Gravely Connection
February 1
Our Second Quarter has come to an end and we are flying past the half way point of the 2017-2018 school year. Report cards will be coming home on February 7th, and this is a great time to celebrate all of our gains and set goals for the remainder of the year.
This past month we kicked off Jump Rope for Heart, held a Strings Concert, Parent Teacher Conferences, numerous PTO events, and plenty of snow days. We are so proud of everyone that participated in our Spelling Bee with our top 3 finishers being:
1st Place - Kaitlyn Thai 2nd Place - Layla Skinner 3rd Place - Levi Kouts
This past Saturday Gravely ES staff and students participated at the Haymaker STEAM expo @ Battlefield HS. Our staff utilized Project Based Learning driving questions to create activities including a marble roller coasters, and a wind tunnel challenge. Also, the Gravely Robotics team presented a Lego marble maze.
We are excited for the learning experiences that are awaiting in the second half of the year. We are always here to assist and seek to continuously improve to continue to make Gravely ES a phenomenal school. Thank you for your Support!
Michael Kelchlin - Principal
Alyse Zeffiro - Assistant Principal
Battlefield HS Haymaker Expo
Gravely Robotics Lego maze
Marble Roller Coaster
Wind Tunnel Mission
February Dates
2/5 - Advisory Council meeting 5:00pm / PTO Meeting 7:00pm
2/5-2/9- National School Counselor Appreciation Week
2/6- PTO Spirit Night @ Chuck E Cheese
2/7- Report Cards go home
2/9- WATCHDOGS Donuts with Dads 8:00am
2/14- Crossing Guard Appreciation Day 2018
2/19 - No School Presidents Day / PTO Ice Skating
2/23 - PTO Family Bingo Night
3/1 - Family Literacy Night
3/9 - Staff vs 5th Grade Basketball
Counselor Appreciation Week
Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
Crossing Guard Appreciation Day is a statewide event devoted to saying thank you to those who help students cross the street safely on their way to and from school. Please help recognize the valuable role crossing guards play in making safe routes to school a reality. There will be a box near the intersection where Constance Hodge directs traffic in the afternoon on the 14th if you would like to place a thank you card or note for her as you walk home. Please send any pictures you may take to haugancm@pwcs.edu
Thank you for recognizing our Crossing Guard!
Kindergarten
1st Grade
Despite the cold and snow this month, first graders have been working hard on all their goals for the New Year! They wrote about their school goals and resolutions for 2018. From wanting to be a better reader or writer, first graders are working hard on making their goals a reality.
In first grade, students have been writing fictional stories during writing workshop. Some wrote special snow globe stories. We can’t say for sure if that is what has been causing the snow days but the stories are great none the less. In math, students have been working on addition and subtraction facts to 10 for automatically. In science, students have been learning how weather affects different animals and how an animal’s outer covering helps to protect it especially in the winter.
Another great accomplishment for First Graders has been learning to tie their shoes. Many have been able to accomplish that already. From reading, writing, adding, subtracting and tying their shoes; First Graders are busy working hard on all their teacher and personal goals!
2nd Grade
One of our most exciting and engaging new adventures is in the form of Project Based Learning! We are learning all about various American Indian groups that live throughout the U.S. The students have had the opportunity to participate in a SKYPE session with a historical enthusiast from Yellowstone National Park. She shared a wealth of knowledge about the Lakota Sioux people of the Great Plains. A former Gravely parent that is an archaeologist also came in to share what he excavated right here at Gravely!
We look forward to sharing the love and our culminating products with the families of our second graders and fellow seadogs in February!
3rd Grade
This month in third grade, we have completed our social studies on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The students have been working hard to compare and contrast the two ancient civilizations. Some students created paper mosaics to represent a type of artistic contribution from those civilizations. The students have been working really hard on their fractions unit. They have been using hands on materials to help them build a concrete understanding of fractions.
4th Grade
5th Grade
This month students are engaged in our oceanography project-based unit. Students participated in a gallery walk of ocean pollution photos. Following the gallery walk, students reflected about what they saw, how it made them feel, and began to brainstorm solutions to eliminating existing ocean pollution. In reading, students are working on the skill of cause and effect, supporting the oceanography project by reading articles about ocean pollution. We are looking forward to February and a two-week long Olympic themed STEM challenge.
Art
Art News: The art room has been busy with students working on a variety of projects including paintings, chalk drawings, landscape drawings, and finishing clay projects. For more details on what each grade level is working on, please visit the Gravely Art website.
Art Shows: The PWC Art Festival will be held at Colgan High School on Saturday, April 28th from 10-4. I will be at the Gravely display all day showing off our amazing Seadog artwork. If your child has art in this show, you will receive a note closer to the date letting you know what piece will be on display. All families are welcome, even if your child does not have art at the show. This is a wonderful event showcasing all of the counties art programs, please try to make it out! :) The school art shows will be done differently this year. Grade level art will be showcased on the night of the grade level music performance. Stay tuned for those dates. Here is a photo of B. Kuzmicki's art that was sent off to possibly be chosen to be on the PWC Art Festival posters and flyers. Congrats B. Kuzmicki!
Summer Art Enrichment: The PWC Summer Art Enrichment program will take place again this summer. The applications will be available on the Gravely art website, the county art website, and hard copies will be in the office and the art room. ALL APPLICATIONS will be available starting MARCH 1st. It is a first come first serve entry process so please do not delay if you are interested. It is your responsibility, as a parent, to fill out the applications and send it to the COUNTY ART DEPARTMENT. Please let me know if you have questions and I can refer you to the person in charge. It is a great program run by PWC art teachers.
Stephanie Bonner
Art Teacher
Gravely Elementary School
Physical Education
· All grades : Participated in a golf unit which included the core values of respect and courtesy and the golf skills putting and chipping. Grades 3-5 also worked on pitching. All grades are currently learning about heart health and vigorously exercising while jumping for Jump Rope for Heart!
· At our Jump Rope For Heart Pep Rally, everyone got to meet our local heart hero Finn who the “Finster Monster” was named after. You can see his story here: https://youtu.be/SYz-SSU2FB8
· Check out our Monster (Mrs. Weinstein) who is delivering the Thank-you gifts on Fridays.
· Last day for donations is Monday, February 5, 2018
Thank you all so much for supporting the American Heart Association while the students prepare for our Jump Rope For Heart event on Monday, February 5, 2018 during Encore!!! J….more details on the Gravely website
Message from the Nurse
With widespread flu, please keep your child at home until 24 hours have passed with no fever. Per Prince William County Schools regulations, a fever is any temperature above 100.0. Do not give Tylenol or Motrin in the morning if they have a fever, and then send them to school. They can infect anyone they come in contact with! For the latest information about flu and the different prevalent strains, the CDC website is constantly providing updates. To stay safe and healthy, get your flu shot- and wash your hands frequently.
Thanks
Bobbi Miller BSN RN CPN
School Nurse
Gravely Elementary
Phone: 571-248-4930
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
THIS MONTH IN CLASSROOM GUIDANCE – FEBRUARY
This month, classroom guidance for all grade levels will focus on expressing feelings in positive ways. Students will be able to identify physical signs caused by strong feelings. We will practice the following “Calm-Down Steps” for managing strong feelings:
1. Stop (use a personal stop signal when you notice physical signs of a strong feeling)
2. Name Your Feeling
3. Calm Down
· Belly breathe
· Count
· Use positive self-talk
Students will also recognize the importance of talking about strong feelings with a trusted adult, and each student will be asked to identify one adult at home and one adult at school to talk to about strong feelings.
SAFE AT HOME/SAFE ALONE On Friday, February 2, 2018, Gravely Elementary School will be hosting the Safe at Home/Safe Alone program for our fourth grade students. This program is sponsored by 4-H and the Virginia Cooperative Extension, and is done in collaboration with the School Counseling Department. The curriculum is taught by trained volunteers from Volunteer Prince William. Additionally, on Thursday, February 1, 2018, the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office will be presenting a portion of the Safe at Home/Safe Alone program which addresses gun safety. Safe at Home/Safe Alone is in alignment with the Prince William County School’s Elementary Guidance Curriculum (4P.6: the student will identify factors that impact personal safety, self-reliance, and well-being) and the Family Life Education Curriculum (FLE 4.4). Please contact one of your school counselors if you have any questions regarding this program.
SCHOOL-TO-HOME LINK FOR SUCCESS
Three Keys to Unlock Discipline
Are your discipline strategies teaching your child the right lessons? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a three-pronged approach to discipline:
· Develop a loving supportive relationship with your child. A child who feels respected by his parents is more likely to cooperate at home and at school.
· Use positive reinforcement. Praise your child for what he does right.
· Never use physical punishment. Instead, use time outs (for a younger child) or take away a privilege temporarily.
Source: “Discipline,” American Academy of Pediatrics, niswc.com/3Dsteps.
Adapted from Helping Children Learn, January 2018 from the Parent Institute, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
Reading Corner
Happy Winter! As we head into the third quarter of the school year, remember how valuable you are in helping your child make the best start in becoming a confident reader. At home, talking, listening, and reading to and with your child helps them see you value and enjoy reading too. And just as important as reading is, writing is important too!
Writing opportunities help children explore language sounds and how to write them, learn language structure, and create messages. Encourage writing at home by keeping a little notepad and pen nearby so they can write during wait times such when at an appointment, extracurricular event, car ride, or when you're close by but busy with food prep or such.
"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is best of all."
~Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Our next book swap will take place February 7th and 8th. Your child's teacher will let you know which day Mr. Ward will visit their class. Please make sure your child has a book to exchange if they choose to participate.
At the beginning of February, be on the lookout for an informational flier inviting you to join us for an evening reading workshop taking place during the week leading up to Dr. Suess Day!
Thank you for helping with your child's literacy development! We are a team! It takes us all!
SIGNET Newsletter
Family Literacy Night
WATCHDOGS Donuts with Dads February 9, 8:00am
Advisory Council / PTO Meeting Schedule
February 5 @ 5:00pm/ PTO 7:00pm
March 12 @ 5:00pm / PTO 7:00pm
April 9 @ 5:00pm / PTO 7:00pm
May 14 @5:00pm / PTO 7:00pm
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