• Welcome to 8th Grade!!!

    Counselor PinkardTAJAH PINKARD, 8TH GR COUNSELOR
    770-736-8647 / Tajah.Pinkard@gcpsk12.org

    Peer Leadership Program
     Peer leaders are recommended and interviewed to determine membership in the spring of their 7th-grade year to serve during their 8th-grade year. Peer Leaders have scheduled meetings with the Peer Leading Advisor to receive training as student leaders and plan service projects.  Students will assist in classrooms with one-on-one tutoring (Help Day), peer mentoring, and other tasks the teachers and staff members assign. Peer Leaders will also complete service projects for their local and school communities.

     

    Important Info for Parents of 8th Graders:

    Core Curriculum Lesson Schedule

    • School Support: Counselor introduction
    • High School Articulation: Transition to high school
    • Career Exploration: Career Skills Assessment and Dual Enrollment overview
    • Explore Gwinnett: Overview of Gwinnett County Public Schools Academies, Technical Schools Gwinnett, and Gwinnett School of Math Science and Technology
    • Teen Lures:  Teen LuresTM Prevention is a research-based program that Gwinnett County Public Schools uses to teach the importance of healthy relationships and its connection to personal safety by way of class discussions, student handouts, video clips, and corresponding activities.

    8th Grade Counseling AKS
    Academic Development
    1. Understand how school success and academic achievement enhance future opportunities.
    2. Demonstrate study skills and habits that can be used in various educational settings.
    3. Identify school rules and student responsibilities and how they contribute to a positive educational environment.
    4. Apply learned strategies to successfully transition to high school.

    Career Development
    1. Develop a tentative schedule for 9th grade taking into consideration academic strengths, academic majors, and career interests.
    2. Identify how their and talents relate to career choices.
    3. Identify skills and behaviors which will help one be successful in the world of work.

    Life Skills
    1. Identify skills necessary for dealing with life changes.
    2. Identify ways to recognize and respond to bullying/harassment.

    8th Grade Promotion Criteria
    To earn promotion to the 9th grade, students are required to pass 5 out of 6 subjects each semester. Language Arts and Mathematics must be 2 of the 5 subjects passed.

    Should a student not earn promotion to 9th grade, he or she may have the opportunity to attend summer school to learn the AKS curriculum not mastered during the school year. Students may attend summer school for no more than 2 semester-long classes.

    In Georgia, 8th-grade students also are required to achieve Grade-level or Above on the Reading and Vocabulary domain of the Language Arts Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) Assessment and achieve the performance level of Developing or higher on the Mathematics Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) Assessment. Students who do not meet either of these state promotion requirements may be required to retest after summer school.

    • A Special Education student’s promotion is determined by his or her Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
    • Promotion for an English Learner (EL) or student with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is guided by his or her English Learner Proficiency Plan.