Pay School-Related Expenses Via MealpayPlus

Parents of students in the Gwinnett County Public School system can use the MealpayPlus System to make all school-related payments. Registration for this program is free and available online. Local schools are asking parents to register prior to their prospective open houses. Many schools have open houses scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 4.

The MealpayPlus System offers GCPS families the following services:

• Student cafeteria balances and purchase history
• Low balance e-mail reminders
• Breakfast/lunch pre-payments
• AP Exam registration and payment
• Online open house and orientation
• Yearbook, uniform and field trip fee payments

Approximately 90 area schools are offering online registration for students. Families who take advantage of this option can cut down heavily on the amount of paperwork required on orientation day. Parents should check the school websites for dates and times of specific activities.

More Local School News:

• The GCPS system is expanding charter school offerings with the following options: Gwinnett County Online Campus, Ivy Preparatory Academy and New Life Academy of Excellence.

• The Gwinnett Online Campus offers high school students an opportunity to earn their diplomas by taking online course. This year the school will have an inaugural 160 students in grades 9-12. The school has plans to include middle schools students (6-8) for the 2012-2013 school year and elementary students in fourth grade in 2013.

• Ivy Preparatory Academy is not a new school, but is beginning its first year as a Gwinnett County Public Schools charter school. The school lost its charter status last spring when the Georgia Supreme Court ruled the Georgia Commission on Charter Schools unconstitutional. GCPS system worked with the Academy and the two agreed to a one-year contract authorizing Ivy Preparatory Academy to serve as a local charter school in the GCPS system. Ivy Prep is also trying to open a DeKalb campus. For more information on this Academy contact the Head of School Nina Gilbert at 770-342-0089.

• New Life Academy of Excellence is a new charter school in Norcross formed to teach children the Chinese language. New Life Academy of Excellence will teach children in grades K-2 at its Norcross location and students in K-7 at its Duluth location.

• Eighty percent of Gwinnett County’s public schools met the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress goals and only four schools were categorized as needing improvement. 

• GCPS held an orientation for new teachers at Peachtree Ridge High School July 25.

• GCPS welcomes twenty-one new principals to various schools in the system for the 2011-2012 school year.

• GCPS transportation services will practice their routes Aug. 1-5.