GEMS Family Newsletter
March 2021
Upcoming Events
- Wed. March 17 at 6:00pm - Virtual Enrollment Information Session
- Thurs. March 25 at 6:00pm - Family Crew
- Mon. March 22 - Hybrid Option Begins - 3rd-4th Grade
- Mon. March 29 - Hybrid Option Begins - 5th-8th Grade
- Fri. April 2 - Fri. April 9 - No School - Spring Break
- Mon. April 12 - Hybrid Option Begins - 5th-8th Grade
- Wed. April 14 at 6:00pm - Virtual Enrollment Information Session
- Thurs. April 22 at 6:00pm - Family Crew
- Wed. April 28 at 6:00pm - Virtual Enrollment Information Session
- Fri. April 30 - No School - PD Day
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Attention GEMS Families
Below, please find more specific information about our reopening plans, including daily schedules for students.
- Click here for the K-8 virtual and hybrid schedules
- Click here for the letter sent out last week regarding our reopening plans
- Click here to view the GEMS Policies for Hybrid Reopening
If you were unable to come to our Q&A sessions last week, please see below for the recordings. We have also included a copy of the slide deck used during the presentations.
Click here for the virtual learning Q&A
Click here for the hybrid learning Q&A
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 614-253-4000 or office@gemsschool.org
Have you watched the GEMS reopening video?
GEMS Family Crew
Please join us for the March Family Crew (Thurs. March 25 - 6:00-6:45pm) during which we will all learn a bit more about Crew, with a focus on Restorative Practices. You should have received a Family Crew flyer and Restorative Practices card in the mail. Please bring your Restorative Practices card to the March Family Crew meeting!
Check Your E-mail For Annual Registration Online Forms Link
We are working on moving our Annual Registration forms to an online format. Please look for an e-mail this month with directions on how to create an account and complete the Annual Registration forms online. Please contact LeMoyne Jackson at ljackson.1@gemsschool.org with any questions.
Meal Pick Up During Virtual Learning Until the End of the School Year
We have received exciting news that all students qualify for free breakfast and lunch from GEMS from now until the end of the school year. No paperwork is needed, but we do need to know if you are interested in picking up meals so that we can schedule weekly times for you to come to the building to pick up the food. Let us know you are interested by calling the school (614-253-4000) or emailing us at office@GEMSschool.org. This is only for students enrolled at GEMS. Food portions will not be provided for siblings.
Free Internet Hot Spots Available for All Students Eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch!
Through a partnership with the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio and PCs For People we are offering free Internet Hot Spots to all families eligible for free or reduced lunch. If you are eligible, please call the front office to make an appointment to pick up a hot spot. Front office hours are 8:30am-4:30pm. Click here to complete a Free and Reduced lunch application. Please contact the front desk (614-253-4000) with any questions.
When you shop at Kroger, and/or Amazon 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. If you enrolled last year you must re-enroll each year to help GEMS. Add GEMS to your 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.
Amazon
When you make a purchase on Amazon Smile they will now donate 0.5% of your total purchase to GEMS. Go to http://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-4350069 to get started!
Do you know anyone that might be interested in attending GEMS? Please share this information!
Grade Level Updates
Kindergartners
Are working on increasing their fluency while reading CVC words. You can help your child by continuing to practice their letter sounds and reading at least 15 minutes every day! In math, students will begin working with teen numbers in Quarter 4. Look out for your student to become a plant scientist with our next and last Expedition for the year, Living and Nonliving Things.
First Graders
Are continuing their bird unit by focusing on bird beaks, feet, and feathers individually. Students worked on understanding what makes a ten through place values of tens and ones. We compared numbers through 99 using less than, greater than, and equal to symbols. Students will start adding without composing a ten in unit 5. Keep up the good work, first graders!
Second Graders
Are continuing to use what they have learned about fossils to write a narrative imagining that they are a paleontologist who has just discovered a new type of fossil. In math, students are becoming experts in three digit addition and subtraction and will soon begin regrouping numbers to solve more complex problems.
Third Graders
Are in a deep dive into the adaptations of frogs. Survival is key! We are beginning to understand the differences between narrative and information text. We will soon start our information writing. In math we are wrapping up three digit addition and subtraction, rounding, and reviewing our multiplication skills.
Fourth Graders
Are putting final touches on our Animal Defense reports. These reports will be presented to the class and on display for others to see. In math, we have started to learn how to solve 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication using arrays. In All Block, we have been making sure we write complete sentences as well as using similes and metaphors to add more excitement to our writing.
Fifth Graders
Are exploring a wide range of topics this spring! In humanities, we are wrapping up our discovery of the ancient civilizations of the Inca, Aztec and Maya. In science, students are learning about the food web. In math, students are learning how to divide fractions.
Sixth Graders
Will continue reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and will also read other myths to identify what we can learn from ancient myths and how GEMS habits of learning are displayed in these myths. In math we are delving into fractions and analyzing some real world scenarios. In science we are continuing to look at cells and why they are important to living things
Seventh Graders
Are digging deeper into what it means to have a better world and even a ‘perfect society’ by reading The Giver in Humanities. We will be discussing the dystopia of The Giver and begin our utopian civilization project at the end of the month! For this project, students will make their own choices for each aspect of civilization to build their ‘perfect world’.
In science we are continuing to study different environmental concerns and the impact on people. We will be using these case studies to create a program or way to make a change in the world surrounding an environmental/social issue of their choice.
Eighth Graders
Continue to explore how different perspectives shape the way we tell the history of Black and Indigenous Americans, specifically around the hard topic of American slavery. We are analyzing children's books to figure out how we can tell that history in honest ways from an early age, and we are exploring primary sources and historical accounts of how Indigenous people interacted with European colonizers and the American government.
Counseling
Mr. Beery and Ms. Frazier are so excited to see some students back in the building while continuing to support virtual students. Be sure to reach out to one of us for any questions about the new schedule changes or how to finish out the school year on a high note! We are here to partner with you in whatever you may need. Happy Spring, Gryphons!
K-4th Art
2nd grade is creating a culminating artwork to go along with the narrative they are writing in expedition. They are using their drawing, shading, and color blending skills to create a picture of a fossil. 3rd and 4th graders will be starting art when the new quarter begins.
K-4th Music
During this month as the new quarter starts, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade are going to have music! We are going to be exploring music from all over the world and learning songs in over 5 different languages! Whether in Hybrid or Virtual learning students will be exploring using musical instruments and using things that they can find around them to make music!
PE & Health
Kindergarten and 1st grade students enjoyed learning movement skills and dances during 3rd quarter. Fifth and seventh grade students are now learning about health-related fitness and setting goals to be more physically active.
The Graham Family of Schools COVID Policies:
- Any visitor or staff member entering the building will be required to have their temperature taken and logged.
- Masks on. If you are entering the building you must wear a mask.
- If you have been sick, have a fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or recent loss of smell please do not enter the building.
- Maintain 6 feet of distance between one another.
- Wash your hands for the safety of everyone. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Use a tissue or your sleeve.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
All of our buildings have contactless thermometers that will be sanitized between each use. If you have any questions or concerns in regards to any of our COVID policies please feel free call the front office at 614-253-4000.
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. These principles also reflect the design's connection to other related thinking about teaching, learning, and the culture of schools. Watch this space for information each month about design principles.
RESIDENCY VERIFICATION NOTIFICATION
Per House Bill 21 community schools are now required to perform a monthly review of student files and randomly select families for residency verification. Please be sure to 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 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 including the family engagement policy and the schoolwide program plan. Please contact Debbie Addison at addison.2@gemsschool.org with any questions.
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