Gravely Connection
March 2019
Seadog families,
We kindly request that whomever continues to wear their pajamas inside out and flush ice cubes down the toilet to please stop! It would be great to have warm sunny days.
Seadog students continue to demonstrate Quality MATES Behaviors throughout Gravely ES. At this time our students have earned over 64,000 MATES Tokens out of our goal of 120,000 Tokens for demonstrating positive behaviors. At our Second Quarter House Celebration, we competed in jump rope contests to align with Heart Healthy month and award additional house points. Seminole ended up earning the most House Points and won the 2nd Quarter Popsicle Party! Below are our second Quarter House totals:
Seminole 6,671
Jouett 6,558
Falgout 6,090
Chandler 4,985
Tausigg 5,586
Congratulations to Mrs. Browngold, who was recently recognized for being a PWCS Teacher of the Year Nominee. We are extremely proud of and grateful for all of her contributions to our school.
In the month of March we are looking forward to our Pyramid Strings Concert, Staff vs Fifth Grade Basketball Game, and Pi Night.
Please be sure to read the email below from DVOA Board of Directors in regards to parking on Allens Mill and the police presence that will be enforcing it. We always strive to be good neighbors to our community.
Thank you for your continued support of our Seadog Family!
Michael Kelchlin - Principal
Kisha Trammell - Assistant Principal
Mrs. Browngold 5th Grade Teacher and PWCS Teacher of the Year Nominee
Dates
March 4- Strings Pyramid Concert at Battlefield 5:45 @ Battlefield HS
March 5 - PTO Spirit Night @ Buffalo Wild Wings
March 8 - 5th Grade vs Staff Basketball Game @ RRMS Tip-off 7:00 pm
March 14 - Pi Night 6:30-8:30
March 29- End Of Third Grading Period
April 1 - Teacher Workday
Please see email below regarding Continued Parking Concerns
Dear Dominion Valley Residents,
The Board wishes to inform you that off-duty police officers will start patrolling Dominion Valley in March of this year. The primary purpose of the patrols will be to deter illegal and unsafe parking throughout our community.
At the annual homeowners meeting in November of last year, multiple, concerned, homeowners advised that vehicles were being illegally parked at the Allens Mill North Gate which is designated as a fire lane (marked with yellow paint and no-parking signs). These parking violations occur primarily during drop-off and pick-up of students attending Gravely Elementary School and create a significant safety hazard for not only the residents who live behind Allens Mill North Gate, but for the children traveling to and from school.
In the intervening months, and in response to the raised and observed concerns, the Board undertook or facilitated a number of steps to obtain voluntary compliance:
- Coordinate with Toll Brothers to install no-parking signs and painted the street curbs yellow after coordinating with the County to have the North Gate Area designated as a fire lane.
- Engage the Gravely School Principal who sent letters to parents asking that they not park in the North Gate fire zone.
- Engage VDOT who added a turn lane into Allens Mill South Gate, and a Crossing Guard was moved to this intersection to assist children crossing Waverly Farm Drive.
- Request local law enforcement increase police presence in Dominion Valley along Waverly Farm Drive to deter speeding and the illegal parking.
Regrettably, these efforts have been less than successful, and the parking issue and attendant safety risk persists. As a result, the Board of Directors has initiated a contract with local law enforcement and has hired off-duty police officers to enforce the no-parking policy at Allens Mill North Gate and other areas within Dominion Valley.
Of note, Dominion Valley has for years authorized police to patrol and enforce parking and traffic laws behind our gates. We are now making this a more focused effort by securing additional resources who will be dedicated (during specific periods) to addressing persistent parking and safety concerns within our community. It should also be noted that the employment of uniformed, off-duty officers is a common practice in large communities and is a practice employed by communities surrounding Dominion Valley.
Warning and actual parking tickets will be issued at the sole discretion of the off-duty officers consistent with their law enforcement powers.
Please do not illegally park your vehicle in Dominion Valley especially at or near our local schools. This ultimately is a safety issue and one that poses an ongoing risk to our residents and their children.
Thank you,
DVOA Board of Directors
SOL Testing Dates
April 29th and April 30th (both days)– 5th grade reading
May 1st and May 2nd (both days) 4th grade reading
May 6th - 4th grade Virginia Studies
May 7th – 5th grade Science
May 8th and 9th (both days) – 3rd grade reading
May 14th and 15th (both days) 5th grade math
May 16th and May 17th (both days) 4th grade math
May 20th and May 21st (both days) 3rd grade math
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
In 2nd grade we are working hard on Native American Artifacts and our nonfiction writings as we ready ourselves for another Writer's Celebration. And in addition in Math each student is exploring patterns...simple AB to more complex growing patterns. Lastly we can't forget our visit from our Gravely Cat in the Hat. The students laughed and listened and loved celebrating literacy together.
3rd Grade
In math, we completed our multiplication and division unit and moved to geometry. This is a visual unit that allows for hands on activities and manipulatives. The attached picture is an activity where the students created rays, lines, line segments, and angles using toothpicks and play dough.
For Valentine's Day, Mrs. Moran, a third grade parent, came into the classrooms to do Valentine's science experiments. The students really enjoyed making hypotheses and observing experiments revolving around matter, molecules, density, and more! Thank you Mrs. Moran for doing this for third grade!
4th Grade
In science we are currently learning about force and motion and what better way to learn than to complete another PBL. We have researched through the use of videos, games, and readings to learn about force, motion, kinetic vs potential energy, and what materials will help us move better on our... very own cardboard sleds! A fun time has been had by all while creating these sleds and anticipating snow in hopes that we can try them out!
In language arts we are creating personal narratives about ourselves and we are working hard during guided reading time. Mrs. Bowman, our ITRT, is currently working with us to use wixie and blabberize which will allow the kids to create a character from their book club book and then have that character “talk” through that app. Fourth grade continues to be a fun place to learn!
5th Grade
Library
Lots of fun going on in the library. To celebrate Black History Month we have been reading a variety of books and using BrainPOP.com. My personal favorite read aloud was" Crown An Ode To the Fresh Cut" by Derrick Barnes. On Valentine's Day, the Fifth, Fourth and Third Graders chose books that they thought the Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade students would enjoy. After choosing the book they wrapped the book and some even wrote a special message to the younger Sea Dogs. What joy the students showed opening a library book that had been chosen for them. This was a great way to familiarize students with different books that are available in our library. First grade is learning to code Ozobots. The students are using color code to retell the story "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose." We also celebrated the one-hundredth day by sharing 100th day literature and the students were given the challenge to work cooperatively and build something using one hundred Legos. The kids came up with many creative ideas such as a garden, a castle, an ice- cream shop, and many more great ideas. As you probably already know, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday. We were very fortunate to have the Cat In The Hat come and read to many of our students.
Did you know that reading aloud to your child build vocabulary, improves reading comprehension, promotes empathy, and reduces stress?
Reading Room
Happy Winter! As we head into the third quarter of the school year, remember how valuable you are in helping your child 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. And just as important as reading is, writing is important too.
*Pair fiction with nonfiction to help boost your child's comprehension while reading for details.
One suggestion would be while reading, help your child look for ways nonfiction books are similar and different from fictional books. For example, after reading stories about bears, you could talk about how the bears in Goldilocks ate porridge, while bears in nature eat berries, grass, fish, and insects.
Your child will love when you read together because it's you. 😊
Thank you for helping with your child's literacy development! We are a team! It takes us all!
ART
Art Club
Art Club members had the opportunity to create a mandala weaving using down rods and yarn. They did an amazing job on these. They learned about screen printing and printed on bisque tiles using glaze to add color. All of their art will be on display by the library for a few weeks. If you are in the building swing by the display cases and take a look.
Art Enrichment Program
There will be a PWC Summer Art Enrichment Program. Applications will be available starting March 1st on the Gravely Art website, the PWC Visual Art website, and copies will be in the foyer and the art room. This is a wonderful program taught by county art teachers. If you have any questions or would like me to email you an application, please contact me at the email below.
PWC Art Festival & Gravely 3-5 Art Show
The county art show will be held on Saturday, April 27th at Colgan High. If your child has art chosen for the show you will be notified via a letter stating what piece got in and where to find me at the event. The notes will go home a few weeks before the show. Even if your child does not have art in the event all are welcome to attend. It is a wonderful event showcasing PWC student art. There will be a 3rd-5th grade art show held on June 4th at Gravely. All 3-5 students will have their best art on display in the ramps and main hallway area. More information about this event will come out closer to the event date.
In the Classroom
Students have been working hard to create a variety of art pieces including Action Painting, brush painting, collages, and much more. 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. I have also created an Instagram page where I will also post pictures of the art we are creating. Here is the link to the Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/missbonner_art/
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at bonnersl@pwcs.edu
Miss Bonner (Art Teacher)
COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION
THIS MONTH IN CLASSROOM GUIDANCE – MARCH
This month, classroom guidance for all grade levels will focus on problem solving. We will practice using words to describe problems, generate solutions to problem scenarios, and predict consequences using an if-then model as we follow the S.T.E.P. process for solving problems:
S – Say the problem
T – Think of solutions
E – Explore consequences
P – Pick the best solution
Students will also identify how to handle "big" problems (problems that are scary or dangerous) by telling an adult.
“HUGS AND KISSES” PROGRAM
On Monday, March 25, 2019, Gravely Elementary will host the Hugs and Kisses program. Hugs and Kisses sensitively introduces the concepts of good touch, bad touch, and secret touch which are a part of the Prince William County Schools’ Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum. The performance is age-appropriate, and proven to teach safety and prevention strategies across all K-5 grade levels. If you would like to learn more about Theatre IV and Hugs and Kisses, you may visit https://va-rep.org/tour/hugs.html
SMALL GROUPS UPDATE
The winter session of small groups is wrapping up, and the spring session will begin mid-March. If you missed the parent referral process back in November, you can contact Sarah Fullerton to inquire about the what groups are still available.
SCHOOL-TO-HOME LINK FOR SUCCESS
Waiting is Hard: Teaching Your Child the Important Skill of Patience
To help your child develop more patience:
* Explain that everyone must learn to wait, and you are going to help her with this skill.
* Give her opportunities to be patient. When she asks for something, say something like, “In a minute.” If she wants your attention when you are busy, come up with a hand signal that means, “When I’m finished.”
* Recognize the challenge, and praise her success. “It’s hard to listen to your brother talk when you have something to say. But you waited patiently. Now I am going to listen carefully to you.”
* Demonstrate patience yourself. Stay calm when you are stuck in traffic, for example. You might say, “It looks like we’re going to be in the car for a while. Let’s play a game.”
Adapted from Helping Children Learn, February 2019 from the Parent Institute, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.
Physical Education
The Gravely Team raised $15,496 for the Kids Heart Challenge!! Thank you everyone for being heart heroes and helping us save lives 😊 **The remaining thank-you gifts will arrive in the next few weeks (snow days have pushed everything back). We will give them out as soon as they arrive.
In class, students have worked on anything from honesty to math skills using fake money and from 100th Day activities challenges to fitness components. Including fitness testing for grades 3-5.
During an assembly, students showed off their jump rope and teamwork skills they learned in PE.
Advisory Council Meeting 5:30 pm / PTO 6:30 pm
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