GRAVELY CONNECTION

Upcoming Dates

November 2– Naglieri Testing

November 3- Field Day

November 4- Teacher Workday

November 7- Parent Teacher Conferences

Haymarket Ice Plex K-2 Free Skate 9:30-10:50

November 8- Election Day (No School)

November 9- Veterans Day Celebration /

Book-a-thon Kickoff

November 10- 3rd Grade Field Trip National Zoo

November 10- 4th Grade Field Trip Jamestown

November 11- Veterans Day (No School)

PTO JNJ Battlequest / Jump-n-Jimmy’s

November 14- PTO Meeting (9:00am)

Advisory Council meeting 5pm

November 15- SIGNET Family Night 7-8pm

PTO Spirit Night Nanados 5-9pm

November 16- Report Cards go home

November 16-18- CoGAT Testing

November 18- PTO Science Night 6-8pm

November 20- Family Night Skate and Fun Zone

November 23-25- Thanksgiving Break

Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Families:

October was a great month for teaching and learning at

Gravely Elementary. We celebrated Bully Prevention month

with two school wide assemblies and daily activities that

highlighted our amazing students and their Quality Behav-

iors. As we move into November it will mark the end of our

first quarter and give the opportunity to celebrate our stu-

dents for their effort and accomplishments. This month we

are looking forward to celebrating our Veterans, PTO

Science Night, and ending the month reflecting on all that

we are thankful for. As always, our goal is “Inspiring

Passions and Innovation.”

Mr. Kelchlin Principal Mrs. Zeffiro Asst. Principal

Gravely Connection November 2016

Childhood Cancer Awareness Fundraiser (September)

Gravely Elementary students and community raised

$2,494.14 which was donated to Alex’s Army

Students sharing their work during Writ-ers Celebrations

5th Grade Project Based Learning—Presenting field trips to Admin Stomping out Bullying

Mr. Schoenberg presenting on Cyber Security

Attendance: If your child will be absent from school, you may use the online

absence form to report the absence. It is on the Gravely website, under

ATTENDANCE. By submitting the form, you do not need to call the office to

report the absence nor do you need to write an actual note.

First Grade In first grade students are busy being scientists as they

observe the changes outside…the sights and smells of Fall

surround them daily and they are writing and reading all

about them. Each first grader was giving a leaf challenge

after reading the book LEAF MAN by Lois Elhert. The stu-

dents are to collect a variety of leaves and create an ani-

mal out of them. It is so exciting to see these creations

come in and display them for all to see. Walk the first

grade hallway and see if you can guess where the leaf

man has gone and what he has seen!

Second Grade

Second Grade celebrated our anti-bullying

month with a teamwork exercise in each

classroom. Students learned that working

together creates a positive environment and

we can be more successful when we work

cooperatively. Students built a huge team

wall out of cups, solved the challenge of slid-

ing a gummy worm though a gummy life

saver, made team drawings, built castles out

of paper plates and played the mirror game.

It was a great day!

Kindergarten In October, Kindergarten was busy! We are learning about

what authors and illustrators do and we practice reading

and writing every day. We learned how to be a good

friend and include others in our play. We got to visit all

the different kindergarten classrooms and participated in

team building activities. In science, we have been

observing the changes outside as the fall season arrives.

Third Grade October was a busy month for 3rd Grade. We had Bully-Prevention Week, National Writing Day, a live animal presenta-

tion and we ended it off with Book Character Day. November looks to be busy as well. We have our first ever STEAM

Day planned for Wednesday, November 9th and our trip to the National Zoo on Thursday, November 10th.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade has been working

on mastering their multiplica-

tion facts. Multiplication facts

are the foundation for the units

they will complete throughout

the year. One class started a

multiplication challenge in or-

der to improve their facts. The

picture below shows the display

in their classroom where they

get to write their name if they

'master' that fact! Be sure to

practice your multiplication

facts at home, or in the car or

even while you eat breakfast.

There is always time to squeeze

in math and 'multiple' ways to

make it fun!

SIGNET In the SIGNET room this month, we have been practicing using our

skills of thinking like an agent by engaging in some historical investi-

gations. Students had to make observations about several images,

ask quality research questions to help them find more information,

and then carry out the "investigation" of those questions. Then they

used their collected evidence to form and support an hypothesis

about what was going on in the images. The investigations led them

to make connections between prior knowledge and what new facts

they were able to uncover. All connections led them to a deeper un-

derstand of the historical time period of the Jamestown Colony and

also of the field of forensic anthropology where scientists learn more

about the past by solving "mysteries".

Mrs Kimble will be heading to Walt Disney World in the first part of

November to attend the National Association for Gifted Children's

annual conference. She will be a presenter at that conference sharing

about the exciting things that Gravely Elementary is doing with Project

Based Learning and STEAM challenges in the regular classrooms.

Mrs. Kimble and Mrs. Browngold recently attended the Superinten-

dent's Business Breakfast to share information about the SPARK grant

that our school received to carry out the project FULL STEAM AHEAD

in 5th GRADE. The business donors and county administrators were

very happy to see what our school has been doing to help students.

Fifth Grade Fifth grade has been hard at work exploring the Northeast re-

gion. Students took a "Virtual Field Trip" to Ellis Island to learn how

immigrants were treated when they entered America and the various

inspections they had to pass. Through cross curricular reading, we

have been learning about the importance of the Statue of Liberty to

immigrants and their families. Some books we enjoyed were Lady Lib-

erty: A Biography, A Picnic in October, and Choose Your Own Adven-

ture: Ellis Island. Students will now synthesize their understanding by

writing journal entries and creating scrapbooks from the perspective

of an immigrant.

Library

In the library our fifth graders have been busy creating book commercials for this year's Virginia Readers' Choice

books for our K-2 students. Fourth grade has been learning to cite different sources for their research and third

grade is learning how to access and use the library catalog. Our second graders have been practicing their ABC

order skills and placing fiction titles in order by the author's last name. Our first graders created their own word

trees as a follow up to reading Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hill. Kindergarten is learning that the alphabet is very

important in the organization of the library.

Physical Education

ARCHERY CLUB is a fun and safe way to stay active at

Gravely Elementary. Take a look at how focused and

awesome our 5th Grade Archers are:

Field Day is on Thursday November 3, 2016.

All students in grades K-5 will have an

opportunity to play, have fun, and experience

team events with their classmates and teach-

ers during this Olympic themed Field Day!

K-2 : 1:00pm 3-5: 9:00am

Music

The Gravely Groovers are a 4th and 5th grade chorus that

meets once a week. They are seen here rehearsing for their

winter concert on December 1st.

Basketball Club We are short of parent volunteers to help coach and referee this year. Our club is dependent upon volunteer

assistance. Unfortunately, if we do not have enough volunteers we will be unable to hold the club this year. We

understand that there is a time commitment but this club is very important to the students and it is very re-

warding. If anyone is able to volunteer to help keep our club running, please contact either Mrs. Kimble or Ms.

Smith ASAP. We will be making a decision regarding the future of the club by the parent conference day.

ART Art club members have been chosen through a blind lottery. There were many applicants so I have added a

second session. All members should have received a note in their Tuesday folders letting them know which ses-

sion they are in. The member names and copies of the acceptance letters, that have dates and times, are locat-

ed on the Gravely art website. Please contact Miss Bonner at bonnersl@pwcs.edu with any questions.

All students have been creating sculptures out of clay. They are beyond excited about these projects and will be

painting them in the next few weeks. Look for them to start coming home towards the end of November.

Food Allergies: Please take a moment to watch the attached clip from National Geographic on food aller-

gies and the impact it has on students in school Article about Food Allergies

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to see the amazing things happening daily:

@ESGRAVELY @GravelyElementary

COUNSELORS’ CONNECTION

THIS MONTH IN CLASSROOM GUIDANCE – NOVEMBER

Kindergarten: Students will be learning about the responsibilities of being a student worker in a school, such as work-

ing quietly and completing assignments.

Grade 1: Students will understand the importance of goal-setting and perseverance. Students will identify an academ-

ic goal and develop a plan to achieve it.

Grade 2: Students will understand the importance of goal-setting and perseverance. Students will identify an academ-

ic goal and develop a plan to achieve it.

Grade 3: Students will understand and recognize various ways to achieve good study skills through participation in a

team game.

Grade 4: Students will practice organizing materials and write an individual plan for staying organized this school year.

Grade 5: Students will demonstrate individual initiative and teamwork through the completion of a group paper tower

building activity.

OPERATION TURKEY FOOD DRIVE

Food is being collected at Gravely Elementary School from October 24 - November 10, 2017 to support efforts by

Northern Virginia Family Service and SERVE which provide Thanksgiving meals to more than 800 families in the Great-

er Prince William area.

Suggested donations by grade level:

Kindergarten - tea/coffee/cocoa, boxed desserts, instant mashed potatoes

First Grade - muffin/Bisquick/cornbread mix, peanut butter, jelly

Second Grade - stuffing mixes, cranberry sauce, rice, flour and sugar

Third Grade - canned fruit, applesauce, dried pasta, sauces

Fourth Grade - canned vegetables, canned sweet potatoes, jello and pudding

Fifth Grade - canned pumpkin, gravy, soups

Please do not send in glass jars. Thank you for your support!

SMALL GROUP COUNSELING

In the next few weeks, we will be sending information home to families requesting parent referrals for social/

emotional counseling groups that will be facilitated during the second and third quarters. 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.

Advisory Council What is the Advisory Council?

The advisory council is a group of parents that represent the different areas within Gravely boundaries, along with staff mem-

bers, and the schools administration. The Advisory Council holds monthly meetings to provide input on matters relating to the

school: from finance to instruction. Throughout the year they work collaboratively to monitor the implementation of our School

Plan, and ensure a high quality education for all of our stakeholders.

How does the council affect me?

The council needs your input! If you have a concern, see a need, have a suggestion, or are pleased about something going on at

Gravely, then let us know. Please contact a member of the council or come to a council meeting and share your thoughts. Also,

15 minutes of the advisory council meeting will be designated citizens’ time and any staff member, parent, or member of the

council may address the advisory council. Each person will have 3 minutes.

Staff Representatives Email Address

Mr. Michael Kelchlin Staff kelchlM@pwcs.edu

Mrs. Alyse Zeffiro Staff zeffirax@pwcs.edu

Mrs. Rosales Staff rosalebj@pwcs.edu

Ms. Baird Staff bairdbdm@pwcs.edu

Mrs. Seidl Staff seidlas@pwcs.edu

Mrs. Moose Staff mooselx@pwcs.edu

Parent Representatives Area Email Address

Mrs. Alyson Munn Area 1 alyson907@gmail.com

Mrs. Claudia Patten Area 2 c.patten3@gmail.com

Mrs. Mae Earman Area 3 dmearman@comcast.net

Mrs. Sunny Hakimpour Area 4 Hakimpour1701@yahoo.com

Mr. Marvin Harley Area 5 mharley1991@gmail.com

Mrs. Ashley Cavossa Area 6 abasquin@gmail.com

Mrs. Jennifer Penninger Member at Large JenniferPenninger@gmail.com

Mrs. Caroline Dickens Member at Large crdickens@verizon.net

Mr. Haran Levenberg Member at Large hplevenberg@gmail.com

Upcoming Fundraiser

Gravely is holding a Read - A-Thon November 10th -30th. Read -A- Thon is a fundraiser that raises money by focusing on

reading. All proceeds will be used to buy new technology for our school. The goal is for each reader to complete 10 reading

sessions which your child will do at school. Donors are asked to support your child's reading effort. Donations are paid online

so there’s no cash collection by your

readers. A flyer will be coming home

shortly explaining how to set up your

child's Read - A - Thon page. We hope

to raise money to cover the cost of 2

new SMARTBOARDS while your child

works on their reading skills.

Gravely Technoloogy Needs

Classroom Tech Needed # Needed Cost Total Notes

SMARTBOARD 11 $5,500 $60,500 Need Replacement

SMARTBOARD 13 $5,500 $71,500

8yrs old: replace-ment needed in near future

Total Cost $132,000