GEMS Family Newsletter
December 2023
Upcoming Events
- Thurs. Dec. 14 - GEMS Family Mingle Jungle Dance - 6:00-8:00pm
- Thurs. Dec. 21 - Thurs. Jan 4 - No School - Winter Break
- Fri. Jan. 5 - No School - PD Day
- Mon. Jan. 15 - No School - M.L. King Jr. Day
- Tues. Jan. 16 - Thurs. Jan. 18 - MAP Math Assessments - Grades K-8
- Thurs. Jan. 18 - Celebration of Learning
- Mon. Jan. 22 - Thurs. Jan. 25 - MAP ELA Assessments - Grades K-8
- Tues. Jan. 23 - End of Quarter 2
- Thurs. Jan. 25 - Attention 7th and 8th Grade - TGFS Career & College Access Night! 5:30-7:30pm at TCS@ODU (1270 Brentnell Ave. Columbus 43219)
- Fri. Jan. 26 - No School - PD Day
Haga clic en "Translate" (Traducir) a la derecha para ver esto en español.
Important School Information
- School Year Office Hours - 7:45am-4:30pm - office@gemsschool.org
Don't Miss the GEMS Family Mingle Jingle - TOMORROW - Thurs. Dec. 14!
GEMS is hosting a winter dance again this year. Family Crew will be staffing the cookies and hot coco table. If you're interested in helping please click here. If you are able to donate baked goods, please drop off goodies at the front office on Wednesday, December 13 or before the dance on Thursday, December 14.
Have you paid your School Fee?
We ask all families to contribute $35 per year, per student to help keep our classrooms equipped with basic supplies. You can pay with cash or check at the Front Office or visit the GEMS School Store to pay with a credit card. Thank you for your support!
GEMS Family Crew
- Family Crew will be staffing the cookies and hot cocoa table. If you're interested in helping out for 20 minutes please click here.
- Mrs. Dean has asked for donations of baked goods to help with the goodies table. If you are interested in helping out please drop off your goodies to the office on Wed. Dec. 13 or before the dance on Thurs. Dec 14.
- Remember all students must have an adult with them to enter the dance as this is a family event!
Spring Playground Cleanup - Sunday, April 21, 3-4pm
Meet at GEMS back parking lot to help clean up the school grounds. Sign up here for event updates.
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week - May 6-10
We are planning to show our appreciation to the teachers and staff at GEMS during the week of May 6-10. If you’d like to be involved with our efforts please let us know by filling out this form to join our planning committee (we’ll mostly be working over email) or letting us know how you'd be willing to help out.
Attention 7th and 8th Grade Families - TGFS Career & College Access Night!
Join us for TGFS Career & College Access Night! This year's event will be held at The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University (TCS@ODU) (1270 Brentnell Ave. Columbus 43219) on January 25, 2024 from 5:30 - 7:30PM.
During this event, there will be sessions offered on College Credit Plus (CCP), Ohio's program offering students opportunities to earn college and high school credits at the same time by taking college courses from community colleges or universities, graduation requirements, enrollment information sessions, college essay tips, Financial Aid, Accessibility services, CTE and so much more.
All sessions are 30 minutes, and families may choose to attend up to three sessions throughout the evening. We look forward to seeing you at this event!
GEMS After-School Program
GEMS After-school Program is a collaboration between Graham Elementary & Middle School & Communities In Schools of Ohio. The purpose of this collaboration is to surround students with a community of support, empower them to succeed in school and achieve in life. GAP Middle (5-8) After-school Program is funded through a Nita M. Lowery 21st Century Community Learning Center grant through the Ohio Department of Education. Click here to learn more!
Grade Level Updates
Kindergarteners
Are getting closer to revealing their maps of GEMS. We have been designing a key and mapping our community during expedition. We are also interviewing each other and asking what kinds of toys we prefer. We have learned over half of our letters/letter sounds as a whole group, and are really excited that we are over halfway to the hundredth day of school. After the holiday break, we will start our second expedition module and begin learning about the weather.
First Graders
Have moved on from Tools to learning about the Sun, Moon, and Stars. We have started learning about where the Sun is throughout the day. We are painting different sunsets with watercolors. We will be making a BIG visit to the OSU Planetarium on Wednesday, Dec. 13th. This will help us with our Sun, Moon, and Stars Expedition unit. In Math we are working on finishing Unit 2 and will have our Unit 2 test on Thursday, Dec. 14th.
Second Graders
In math, we are starting a new unit, learning how to measure. We are learning all about centimeters, meters, feet and inches. In Expedition, we are finishing our final drafts, comparing GEMS to schools around the world. We will be reading our final drafts to our 7th grade Reading Buddies. Our next unit we will be learning all about fossils.
Third Graders
In this module, students will use literacy skills to become experts--people who use reading, writing, listening, and speaking to build and share deep knowledge about a topic. The module begins with students reading poetry and pourquoi tales about different kinds of frogs to generate "why" questions. At the end of the unit, they write their own fictional pourquoi narratives to attempt to answer some of their "why" questions. In Math students are finishing our introduction to multiplication unit. When we come back from winter break we will start our introduction to division unit.
Fourth Graders
Fun with fractions will continue, but also a solid review of place value. We will spend the final weeks of the year continuing to review skills we need to better prepare our fourth graders for their math journey. A solid review of multi digit addition and subtraction as well as multiplication facts will round out our year. As always, we are growing through restorative conversations and learning to be in community with one another. We have had several Crew lessons about being grateful, kind, and how to cope when we are sad.
Fifth Graders
In math class, we are learning how to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators, multiplying a whole number and a fraction, along with multiplying unit fractions by unit fractions.
In science, we just ended our Chapter Question - Why don’t we see the stars in the daytime? We are moving to our new chapter question, Why is the sun up sometimes? In our expedition, students will be creating a constellation based on the Human Right they picked.
In humanities class, students are working on our Human Rights unit. Students have chosen a human right that is personal to them and developed a monologue about its impact on their lives. They will also be creating a poster to represent human rights, to be displayed in our hallways. We have also begun the brainstorming process for our essays on how human rights are threatened within the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan.
Sixth Graders
In humanities class, students are finishing reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. They are analyzing how Percy develops as a hero during his quest and other character’s developments. We are continuing to partner with The Contemporary Theater of Ohio. Students are writing a script that they will perform in the spring.
In math, we are working hard on becoming experts in ratios and unit rates. We are taking on challenging problems and using our perseverance to find solutions. We are working on how much for one and will soon be able to use this in our everyday lives!
In science, we are finishing our unit on cells and organelles. We are wrapping up our Cell Project. The students are researching one organelle and with a group creating a cell poster to share their learning. I can’t wait to see their final products
Seventh Graders
In humanities, students will create a children’s book mimicking the story of a Lost Girl or a Lost Boy of Sudan. They have drafted a plot, and next students will write the pages of their book. Ask your student about the setting of their book and the characteristics of their main character. They are excited to share their stories imitating that of a Lost Girl or Lost Boy of Sudan!
In math, students are currently working on their invasive species at Alum Creek State Park project. During this project students are applying what they have learned during our percent learning target. They are using proportions to find either the missing percentage, part, or whole. We recently wrapped up our proportional relationship learning target, and students have the opportunity to reassess if they are not passing the learning target. The reassessment is a take home assessment due back to me by December 20th.
In Financial Literacy, students are wrapping up the semester by finishing their Everfi Modules “FutureSmart: Financial Literacy for Middle School.” Overall, I am pleased with the work students have done and the knowledge they have gained.
Eight Graders
In math, students are investigating the volume of cylinders, cones and spheres. They will be using their knowledge to create the dimensions of their own smoothie and calculate its volume. Next, they will choose the ingredients for their smoothie and create an advertisement.
Art - K-5
In 5th grade, students are hard at work creating beautiful galaxy scenes. In 4th grade, they are starting their identity portraits. In 3rd grade, students are working on paper mache frogs. In 2nd grade, students will be starting their dinosaurs soon. In 1st grade, they will be designing their own shadow boxes, In kindergarten students are exploring a range of mixed media.
Art - 6
We are so excited to finish the semester off strong in 6th grade art! We just completed a long and semi-intensive project where the students picked an album cover, and created a stylized redo using only one set of complementary colors. The album covers turned out great, and I’m proud of the sixth grader’s high quality work. We are working on a pattern landscape project with ink pen and watercolor, focusing on learning about the principles of pattern and rhythm in art. We will end the semester strong with a mixed media perspective painting on any subject matter. This will be a chance for the students to let their personal style and all they've learned so far this semester shine!
SEL - K-5
In SEL, students are working on “Calm Down Skills” and continuing their journey on exploring and using “Empathy”. Kindergarten and 1st grade students are learning the empathy song. 2nd and 3rd graders are learning a calm down dance to help them remember how to calm down. 4th and 5th graders are using role play scenarios to practice the calm down techniques.
GEMS Staff Attend The EL National Conference
A group of GEMS staff members attended The EL National Conference in Denver, Colorado. The event provided valuable opportunities for learning from fellow educators all over the world! We're excited to share that five of our team members took the stage as presenters, covering a range of topics from guiding students to discover their authentic voice to co-teaching and incorporating AI in education.
Attention 8th Grade Families
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 summited before a GEMS student may be enrolled in either high school. Please join us:
- The Graham School - Tuesday, January 9 at 6:30pm - *RSVP is required for all sessions. Please contact Bryan Kossmann, Enrollment Coordinator/Registrar at 614-262-1111 or bkossmann.1@thegrahamschool.org with questions or to RSVP.
- The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University - Wednesday, January 10 at 6:00pm - Please contact Amanda McCain, Enrollment Coordinator at amccain.1@thecharlesschool.org or 614-258-8588 with questions.
Do you know someone interested in attending GEMS?
GEMS is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. 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.
GEMS Groovy Gryphon Fridays!
GEMS is on Facebook and Instagram! Please like and follow!
When you shop at Kroger you can help GEMS raise money for expeditions!
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.
IMPORTANT SCHOOL MEAL INFORMATION
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.
Breakfast Information
EL Education
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 School-wide Title 1
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.
RESIDENCY VERIFICATION NOTIFICATION
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.
GEMS
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