Graceland Park-O'Donnell Heights Elementary/Middle School #240
Family & Community Newsletter - April 2025
Dear Graceland Park Families,
Spring is upon us! With flowers blooming and the weather getting warmer, we are entering the final quarter of the school year. This is a critical time for students as we make a strong push toward academic success in reading, writing, and math.
As we approach the end of the school year, we encourage a continued focus on reading fluency and vocabulary development, as well as math fluency in addition and multiplication. Reinforcing these skills at home will support students in building confidence and mastery as they prepare for the next grade level.
In April, after Spring break, students in Grade 3-8 will be taking the Maryland statewide assessment, MCAP, for Reading and Math, and Social Studies. MCAP is the state’s measure of growth for our students and school. It is important for families to support their child during this period with the following MCAP Tips:
Ensure your child is well-rested and goes to bed early.
Ensure your child eats their breakfast at home or here at school.
Encourage your child to do their best and show how much they have learned. Thank you for your continued support
With the arrival of sunny days, many students are spending more time outdoors after school. Please remind them to play safely and follow school guidelines. We also want to emphasize that students are not permitted to remain on school grounds after dismissal unless they are under the supervision of school staff. Additionally, for their safety, students must not climb or jump the school fence, as this is extremely dangerous.
Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a safe and productive learning environment. We appreciate your partnership in your child’s education and look forward to a strong finish to the school year!
Johanna Mullally, Principal
Important events for April 2025
April 1, Start of Quarter 4
April 4, Lion Leader Incentive
April 7, Class & Individual Photos
April 9, Grade 8 Field Trip, A Midsummer's Night Dream, 10:30-2:00
April 11, Career Day
April 14 - April 21, Spring Break!
April 22 - April 25, Science Fair & Earth Week
April 23, Mother's Day Photo Fundraiser with Ms. Guth
April 23, ASCBC (SGA) Spring Meeting, 9:00-2:00
April 24, Grade 4 Field Trip, Fort McHenry, 8:00-2:00
April 25, Mother's Day Photo Fundraiser with Ms. Guth
April 27, Girls on the Run 5K Event, Druid Hill Park, 7:00-1:00
April 28 & 30, Grades 6-8 MCAP Testing
April 30, Pre-K & K, JO Club Visit, 9:00
April 30, Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3:00-6:00
Don't forget our annual Mother's Day Photo Fundraiser is coming up! Ms. Guth will provide information on ordering prior to Spring Break.
After spring break, students in grades 3-8 will participate in MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) testing. Encourage your child to do their best as this is a reflection of their learning. Remind them to actively attempt all questions and use testing strategies that are taught in the classroom.
Our Science Fair is coming up after spring break! Watch this video to learn more information about it. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Garcia at hgarcia01@bcps.k12.md.us
Do you have an interesting career? Want to help the school but don't know how? Graceland Park is looking for volunteers to present at our annual Career Day on April 11th. Please contact Ms. Orfanidis or Ms. Abad if you are interested or have any quesitons.
Do you know a child who will be 4 or 5 by September 1, 2025? If so, it is time for them to be registered for PreK or Kindergarten at Graceland Park Elementary/Middle School! Spread the word to family, friends, neighbors, and anyone who may have a child who is 4 or 5!
The last afternoon and evening Parent-Teacher Conferences is Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Contact your child's teacher to set up an appointment.
Ms. Goralski aka Ms. G., School Social Worker
Ms. Goralski is one of the school social workers at Graceland Park. This is her sixth year here at Graceland Park and she has been with City Schools for 11 years. Prior to working in the school system, Ms. Goralski was a social worker for medically fragile children in foster care.
Ms. Goralski was born and raised in Anne Arundel County. She graduated from Salisbury University with her Master's in Social Work in 2008. Ms. Goralski has two boys, Phoenix and Kingston. She spends her free time with family and being a boy mom at the football field or basketball court. Ms. Goralski loves the summer, warm weather, and anything to do with the beach!
"The reason I wanted to become a social worker was to be able to help others. I have always loved working with kids, and I strive to make a difference in their lives. I love being able to make a connection with students and to be able to give them a safe space to connect and share their experiences, good or bad. It makes me happy to be able to continue to serve the Graceland Park community."
Favorite quote: "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try it." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Each morning, a character trait is highlighted on morning announcements. These character traits embody the spirit of a Graceland Park scholar. Here are the words that will be highlighted this month.
Week of March 31 – Leadership - Leadership is being in a position to influence, motivate, and guide others towards achievement of a goal. There are many different styles of leadership but successful leaders have the following skills: active listening, empathy, clear communication, and critical thinking. Can you think of other skills or traits that make a good leader? How will you be a leader in your classroom?
Week of April 7- Trustworthiness - Trustworthiness is the ability to be relied upon as an honest and truthful person. This is an important quality because trust is what great relationships are built on and something that people look for in a friend, partner, or classmate. Some ways to prove that you are trustworthy are keeping promises, always telling the truth, and following through with what you say you are going to do.
Week of April 22 - Inspiring - To inspire someone is to motivate and excite them. People who inspire us are those we look up to and admire based on their qualities or past actions or contributions. Inspirational people often motivate others to help make the world a better place through their words and actions. Who is someone that inspires you and how will you inspire others?
Week of April 28 - Wellness - Wellness is how we measure many different kinds of health. This may include our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health. It is important to focus on our wellness so we can stay healthy, feel good, and be productive. Strategies for strengthening our wellness is called self-care. What are some self-care things you do?
Do you know know CORE is?
CORE is a low-tech visual tool to help facilitate communication. CORE vocabulary is made up of 80% of what we say throughout the day. The CORE vocabulary board is made up of what City Schools determined to be the 50 most appropriate words students use during the academic day. Our goal is to use this tool school-wide to help increase communication and understanding for our students, especially in the early childhood grades.
Our April CORE focus words are put and out.
Third grade students went on an exciting field trip to the National Aquarium. While at the aquarium, they visited exhibits and learned valuable facts from the Aquarist (a specialist who works at the aquarium).
Our very own 7th grader Jose participated in the Science Olympiad Regional Tournament at Morgan State University. In the New Teams League, he placed 3rd in Potions & Poisons, 4th in Disease Detectives, and 6th in Crime Busters! We are so proud of him representing Graceland Park and look forward to see what he can do next school year!
The third grade team hosted a parent workshop to provide parents with no-prep resources that can help support learning at home.
St. Patrick's Day was a great time in Pre-K. Students used their fine motor skills to make a rainbow out of Froot Loops and sorted out Lucky Charms to graph how many of each kind of marshmallows. It was a magically delicious time had by all!
Sixth graders dissected yellow perch in science class. The students learned about internal and external structures in their unit "Where Have All The Creatures Gone?"
Kindergarten and Pre-K had another fantastic visit from the Jonathan Ogden Club (JO Club) from Patterson High School. The JO Club helped us celebrate Read Across America Day with engaging read alouds, fun activities, and a visit from The Cat in the Hat himself! We are proud to have this joint partnership with the JO Club that has been going on for TWENTY YEARS! A special shout out to Coach Kelley for her continued leadership of this special organization!
Physical Education & Health
PK-2nd Grade:
The elementary students will be continuing a new unit focused on Yoga and body movements. The main focuses are flexibility and keeping proper control of their body through challenging movements. We are excited to welcome Beyond Fit Yoga to guide the students through new and exciting activities.
3rd-5th Grade:
The intermediate students will be working on a new sport called Hoop Ball. They will focus on their hand eye coordination through throwing and catching with one hand. They will be learning new skills and techniques for teamwork and developing strategies to master a new activity.
6th-8th Grade:
The middle school students will be continuing a new hybrid unit focused around racquet sports. The combination of learning tennis basics and translating that into paddleball will challenge them in a new way using the racquets as an extension of their body. They will also focus on teamwork and working in a confined environment to develop their special awareness.
Music
Ms. Lisondra: Our students have been actively engaged in music class! It’s wonderful to see their progress as they build confidence and creativity through music.
Pre-K students are exploring sounds, movement, and rhythm through fun musical activities.
1st graders are developing their musical skills through singing, rhythm exercises, and introductory instrument playing.
4th graders are learning to play the xylophone, practicing coordination and melody.
5th graders are focusing on reading musical notes, building a strong foundation for playing instruments.
7th & 8th graders are learning to play the keyboard, focusing on finger placement, rhythm, and reading notes.
Library, Media, & Foreign Language
Ms. Guth:
PreK-2nd Grade has been celebrating Women's History Month by reading stories about inspiring women like Mae Jemison, Mary Walker and Temple Grandin.
3rd-5th Grade learned how to use Google Slides to make stop-motion animation videos. Check out an example from on of our students.
Visual Art
Ms. Kyriakakos: Pre-K, 4th grade, and Kindergarten have created fully recyclable artwork. As Earth day approaches, students are mindful of the importance in recycling and re-using materials. I have presented their hard work on the walls outside the art room.
Ms. Bogan: The Art and Garden Club is collecting bottle tops for our Earth Day Project. We encourage donating water bottles with tops to the Green Team for their project too, but we will gladly take any other plastic tops you have. Check out the current collection so far to see the varieties and colors we have so far!
Visit our school website for the most updated information and calendar events
Grade level newsletters will be posted on the school website by the 10th of each month! Check out what your child is learning in their class!
Attendance matters! Make sure you have your child come to school every day and on time! With GREAT ATTENDANCE (absent two days or less) comes special perks. See the flyer below for the quarterly attendance incentive.
Parking - Do not double park or yield to let passengers out of your vehicle on the streets around the school. This is for the safety of ALL students. All vehicles picking up students at dismissal should be parked on Gusryan as that is the designated "car rider" area.
If your child has GREAT attendance, they will get to participate in the Kona Ice Truck for our quarter four attendance incentive!
City Schools has explicit guidelines for what is permitted and not permitted for dress code in our schools. Please look at the flyer that was published at the beginning of the school year for a reminder of the protocol.
Our next Parent Power meeting will be held in May. Parents will be given ways to continue summer learning with your child with over the summer. Miss Andrews has a bunch of great activities planned for this event!
April is National Volunteer Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of volunteers. Graceland Park-O’Donnell Heights School appreciates all that our volunteers do in helping the school and scholars achieve their goals.
The PTO members are very active in assuring that the needs of staff and scholars are being met. We thank them for all of their efforts. PTO members will be having a papusa fundraiser on April 9th. Don’t forget to put your order in to help support the PTO.
We are on third base heading for home as the end of the school year is quickly approaching. Keep encouraging scholars to continue working hard to achieve their goals.
The Y in Central Maryland at Graceland Park will not have a summer camp this year. The school will host a half day summer camp. More information will be coming out on Graceland’s social media platforms about this soon.
As always, I want to thank all stakeholders for your dedication and support in working together to achieve the school’s mission and vision.
Have a great, restful, awesome Spring Break.
Ms. Scribner, Community Schools Coordinator
Below you will see pictures from the Y After School Clean Water STEM Showcase & our field trip to Masonville Cove.
