Parents

Statement Recognizing Juneteenth Federal Holiday

The Graham Family of Schools (The Graham School, The Charles School, and Graham Elementary and Middle School) joins in solidarity in recognizing the long overdue new federal holiday of Juneteenth! This is an important new holiday recognizing the day that the last slaves were freed in the U.S. Since this was newly minted into law within the past 24 hours, we are trying to do our best to recognize the holiday while upholding our obligation to you and your student to continue to educate them in summer school and host normal school activities. This year we plan to maintain our open status and will not change the school day for Friday, June 18, 2021 (when many federal and state agencies are celebrating). We plan to integrate Juneteenth into our future academic calendars and celebrations. At this time, if you and your student wish to observe this holiday, this will not count against them for attendance for June 18, 2021. If you have questions, please direct them to the office at the respective school.

GEMS Parents

At GEMS, we rely on the support of our parents to help us foster and build the GEMS community. Please consider getting involved with your child's education through The Parent Group, by completing a Volunteer Form, or by Making a Donation to the school. For more information about becoming involved with the school, please contact our Dean, James Kutnow at [email protected]

GEMS is a School-wide Title 1 program, enabling us to receive Federal Funds to ensure that our students receive the support they need to reach and exceed grade level goals particularly in reading and math. We welcome parent involvement in planning, review and improvement of Title 1 programs including the family engagement policy and the schoolwide program plan. Please contact Debbie Addison at [email protected] with any questions.

The parent or guardian of each student enrolled at GEMS may request information on the professional qualifications of each classroom teacher who provides instruction to their student and the school will provide this information on each applicable teacher in a timely manner.

Bus Routes

Columbus City Schools Transportation routing system has changed drastically this year. If you are relying on the CCS bus to transport your student to GEMS, it is imperative you complete the online application as soon as possible. Here are important facts to keep in mind with regards to CCS Transportation:

= You may be eligible for a bus to GEMS via CCS Transportation if you reside in the Columbus City School District.
= Columbus City Schools Transportation typically routes students to a stop at the nearest CCS building to their home, which may be up to 2 miles away.
= All routing is completed by CCS Transportation via an online application system, which can be found by visiting https://www.ccsoh.us/Page/4818 and following the link that says "click here to begin your transportation request." The application process must be completed on a desktop or laptop computer, as the site is not compatible with mobile devices - smartphones or tablets.
= All routing information is shared with families via CCS Transportation. They will no longer be sharing the routes with schools. Additionally, schools are no longer allowed to issue temporary passes. Students will not have a bus until their online application is processed by CCS Transportation, which may still take up to 8 weeks.
= If you experience any issues with the online application system or have any doubt that your application was successfully submitted, you must call CCS Transportation at 614-365-5074 for assistance. Parents also have the option to visit the CCS Transportation Office at 1560 Moler Rd Columbus, OH 43207 for in person assistance with completing the online application.

Emergency Plan

GEMS considers the safety of all of its students and staff extremely important and a high priority of our work. In case of emergencies, families will be contacted in multiple methods; letters home, our texting communication service - Remind 101, mass e-mails, through website posts, and/or from an off-campus phone location at The Graham School (614.262.1111).

In case the school needs to arrange an emergency pick-up location, we will be relocating to The Ohio State University student union at 1739 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210. Any changes will be communicated through the same methods listed above.