GEMS Family Newsletter

• Mon. Feb. 17 - Tues. Feb. 18 - No School - Mid Winter Break
• Wed. Feb. 26 at 6:00pm - Enrollment Information Session
• Wed. March 12 at 6:00pm - Enrollment Information Session
• Thurs. March 20 - Fri. March 21 - No School - PD Days
• Fri. March 21 at 5:00-9:00pm - GEMS Family Crew Skating Party
• Wed. March 26 at 6:00pm - Enrollment Information Session
• Fri. Feb. 28 - Glow Party - 6th-8th Graders - During the last period and is open to students who maintain a positivity rate of 85% or higher on Kickboard from February 3rd to February 26th.

• Breakfast Menu - Feb.

• Lunch Menu - Feb.

• Academic Calendar - 24-25 - UPDATED

• School Year Office Hours - 7:45am-4:30pm - office@gemsschool.org
  

• School Day Hours - 8:30am-3:15pm

Dismissal Information

• Dismissal begins at 3:15PM. We ask that parents who pick up their students please remain in line until your student is released to you.
• The Front Office will be closed 2:30-3:30pm to ensure a smooth dismissal process.
• Dismissal changes must be reported to the front office at office@gemsschool.org or called in to 614-253-4000 prior to 2:15pm.
• Dismissal forms have been sent home with each student. If you have not completed the form, please click here to print and complete the form.
• All early dismissal outside of medical is counted against student attendance.

ACTION NEEDED

• Household Income Surveys have been sent via mail and email. If you received one please return it to the Front Office. Click here to print and complete the survey.

In order to receive text messages from GEMS you need to opt in. Please text “Yes” or “Si” to 79041. Text messages are usually sent when there is an urgent school update or an attendance check.

The momentum award is for districts and buildings that have demonstrated outstanding improvement in achievement while also continuing to show growth. The momentum award is for districts and buildings that have improved their performance index by 3 or more points from the 2022-2023 report card to the 2023-2024 report card AND received a value-added progress rating of 4 or more stars.

Thank you to those who joined us for movie night!

Check out the February Newsletter!

We hope your family can join us for these upcoming events:

Spring Skating Party

Friday, March 21, 2025 @5-9pm

At Skate Zone 71 (4900 Evanswood Dr, Columbus, OH 43229)

The party will be for GEMS families and friends until 6:30 afterwards it becomes a public skate. Make sure you state you are with GEMS to get the discount admission at any point during the evening. Watch for a flyer and further information in early March.

Spring Playground Clean up

Sunday, April 27, 2025 @ 3-4:30pm

Help us clean up around the playground, lawn, and parking lots. Many hands make light work! Students are welcome to join us. We will provide grabbers and other trash removal equipment, plastic trash bags, and have some disposable gloves available. If you have a favored pair of heavier work gloves please bring them! RSVP here to get more information and updates.

If you have any questions or comments please contact the Co-Coordinators Kristian Overmeyer, Adrienne Stevens & Jody Davis at ‬familycrew@gemsschool.org.

• Chronic Absenteeism: Students who miss just 2 days per month (10% of the school year) are at higher risk of falling behind.

• The first month matters: Early attendance patterns set the tone for the year- consistent attendance is key.

• Relationships are critical: Students are more likely to attend when they feel they belong and have strong connections with their peers and teachers.

• Attendance is EVERYONE’S job: From every staff member to parents, it takes a team to ensure that students are in school and engaged.

Take the Attendance Pledge online - https://stayinthegame.org/pledge/

Please share this newsletter with anyone who is interested in learning more about GEMS.

Click here to complete a New Student Online Application.

Please e-mail Anjali Haury at records@gemsschool.org with questions.

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

Instagram -

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

Our K-8 talent show was a hit! From NSYNC dance moves to stand-up comedy and powerful vocals, our students shined on stage with creativity, courage, and tons of talent!

In Math, we wrapped up Unit 3, Flat Shapes all around us and are now in Unit 4, Understanding Addition and Subtraction. In this unit students will relate counting to addition and solve addition and subtraction story problems within 10.

In Expedition we are getting into our Weather Wonders module. We have learned the basics of weather, including the three components of weather: temperature, moisture and wind. Now, we are looking at weather around the world.

In Skills block, we continue to work on building our letter/sound knowledge, as well as learning new high frequency words. We are practicing reading CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words as we build word chains, changing one letter of our words at a time.

In Math, we are focused on working with numbers from 1 to 99. We have been working on adding bundles of 10 and working with tens digits and ones digits.

In Expedition, we are working on becoming Bird Experts. We are researching how birds use different parts of their bodies to survive. So far we have talked about their feathers and beaks. We plan to focus on other body parts as the unit goes on.

Students are building their research skills and science knowledge through a study of the secret world of plants and pollinators. In Unit 1, students navigate informational text features, co-create Plant, Seed, Fruit, and Flower Frayer Model anchor charts, create scientific drawings, and participate in a Science Talk, all focused on learning about how plants grow and survive

Students are researching a frog species of their choice, which will culminate in a thoughtfully written informational essay. This process encourages critical thinking, creativity, and a deeper understanding of how to convey knowledge to others—a skill they’ll use throughout their lives.

In math, we are diving into an exciting new unit on multiplication and division, exploring how these concepts relate to one another and setting the stage for even greater mathematical understanding.

In math, students are focused on multiplying and dividing multi-digit numbers. The students have been doing a great job so far exploring arrays to find their solutions!

In expedition, in honor of Black History Month, each student has chosen a famous, influential, black person to research. With this research, we have been writing a multi-paragraph essay. In two weeks, we’ll start our final module on animal defenses, with some exciting field trips ahead to enhance our learning experience!

In Humanities, we are following William’s journey as he overcomes the devastating Malawian drought and begins to imagine an invention that could protect his family from future hardships. Inspired by his story, we’ll identify critical problems and brainstorm innovative solutions. I can’t wait to see the creative and thoughtful ideas our sixth graders bring to life!

We had an epic afternoon with OSU students, learning all about drones and capturing amazing aerial shots of our school! Big thanks to our OSU guests for taking learning to new heights!

In humanities, students are finishing reading Patient Zero and will begin preparing for the Ohio State Assessment.

In math, we are focusing on operations with decimals. Students are learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals with accuracy and confidence. We are also exploring real-world applications to help them understand the importance of decimals in everyday life, such as money, measurements, and data analysis.

In science class, we are diving into an exciting mini-unit on weather and weather tools. Students will explore how meteorologists predict the weather, learn about different instruments used to measure atmospheric conditions, and discuss the factors that influence our daily forecasts. We will then focus on harnessing human energy. This unit will challenge students to think critically about how energy is generated, transferred, and used in our everyday lives. Through hands-on activities and engaging discussions, they will explore renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, as well as innovative ways humans can harness and store energy efficiently.

In math, we are discussing scale drawings and how to scale up and down. We end this month with a scale drawing test.

In math, we are discussing transformations, slopes and systems of equations. We will determine the points in the coordinate plane and how they can be equated and move along the number lines. It will be fun and challenging at the same time!

It is time to start thinking 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 for Enrollment Information Sessions to talk about high school. The Graham School (TGS) has an Virtual Enrollment Information Session on Thurs. Feb. 27 6:30pm. Please click here to learn more about TGS. The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University (TCS@ODU) has an upcoming Enrollment Information Session on Wed. March 5 at 6:00pm. Please click here to learn more about TCS@ODU.

We are highlighting Black History Month and learning about various black artists, including, Alma Thomas, Jean-Michael Basquiat, and Beauford Delaney. We are cultivating an understanding of how art and identity intertwine. We also had a fun Valentine’s Day party, creating our very own bags and valentines to spread the love!

Student have been working hard on a ‘Black History Month Creativity Quilt’- the students had the option to create a portrait of a black person that is influential to them, (either someone in their personal life, a black history figure, a celebrity with a positive impact, etc), or they could create a poem about black history on top of an abstract background. We will work on attaching all their squares into one big ‘quilt’ for display this black history month!

Students in all cohorts are partnering up with one another in Classroom Guidance and MTSS groups to discuss topics related to problem solving/critical thinking and decision making, conflict resolution, and boundaries.

Exciting news! 8th graders will be visiting both The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University and The Graham School high schools next month! This is a fascinating time for students to experience the inner workings of the high schools and to meet their future peers! GEMS staff are thrilled to be in full support of this journey with students!

End-of-Year English Language Proficiency testing will start at GEMS on February 24. English Learner students take four tests - listening, reading, writing, and speaking. They take no more than two tests on the same day. To minimize classroom disruptions, the tests are spread over several weeks. Results will be available in May and letters are sent home in June.

In our Elementary GAP program we have been completing a project each month from the Seeds of Caring Kindness Corps Program. We have been learning about kindness and empathy. The first two lessons had projects that the students were able to take home with them. Each project moving forward will be donated to local charities. If your Elementary GAP student comes home talking about a BIG BOX DAY in GAP this was one of our projects. Be sure to ask them about what we made to donate and where it is going!

We are pleased to inform you that Graham Elementary and Middle School (GEMS) will be implementing a new option available to schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for School Year 2024-2025.

What does this mean for you and your children attending the school(s) identified above?

Great news for you and your students! All enrolled students of GEMS are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to your household each day of the 2024-2025 school year. No further action is required of you. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit an application. We will be collecting Ohio Income Household forms in order for students to qualify for other programs. If we can be of any further assistance, please contact us at baney.1@thegrahamschool.org or 614-262-1111.

Sincerely,

Cathy Baney, Child Nutrition Director

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

email: Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Graham Elementary & Middle School (GEMS) announced today a change to its policy for serving meals to children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for GEMS for the 24-25 school year. Schools qualifying to operate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) provide breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge and eliminate the collection of meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals. This new approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals.

FREE HEALTH CARE: Families with children eligible for school meals may be eligible for FREE health care coverage through Medicaid and/or Ohio’s Healthy Start & Healthy Families programs. These programs include coverage for doctor visits, immunizations, physicals, prescriptions, dental, vision, mental health, substance abuse and more. Please call 1-800-324-8680 for more information or to request an application. Information can also be found on the web at http://jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/consumers/familychild.stm. Anyone who has an Ohio Medicaid card is already receiving these services.

For additional information please contact the following person:

Cathy Baney, Child Nutrition Director

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
   

   U.S. Department of Agriculture

   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

   1400 Independence Avenue, SW

   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. fax:(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. email: Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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.

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