GEMS Family Newsletter
June 2021
Upcoming Events
- Wed. Aug. 25 - Back to School Night
- Mon. Aug. 30 - New Student Orientation (K-8)
- Tues. Aug. 31 - First Day of School for All Students
- Mon. Sept. 6 - No School - Labor Day
Haga clic en "Translate" (Traducir) a la derecha para ver esto en español.
Have you registered your current student for the 2021-2022 school year? Your student's spot is not guaranteed until all annual registration forms are received by the school
We are currently registering students for the 2021-22 school year. To register you may use the new online system or you may fill out paper forms. Please complete and submit the annual registration forms TODAY.
Online Annual Registration Forms
Please Create an account for your student using the invite code that was e-mailed to you. Once you enter the site, your student's information should be pre-populated into the forms. Double check that the pre-populated information is correct, fix any wrong information, complete some new information, and then submit. Check each Section.
- NOTE: If any information has changed, check the box at the end of that section BEFORE trying to update the information.
- NOTE: Please completely fill out Part(s) Two, Five (especially Health History), and Seven.
- NOTE: You may also need to clear the cache.
- If you run into any problems, be sure to let us know with as much detail as possible.
- If it is impossible for you to see any of your student's information or access the website, let us know that too.
- Visit this ESchool - How to.pdf There are step by step screenshots.
To create an online account with OneView to complete the Annual Registration forms for your student online go to https://gems.esvportal.com/. You should have received an e-mail with your student's invite code. If you have any questions, please contact Wesley Owens at owens.2@gemsschool.org or 614-253-4000.
Paper Annual Registration Forms
Paper forms;
- May have come home in your student's backpack
- May be picked up at the front desk
- May be mailed to you upon request (614-253-4000) or frontdesk@gemsschool.org
- May be printed from the GEMS website
Please fill out the annual registration form and mail, scan, fax, or drop them off at the front desk.
Statement Recognizing Juneteenth Federal Holiday
The Graham Family of Schools (The Graham School, The Charles School, and Graham Elementary and Middle School) joins in solidarity in recognizing the long overdue new federal holiday of Juneteenth! This is an important new holiday recognizing the day that the last slaves were freed in the U.S. Since this was newly minted into law within the past 24 hours, we are trying to do our best to recognize the holiday while upholding our obligation to you and your student to continue to educate them in summer school and host normal school activities. This year we plan to maintain our open status and will not change the school day for Friday, June 18, 2021 (when many federal and state agencies are celebrating). We plan to integrate Juneteenth into our future academic calendars and celebrations.
Did you miss the Celebration of Learning?
GEMS students celebrating the last week of school!
Free Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine
Columbus Public Health and Nationwide Children’s Hospital are offering free COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines to all individuals 12 years of age and older!
GEMS 4th graders working on clay projects during the last week of school!
Transportation Information
If your student(s) was not using a school bus for transportation to and from school during the 2020-21 school year please complete the online application NOW for a Columbus City Schools transportation route: https://www.ccsoh.us/Page/4818
- Returning families, please check your CCS Transportation portal to make sure your information is up to date.
- An email address is required for registration.
- You should receive an email with a link to complete your online application.
- Then you should receive an email confirmation that your application has been submitted.
- CCS Transportation will send your student’s route information separately.
- Note: We do NOT have access to the student’s un-routed information.
For any further transportation questions, contact: Columbus City Schools Transportation
at 614-365-5074 Or visit 1560 Moler Rd., Columbus, OH 43207
Summer Meal Information
All children ages 1 through 18 are eligible to receive free meals during the summer months at participating program sites. Individuals age 19 through 21 who have been identified as having mental or physical disabilities and are following Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s) through their current enrollment in educational programs are also eligible for free summer meals. Below is a sample of locations available for the summer of 2019. For a full list of locations, or a location near to you, call 1-866-3-HUNGRY(486479), or visit http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Coronavirus/Supporting-Whole-Child-Nutrition
- A+ Arts Academy Maybury Campus – 1395 Fair Ave. Columbus, OH 43205
- Africentric Elementary School - 3223 Allegheny Avenue Columbus, OH 43209
- Asbury Elementary School- 5127 Harbor Blvd Columbus, OH 53232
- Berwick Plaza-2745 Winchester Pike. Columbus, OH 43232
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. 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 Smile
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!
The Graham Family of Schools Summer 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. 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
Professional Qualifications
The parent or guardian of each student enrolled at GEMS may request information on the professional qualifications of each classroom teacher who provides instruction to their student and the school will provide this information on each applicable teacher in a timely manner.
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.
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
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