Dear GEMS Families,
We hope that you and your family had a healthy and enjoyable end to 2020! As we previously stated, we will be making decisions regarding our mode of learning at the beginning of each month. Due to the current trends in COVID-19 cases, we will continue distance learning for the entire month of February. We are, however, hopeful that in the future it will be safe enough to begin some in person learning. There are two main factors that will contribute to our ability to do this: access to the vaccine for school staff and the level of risk for transmission in schools for Franklin County. We will use the CDC core indicators for risk of transmission of COVID-19 in schools, shown in the table below, to determine the safety and feasibility of a return to in-person schooling. The entire table can be found here. Based on data as of January 7 from the CDC, Franklin County currently falls into the higher risk and highest risk of transmission in schools categories for the first two core indicators.
As we continue to make decisions for the coming months, we will closely monitor the case numbers in Franklin County. We also await more guidance from Governor DeWine about access to the vaccine for educators, which he has stated will be prioritized in the next phase of vaccinations. We will continue in our current, virtual, format through February and will update our school community by February 5 with information regarding March.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Thursday, January 14 - Grades 5-8 Virtual Celebration of Learning 6:00-7:00 pm
Friday, January 15 - End of Semester 1
Monday, January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
Tuesday, January 19 - Semester 2 Begins
Wednesday, January 27 - Semester 1 report cards mailed to families
GEMS Family Crew
Save the Date for 2021 Family Crew!
Date: January 28, 2021
Time: 6pm – 6:45pm
Where: Virtual via Zoom
January Focus: Mindfulness
All GEMS families are invited and encouraged to attend!
Crew is a GEMS core practice that brings our community together to promote shared understandings and encourage all community members to become Crew, not passengers. Crew is a vehicle for developing and supporting students socially, emotionally and academically. It is also an engine for equity and inclusion, a place where all students feel they belong and can succeed.
We have expanded this work to include Family Crews to engage and connect our families with our Crew culture. This year we are hosting 5 evening Family Crew sessions and offering an accompanying Family Crew workbook. Join us on January 28!
All 2021 Family Crew Dates: January 28; February 25; March 25; April 22; May 13
Resources for Families
The Social Experience Project - If you are interested in signing your student up for this opportunity, please contact Christopher Farris at [email protected]
Please visit our GEMS School Counseling website for community resources! Included in the website are resources for the following areas:
COVID-19 testing
Support with food
Homelessness
Utility bill assistance
Career support
Appliance, car repair, furniture bank, rent/mortgage, and transportation assistance
Mental health support
Sending safe and healthy thoughts!
GEMS Administration and Staff