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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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]
Mrs. Alyse Zeffiro Staff [email protected]
Mrs. Rosales Staff [email protected]
Ms. Baird Staff [email protected]
Mrs. Seidl Staff [email protected]
Mrs. Moose Staff [email protected]
Parent Representatives Area Email Address
Mrs. Alyson Munn Area 1 [email protected]
Mrs. Claudia Patten Area 2 [email protected]
Mrs. Mae Earman Area 3 [email protected]
Mrs. Sunny Hakimpour Area 4 [email protected]
Mr. Marvin Harley Area 5 [email protected]
Mrs. Ashley Cavossa Area 6 [email protected]
Mrs. Jennifer Penninger Member at Large [email protected]
Mrs. Caroline Dickens Member at Large [email protected]
Mr. Haran Levenberg Member at Large [email protected]
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