Gravely Connection
May 2019
Seadog families,
April was busy and exciting with Field Day, Kindergarten Registration, County Art Show, 1st and 2nd Grade Musical Performances, 3rd Quarter House Celebration, our PBL Team presenting at Advisory on Project Based Learning, Gravely/Alvey/ Reagan Color Run, Lydia Gherghis Baseball Field Dedication, Spring Break, and much more.
We have started yearly SOL testing and our students continue to amaze us! They have worked hard all year and should get a good nights rest to be ready to show what they know. Congratulations to our Battle of the Books Team who took First Place in the County Competition, 7th Harmony our Odyssey of the Mind team won 2nd place in the state competition and will participate in the World Competition. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the 80's Glow Dance and Silent auction, Strings and Groovers Concert, Kindergarten Musical performance, and our upcoming grade level picnics.
Thank you for your continued support of our Seadog Family!
Michael Kelchlin - Principal
Kisha Trammell - Assistant Principal
Registration
Do you have a kindergartner joining us for 2019-2020? If so please be sure to call the school and get registered ASAP . Also, tell your neighbors that may be new to Gravely that we are accepting registrations for all grade levels.
Registering students early helps to guide our hiring decisions to make sure to have the perfect amount of high quality Gravely teachers.
Dates
May 3 - 80's Dance + Silent Auction 6:30-8:30 - Art Show
May 8- Bike to School Day
May 9- Bull Run Middle Parent Information Night
May 13 - Advisory 5:30 and PTO 6:30
May 16 - String and Gravely Groovers Concert 7:00pm
May 17 - Interim reports go home
May 23- Kindergarten Music Performance 7:00pm
May 24- SCA PJ Day ($1 Donation to Fund Playground Project)
May 27- Memorial Day No School
May 30 - 1st Grade Picnic
May 31- Kindergarten Picnic
June 3-7 Book Fair
June 3- Book Fair Family Night
June 4- 2nd Grade Picnic
June 4 - 5th Grade Reagan Middle School Visit
June 5 - 5th Grade Bull Run Middle School Visit
June 6- 4th Grade picnic
June 7- 3rd Grade Picnic
June 10th- 5th Grade Farewell / Picnic
June 11 Last Day of School - Early Dissmisal
SOL Testing Dates
May 6th - 4th grade Virginia Studies
May 7th – 5th grade Science
May 8th and 9th (both days) – 3rd grade reading
May 14th and 15th (both days) 5th grade math
May 16th and May 17th (both days) 4th grade math
May 20th and May 21st (both days) 3rd grade math
Odyssey of the Mind Team took 2nd place at States and will compete at the World Wide Competition
Kindergarten
1st Grade
First graders were involved in many exciting activities for the month of April. Many worked in groups and designed their own maps. Each map included a title, compass rose, and map key/legend. They also explored the map of Virginia and the map of the United States. Just before spring break, students were involved in our annual “Eggsential” Knowledge Egg Hunt where students found eggs on the playground that had questions from all content areas. First grade also sang for a packed house at their Musical Performance of Bugs!
2nd Grade
April was filled with Weather, Adventure and Forest Critters! We had absolutely beautiful weather as we enjoyed being outside and with our friends for Field Day. Using skills practiced in PE and qualities harnessed through citizenship grown during the year made for a day filled with laughter and wonderful memories.
Adventure was had by all as second grade explored space in our classrooms and on our field trip to the Planetarium. We learned about planets, stars and black holes as we all watched and marveled over the endless sky above. Seeing second graders watch with intense interest confirms to us all that we have done our part to ensure our kids wrap their arms around the unknown and remain learners in grade 3.
Finally, the Forest came to life in our second grade play NUTS. Seeing sweet faced bugs, forest critters, foliage with smiles and silly nuts with legs was incredible to see and so fun to be part of. Second graders are forever amazing their teachers! We are honored to be on their learning journey!
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
Ms. Cook's Class
April has been a busy and fun month in room # 118. We have been learning about fractions, money, author’s purpose and animal habitats. Students completed a couple of fun projects while working independently or with a partner. We celebrated Earth Day and participated in the hashtag challenge. Students walked around Gravely and collected trash, luckily there was not a lot of trash on the school grounds. Good job Seadogs! Thanks for keeping our school clean. We also went on a “question egg hunt.” We also celebrated our Autism Awareness Day on Friday April 26th. In the Month of May, we are planning our spring field trip.
SIGNET
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
THIS MONTH IN C.A.S.E. LESSONS – May
Kindergarten: Students will identify through drawing and/or writing at least one area of interest or ability.
Grade 1: Students will identify through drawing and/or writing at least one area of interest or ability.
Grade 2: Students will identify through drawing and/or writing at least three areas of interest or ability.
Grade 3: Students will generate a list of personal interests and abilities, and will connect these interests and abilities to future career options.
Grade 4: Students will generate a list of personal interests and abilities, and will connect these interests and abilities to future career options. Students will identify the steps in the career decision-making process in given scenarios.
Grade 5: Students will generate a list of personal interests and abilities, and will connect these interests and abilities to future career options. Students will explain the importance of lifelong learning and acquiring new skills.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Middle School Rotation Day – Thursday, May 30, 2019 During Encore on Thursday, May 30, 2019, the School Counseling Department, along with the help of the Encore team, will be hosting a Middle School Rotation Day for rising sixth grade students. Students will have the opportunity to learn about and practice with combination locks, learn about middle school PE requirements, and have their most important questions about middle school answered by a middle school counselor. This will be an extremely valuable experience for the students. We want to minimize the stress and anxiety associated with transitioning to middle school by ensuring our students are well prepared to handle these new changes in their lives.
Career Fair – Friday, May 31, 2019
Our Second Annual Project-Based Learning Career Fair will be presented by fifth grade students on Friday, May 31, 2019. In C.A.S.E. lessons, fifth grade Seadogs have been working on a project-based learning experience on careers that match their personal interests. Students are researching pertinent information for their careers and are creating presentation boards to display the information. We will celebrate all that we have learned through this process by putting on a Career Fair for our younger Seadogs! K-4 classroom teachers will be bringing their students to see the displays our fifth graders have prepared. Our fifth graders may choose to dress up as an employee in their career or bring related props/items to further enhance their presentations. We can't wait to see the students' creations!
SCHOOL-TO-HOME LINK FOR SUCCESS
Self-Talk Can Stand Up to Peer Pressure
You might think that you won’t have to deal with peer pressure until your child is in middle school. But elementary schoolers can feel the same pressure to fit in and do what “everyone” is doing—even when they know it’s wrong. That can mean going along with teasing someone on the playground. Or, it might mean watching a movie at a friend’s house that would never be allowed at home. Don’t wait to teach your child how to deal with peer pressure. Let him know that he has the power to do what he knows is right, even if everyone else seems to be doing something different. To make that easier, teach him phrases he can repeat to himself:
· I can make choices for myself.
· It’s okay if I make choices that are not the same as the ones my friends make.
· I can say, “You are my friend, but I won’t do that.”
Source: D. Bloch, The Power of Positive Self-Talk, Pallas Communications.
Adapted from Helping Children Learn, April 2019 from the Parent Institute, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
ART
Art News
PWC Art Festival
Thank you to everyone who made it out to the county art show this past weekend at Colgan High. It was so nice to celebrate the artists of Gravely! Congratulations to Payton Weismiller for receiving the white ribbon for the Gravely display and Rachel Tracy for having artwork chosen to be in the show program.
Gravely 3-5 Art Show
Friday, May 3rd from 6:30-8 all 3-5 students will have their best art on display in the ramps and main hallway area. This is the same night that PTO will have the silent auction and 80's dance party. Please come out to enjoy the art and support the encore programs and Gravely.
In the Classroom
Students have been working hard to create a variety of art pieces including weaving, painting, and drawing projects. I would like to encourage you to check the Gravely art website weekly to see what each grade level is working on and to find any art announcements. I have also created an Instagram page where I will also post pictures of the art we are creating. Here is the link to the Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/missbonner_art/
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at bonnersl@pwcs.edu
Reading
It's hard to believe May is here already! As we heard into the last couple of months of this school year please continue to read to and with your child to build confidence and enjoyment as well as encouraging them to read by themselves.
Reading is Fundamental (RIF) includes ideas for book selections and reading activities for families. You may wish to take a look at the following ideas:
Advisory Council Meeting 5:30 pm / PTO 6:30 pm
May 13, 2019
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