GEMS Family Newsletter

• Thurs. May 16 - Fri. May 17 - No School - PD Days & Student-Led Conferences/Passages
  
• Fri. May 17 - Complete your annual registration forms and your student will be entered into a prize drawing!
• Thurs. May 23 - End of Quarter 4
• Thurs. May 23 - 8th Graduation - 6:30pm - Indianola Church of Christ - Indianola Church of Christ - 2141 Indianola Ave (parking in the back)
• Fri. May 24 - Last Day of School
• Fri. May 24 - Last day to submit annual registration forms and your student will get a GEMS t-shirt!
• Tues. May 28 - Fri. May 31 - No School - PD Days
• Wed. May 29 - Enrollment Information Session - 6:00pm
• Wed. Aug. 28 - Back to School Night
• Tues. Sept. 3 - First Day of School

Wednesday, Aug. 28 - Back to School Night! Details will be sent home over the summer.

Tuesday, September 3 - First Day of School

• Breakfast Menu - May

• Lunch Menu - May

• Academic Calendar 23-24
  
• School Year Office Hours - 7:45am-4:30pm - office@gemsschool.org
• School Day Hours - 8:30am-3:15pm
• Summer Office Hours - June 3 - July 31 - 9:00am-3:00pm

We look forward to having your student continue to be enrolled at GEMS next year, however, your student's spot for next school year is NOT guaranteed until all Annual Student Registration forms have been completed and are received by the school.

This year we are using PowerSchool to complete the online registration forms. A letter was mailed home before spring break that included log-in information and step by step instructions on how to create an account. Click here (https://ps-tge.metasolutions.net/) to log-in to your PowerSchool account, then go to the forms page and complete each section under General.

If your forms are completed by Friday, May 17, your student will be entered into a prize drawing! Every student whose annual registration forms are completed by May 24 will get a GEMS t-shirt!

Please contact Alisha Porter at records@gemsschool.org or 614-253-4000 with questions.

The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT or SUN Bucks) is new for summer 2024. Summer EBT/SUN Bucks provides grocery benefits to low-income families with school-aged children when school is closed for the summer. Summer EBT benefits will be loaded to a household’s Ohio Direction Card, or a benefit card will be sent in the mail to each eligible child.

Families can use the money to buy food during the summer at grocery stores, farmers markets and other authorized retailers. Families will receive a one-time benefit of $120 for each eligible child and participation will not affect children or families’ immigration status.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE SUMMER EBT/SUN BUCKS AND HOW DO I APPLY?

• For ALL Schools - If your household already participates in SNAP, OWF or if income eligible and receiving Medicaid benefits, your child will automatically be enrolled to receive summer benefits with no further action.
• If you completed a meal eligibility application for 2023-24 school year and were approved for free/reduced meal benefits, your child will be automatically enrolled to receive the summer benefit with no further action.
• If you did not complete a meal eligibility application, but you believe that your child might be eligible, you can complete a meal eligibility application as soon as possible at https://sebt.ohio.gov/
• When applying, you will be asked to provide your child’s name, school, date of birth, address and some additional details. You will also be asked to report your household’s income. You will not need to provide any other documents or information including social security number, proof of citizenship, or pay stubs to apply.

Check out the available positions for the 2024-25 school year!

Click here for GEMS

Click here for TGS

Click here for TCS@ODU

Have completed their research on how living things depend on trees. In Math, we are exploring numbers 1-20. In skills block, students continue to build their knowledge to support them in their journey of reading! Heggerty is our favorite time to explore sounds and play with words!

Are learning about the incubation and hatching process of chicken eggs. We watched them grow and hatch out of the their shells and are now taking care of them within our classroom. In Math, they have been working hard adding numbers 1-99 and bundling as we add.

In expedition we are finishing our pollinators unit by making seed packets and planting pollinator friendly herbs in the community garden! Students have been working very hard on their research and informative essays about pollinators. In math we are learning about halves, thirds, and quarters of shapes. We will be focusing on how to tell time on an analog clock next week.

Have completed our dive into classic literature. To wrap up the year we are exploring first person and 3rd person narratives. Students are comparing and contrasting a variety of stories like Jack’s Giant Problem, and Cinderella Is So Annoying. In math we are filling up on volume! Let your students into the kitchen so they can explore with liquid volume.

Students are wrapping up their time in Math during these final weeks after voting on skills they think they need to know or need to review. We had many votes for time and money so review is taking place in those areas. We are still trying to focus on measurement and geometry as well. Students have learned new ways to remember perpendicular and parallel lines as well as the review of acute, obtuse and right angles. Hoping you all have a safe and restful summer!

In Humanities, we are finishing our Broadsides! Students have moved through the writing process again starting with a four square brainstorming. They were able to come up with their own topic to persuade the public. Then they completed a rough draft and collaborated with their classmates. At this point, everyone should be revising so that we can create our final drafts on vintage paper. Their final project will include a title that calls back what they have learned about the American Revolution, and three paragraphs convincing the reader of their opinions. Look out for Broadsides like, “Chores are the New Tar and Feathering."

For science, we have worked intensely on our endangered species poster for COL. In Humanities, we are finalizing our Passage Presentations, detailing how students are using Habits of Learning to succeed in 5th grade and prepare for 6th grade. We are also prepared for our COL where we presented the book our class published on Endangered Animals. We also had a successful craft sale at COL which raised money for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

HUMANITIES UPDATE:

We’ve been busy exploring a multitude of topics regarding the impact of cultural erasure on us, our community, and education system. We began our expeditionary project where we're further exploring the concept of cultural erasure, which is also a central theme in 'Two Roads'. Through the experiences of Cal and Pop, we see how Native American identity was suppressed and erased through the assimilation policies of the boarding school system. By sending Cal to a boarding school, Pop hoped to protect him, but in doing so, he unknowingly contributed to the erasure of Cal's cultural heritage. This story reminds us of the importance of preserving and honoring diverse cultures, and inspires us to learn from history to create a more inclusive future.

MATH UPDATE:

Our class continues to be a hub of mathematical exploration! Our beloved mathematicians are diving deep into their studies with unyielding enthusiasm. Our math class has begun a thrilling journey of review, revisiting all the mathematical gems they’ve encountered thus far. Decimal dilemmas? Not for us! With a keen eye for detail and a knack for precision, our scholars are mastering operations with decimals with finesse. But wait, there’s more! Our math class has ventured into the realm of real-world application by tackling the art of budgeting for a dream vacation. With imaginations running wild and calculators at the ready, they’re crafting the perfect itinerary while staying within budget constraints.

SCIENCE UPDATE:

Our geologists have been on a journey of discovery that has left them marveling at the mysteries hidden beneath our feet. The rock cycle is a dynamic process that describes how rocks transform from one type to another over time. From the fiery depths of volcanoes to the relentless erosion of wind and water, each stage of the rock cycle offers its own set of wonders to explore. Our young scientists have also learned about the forces of weathering and erosion, which shape and mold rocks over time. We couldn't be prouder of the curiosity and enthusiasm our students have shown in their scientific pursuits!

Humanities—Students finished their podcast project and shared with families at the COL on Friday, May 10. Students will continue learning about the impact of plastic pollution and its effect on the oceans.

Science - Students are learning what phase change is, and what happens to a substance’s freedom of movement and attractions between molecules during phase change.

Math- Students will be working on their last learning target of the year, statistics. This will pair nicely with the work they completed on probability. Students completed MAP testing. Let’s finish the year strong!

Students are learning about evolution history. By comparing the difference between ancestor populations and descendant populations, we’re trying to figure out what factors lead a species to change and how long it takes them to evolve.

Seventh graders are finishing stylized animal drawing and moving to creating stencils for their spray paint projects. Eighth graders just finished their identity portrait collage projects that accompany their statistically speaking poems for Ms. Kennedy’s class. We were excited to share them at the celebration of learning! As the year wraps up, we will be creating tie dye shirts with all the middle schooler’s that they can wear during their last day of school trip!

Students are focusing on an end of year review of skills involving compassion, empathy, skills for learning and problem solving. Students will be working on friendship skills and self esteem activities to end the school year.

Middle school students in the Lunch Bunch are learning how to communicate using Non Violent Communication skills- Observe, Feeling, Need and Request. Students are talking about what is valuable to them and how Non-Violent Communication is important in communicating what their wants and needs are.

GEMS will receive students’ results from the OELPA English proficiency testing in mid-May. Mr. Spackman will talk to the students about their results before the school year finishes. Families will receive a helpful letter from the state that explains the results in June. Students who score 4s or 5s on all four domains (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) will place out of ESOL services at the end of the summer.

• GEMS Family Crew May Newsletter

Join us for 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 submitted before a GEMS student may be enrolled in either high school. Please join us:

• The Graham School - Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30pm - *RSVP is required for all sessions. Please contact Sidney Leatherman, Enrollment Coordinator/Registrar at 614-262-1111 or sleatherman.1@mail.thegrahamschool.org with questions or to RSVP. Click here to complete an online application. Completing an online application does NOT commit the student to attend TGS.
• The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University - Please contact Amanda McCain, Enrollment Coordinator/Registrar at amccain.1@thecharlesschool.org or 614-258-8588 with questions. Click here to complete an online application. Completing an online application does NOT commit the student to attend TCS@ODU.

GEMS is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Please share this newsletter with anyone who is interested in learning more about GEMS and suggest they attend an upcoming Enrollment Information Session. Click here to complete a New Student Online Application. Please e-mail Alisha Porter at records@gemsschool.org with questions.

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

Instagram -

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

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.

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.

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

School Day Hours - 8:30am-3:15pm

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