free/reduced lunch last year (School year 2024-2025), your household received these benefits for 30 days into this school year. Households who have not submitted an application or received notification from NLAE regarding free/reduced eligibility have all returned to FULL PAY.
***IMPORTANT: All free/reduced lunch communication will come from New Life Academy of Excellence. Letters from GCPS do not apply to the NLAE School Nutrition Program. If you have not received a letter regarding your child's free/reduced lunch status from NLAE, you are still FULL pay!
Full-pay lunches will cost $4.10. If you may benefit from financial assistance for school meals, please submit a Free/Reduced Lunch application.
Did you know?
Filling out an application helps increase funding to support our school and students!
Your application may help with discounted testing fees, technology and internet access.
Don't wait, apply now online!
The online application is a quick and easy way to complete this process:
Free/Reduced Lunch Application Online
*Please note, students may choose to bring a packed lunch to school.
New Life Academy of Excellence will utilize My Payments Plus for all activities and fees this school year.
All students must have an account under NLAE, not Gwinnett County Public Schools.
👉 Tip!
Families may set a threshold for account balances to notify you, or automatically replenish your account. No more worrying about your student lunch account!
❗❗ Important!
When registering, please choose our school, New Life Academy of Excellence, NOT Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). Accounts under GCPS will not transfer to New Life Academy of Excellence, and a refund will have to be processed by contacting GCPS.
New Life Academy of Excellence students celebrated the school year PBIS kick-off with Popsicles for Positive Behavior on August 28th. We are excited to encourage Positive Behavior as we SOAR into this school year!
PBIS Lessons
In September, our students reviewed Behavior Expectations in their classroom as well as throughout the school building. Students were also presented with lessons on Conflict Resolution.
In October, we will learn about Bullying.
What are the SOAR expectations?
Our students are Safe, Organized, Accountable, Respectful, and Responsible. They use these expectations all around the school, everyday!
Do they receive rewards for modeling the SOAR expectations?
Yes! Students can earn "Eagle Eye Tickets" from any staff member at NLAE. They can use these tickets to "purchase" goodies during a designated PBIS shopping day, and earn entrance into fun events during the school year!
How can you help at home?
Ask your student what the SOAR expectations are around the school, especially in the classroom.
Have they earned "Eagle Eye Tickets" yet?
Other ways to support the PBIS program:
Check out our Amazon PBIS Wish list
Contributions can also be made to the program through MyPaymentsPlus
Sign up to celebrate our teachers on Treat Your Teacher Tuesday
Thank you for your continued support!
This month’s focus is Bullying Prevention with an emphasis on Bullying.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is behavior that:
- involves an imbalance of power;
- is unwanted, harmful;
- and is likely to be repeated.
Why is this important to know?
Understanding what bullying is will better equip students, families, and educators to support their students.
What to do if my Child is Experiencing Bullying?
- Ensure your child understands that they can always approach you to talk about challenging situations at school, including conflict and bullying.
- When your child confides about bullying, listen intently and gather all the details first before responding, while acknowledging their bravery for speaking up.
- Educate your child on to handle cyberbullying:
- Don’t answer back
- Save the messages in case they are needed for reporting
- Tell an adult
- Block the person bullying
- Report it on the applicable online platforms.
- Report to the school. If the cyberbullying involves classmates or occurs within the school community, consider reaching out to school authorities, for additional support to your child.
Additionally, educate your child on Online Safety measures, such as being cautious about sharing personal information and setting privacy settings on social media accounts.
OCTOBER
- 6... NLAE Multilingual Learner Parent Educational Night: 4:15pm - 6:00pm
- 3... District Assessment Testing begins (Grades 3-8)
- 9-13... Fall Break (No School)
- 15... National Bullying Prevention Day, "Unity Day" - Students may wear orange
- 15... Science Fair Interest Meeting
- 20... Poppin' Popcorn Fall Fundraiser begins
- 22... PBIS Spirit Wear Day (Out of Uniform)
- 22... Early Release: 12:00pm
- 22... Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 23... Red Ribbon Spirit Day: Wear Red (Out of Uniform)
- 23... Early Release: 12:00pm
- 23... Parent/Teacher Conferences
- 24... Fall Individual Pictures (Full Uniform required)
- 27... Career Day
- 28... Career Day