Graceland Park - December 2024

Dear Graceland Park Families,

As we approach the end of the year, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving season. This time of year invites us to pause and reflect, and we truly have so much to be thankful for here at Graceland Park.

I am especially grateful to our families who support their children’s education by sending them to school each day, eager and prepared to learn and grow. Your commitment to their success makes a tremendous difference, and we couldn’t achieve our goals without your dedication. We are equally fortunate to have a team of exceptional teachers and staff who bring unwavering passion and energy to their work, fostering an environment where our students can thrive academically and personally.

As we look forward to the upcoming holiday season and winter break, I hope each of you has the opportunity to enjoy special moments with family and friends. May this season bring you joy, peace, and warmth, and may it be a time to recharge and reconnect.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in making Graceland Park a place where students can flourish. We are excited to finish the year strong and look forward to all the promise and possibilities that the New Year will bring!

With gratitude,
Ms. Mullally
Principal, Graceland Park

American Education Week 2024 Highlights

Our Student Government Association (SGA) organized a spirit week to celebrate American Education Week. Here are some photo snippets of what happened each day.

Monday was COSMIC DAY where students wore their "out of this world" items to school. Also, parents were invited to have breakfast with their child in the morning.

Festive Spirit Day happened on Tuesday. Students and staff members came dress as their favorite holiday!

Wednesday was TWIN day. Some besties and even some twins looked alike all day!

The week ended with us just rolling out of bed and coming to school in our pajamas. Everybody knows this is our favorite spirit week day!

We brought the animation and book character day alive on Thursday. Graceland even had a special guest... SPIDERMAN!

Important events for December 2024

December 3, Holiday Photos with Ms. Guth
December 4, Priority Budget Engagement Session, 7:45 & 2:30 in Cafeteria
December 5, Holiday Photos with Ms. Guth
December 9, Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3:30-6:00
December 11, Grade 3 Field Trip, 10:45-1:00,
The Nutcracker Matinee @ Baltimore School for the Arts
December 11, Grade 7 Field Trip, 9:30-12:30
December 12, Winter Concert, 5:00
December 14, High School Choice Fair, Time TBA
December 18, Pre-K & K - J.O. Club Visit, 9:00
December 20, Food Bank Distribution, 11:00
December 23-January 1, School Closed - Winter Break

Don't miss out on out annual Holiday Photo Fundraiser with Ms. Guth! Photos will only be taken Tuesday the 3rd and Thursday the 5th. You will recieve photos prior to winter break.

Join Principal Mullally in developing the school budget for next school year. This is an opportunity to share your voice about how funds are allocated to support our school. Your involvement is greatly needed and appreciated.

Graceland Park's Music Department is proud to present "Let it Snow, Let it Glow!". This frosty musical performances will help everyone get ready for the winter and holiday season. Join us December 12th starting at 5:00 in the school cafetorium. Students who are participating should arrive to school around 4:30 and go to the "staging area".

It is time for our eighth graders to take the next step in their education... HIGH SCHOOL! It is essential that all students, whether they are in grade 8 or not, look at their grades on a consistent basis to plan for their future. Eighth grade students should arrive no later than 9:00 on Saturday, December 14th to catch the bus to the choice fair. The bus will arrive back to Graceland around 12:00. Parent/Guardian(s) are encouraged to attend with their scholar. At any time you have questions about School Choice, contact our school counselors Ms. Orfanidis and/or Ms. Abad. Their emails are on our school website!

Below you will see our 8th graders had their own "Mini High School Choice" fair. Students were provided a resource sheet to write down facts that would help contribute to their decision. We are thankful to Ms. Orfanidis and Ms. Abad for organizing this event!

Select students in grades 4-6 had the opportunity to go see Annie the Musical at the Hippodrome Theater. The students had a great time gathering together on a Saturday and being responsible young teens!

Mrs. Iaquinto, Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Iaquinto began her academic journey at Kutztown University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Special Education for Students with Visual Impairments and Elementary Education. She later earned her master’s degree as a Reading Specialist from Loyola University Maryland.

With 14 years of experience, Mrs. Iaquinto has dedicated much of her career to teaching elementary grades at The Maryland School for the Blind. Mrs. Iaquinto joined Baltimore City Schools in 2021 as a Special Education teacher. This is her first year at Graceland Park, and she is excited to be a part of the school community.

Mrs. Iaquinto is passionate about helping students reach their full potential and ensuring they have access to a meaningful education.

Favorite Quote: “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” -Ignacio Estrada

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 December 2- Honesty - Honesty means telling the truth, no matter what consequences you mighty face. An honest person is trustworthy and genuine and does not lie, cheat, or steal. Honest is important because it lets others know that they can trust you and believe your promises and commitments.

Week of December 9- Forgiveness - Forgiveness is the choice to accent an apology from someone who hurt you. It is letting go of negative feelings, grudges, and any thoughts of revenge. It can take a lot of strength and courage to forgive others. Forgiveness is important because we all make mistakes sometimes and would like the opportunity to be forgiven ourselves.

Week of December 16 - Integrity - Integrity is doing the right thing, even when it's hard or no one is watching. It is acting in a way that is consistent with our values and beliefs. Some examples of how to show integrity are being honest, not spreading rumors or gossip, and returning lost money or items to the owner.

College & Career

Middle School students had the opportunity to go to Coppin State University this month. During the visit, students were able to explore the campus of the university and attend a collegiate basketball game with some of their superheroes.

Pre-Kindergarten students made their own applesauce by following a recipe! They cut the apples into pieces, put it in the crock pot, let the apple pieces warm up, mashed the apple pieces, then ate it as a healthy snack!

City Schools has expanded offerings for participation in sports to middle school students. Graceland Park is a proud partner and encourages all middle school students to participate. This session there are two sports offerings for scholars, Girls Volleyball & Co-ed Bocce.

Graceland Park is thankful for The Jonathan Ogden Club (JO Club) from Patterson High School who came to Graceland again and brought some Thanksgiving crafts to work on with our little learners. We are excited to say that they will be returning in December with a special holiday surprise for our students!

Every month we celebrate students who are Lion Leaders. These Lion Leaders exemplify Graceland's vision and mission of P.R.I.D.E.

Grade 3 is showcasing some excellent student work about creatures in the ocean! Great job!

Grade 5 wrote about the conflict between the Nez Perce and the U.S. government during their Module 1 unit.

Our Wellness Team is having a Bike Raffle to raise funds for their monthly incentives. Tickets are $1 and may be purchased from Ms. Senko and Ms. Goralski.

Students in Ms. Nizamoff's ELD group work in a small groups to improve instructional skills.

Ms. Carlini assists students in small group working on place value.

Damari J from grade 8 presented at the ASCBC convention for Baltimore City's Student Government Associations.

Group photo of our SGA representatives at the ASCBC convention.

The Green Team and 4th grade celebrated America Recycles Day on November 15th by repurposing recyclable materials into musical instruments. They put up informational posters around the building to encourage students and staff to recycle each and every day.

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.

As the weather turns colder, remember that all students will still go outside for recess if the "feels like" temperature is above 32 degrees and there is no precipitation forecasted.

Attendance — If your child has GREAT attendance, they will get to have their GLOW ON for our quarter two attendance incentive!

Calendar Reminder: School closed for Winter Break, December 23 - January 1.

Join us each month for Parent Power - a workshop tailored to parents to help their child at home with their education and provide them with resources. This month, Ms. Andrews presented strategies to assist with reading at home. Parents participated in activities and created some to take home with them. There will be no meeting in December, however, we have a great Parent Power planned for January. More information coming soon!

December is a month of celebrations. Celebrating and respecting diversity of our common and different cultures and beliefs. This is a month of reflecting on year 2024 and to move forward with best intentions. This is a month of leaving the negatives and shifting into the positives. May December give you courage, strength, confidence, patience, love and inner peace as you celebrate with your family.

On November 21st the Y after school scholars held a Mini-trot to raise money for the Y in Central Maryland Turkey Trot. Parents and staff members sponsored scholars and gave for as many times they ran around the school track. Monies raised will be used to support Y programs, such as sending children to summer Y camps free. Thank you parents and staff for helping the school meet its goal of $300.

The PTO had a successful Pupusas fundraiser on November 22nd. Thank you parents of Graceland for your hard work and dedication to the school and students. It is not too late to get involved in the Parent Teacher Organization. Come to our next meeting in December!

Our community and business partners continue to support in meeting the needs of families. Many families received Thanksgiving baskets. Thank you partners for your on-going support.

The Chess Club meets every Thursday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

If parents are having problems accessing ClassDojo or the Parent Portal, contact the school for assistance.

Finally, THANK YOU parents, community members, partners, and staff for your commitment. It is my pleasure partnering with you in supporting our scholars/families. I am always ready to assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Family & Community Newsletter December 2024

Important events for December 2024