Gravely Connection
December 2019
Seadog families,
Congratulations to Gravely Elementary for receiving the School of Excellence Award. This is the divisions highest honor for schools and is a testament to the dedication of our students, staff, and community. The criteria for being recognized as a School of Excellence includes areas such as Stakeholder Satisfaction, Accreditation, SOL Pass Rates, Wellness Scores, Attendance, and Meeting Federal Targets.
The month of November was highlighted by our Veterans Day Assembly, a visit from Dr. Walts our Superintendent, Parent Teacher Conferences, Book Harvest, National Young Readers Day, and our PTO doing a great job with our Read-A-Thon fundraiser.
On December 13th the Sailors from the USS Gravely will be visiting our students. Be sure to wear your Gravely Spirit gear to welcome them. Also this month we look forward to Mrs. Gravely's Birthday, the Groovers/Percussion Winter Concert, classroom winter parties, Holiday Sing Along, and Winter Break.
We hope you have a wonderful Holiday season with friends and family.
Thank you for your continued support of our Seadog Family!
Samuel. L. Gravely Jr.’s vision: Success = Education + Motivation + Perseverance.
Michael Kelchlin - Principal
Kisha Trammell - Assistant Principal
Nichole Mills - Admin Intern
Dates
December 9- PTO Meeting @ 6:30pm No Advisory Council Meeting for December
December 10- PTO Domino's Spirit Night
December 10- PTO Parent Coffee
December 12 - Gravely Groovers Concert 7:00pm
December 13- USS Gravely Sailors Visit
December 17-20 PTO Holiday Shop
December 22 - Mrs. Gravely's Birthday
December 21-Jan 5 - Winter Break
*Grade level Winter Parties throughout the month of December
Kindergarten
1st Grade
First grade kicked off the month of November with our Leaf Projects inspired by the story, Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert. The story, Leaf Man, brings together all the fun things about fall: weather, wind, animals, colors, and of course, LEAVES! We hope that you enjoyed the leaf walk if you passed through the first grade halls! The following week in November kicked off Gravely's Read-a-Thon. The children were immersed in fun ways to enjoy literacy throughout this week including guest readers, mystery readers, special read-alouds, and buddy reading with other classes. We are encouraging our first graders to read as much as possible to help foster a love of reading while supporting our school. We ended the month with a focus on Patriotic Symbols and the Pledge of Allegiance, which was a perfect way to end the month as we honored our Veterans.
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
th graders have been busy at work! This past month, students converted and solved problems involving metric units, became detectives and made inferences across many types of texts, learned about the wave of immigrants to the Northeast during the Industrial Revolution, and explored a variety of living organisms. Ask your child to tell you what they know about Ellis Island or vertebrates and invertebrates. We have also had several guest readers and guest speakers visit our classes. In December students will continue learning how fractions and decimals are related, practice summarizing texts, learn about fun tourist attractions to visit in the Southeast region, and discover how different types of rocks are formed. With your child, there are many exciting places nearby to visit and learn more about these exciting topics. We hope each of your families has a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season!
Mrs. Breton and Mrs. Godbole
STEAM
We have had a busy and exciting first few weeks in the STEAM Lab! Students in the upper deck have been introduced to the concept of Engineering Design and have completed their first multi-day STEAM challenge; building a stand that can support the weight of a pumpkin using only 20 straws and 4 feet of tape. Students each chose a role and worked together in teams to complete the challenge. Be sure to ask your child what worked and what they would do differently if they were to repeat this challenge. Engineers are always looking for ways to improve their designs! We are currently working on a Thanksgiving challenge tied to the award winning book, Balloons Over Broadway, by Melissa Sweet.
Students in the lower deck completed their first STEAM challenge of designing a gate or fence that could hold the 5 little pumpkins. Students rotated through 6 different stations and practiced building and creating with 6 different materials to test and explore the challenges presented by different construction materials. Students are currently working on Thanksgiving STEAM pattern challenges using construction materials such as pattern blocks, unit cubes, play doh/clay, geoboards and pom-pom balls.
With 900 students visiting the STEAM Lab each Encore rotation, we go through a tremendous amount of supplies. Please feel free to send in clean, empty paper towel tubes and cereal boxes with your children. They make great building supplies. The STEAM Lab also has a wish list on Amazon to help add new materials and technology to the lab. Thank you to those who have generously donated. The students are so excited to explore and create using these new items! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Q30YPI8MGQFB?ref_=wl_share
Physical Education
Students in grades K-2 actively moved on scooters and 3-5 focused on their Lacrosse skills.
All grades learned about major bones of the skeletal system and their function while playing bone games. On the last day before break, we played a festive Thanksgiving game called Turkey Hunt.
This month, students will be participating in hockey and nutrition units.
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
For the most recent updates and pictures from the Counseling Department, please connect with us on Twitter @SGEScounselors!
THIS MONTH IN C.A.S.E. LESSONS – December
Kindergarten: Students will be able to name a variety of feelings and will identify appropriate feelings displayed in response to scenarios.
Grade 1: Students will be able to name a variety of feelings, and distinguish between comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. Students will determine others' feelings using physical, verbal, and situational clues.
Grade 2: Students will be able to name a variety of feelings, and will be able to distinguish between comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. Students will be able to determine the feelings of others using physical, verbal, and situational clues.
Grade 3: Students will be able to name a variety of feelings, and will be able to determine the feelings of others using physical, verbal, and situational clues. Students will label their own feelings as the same or different from others’ feelings.
Grade 4: Students will define empathy and respect; Students will identify different perspectives in given scenarios.
Grade 5: Students will define empathy, respect, and prejudice; Students will identify similarities and differences between two people.
WHAT DO SCHOOL COUNSELORS DO? – Individual Counseling
The school counselors at Gravely Elementary strive to meet the needs of each child at our school so they may develop and succeed in academic, social/emotional, and career goals. All students at Gravely have the opportunity to meet with the school counselors individually to explore issues in these areas that may impact learning and school performance.
In individual counseling, a counselor works with a student to set realistic goals and discuss healthy choices for resolving or coping with social/emotional, academic, career, and developmental concerns. Long-term intensive counseling needs will be referred to an appropriate community agency or private mental health care provider.
Students may refer themselves to the counselor by filling out a “Notes to the Counselor” form located in the hallway outside of the counseling offices. Besides self-referral, students can be referred to the counselor by teachers, parents, administrators, or the Intervention Team.
SCHOOL-TO-HOME LINK FOR SUCCESS
Put Gratitude into Writing
Research links a feeling of gratitude with increased happiness and school satisfaction. Help your child explore the feeling with a family writing project. Have everyone:
1. Write down something they are thankful for at the top of a sheet of paper.
2. List all the reasons they are grateful for it underneath.
3. Illustrate their pages.
Post these pages for the whole family to read!
Source: S. Allen, Ph.D., “The Science of Gratitude,” Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, niswc.com/thanks.
Adapted from Helping Children Learn, November 2019 from the Parent Institute, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
Library
In library we have been working on reading minutes for the School Read-A-Thon. The students are knocking it out of the park and we are so proud of their efforts! I have been emphasizing that Read-A-Thon is a win win because not only are we raising money for our school, but we are also getting smarter by doing the extra reading.
The upper grade students completed research activities on the different branches on the military, while second grade was practicing using the card catalog to find materials that they would like to read. Kindergarten and First grade have been learning about and reviewing parts of a book as well as working at centers that build letter recognition, reading skills, fine motor skills, and creativity.
Art
Art News: Grade levels have been working on a variety of projects. Kindergarten students have been using stamping and painting techniques. First and second graders have been learning about the parts of a landscape. Third graders have been finishing their warm and cool gesture drawings. Fourth graders have been learning about Frank Lloyd Wright and creating a geometric window design. Fifth graders finished a leaf print by adding blended colors.
A reminder that all 3rd-5th grade students have made sketchbooks and folders that will stay at school all year. They will only bring home art at the end of each grading period. K-2nd grade students will bring home art as they complete it. I do borrow art to hang in the hallway. All art that has been borrowed will be returned before the end of the school year.
Congratulations to Jasleen and Mason (3rd grade) for having their name chosen through a drawing of students who received shout outs in art over the 1st nine weeks. They are currently finishing ceiling tiles that will hung around the art room.
I would like to encourage you to check the Gravely Art website weekly. The website is where you will find what each grade level is working on along with any art announcements. There will be a county art show on April 25th. All information on that show will be available on the Gravely Art website closer to the date of the event. There will be a PWC summer art enrichment program and applications will be available for that program in the spring.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at bonnersl@pwcs.edu I look forward to a wonderful year of art at Gravely.
Miss Bonner (Art Teacher)
Reading Room
November has been a fun month of literacy! We celebrated National Young Reader’s Day with the help of volunteers from Northern Virginia Community College, National Day on Writing, and this week we started up the school's book cart. We plan to have the book cart visit classrooms on the last Thursday and Friday of each month. As in the past, students swap a personal book for a "new" book on the cart.
To help kickoff our PTO's Read-A-Thon, we started reading Charlotte's Web as a school. On January 10th, we will enjoy a fun-filled evening of activities related to this book at our PTO's family literacy game night.
SIGNET
This month has ended our mini-unit on The Brain. Students learned about the structure and function of our brains, and how we can encourage growth in our neural connections. We made brain caps and models of a neuron. We engaged in stations to help us learn about the brain's plasticity and the students researched different areas of the brain and presented what they found. Our unit ended with an in-class field trip where we got to dissect a sheep's brain. We have learned so much!
Un-Trim- a-Tree
Gravely Families,
Please consider granting a wish for a needy child in our community. Prince William Un-trim-a-tree is collecting gifts again this year. All gifts should be unwrapped and brought to Gravely no later than December 6th. I’m also happy to pick them up from you if that’s easier. Please see the sign up below for the children’s wishes. Thank you, in advance, for sharing your blessings with others!
Please contact Lisa Young
Aandgmom@msn.com with any questions.
Mrs. Nicole Mills
Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Elementary
Website: https://gravelyes.pwcs.edu/
Location: 4670 Waverly Farm Drive, Haymarket, VA, United States
Phone: 571-248-4930
Facebook: facebook.com/SamuelLGravelyJr