More Than 2,500 Guests Registered for GCS Family Fun Day

Saturday, May 18, Camp Weaver will be packed with families and children canoeing, riding horses, creating art and learning about organizations from across Guilford County. Student performers will include a drum line, dance teams and bands - and it's all free.

GCS Family Fun Day, presented by Guilford Parent Academy and Guilford County Schools, is a way to say thank-you to parents and students for their hard work this school year.

Last year, more than 5,000 guests attended Family Fun Day and had a great time. This year, staff planned the event to accommodate a specific number of guests so all families will be able to enjoy all the activities.

In order to ensure that, GCS made some changes this year:

  • All families were asked to pre-register for the event; registration is now closed.
  • All visitors will park at one of five transportation sites and take shuttles to and from Camp Weaver.
  • Staff will be at each transportation site with a list of registered guests; only guests who registered will be permitted to board the shuttles to Camp Weaver.

Also new this year, local food vendors will offer a variety of snacks and meals for purchase. Free food will not be provided at the event. Families may also bring picnic lunches.

Families will also have a chance to learn more about the PErsonalized Achievement, Curriculum and Environment (PACE) project, which will use technology to transform classrooms.

The PACE project is the signature initiative for the 2016 Strategic Plan: Achieving Educational Excellence: Personalizing Learning. Funded by a $35.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the project will create and stimulate student-led, personalized learning in all GCS middle schools, reaching nearly 19,000 students and teachers.

Representatives from Amplify will be on hand to show the tablets students will be using. Amplify creates digital products and services to engage students, and currently serves more than 200,000 educators and 3 million students.

The PACE project will start this fall with students in 18 middle schools. The remaining six middle schools will join the program in the 2014-15 school year. Each student will have a tablet filled with lessons and assignments for their classes, as well as research tools and secure Internet access. Teachers can access lesson plans and materials aligned with the Common Core State Standards, creating "playlists" of multimedia materials tied to the day's activities. They can also do spot-check quizzes during lessons to ensure all students are on track.

Families can also explore the online learning resources available to all families for free through Guilford Parent Academy. The resources, provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, include content for pre-K through 12th grade and allow parents to help their child improve reading skills, build vocabulary, practice math problems and explain complex topics. GCS is one of only two districts in the nation and the only district in North Carolina to provide this digital academic content for free.

Parent Academy is supported by a $1.9 million supplemental grant award the district received as part of the $35.2 million grant.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Silver Sponsor: Sprint

  • U.S. Department of Education
  • YMCA of Greater Greensboro
  • Blackboard Connect
  • Guilford County Schools
  • Guilford County Council of PTAs
  • Guilford County Association of Educators
  • Guilford Coalition on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

Thanks to Connect With Kids for its support of the Take a Break with Tablets Cooling Station