Gravely Connection
November 2019
Seadog families,
It has been a great first quarter of the school year and our students and teachers continue to impress us each day. Please take the opportunity to meet with your child's teacher to celebrate their growth and work collaboratively to push them to the next level.
October was an exciting month where we participated in Field Day, had multiple school wide assemblies, field trips, PTO Bingo, and daily engaging learning experiences. Our WATCHDOGS Pizza Kick Off night was a great Success. This year we flipped that meeting into a service project as families worked together to build our new collaborative whiteboard tables. As the pictures show we had a fantastic turnout that resulted in over 50 tables being built and delivered to classrooms to support instruction. It was amazing to see our students and their fathers working together to make major impact for our school. Time is the greatest gift that you can give to anyone, and having our Watch DOGS dedicate their time for our school and their students makes memories that will last a lifetime.
As we move into November we are excited to announce numerous additions to the Gravely Staff including Mrs. Mills (Admin Intern), Mrs Matthews(Library Media Assistant), Mrs. Dickens (STEAM Teacher), and Mrs. Daffern (TA). November includes our Parent Teacher Conferences, Veterans Day Breakfast and Assembly ,Read-A-Thon Advisory Council - presentation from Gail Bowman on Internet/ Social Media as well as Thanksgiving Break.
Gravely teachers continue to host numerous clubs and activities throughout the year, and our PTO Clubs occur both in the Fall and Spring. We wanted to make you aware that the basketball club will not be offered this year.
Thank you for your continued support of our Seadog Family!
Samuel. L. Gravely Jr.’s vision: Success = Education + Motivation + Perseverance.
Michael Kelchlin - Principal
Kisha Trammell - Assistant Principal
Mrs. Nicole Mills
STEAM
Dates
November 6- Spirit Day - Dress in Gravely Spirit Wear
November 7- Spirit Day - Dress in Camo
November 8 - Spirit Day - Dress in Red, White, and Blue Day
November 9 - Veterans Day Breakfast / Assembly
November 11 Veterans Day - No School
November 12-25 PTO- Read-a-Thon
November 13 Report Cards go home
November 13-15 CogAT Testing
November 14 - Fall Picture Retakes
November 18 Advisory Council 5:30pm(Presentation on Internet/Social Media safety)
PTO Meeting 6:30
November 19 PTO - Spirit Night Chipotle
November 27-29 Thanksgiving Break
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
October saw fourth graders diving into our weather unit. The first step was having a Skype conversation with a meteorologist in Champaign, Illinois to kick off our weather unit. The students worked together to develop questions to ask him about a severe storm (hurricane, blizzard, tornado, or thunderstorm) and began to learn how severe weather impacts our lives. They took notes on the information he shared and our Gravely meteorologists then spent the next several days researching specifics on their storm, such as air pressure, precipitation, fronts, and clouds associated with their storm. At the end of the month, students spent a STEAM day engaged in planning, building, then testing a structure to would withstand their storm. The next step is the Gravely meteorologists will turn their knowledge into a weather report, complete with green-screen technology!
5th Grade
It's been a busy month for our 5th graders. We have been exploring the difference between non-vascular and vascular plants in science by completing an investigation with colored water and celery plants. In social studies, students went on a "virtual field trip" to Ellis Island where they learned about the different inspections immigrants went through before arriving in the United States. We have discussed the importance of the Statue of Liberty to these immigrants as a symbol of hope and freedom. During reading students have been working on sequencing and using stories of immigration to practice this skill. We also have been working hard on our personal narrative writing. Finally, the students presented their field trip projects to their classes and the winners presented to the entire grade level. The top four groups then got to present their projects to Mr. Kelchlin and Dr. Trammell.
Mrs. Breton and Mrs. Godbole
ESOL students continue to work on the four domains of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Second grade ESOL students worked on story elements in the month of October. We also read ‘The Little Red Hen’ and completed several activities to go with the book. The students wrote and answered comprehension questions, worked on sequencing, vocabulary, word searches and had fun doing a Reader’s Theater based on the story. They made new reading buddies with Kindergarten students and enjoyed reading to them!
Ms. Wagner and Ms. Cook
Physical Education
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
For the most recent updates and pictures from the Counseling Department, please connect with us on Twitter @SGEScounselors!
THIS MONTH IN C.A.S.E. LESSONS - November
Kindergarten: Students will be learning about the responsibilities of being a student worker in a school, such as working quietly and completing schoolwork.
Grade 1: Students will demonstrate strategies for handling mistakes in the learning process.
Grade 2: Students will identify positive test-taking skills to utilize during classwork and tests.
Grade 3: Students will identify positive test-taking skills to utilize during classwork and tests.
Grade 4: Students will identify positive test-taking skills to utilize during classwork and tests.
Grade 5: Students will identify conflict resolution strategies in given scenarios. Students will apply conflict resolution skills to a group paper tower building activity.
WHAT DO SCHOOL COUNSELORS DO? - Small Group Counseling
School counselors offer the option of topical small groups to students. Parents/guardians provide written/emailed permission if they wish their children to participate in small groups.
The purpose of these small groups is to provide an opportunity for additional academic, social, and/or emotional skill building so that students feel successful in the learning environment. Small groups typically meet once a week for 30 minutes for six to eight sessions during the school day.
Recently, information was sent home to families in grades 1-5 requesting parent referrals for social/emotional counseling groups that will be facilitated during the winter and spring. The topics we plan to offer this school year include, positive self-concept, separation/divorce, anxiety, managing emotions, and friendship. Please contact one of the school counselors if you would like your child to participate.
SCHOOL-TO-HOME LINK FOR SUCCESS
Teach Fairness and Compromise to Foster Teamwork Skills
There’s a lot to be said for encouraging children to show leadership. But it’s just as important for success in school to help them learn how to work with others without taking over. Whether your child has a group project in science or a part in a play, she’ll get more out of it if she understands how to be a team player. To encourage fairness, consideration and compromise:
· Share some family decisions. Have family members take turns making choices that affect everyone, such as what toppings will go on the pizza, or which movie to watch. Talk about considering everyone’s tastes.
· Establish some basic house rules. For example, if one child cuts the cake, the other gets to choose the first piece. If one child chooses the game, the other gets the first turn.
· Encourage fair decision-making. Teach your children to flip a coin or play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who gets the first choice of chores or the first turn with a toy.
· Praise your child when she demonstrates teamwork. “Your help let us get the leaves raked faster. Now we have time to bake cookies.”
Adapted from Helping Children Learn, October 2019 from the Parent Institute, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
ART
Art News: All classes have been finishing painting projects. They are learning to identify and mix a variety of colors using tempera and/or watercolor paint. Some classes are starting drawing projects by drawing themselves, shoes, or friends. All 3rd-5th grade students have made sketchbooks and folders that will stay at school all year. They will only bring home art at the end of each grading period. K-2nd grade students will bring home art as they complete it. I do borrow art to hang in the hallway. All art that has been borrowed will be returned before the end of the school year.
A huge congratulations to Lincoln R. (K), Jackson I. (K), and Olivia F.(2nd) for having their artwork chosen to be on display around the Kelly Leadership Center for the fall display. I am so proud of you all.
I would like to encourage you to check the Gravely Art website weekly. The website is where you will find what each grade level is working on along with any art announcements. There will be a county art show on April 25th. 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 that program in the spring.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at bonnersl@pwcs.edu I look forward to a wonderful year of art at Gravely.
Miss Bonner (Art Teacher)
Reading Room
Gravely students recently celebrated National Writing Day with classroom activities and Why We Write graffiti board. The month of November will bring more opportunities for celebrating literacy too!
As we head into the second nine weeks, establishing and maintaining good reading routines are so beneficial. While this is not assigned homework, it is a recommendation of best practices. Stories read by a parent/guardian or audiobooks in conjunction with actual hard copies of books are very helpful too. The visual and audio experience provides extra support for readers. This practice helps children build sight words, vocabulary, and hearing fluent reading conveys meaning with the rise and fall of voice to help with understanding the story.
Lit2Go, International Children's Digital Library, Storynory, MeeGenius, Epic are a few good sources for audio books.
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