Gravely Connection
February 2019
January was full of snow days and delays, now we look forward to getting our Seadogs back into routine throughout February. This past month we participated in an amazing Literacy/Game Night which was all about our school-wide Read Aloud of The World According to Humphrey, we received our School of Excellence Award, and celebrated Samuel L. Gravely being recognized in the Surface Naval Association Hall of Fame. We have also welcomed almost 30 new students to the Seadog family since December 1st!
This month we look forward to celebrating Black History Month, celebrating our Counselors and Crossing Guard, completing our Spelling Bee, culminating the Kids Heart Challenge, playing some Bingo with the PTO, and holding our second House Celebration.
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to a great 2019!
Michael Kelchlin - Principal
Kisha Trammell - Assistant Principal
House Celebration February 8
Dates
February - Black History Month
February 4-8 - Counselor Appreciation Week
February 8 - House Celebration (Dress in house Spirit Gear)
February 5- Spirit Night at Fosters Grill
February 8- PTO Bingo Night
February 11- Report Cards Sent Home
February 11- Advisory Council / PTO Meeting
February 13- Crossing Guard Appreciation
February 14- Wear Red for Heart Healthy Month
February 18 - No School Presidents Day
Heart Healthy Month
Gravely is celebrating Heart Health this month with heart healthy tips and activities. All students and staff are encouraged to wear red on Thursday, February 14th to show support for Heart Health Month.
SNA Hall of Fame Induction
Battlefield Basketball Team Reading with our Students
Humphrey's Breakout
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
The second grade students have been using the Kindles to explore habitats and strengthen their reading skills while using a variety of Apps. In addition back from our winter break, all students wrote resolutions or set goals in their classrooms for a strong year of learning to continue!
3rd Grade
In math, we continued learning about multiplication and division. They learned a variety of strategies to solve multiplication and division strategies. The students continue to expand their knowledge and apply these skills to bigger and more complex problems.
4th Grade
Happy New Year from 4th grade! We kicked off 2019 reflecting on the previous year and planning for the year ahead of us. Whether writing resolutions and setting goals, we all hope that the year before us is filled with achieving those goals and making progress. Some students selected a single word that encompasses how they want to approach the new year. Whether it’s with love, courage, determination, and kindness, we all look forward to helping our students be successful.
The first day back brought with it a new unit in math- FRACTIONS! This unit is a hands-on unit where students can use a variety of manipulatives to build their understanding of the skills. The focus of this unit is on developing an understanding of fractions using a variety of models. By the end of this unit, students will be able to represent equivalent fractions, add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers, and compare and order fractions.
Each year, the 4th graders take on a Project-Based Learning challenge. Students in Ms. Moore’s class piloted a Virginia Road Trip PBL where students assumed the role of a travel agent tasked with planning a trip for a family around Virginia. Students have been encouraged to use what they know about Virginia’s geography and history to create an itinerary that is sure to be fun and engaging! From conducting research on various attractions to interviewing several Gravely families to learn about their interests, this project integrates many aspects of our curriculum. At the same time, the other 4th graders are gearing up to launch a new PBL unit as part of our upcoming science unit on force, motion, and energy! We look forward to sharing our projects with you!
5th Grade
We have been working hard this month in fifth grade! In science, we finished up our geology unit. The students especially loved learning about the rock cycle by making rock cycle comics. In social studies, we have been learning about the Southeast. Mrs. Browngold's class is finishing up their Amazing Race project. They did a fantastic job giving each other feedback on their ideas. In reading, we just finished our compare and contrast unit. We are excited to begin our cause and effect unit which will tie in perfectly with oceanography in science and the Midwest in social studies. In writing, all fifth graders wrote a word goal for the year and wrote about the specific steps they would take to achieve their goal. We have also been working hard on homonyms such as their, there, and they're and your and you're.
Library
Thank you to all the families that came to the PTO Literacy Game Night. The PTO did an amazing job creating games around the book, The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. We have not been able to keep books from the Humphrey series on the shelves in the library since the One School, One Book kick off. The students have enjoyed listening to their reading the story aloud to them. The event has stirred up some new enthusiasm for reading, which is so exciting. We will be adding Humphrey's Tiny Tales series to our library collection for our younger students. I am sure you have also heard that we have our very own Humphrey in the library. He has brought a lot of excitement and joy to the students and the staff.
We have been reviewing reference materials during library time. Every grade level has learned what an atlas is used for and how to locate specific information in an atlas. Each atlas lesson was based on appropriate grade level geography skills. We also been sharing many Virginia Readers' Choice Nominee books. We are reading the Wild Robot by Peter Brown with the upper deck and the lower deck has listened to Coyote Moon by Maria Gianferrari, A Piece of Home by Jeri Watts, and I am Not a Chair by Ross Burach.
SIGNET
Reading Room
Happy Winter and many thanks to our PTO and all the families who joined us for making our PTO/Literacy Game Night a huge success by supporting our school's reading of The World According to Humphrey.
As we head into the second semester 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. 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 in February. Your child’s teacher will send a notice of actual dates. If your child would like to participate, please have them have a book to exchange.
Thank you for helping with your child's literacy development! We are a team, and it takes all of us working together.
ART
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. A reminder that I have also created an Instagram page where I will post pictures of art students are creating. Here is the link to the Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/missbonner_art/
The 5th and 4th grade art club has started and students are working on creating mandala weavings.
There will be a county art show on April 27th. 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 the in the spring.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at bonnersl@pwcs.edu
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 Thursday, January 31, 2019, 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 Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 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
Staying Flexible When Your Child Solves Problems
When you find yourself stuck in traffic, you can sometimes choose another route. Getting to your destination matters more than which road you take. When your child has a problem to solve, instead of giving him a road map (first do this, then do that), remind him of his destination: “You need to find a way to finish your report even though your classmate has the book you need.” He may not select the solution you would. But if he arrives at his destination honestly, let the solution stand.
Adapted from Helping Children Learn, January 2019 from the Parent Institute, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc
Physical Education
January was filled with tons of jumping! As we raised donations for the American Heart Association we learned the importance of taking care of our hearts while jumping to stay healthy and increase our blood flow.
As part of the Kids Heart Challenge (formerly known as Jump Rope For Heart), Gravely students celebrated their hard-work and finished their jump rope unit on Monday, February 4th during our Kids Heart Challenge Event. http://www2.heart.org/goto/GravelyElementaryHasHEART
Advisory Council
What is the Advisory Council? The advisory council is a group parents that represent the different areas within Gravely boundaries, along with staff members, and the schools administration. The Advisory Council holds monthly meetings to provide input on matters relating to the school: from finance to instruction, to school improvement. Throughout the year they work collaboratively to highlight our programs, monitor the implementation of our School Plan, and ensure a high quality education for all of our stakeholders.
How does the council affect me? If you have a concern, see a need, have a suggestion, or are pleased about something going on at Gravely, then let us know. Please contact a member of the council or come to a council meeting and share your thoughts. Also, 15 minutes of the advisory council meeting will be designated citizens’ time and any staff member, parent, or member of the council may address the advisory council. Each person will have 3 minutes.
Below is a list of the advisory council members for 2018-2019. If you would like to recognize something great that is occurring at Gravely, or have our committee discuss a concern you may have, feel free to stop by for our monthly meeting, or email your feedback to any of the members listed below.
Mrs. Tulip Saad bibaanddida@gmail.com (Chairperson)
Mrs. Mae Earman dmearman@comcast.net
Mr. Marvin Harley mharley1991@gmail.com
Mrs. Caroline Dickens crdickens@verizon.net (Secretary)
Mrs. Lauren Laviolette Lauren.laviolete@gmail.com (Vice Chairperson)
Mrs. Erin Tracy ErinMTracy2@gmail.com
Mrs. Ashley Cavossa abasquin@gmail.com
Advisory Council Meeting 5:30 pm / PTO 6:30 pm
February 11, 2019
March 11, 2019
April 8, 2019
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