GEMS Family Newsletter

• Tues. Sept. 19-Thurs. Sept. 21 - MAP Math Assessments - K-8 Grades
  
• Fri. Sept. 22 - Groovy Gryphon Friday
• Wed. Sept. 27 - Picture Day
• Thurs. Sept. 28 - Fri. Sept. 29 - No School PD Days
• Fri. Oct. 6 - Groovy Gryphon Friday
• Wed. Oct. 11 - Curriculum Night - 5:30-7:00pm
• Fri. Oct. 13 - Groovy Gryphon Friday
• Tues. Oct. 17-Wed. Oct. 18 - OST ELA Assessment - 3rd Grade
• Tues. Oct. 17 - Thurs. Oct. 19 - Invited Conferences
• Wed. Oct. 18 - Family Crew Meeting - 6:00-7:00pm
• Fri. Oct. 20 - Groovy Gryphon Friday
• Fri. Oct. 20 - Middle School Dance - 7:00-9:00pm
• Wed. Oct. 25 - End of Quarter 1
• Thurs. Oct. 26 - Fri. Oct. 27 - No School - PD Days

• Academic Calendar 23-24
  

• School Supply Lists - 23-24

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

• Breakfast Menu - Sept.

• Lunch Menu - Sept.

Order photos at mylifetouch.com

Picture Day ID: EVTFF2BD9

GEMS 23-24 Annual Student Registration (ASR) online - Log into your OneView parent account and complete the 2023-24 Annual Student Registration. When you enter the site you should select the Enrolled Student tab and look for the 23-24 Annual Student Registration on the left hand side of your screen. OneView Parent portal link

Please note that you must select Yes at the beginning of each section to complete or change any information in the section below. The online Registration should only take a few minutes to complete and supplies us with information we need, so please complete it as soon as possible.

Proof of Residence - Every year Community Schools are required to ask all our families for a current proof of residence. This can be a copy of a utility bill, mortgage statement, or lease agreement dated after 7/1/23. You can submit this information via email to: office@GEMSSchool.org or turn it in at the GEMS front desk. If you have any questions, you can contact us at: office@GEMSSchool.org or call 614-253-4000.

Free and Reduced Meals application - Also available in the OneView Parent portal link is the 2023-24 Free and Reduced Meals application. If your family hasn’t completed it yet, now would be a good time. You only need to complete one application for your family and we strongly encourage you to submit it.

School Store - We’d also like to let you know that in the GEMS School Store not only can you add money to your student’s meal account you can pay the $35 fee School fee. We ask that you contribute as your means allow.

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

Save the Date for the Fall Family Crew Meeting

Wednesday, October 18, 6:00-7:00pm

Learn more about Family Crew and our goals for the year. We hope to brainstorm some upcoming events and more ideas for the Family Crew.

Click here to check out the September Newsletter.

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

Click here for GEMS

Click here for TGS

Click here for TCS@ODU

Are doing a great job getting adjusted to school. They are working together setting norms, routines, and playing together well. We are using our first expedition module of toys and play to establish community norms that will keep us safe, happy, and learning throughout our school year. In math we are building excitement about the first 100 days of school and getting to explore the math manipulatives in our classroom. We are seeing a lot of teamwork, responsibility, and thoughtfulness in kindergarten, and look forward to a great year together!

Are starting the year off with learning about tools and how we use them. We’ll learn how we use many different types of tools. We will use all that we have learned to start thinking of a magnificent tool we can create for the classroom.

In Math we are working on addition and subtraction within 10. We are honing our math skills. We will also be looking at how we collect and read data. Our Unit 1 test will be at the beginning of October.

Have been getting to know our teachers, classmates, and how to demonstrate school rules. With a co-teacher, we are doing some parallel lessons teaching side by side with the kids. We read The Rainbow Fish, and we learned that just like food nourishes our body, friendly wishes nourish our hearts. We made self portraits of inside me and outside me. Learning more about our classmates from the inside out.

We are starting to add computer use into our classroom. Students are using ST Math, Lexia, and Epic. These programs can also be accessed at home for additional practice.

Homework is reading 15 minutes each night, don’t forget to also talk about how you used math in your life today. Our weekly newsletter will be coming home in student's backpack at the end of each week. It will contain talking topics about what we did that week.

Have started building wonderful classroom communities. Students have co-created what empathy, respect and safety look like academically, behaviorally, and emotionally. In expedition we have inferred our module topic of how people access books and education around the world. In math we are reviewing two and three digit addition and subtraction with regrouping. Remember that homework is 20 minutes of reading every night. If you are a tiger-eye look out for our newsletter email on Fridays. Your students are ready to share what amazing things we do each week!

Are rocking it! Be sure to ask your young person about Crew chants. We are continuing to work on norms and expectations as we dive into learning. Vocabulary and Spelling Lists coming soon. Math practice pages will also be on the way. If you are interested in coming to help out in our classroom communities we welcome you at any time. Please communicate with us through Remind. Our Remind code is 4gGEMS. Looking forward to a fantastic year!

In math, are reviewing how to round in the tens, hundreds, and thousands along with reviewing boxed multiplication. This will get us ready for our first unit on volume. Please continue working with your child(ren) on their multiplication facts.

In science, we are opening up our world into the inner planets and what the solar system is composed of. Who knows what discoveries our 5th graders will make?

In Humanities class, we are working on team building and practicing our social skills. We are learning about the Constitution, its role, and developing our own for our classroom. We will be writing creative stories and getting back into the habits of writing. By the end of week 2, all students will have a book they choose from the classroom library and they will be asked to read for 20 minutes each night. Reading logs will be coming home soon!

In math, are diving into area. We are looking at what area is and how to find it with and without a grid. The students are being introduced to what it means to compose and decompose a shape to help determine its area! They are working hard each day and I cannot wait to see what progress they make!

In science, we have started our unit on our microbiome. They will be digging even deeper into microorganisms and even the cells (and their parts) that make up those organisms. They are currently creating their own microorganism mini poster.

In Humanities we are working on a unit of Greek and Roman Mythology as we read The Lightning Thief. Students will learn about the myths, and through Point of View and Theme they will learn to develop their own character to add to the story. We are also working with The Contemporary Theater of Ohio, formerly known as CATCO, to plan and produce a Greek Myth with all that entails. We will be working with them every Wednesday starting in October.

In humanities, have started a unit on The Global Water Crisis. We’re thinking about access to clean water: who has it and why? We will read A Long Walk to Water as a springboard for our discussions on equitable access to clean drinking water.

In science, we are beginning to review the water cycle. We started by reviewing why water is important. We will be working to create an infographic or brochure on some aspect of the importance of water. The students have been making amazing progress and I can't wait to see their final projects!

In math, we are currently learning about integers in math class. Specifically we are looking at real life integer scenarios, number lines, understanding negative integers, additive inverse, and subtracting a negative number. As we continue to progress in the unit we will have more games and activities to practice our understanding of integers. I’m excited about where we are, and I can’t wait to see how the students progress!

In math are exploring classifications of numbers and square roots. They will be using this information to complete projects that communicate information about themselves and their favorite foods.

In science, we are reviewing earth's changes over time. We took a virtual tour of different places in the U.S. that have changed much due to the Earth's changing environment.

Middle School students- Our Social Worker will be working with youth using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy which encompasses four components: Distress Tolerance, Interpersonal Relationships, Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation. DBT Steps A provides a meaningful set of skills for emotion management, relationship building, and decision making that adolescents could acquire and apply to navigating the emotionally difficult situations and stressors that accompany adolescence.

K-2nd graders are getting to know our art space and practicing working with different materials. This is a great month for us to experiment and play as we focus on our process rather than the product. In 3rd-4th grade we are getting a jump on our studio skills as we dive into some graffiti style art and look at the way we can use the elements of design to improve the quality of our art! If anyone is still looking for suggestions on what to get for art room donations we are still in need of glue bottles, oil pastels, and sharpies. Shout out to all the families who contributed with their back to school supplies. We are ready to make some amazing artwork this year!

Students are completing getting to know you activities through art. We are decorating folders to represent who we are, and then we will create personal logos to paint on our desks. We are excited to take ownership of our space and classroom while we create high quality work!

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

Instagram -

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

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.

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-3:30pm

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