Graves (K-5) Sailor Newsletter

*Para español por favor haga clic en "Translate” en la esquina superior

It was great seeing a lot of our families during last weeks "Trunk-A-Treat" family event!

We hope to see you during for our Family STEAM Night. Also, please be on the lookout for Parent Teacher Conference Information from our teachers.

Please see the following newsletter for important information.

Tuesday, November 4: Family STEAM Night (see flyer below for more information)

Tuesday, November 4: National STEM Day: Dress like a Scientist Day (see flyer below for more information)

Thursday, November 6: FALL Picture Retake (see flyer below for more information)

Thursday, November 6: 2nd Grade Field Trip to Shedd Aquarium (Uniform Required)

Friday, November 14: Cafecito with the Principals (see flyer below for more information)

Friday, November 14: PBIS Spirit Day: Pajama Day (see flyer below for more information)

Friday, November 14: End of 1st Trimester

Thursday, November 20: 4th Grade Field Trip to Stahl Family Theater (Uniform Required)

Friday, November 21: Graves Turkey Trot (out of uniform day-athletic wear/more information coming soon)

Friday, November 21: Report Cards sent home

Monday, November 24: Parent Teacher Conferences 12:30PM-6:30PM (No School for students)

Tuesday, November 25: Teacher Institute Day (No School for students)

Wednesday, November 26 - Friday, November 28: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

Monday, December 1: Classes Resume

Please remember that every Wednesday is a late start 8:50AM-2:50PM

All meetings are scheduled for 7pm on the second Wednesday of the month.

JOIN US!

November 11, 2025

Walsh Elementary School (Walsh Spotlight)

December 9, 2025

Admin Center

January 13, 2026

Walker Elementary School (Walker Spotlight)

February 10, 2026

Admin Center

March 10, 2026

Wharton Elementary School (Wharton Spotlight)

April 14, 2026

Admin Center

May 12, 2026

Graves Elementary School (Graves Spotlight)

June 9, 2026

Admin Center

Stay connected - find all district and community events all in one place.

Check out the following page for links and details on upcoming workshops, as well as

fun Family and Community events!

Registration forms were sent with students last week. If you need another copy,

please contact the office.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be on Monday, November 24th from 12:30-3:00 PM and 4:00--6:30 PM.

Teachers will be reaching out to start setting up appointments.

Remember, that you are given this time to have a conversation regarding your child's academics.

Students do not attend school on this day

At Graves we use Standards-Based Grading for grades K-4.

A standards based reporting system is designed to clearly communicate student performance and inform parents about their child’s progress towards achieving

specific learning standards and expectations.

Your child's performance is being measured against the standard, rather than being

compared to other students in the class.

What does a 4 (Meeting) mean?

A student who receives a 4 means...

• Student is secure in the grade level standard.
• Student understands and applies the grade level standard.
• Student independently & consistently applies grade level concept.

What does a 3 (Developing) mean?

A student who receives a 3 means...

• Student is developing understanding of the grade level standard.
• Student is starting to apply the grade level standard.
• Student is starting to apply grade level concept & skill.

What does a 2 (Experimenting) mean?

A student who receives a 2 means...

• Student is inconsistent in understanding & applying the grade level standard.
• Student has not fully mastered grade level standard.
• Student needs assistance in applying the grade level standard.

What does a 1 (Beginning) mean?

A student who receives a 1 means...

• Student has not yet mastered grade level standard.
• Student is not yet making progress toward understanding the grade level standard.
• Student needs continued support & assistance to apply the grade level standard.

Something to Remember

The "1-4" scale is not comparable to the traditional "A-F' letter scale

and are not to be compared to traditional letter grades

A "3" cannot be considered a "B," just as a "4" cannot be considered an "A."

A score of "4" shows that your child is performing at grade level. If that performance is maintained throughout the year, your child will be on track to meet the end of year standard.

5th Grade students will now be receiving traditional A-F grades

All proceeds will help fund school wide PBIS events we have planned for our students throughout the year. Please see the attached flyer for more information……

We ask that parents do not send in birthday treats for students to distribute. Please read below, as taken from the 2025-2026 District 104 Handbook:

Treats & Snacks [K-5] 1.80 Due to health concerns and scheduling, no birthday treats are allowed. Treats will be limited to certain school-wide celebrations.

The fall weather is here! Students will continue going out for recess every day. Please make sure that your child wears appropriate sweater/jacket to school.

It is recommended that you write your child's name on their belongings as there's always plenty of items left over after lunch/recess.

October Focus – Self-Regulation
All children experience big feelings. Teaching self-regulation skills helps them manage emotions in healthy ways. Practice calm-down strategies such as deep breathing, stretching, or squeezing a stress ball. Modeling these strategies as adults (“I feel frustrated, so I’m going to take a deep breath”) helps kids learn that it’s okay to pause and regroup.

🎃 As we head into a fun weekend of costumes and candy,

remember to keep health and safety in mind!

Trick-or-Treating Safety
Make sure costumes fit properly and don’t drag on the ground to prevent tripping. Add reflective tape or carry flashlights so children can be easily seen after dark. Remind kids to stay on sidewalks, cross streets at corners, and always walk with an adult or in a group. Check candy before eating...only enjoy treats that are sealed and packaged!

Boo to germs! Wash your hands after fall fun!

Remind children to wash their hands with soap and warm water. Handwashing removes germs picked up from doorbells, candy bowls, and other high-touch surfaces, helping to keep everyone healthy.

Healthy Smiles After the Treats
After enjoying those Halloween goodies, don’t forget to brush and floss! Brushing after eating candy helps prevent cavities and keeps teeth healthy. Encourage your child to drink water between treats and save sweets for mealtime when saliva production helps protect teeth.

Speaking of smiles..

Miles of Smiles Dental Program will be coming to HMS/Graves on Monday & Tuesday, February 2-3, 2026. Permission slips will be coming home but if you would like to sign up online, please click on the QR Code attached or link listed below.

PowerForm Signer Information | Docusign

Nurse Tina, Nurse Anita & Ms. Oli

Please help us raise money for our student's PBIS events by scanning the following QR Code!

Please see the following presentation for more information on how you can help our school.

In the event of any absence, the student’s parent or guardian is required to call the school before 8:00 a.m. to explain the reason for the absence. If a call has not been made to the school by 10:00 a.m. on the day of a student’s absence, a school official will call the home to inquire why the student is not at school. If the parent or guardian cannot be contacted, the student will be required to submit a signed note from the parent or guardian explaining the reason for the absence. Failure to do so shall result in an unexcused absence.

Student attendance is critical to the learning process. A parent or guardian who knowingly and willfully permits a child to be truant is in violation of State law. Truancy is therefore a serious issue and will be dealt with in a serious manner by the school and district.

Students who miss more than nine regular school days without valid cause are chronic truants. Students who are chronic truants will be offered support services and resources aimed at correcting the truancy issue. A student who misses 10 consecutive days of school without valid cause and who cannot be located or, after exhausting all available support services, cannot be compelled to return to school is unenrolled.

D104 Action Plan for Truancy:

The District has a truancy intervention plan in place which will be implemented via social worker and administrators after a student starts being truant. For example, truancy letter sent home, student and parent meeting, and more. For more information, please look over our districts handbook.

9 days of absences

o A truancy letter regarding absence concerns (indicating the dates of absences) will be mailed. A copy will be placed in the student’s temporary file.

o Meeting with the student (when appropriate)

18 days of absences

o A truancy letter will be mailed and added to their file.

o The building administrator will contact the family/guardian regarding concerns.

o Future absences will be marked as Truant unless accompanied by a doctor's note.

o An attendance intervention plan can be implemented via social worker and administrator.

21 Days of absences

o A truancy letter will be mailed on each subsequent absence and added to the file.

o The building administrator will facilitate meeting with parent to discuss concerns.

o Social worker will provide resources for student and/or family counseling as well as agency support.

o Attendance intervention plan will be restructured as needed. o Potential Involvement of the

Summit Police Department

o Contact the Intermediate Service Center for truancy

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays

Entrance 7:50a.m.

Dismissal 2:50p.m.

(Doors open at 7:30 for breakfast)

Wednesdays (Late Start)

Entrance 8:50a.m.

Dismissal 2:50p.m.

(Doors open at 8:30 for breakfast)

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd Grade: Door #4

3rd, 4th, 5th Grade: Door #5

For student safety, no students should be outside on the school grounds before

7:30AM (M,T,TH,F) 8:30AM (W)

For the safety of our staff and students, please do not bring dogs onto school property.

Thank you for your support!

Just a reminder that students should be taking care of their technology devices, especially when they take them home.

As stated in the student handbook the policy states:

The district will assume the cost of parts and labor associated with all repairs deemed due to natural failure. If the technical department determines a failure due to damage, the student will be responsible for any hardware costs needed to return the device to a functional state. The district will assume all labor costs associated with damage repairs. Cosmetic damage will not be charged or repaired.

• Sleeve/Cover Replacement ($10)
• Charger Replacement ($25)
• Keyboard Replacement ($25)
• Touch Screen Replacement ($115)
• iPad Replacement: ($300)
• Chromebook Replacement:

- $250 for a new device, Year 1

- $200 for a device that is 2 years old

- $150 for a device that is 3 years old

- $100 for a device that is 4 years old

Please review this months lunch menu with your child.

The following Graves students were chosen to be our

STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER

as they have demonstrated how to be

-RESPECTFUL

-RESPONSIBLE

-SAFE

As a reminder, students are allowed to wear their

"Student of The Month" T-Shirt with blue jeans on Fridays!

Showing our support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Take a look at all the learning that has been going on!

As always, we want to thank our staff for making sure our students are learning!

Unity Day celebrates and promotes kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying.

This is why students and staff at Graves Elementary wore orange clothing to send a united message that no one should feel alone and that everyone should be treated with respect.

Please remember that the previous information is for students in grades Kindergarten-5th only.

For more information about our PreK program please contact the

Pre-School Director, Kathleen Dunn at 708-546-7151 or at kdunn@sd104.us