GEMS Family Newsletter

• Mon. Aug. 28 - 6:00pm - GEMS Family Crew Playground Cleanup - Signup Genius link
  
• Wed. Aug. 30 - 6:00-7:30pm - Back to School Night
• Tues. Sept. 5 - First Day of School - 8:30am-3:30pm
• Thurs. Sept. 28 - Fri. Sept. 29 - No School PD Days

• Academic Calendar 23-24
  

• School Supply Lists - 23-24

• School Year Office Hours - 7:45am-4:30pm - 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. Please complete the application and return it to the front office as soon as possible. The application is available online in the OneView Parent Portal at: https://gems.esvportal.com. Please contact GEMS at office@GemsSchool.org with any questions. Click here to print and complete the application.

The Graham Family of Schools participates in the National School Lunch Program that allows for all families to apply for free or reduced meals. Lunch is available to all students. Should they choose not to participate in the school meal program, students may bring their lunch from home. NO OUTSIDE FOOD MAY BE ORDERED OR DELIVERED AS THIS DIRECTLY VIOLATES THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM POLICY.

Please use our online system to complete Registration forms: https://gems.esvportal.com/

If you already have an account in the online eSchool/OneView system, use the same login you used for the 2022-23 school year. If you did not create an account last year, you will need to create an account using the invite code. You should have received an e-mail and letter with the invite code. Please contact us via email at: office@gemsschool.org or call 614-253-4000 with any questions.

1. As you set up your account you will be asked to create your own PIN.

2. After your account is created, select 'Manage My Students' on the Enrollment Student Dashboard to link your students to your account. You will enter the Invite Code.

3. Next, select View Online Forms, and under 2023-24 Back to School Forms you'll see 'Annual Student Registration'. Information should be pre-populated into the forms. Double check that the pre-populated information is correct. To update the information, choose Yes or No at the beginning of each section. Make your updates. Complete all fields, and then submit. Check each Section.

4. Once you have completed all seven parts, select Save and Return THEN Save and Submit to District.

Click here to review the OneView How To document for what you'll see when you enter the eSchool site. This answers many of the Frequently Asked Questions. Please contact us via email at: office@gemsschool.org or call 614-253-4000 with any questions.

Hello! Our names are Sarah and Eva, and we are undergraduates at The Ohio State University. A few years ago, we founded Uplift Youth Volunteers in order to serve children in the Columbus community by providing them with bags that include food, books, and activities. Bags will be distributed monthly and are of no cost to you. You can sign your child up to receive a bag by using the QR code or the link below. If you have more than one child, please fill out the form separately for each child. We are also continuing to grow our program this year by reading to Kindergarten and First Grade classes biweekly, and we will be putting on a career fair for the older students as well. We are excited to see what this school year will bring! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at upliftexec@buckeyemail.osu.edu.

Uplift Youth Volunteers Bag Sign Up Link

Join us for Playground Cleanup, Monday, August 28th starting at 6:00pm. Help us pick up trash around the school grounds to get the playgrounds ready for the student's return. Please use the Signup Genius link to let us know you are interested.

Don't miss Back to School Night - Wednesday, August 30th - 6:00-7:30pm. If you can spend 15 minutes at the Family Crew table to help pass out flyers and chat we'd appreciate the help! See the schedule at Signup Genius.

If you missed our summer newsletter you can find it here.

Check out the available positions for the 2023-24 school year!

Click here for GEMS

Click here for TGS

Click here for TCS@ODU

In accordance with Ohio Law, all students entering kindergarten or first grade for the first time will receive hearing & vision screening. Graham Elementary and Middle School will conduct screenings for each student in August, September & October.

Why is it important to have your child’s hearing screened?

• Hearing is important for speech, language development, reading and learning
• A hearing screening can detect if your child needs further hearing testing.
• Even if your child has passed a hearing screening previously, their hearing can change.
• Hearing problems can be related to medical problems.
• Hearing loss is invisible and child may appear to be not paying attention. Hearing screening will consist of the following test: Audiometry - Screening of hearing acuity.

Why is it important to have your child's vision screened?

To identify if your child has vision problems or might be at risk for vision problems.

Vision screening will consist of any of the following tests:

1. Observation.

2. Monocular Distance Visual Acuity.

3. Stereopsis test.

4. Color Deficit test (males only).

A vision screening provides only a snapshot of how your child performs on the day the test was administered and is not a substitute for a complete eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

If you do not wish to have your child screened, please send a signed written statement to the effect that you do not wish to have your child screened. You will only receive results if your child's screening suggests the need for a more in-depth exam by a specialist.

Please direct any questions to the school’s front office at 614-253-4000 or office@gemsschool.org.

During the 2023-24 school year, Ohio schools are required to screen all children for dyslexia warning signs in grades K-3. Families (or a teacher with family permission) can request a dyslexia screening in grades 4-6 as well. After the 2023-2024 school year, all Kindergarten students will be screened for dyslexia each year, and screenings for students in grades 1-6 will be done if they are requested by a family (or by a teacher with family permission).

If your child is screened and the school identifies signs of dyslexia, you will receive further communication from the GEMS team. Your child will then be given a more in-depth screener, and their teachers will begin providing additional support in the classroom called “structured literacy instruction.” Regardless, schools will not provide a diagnosis of dyslexia. Diagnosing dyslexia requires testing by a qualified provider such as a neuropsychologist or speech-language pathologist.

GEMS will be screening students during the month of September and results will be sent home or communicated by your students' teacher shortly thereafter.

Please direct any questions to the school’s front office at 614-253-4000 or office@gemsschool.org.

GEMS is enrolling students! Would you be able to display a yard sign to tell the community about our wonderful school? Stop by the front office and pick up a GEMS yard sign today!

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

Instagram -

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

We would like to take this opportunity to spread the word about The Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Educational Savings Account Program. This initiative offers qualifying families a $1,000 credit per child, which can be used to cover various educational activities. These activities are specifically designed to help accelerate learning for children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information, please visit https://education.ohio.gov/ohioace. We kindly ask that you share this information with other families who may benefit from this program. Thank you for your support in ensuring that our students receive the best possible education.

GEMS is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. Openings remain in grades, K, 3rd, 5th and 6th. Please share this newsletter with anyone who is interested in learning more about GEMS. Please e-mail Alisha Porter at aporter2308@gemsschool.org with questions.

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.

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 Summer Hours - 9:00am-3:00pm

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