Dragon Dispatch
October 1, 2021
Dear Students and Families,
Greetings from the Deans!
7 families joined us for our first Family Crew and gave us some fantastic feedback for future meetings. We hope you will consider joining us for our October Family Crew on October 19 at 6:00.
Invited conferences are on October 13. We will contact families of priority students; however, if you would like to meet with us, please email frontdesk@thegrahamschool.org to make arrangements.
Gentle reminder for afternoon pickup - Please Do NOT park in the parking lot of FunTrail, our neighbors to the north. The additional traffic is interfering with their business.
We are seeing a slight uptick in students either testing positive for COVID or being identified as close contacts to someone who has tested positive for COVID. TGS has 2 students who tested positive for COVID this week and 12 students who are quarantining at home because they were identified as a close contact to someone who has tested positive to COVID either at school or at home.
We would like to remind you that:
- Masks are the first line of defense against the COVID virus and its variants.
- The health and safety of our students, staff, and families is paramount.
- We want to be able to stay IN SCHOOL to learn.
- Individuals who are fully vaccinated and/or consistently wearing their mask AND safe distancing do not need to quarantine, even after close contact with a person who later tests positive. Please continue to consider vaccination for your student.
We would appreciate any support you can lend at home in helping students understand the importance of keeping their masks in place, covering their mouths and noses.
Please help us prevent community spread of COVID-19 by continuing to practice social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and monitoring daily for symptoms before sending your student to school or arriving for work. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our community safe. We have attached the The Graham Family of Schools' COVID-19 Policy below for your review.
We are CREW, not Passengers!
Sincerely,
Deans; Amy Vickroy, RJ Larry, & Sarai Correa
Donuts with the Deans!
- October 26 @ 3:00, Hilltop Branch 511 S Hague Ave
- October 28 @ 9:00, Linden Branch 2223 Cleveland Ave
- October 29 @ 9:00, Karl Road Branch 5590 Karl Rd
October Family Crew
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89125775453?pwd=ZnVoZDRmcTZmQlZDcDl1U2hDM01LQT09
Crew is a core practice at The Graham School that is essential to bringing our community together by allowing for relationship building, promoting shared understandings through equity and inclusion, and building positive connections with peers. Crew is also a vehicle for developing and supporting students socially, emotionally and academically. During these challenging times, Crew is perhaps more important than it has ever been for our community. Last year we expanded Crew work to include Family Crew, with intent to engage and connect our families through our culture of Crew.
This year we are hosting monthly Family Crew sessions to engage and connect with our families. Each Family Crew session will have a specific focus related to the work we do at The Graham School, such as Crew, Mindfulness, Restorative Practices, Social-Emotional Learning, etc. The format of the meetings will be determined each month as we keep an eye on the evolving COVID situation in Franklin County and continue to prioritize the safety of students, families, and staff.
Please mark your calendars for the following 2021-2022 Family Crew Dates.
Tuesday, October 19 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, November 16 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, December 14 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, January 18 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, February 15 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, March 15 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, April 12 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, May 17 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, Oct 19, 2021, 06:00 PM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Announcements & Important Dates
Please take note of the following important dates, reminders, and announcements:
Important Dates and Times:
- School hours are 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Office hours are 7:30-4:00. Students will not be able to enter the building before 7:30 a.m. and MUST be picked up by 4:00. We cannot guarantee adult supervision before 7:30 or after 4:00.
- Friday, October 8: Early Release at 12:00
- Wednesday, October 13: NO SCHOOL, Staff PD & Invited Conferences
- Friday, October 15: End of Quarter 1
- Thursday, October 21: Picture Day (this has been rescheduled from September 21)
- Tuesday, October 26: NO SCHOOL for Grade 12; PSAT&NMSQT testing for Grades 9-11.
- Thursday, October 28 & Friday, October 29: NO SCHOOL, Staff PD
- Tuesday, October 26, Thursday, October 28, and Friday, October 29: Donuts with the Deans, see details above.
Free Breakfast and Lunch for the 2021-2022 school year: All students, regardless of whether they qualify, are entitled to a free breakfast and lunch this year, providing every family completes, signs and submits the Free and Reduced Lunch Application.
TGS COVID Safety Precautions
In addition to requiring that all persons wear a mask while indoors, The Graham School has implemented the following prevention strategies in order to prepare for the most enriching and safe learning experience possible.
- Extensive, daily disinfecting of all classrooms
- Modified extracurricular activities and events to limit crowd size
- 3 feet spacing of desks/workspaces
- Air ionizers and filters in all classrooms
- Increased ventilation in large group indoor meeting spaces
- Continued emphasis on frequent hand washing with hand sanitizing stations in classrooms and common spaces
- Controlled access to the school building
- Drop-off and pickup plans that avoid the congregation of large groups of students and families
- Requirement of families to keep their children at home if sick or being tested for the coronavirus
- Quarantining of students or staff that test positive for the coronavirus
- Reporting of all confirmed coronavirus cases and contact tracing via Franklin County Public Health
- Water bottle filling stations in both buildings - Students, please bring a water bottle marked with your name!
- Hallways in Building A are now one-way
- Outdoor seating has been added to allow for spending more time comfortably outdoors
- Students will eat breakfast in classrooms, which minimizes students moving through common spaces while eating and drinking
- One lunch period during which several classrooms will be opened up so that we can more comfortably and safely spread out while eating
About Us
The School:
TGS is a public community secondary school with a charter granted by the State of Ohio. Open to Ohio students in grades 9-12, the school's main focus is experiential education in a small-school setting where all students are known by all staff members. The Graham School serves approximatly 250 students annually. Its demographic characteristics reflect those of urban Columbus and Central Ohio.
Mission:
The Graham School (TGS) has a particular mission to urban students in Central Ohio preparing them for lifelong learning and informed citizenship through real-world experiences and rigorous academics. Fostering ownership and responsibility for their education prepares our students to be successful in college, the workplace, and other endeavors they undertake upon leaving Graham.
Vision Statement:
The Graham School’s vision is to be an innovative leader in the educational world by engaging students in authentic academic work, networking with community partners, and nurturing social emotional growth to empower future citizens and leaders.
Core Values:
- We are committed to listening, learning, unlearning, and putting our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into action
- We vow to stand together to embrace one another fully, empower students continuously, and pursue educational justice unapologetically
- We are a safe, positive school climate
- We solve problems together in a peaceful, restorative way
- We reflect on our experiences in order to gain fresh perspective and inform future outcomes
- We encourage a growth mindset for students and staff
- We believe that learning is a priority and time spent in class and community is essential
- We use these Habits of Learning as foundational principles --Adventure & Risk, Perseverance, Self-Direction, Service & Stewardship, and Teamwork & Collaboration
- We believe that cultivating these habits has a profound impact on student achievement and the ability to thrive
- We create belonging within our school and honor our connection to the world community
- We are CREW, not passengers
Email: frontdesk@thegrahamschool.org
Website: www.thegrahamschool.org
Location: 3950 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (614) 262-1111
Facebook: facebook.com/The-Graham-School-203552974632