GEMS Family Newsletter

• Tues. Nov. 15 - The Graham School Virtual Enrollment Information Session at 6:00pm - Click here to join!
  
• Wed. Nov. 16 - The Charles School at ODU Virtual Enrollment Information Session at 6:00pm - Click here to join!
• Mon. Nov. 21 - Tues. Nov. 22 - No School - PD Days and Student-Led Conferences
• Wed. Nov. 23 - Fri. Nov. 25 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
• Wed. Dec. 7 - Fri. Dec. 9 - No School - EL Education National Conference
• Mon. Dec. 19 - Mon. Jan. 2 - No School - Winter Break
• Tues. Jan. 3 - No School - PD Day
• Wed. Jan. 4 - Students return to class

• Breakfast Menu - Nov.
  

• Lunch Menu - Nov.
  

• Academic Calendar 22-23
  
• GEMS Office Hours - 7:45am - 4:30pm - office@gemsschool.org
• GEMS School Day Starts at 8:30AM, building opens at 7:45am
• GEMS Dismissal Starts at 3:15PM, building open until 4:30pm

The GEMS front office is closed each day from 3:00-3:35pm to help with a smooth dismissal process. If you arrive after 3:00pm to pick up students, please proceed to the appropriate pick up line instead of the front office. Thank you for your support.

Check your mail box, report cards, IEP progress reports, and other very important information was mailed home this week.

Every year, GEMS offers Thanksgiving food baskets to ensure every family in our community can celebrate the the holiday. Please complete the survey below if you would like a basket for your family or if you would like to donate or volunteer to put baskets together. Basket will be available for the first 35 families on a first come first serve basis.

Donations can be submitted until November 18th. Those who wish to volunteer will be contacted with additional details, including dates and times. Pick up dates and times will also be shared at a later date.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Angelic Dean (adean.1@gemsschool.org)

Click here to complete the survey!

We ask our families to help with expenses by making an annual school contribution of $35.00. You may pay with credit card, cash, check or money order in person or by mail. You may also pay with a credit card online via the GEMS School Store.

In addition to the Registration Packet, we are mandated by the Ohio Department of Education to obtain a new proof of residency every school year. This may be a copy of a utility bill or bank statement (dated on or after July 1, 2022). Please mail, drop off or e-mail your proof of residency to office@gemsschool.org.

All families should fill out a Free & Reduced School Meals Application to see if they qualify for free or reduced meal pricing. The USDA has not extended the pandemic related food service program waivers for the 2022-23 school year. This program previously allowed The Graham Family of Schools and other school districts to provide free lunches and breakfasts to all students since the spring of 2020. Please complete the application and return it to the front office as soon as possible. The GEMS front office is open Mon.-Fri. 7:45am-4:30pm. Click here to print complete the application.

Did you know you can complete the Free & Reduced Application online?

• Go to OneView Login Page: https://gems.esvportal.com/ use the same login you used to complete the Annual Registration forms.
• Under Free/Reduced Meals App click on "Click here for the application"
• Once you have completed the form, select Save and Return THEN Save and Submit to District.

Please contact the GEMS front office at office@gemsschool.org with any questions.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact, Wesley Owens, Registrar & Community Outreach Liaison at owens.2@gemsschool.org or 614-253-4000.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GrahamElementaryandMiddleSchool

Instagram -

https://www.instagram.com/gemscolumbus/

In partnership with Columbus artist Lisa McLymont and CAPA, our 4th grade students painted a mural as part of their poetry expedition. The "Make the Change" mural will be displayed at one of the CAPA theaters. Great work 4th graders!

Join us online Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 for Virtual Enrollment Information Sessions to talk about high school! The Graham Family of Schools comprises GEMS, The Graham School, and The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University. However, an application must be summited before a GEMS student may be enrolled in either high school.

Thank you to Adrienne Williams from Growing and Growth Collective for visiting our 8th grade classes in October and leading a lesson on agriculture and art!

Are excited to get started with our expedition about weather. We are looking forward to the weather science experiments we have coming up! We are studying shapes and patterns in our math lessons. We have learned 12 letters and letter sounds so far- great progress since the beginning of the year. We love singing letter songs and chants to practice our letter-sound recognition.

Are finishing our expedition about tools and how we use them. We have multiple drafts of our Magnificent thing and are about to create our final project! Our next expedition will be on the Sun, Moon, and Stars. In Math we have started our journey into word problems. We are learning how to break up word problems and turn everything into a solvable equation.

Started a new unit in math, learning how to measure! We are also working in expedition to compare and contrast schools around the world to GEMS! It has been wonderful learning about different schools, different classroom experiences, and different methods for traveling to and from school.

Started a unit on frogs! We will be discussing what a narrative is and its different parts. In math we are starting our introduction to multiplication by talking about how to make equal groups.

Poetic Night was a huge success! Many students came and performed their original pieces. Students had their self portraits and recorded poems on display. If you missed it, make sure to save the date for our Celebration of Learning on January 12! Students are now learning about animal defense mechanisms.

Are finishing our unit on volume and moving into fractions. We will review what fractions are and explain that fractions are the same as division. In science, we will be continuing to work on food webs and biomes. Students will be able to create accurate food chains and food webs in the correct biomes. We will also be discussing what native and invasive species are and how they affects the food webs.

Are finishing our unit on fraction division and will be moving onto decimals. In science we are investigating natural disasters and our final assessment will be to put our engineering hats on and plan/research a solution to decrease the impact of natural disasters.

In math, students completed a project where they showed the relationship between two quantities using words, a table, an equation, and a graph. Students are now exploring percentages, and we will be collecting data on invasive species at Alum Creek State Park next week to complete a project on using percentages to make predictions.

In math, students completed a project where they looked at advertisements from two grocery stores and created their own word problem to demonstrate their understanding of solving equations. Next, students will be exploring volume and completing a smoothie project connected to our Food Justice expedition.

Students are starting to build skills and techniques as we explore further into the elements and principles of design! We are excited to get started soon on some of our big expedition projects for the quarter as we get ready for the Celebration of Learning on January 12. 4th grade will be working on animals as we practice using value, texture, and patterns. 3rd grade is all about frogs as they get ready to do some exciting work involving both 2D and 3D art. 2nd grade is starting loom weaving, as we break out the yarn and the needles and understand the terms warp and weft. 1st grade is learning about the sun, moon and stars and creating shadow boxes, that showcase their beautiful skies. In kindergarten, we will continue working on process art as we explore lots of new fun materials and techniques.

Students are focusing on cooperation, self direction, respect, safety and resolving conflict. These responsible and social behaviors will be the driving force to playing soccer. The students won’t be assessed on technical soccer skills, but on how they exhibit responsible, personal and social behaviors that respect self and others. On Wednesday, November 16th A soccer expert will visit our classes.

GEMS is accepting applications for K-8th grades for the 2023-2024 school year. Please share this newsletter with anyone who is interested in learning more about GEMS. Please e-mail Wesley Owens at owens.2@gemsschool.org with questions.

Start a student application at bitly.com/GEMSadmissions

Kroger

Go to: www.krogercommunityrewards.com or call 1-800-837-4483 to enroll in the program. Add GEMS to your Kroger card. You can search for GEMS by name or use our school code: FD086. Shop! Every time you shop and use your Kroger Rewards Card GEMS gets rebates. Kroger totals those rebates and sends GEMS a check.

Amazon Smile

When you make a purchase on Amazon Smile they will donate 0.5% of your total purchase to GEMS. Go to http://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-4350069 to get started!

Our partnership with EL Education empowers our teachers to unleash the potential of their students. EL Education is built on ten design principles that reflect the educational values and beliefs of Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound and co-founder of EL Education. These principles also reflect the design's connection to other related thinking about teaching, learning, and the culture of schools. The 10 design principles are: The Primacy of Self-Discovery, The Having of Wonderful Ideas, The Responsibility for Learning, Empathy and Caring, Success and Failure, Collaboration and Competition, Diversity and Inclusion, The Natural World, Solitude and Reflection, Service and Compassion.

GEMS is a School-wide Title 1 program, enabling us to receive Federal Funds to ensure that our students receive the support they need to reach and exceed grade level goals particularly in reading and math. We welcome parent involvement in planning, review and improvement of Title 1 programs. Please contact Debbie Addison at addison.2@gemsschool.org with any questions. Follow this link to the Parent Pact.

Per House Bill 21 community schools are required to perform a monthly review of student files and randomly select families for residency verification. Please contact the school immediately in case of an address change. Proof of residency must be submitted within two weeks of an address change. If evidence is not provided, requests for additional documentation or a home visit may occur.

Office Hours - 7:45am-4:30pm

Email: office@gemsschool.org
Website: https://www.thegrahamfamilyofschools.org/gems_home.aspx
Location: 140 East 16th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA
Phone: (614) 253-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Graham-Elementary-and-Middle-School-109578509098428