Dragon Dispatch
September 3, 2021
Dear Students and Families,
Greetings from the Deans!
We are off to a great start this school year! As part of our community-building efforts during the first week of school, Freshmen and Seniors journeyed to Camp Kern where they participated in a variety of team-building initiatives, Sophomores created art (photos above), and Juniors explored Highbanks Metro Park (photos below). In academic classes students are engaged in rigorous and meaningful content.
Thank you to all who attended our Orientation nights. If you were unable to attend and would like information on any of the following, please contact frontdesk@thegrahamschool.org.
- Family Engagement at The Graham School
- Parent/Guardian Needs Assessment
- PowerSchool and/or teacher Remind information
- School Supply List
We would like to remind you that in alignment with CDC guidelines, mask use indoors is required at all The Graham Family of Schools buildings for all persons (regardless of vaccination status), including parents, teachers, staff, visitors, and children over the age of two. We are enforcing the wearing of masks at The Graham School because:
- Masks are the first line of defense against the COVID virus and its variants.
- The health and safety of our students, staff, and families is paramount.
- We want to be able to stay IN SCHOOL to learn.
We appreciate all that you are doing to prevent community spread of COVID-19 by continuing to practice social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and monitoring daily for symptoms before sending your student to school or arriving for work. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our community safe. We have attached the The Graham Family of Schools' COVID-19 Policy below for your review.
As of Friday, September 3, TGS currently has 3 students/staff isolating with positive COVID cases and 4 students/staff quarantining as close contacts. At this point, individuals who are fully vaccinated and/or consistently wearing their mask AND safe distancing do not need to quarantine, even after close contact with a person who later tests positive. Please continue to consider vaccination for your student, and remind them of the importance of consistent mask use.
We are looking forward to working with you this school year. We are CREW, not Passengers!
Sincerely,
Deans; Amy Vickroy, RJ Larry, & Sarai Correa
P.M. Pick-Up Information
- Students are to be picked up NO LATER THAN 4:00. We can not guarantee staff supervision after 4:00. Thank you!
- Do NOT park in the parking lot of FunTrail, our neighbors to the north. The additional traffic is interfering with their business.
Tired of that long line to pick up your student after school?
- Try parking on Glenmont Avenue! Your students can cross Indianola Avenue safely at the traffic light and meet you at your car- avoiding the pickup line and the crowd in the TGS parking lot.
- Plan to arrive 5-10 minutes AFTER dismissal so that the pick-up lot can clear out before you arrive. Students are welcome to sit up front on the benches while they wait for your arrival.
- Follow the directions of and be kind to staff as we do our best to expedite traffic and more importantly, maintain the safety of students and staff in the parking lot after school.
We thank you for your patience!
Announcements & Important Dates
Please take note of the following important dates, reminders, and announcements:
Important Dates and Times:
- School hours are 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Office hours are 7:30-4:00. Students will not be able to enter the building before 7:30 a.m. and MUST be picked up by 4:00. We cannot guarantee adult supervision before 7:30 or after 4:00.
- Monday, September 6: NO SCHOOL, Labor Day
- Friday, September 10 & September 24: Early Release at 12:00
- Tuesday, September 21: Picture Day & Family Crew 6:00-6:45
- Friday, October 8: Early Release at 12:00
- Wednesday, October 13: NO SCHOOL, Staff PD & Invited Conferences
- Friday, October 15: End of Quarter 1
- Tuesday, October 26: NO SCHOOL for Grade 12; PSAT&NMSQT testing for Grades 9-11.
- Thursday, October 28 & Friday, October 29: NO SCHOOL, Staff PD
Free Breakfast and Lunch for the 2021-2022 school year: All students, regardless of whether they qualify, are entitled to a free breakfast and lunch this year, providing every family completes, signs and submits the Free and Reduced Lunch Application.
September Family Crew
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89125775453?pwd=ZnVoZDRmcTZmQlZDcDl1U2hDM01LQT09
Crew is a core practice at The Graham School that is essential to bringing our community together by allowing for relationship building, promoting shared understandings through equity and inclusion, and building positive connections with peers. Crew is also a vehicle for developing and supporting students socially, emotionally and academically. During these challenging times, Crew is perhaps more important than it has ever been for our community. Last year we expanded Crew work to include Family Crew, with intent to engage and connect our families through our culture of Crew.
This year we are hosting monthly Family Crew sessions to engage and connect with our families. Each Family Crew session will have a specific focus related to the work we do at The Graham School, such as Crew, Mindfulness, Restorative Practices,Social-Emotional Learning, etc. The format of the meetings will be determined each month as we keep an eye on the evolving COVID situation in Franklin County and continue to prioritize the safety of students, families, and staff.
Please mark your calendars for the 2021-2022 Family Crew Dates.
Tuesday, September 21 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, October 19 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, November 16 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, December 14 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, January 18 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, February 15 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, March 15 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, April 12 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, May 17 6:00-6:45
Tuesday, Sep 21, 2021, 06:00 PM
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Monthly Boxes for Families in Need
In partnership with Neighborhood Services, Inc Food Pantry, we are offering monthly pre-packed boxes of food to Graham School families in need! Boxes will contain staple items such as bread, rice, pasta, vegetable oil and more, as well as snacks and other items to help nourish your TGS student. To receive food, you must make a reservation through one of the links below. You will pick up your food at The Graham School: 3950 Indianola Ave.
September Distribution Dates:
- September 9: 3:30-345 for parents picking students up after school: Reservation Link
- September 10: 4:30-5:30 for parents needing a later food pickup time: Reservation Link
Please bring your photo ID and wear a face mask when you come! Please note, this event is only available to families with a student currently enrolled at The Graham School. Please reach out to Lindsay Barber at info@neighborhoodservicesinc.org with any questions.
TGS COVID Safety Precautions
In addition to requiring that all persons wear a mask while indoors, The Graham School has implemented the following prevention strategies in order to prepare for the most enriching and safe learning experience possible.
- Extensive, daily disinfecting of all classrooms
- Modified extracurricular activities and events to limit crowd size
- 3 feet spacing of desks/workspaces
- Air ionizers and filters in all classrooms
- Increased ventilation in large group indoor meeting spaces
- Continued emphasis on frequent hand washing with hand sanitizing stations in classrooms and common spaces
- Controlled access to the school building
- Drop-off and pickup plans that avoid the congregation of large groups of students and families
- Requirement of families to keep their children at home if sick or being tested for the coronavirus
- Quarantining of students or staff that test positive for the coronavirus
- Reporting of all confirmed coronavirus cases and contact tracing via Franklin County Public Health
- Water bottle filling stations in both buildings - Students, please bring a water bottle marked with your name!
- Hallways in Building A are now one-way
- Outdoor seating has been added to allow for spending more time comfortably outdoors
- Students will eat breakfast in classrooms, which minimizes students moving through common spaces while eating and drinking
- One lunch period during which several classrooms will be opened up so that we can more comfortably and safely spread out while eating
About Us
The School:
TGS is a public community secondary school with a charter granted by the State of Ohio. Open to Ohio students in grades 9-12, the school's main focus is experiential education in a small-school setting where all students are known by all staff members. The Graham School serves approximatly 250 students annually. Its demographic characteristics reflect those of urban Columbus and Central Ohio.
Mission:
The Graham School (TGS) has a particular mission to urban students in Central Ohio preparing them for lifelong learning and informed citizenship through real-world experiences and rigorous academics. Fostering ownership and responsibility for their education prepares our students to be successful in college, the workplace, and other endeavors they undertake upon leaving Graham.
Vision Statement:
The Graham School’s vision is to be an innovative leader in the educational world by engaging students in authentic academic work, networking with community partners, and nurturing social emotional growth to empower future citizens and leaders.
Core Values:
- We are committed to listening, learning, unlearning, and putting our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into action
- We vow to stand together to embrace one another fully, empower students continuously, and pursue educational justice unapologetically
- We are a safe, positive school climate
- We solve problems together in a peaceful, restorative way
- We reflect on our experiences in order to gain fresh perspective and inform future outcomes
- We encourage a growth mindset for students and staff
- We believe that learning is a priority and time spent in class and community is essential
- We use these Habits of Learning as foundational principles --Adventure & Risk, Perseverance, Self-Direction, Service & Stewardship, and Teamwork & Collaboration
- We believe that cultivating these habits has a profound impact on student achievement and the ability to thrive
- We create belonging within our school and honor our connection to the world community
- We are CREW, not passengers
Email: frontdesk@thegrahamschool.org
Website: www.thegrahamschool.org
Location: 3950 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (614) 262-1111
Facebook: facebook.com/The-Graham-School-203552974632