• Grahamwood Elementary School's FAQ Sheet

     *What grades are included in the Optional Program?

    Students can qualify for the Optional program in 1st to 5th grades.

    *What are Grahamwood Elementary’s Optional School requirements?

    Students wishing to qualify for Grahamwood’s Optional Program must meet 80%tile on required tests plus have a B or better grade average, satisfactory or better conduct, and 15 or less unexcused attendance issues for the year.

    *What size are typical Optional classes?

    For 1st grade, there are typically about 20 students per class, adding a student per grade until topping out at approximately 25 students per 5th grade class.

    *What is the status of CLUE at Grahamwood?

    Grahamwood has approximately 350 PreK-5th grade CLUE students and seven full-time CLUE teachers. PreK CLUE was added in 2016-2017 and serves about 40 students per year.

    *What is the school model?

    Grahamwood Elementary utilizes the “school within a school” model whereby about half of the students are in the Optional program and half are in the more traditional Scholars program.  

    *What are the school hours?            

    Grahamwood’s school hours are 8:15 AM to 3:15 PM. At 8:00 AM, students can enter the building.

    *Is onsite daycare available?

    Onsite extended care is available from 7:00–8:00 AM and 3:15-6:00 PM. Two aftercare programs are offered: YMCA, and After-Math After-School Academy. Contact the school office for details.

    *What about student meals?

    All students are offered free meals. Lunch is free with about ½ of the students bringing lunch from home and ½ eating school lunches.

    *What are the colors of the school uniform?

    Pants and skirts are khaki, black or blue with tops being white, light blue, navy blue or Grahamwood logoed.

    *How does the school keep parents and stakeholders informed?

    Teachers communicate with parents and guardians routinely via phone, texts, websites, weekly reports, notes/letters, progress reports, report cards, assessments, conferences, and personal interactions. Our teachers keep parents informed and encourage their involvement in classroom activities. Our administration values strong, ongoing school-parent communication as evidenced by use of CLASS DOJO, informational phone calls, social media, the school website, and an open-door policy.

    *How is parental involvement encouraged?

    Grahamwood’s Parent Teacher Organization (GPTO) is one of the most active school support groups within Shelby County Schools (SCS). Parental involvement in daily activities at the school are not only encouraged but solicited. Grahamwood wants parents to participate in their children’s education, and at Grahamwood they do!

    *What support classes are offered?

    Students participate in daily support classes. These include a variety of creative, physical, and intellectually challenging programs, such as Science Lab, Art, Music, P.E., and Library.

    *What extra-curricular activities are available to students?

    Each year the extracurricular activities evolve based on student and parent requests. However, traditionally, Grahamwood offers chess, martial arts, strings, piano, guitar, cheerleading, tutoring, Spanish, Robotics, Math Club, ESL Club, basketball, gymnastics, ballet, tap, Beta Club, and more.

    If you have questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Hope at hopemr@scsk12.org