Community Nest

"Relationships are the agents of change." Dr. Bruce Perry

Week of September 20- September 24, 2021

OUR GRAY HAWK MISSION STATEMENT

"OUR GRAY HAWK FAMILY works together to help students feel safe, loved, and inspired so they can be empowered learners and engaged citizens."

Student Council

We are so proud of all of OUR GRAY HAWK students for writing amazing speeches and sharing with their classmates why they should be on Student Council. Congratulations to our Student Council Representatives:



3rd Grade-


Brown: Kallum Holmes & Samuel Watson

Johnston: Elle Hoffman & Harper Bell


4th Grade-


Shupe: Caroline Ramsey & Baylie O’Callaghan

Storck: Elena Morgan & Cassia Harris


5th Grade-


Bartles: Jacob Nelson & Kami Skinner

Williamson: Ruxin Holmes & Dylan Pierce


Thank you to our Student Council sponsors - Mrs. Shupe and Mrs. Storck!

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Panorama

The Panorama survey will be given to students in grades 3 - 5 during the upcoming week by Miss Hubbard and Dr. Springer. The Panorama survey for Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is used to measure and grow OUR students social emotional skills and supports. Social Emotional Learning is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve goals, feel and show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. These skills help our students succeed in school, careers and life.


Panorama for Social Emotional Learning measures student growth on SEL topics such as Growth Mindset, Grit, Self-Management and Social Awareness. It also measures attitudes about supports in the environment such as school climate, teacher-student relationships, school safety and sense of belonging. Panorama for Social Emotional Learning gives educators evidence-based resources to use in classrooms as part of their regular classroom instruction, so we can grow in partnership with our students.

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Appropriate School Dress

There will be special spirit days when wearing pajamas to school is appropriate but we ask that students limit wearing pajamas to school to only those special occasions. Additionally, parents please be aware of the items that your child wears to school. Students may not wear items that advertise alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or show inappropriate sayings. Please also be aware of proper fit on pants and shirts. If you are ever in need of assistance with clothing or other supports, please know you can reach out to Dr. Springer, Miss Hubbard, our school counselor, or Mrs. Duke, our school social worker.

Walk to School Wednesday - October 6

Shout out to our first grade teacher, Mrs. Brown, for helping to organize our first Wellness Wednesday activity. On Wednesday, October 6 Gray Hawk will celebrate National Walk to School Day. We will meet at the pavilion located at 160th and Garden Circle at 8:20 on October 6 and arrive at school as the doors open. Parents are encouraged to attend the walk with us as well. Thank you!
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Mum Sale was a Big Success

Thank you to Suburban Lawn and Garden and our community for purchasing mums to support OUR GRAY HAWK students. Big shout out to OUR GRAY HAWK PTO for their time and dedication to organizing and ensuring that orders were picked up. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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Congratulations Mrs. Browns 2nd Graders Name that Baby Contest

Congratulations to Mrs. Brown's second grade class. They correctly identified 11 of OUR GRAY HAWK staff members. They will be receiving their prize this week. We will also be posting the photo answers this week.
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IT'S HOMECOMING WEEK!

We are so excited that it is HOMECOMING WEEK!


There are special spirit days and students are encouraged to dress up and have some fun!


Monday: Pajama Day - Roll out of bed and roll into school


Tuesday: Twin Day - Twinning is Winning! Dress alike!


Wednesday: Jersey Day - Show your support for your favorite team


Thursday: Decades Day (Wear clothes from your favorite decade)


Friday: Bobcat Pride Day


OUR GRAY HAWKS are invited to join our Homecoming float on Thursday, September 30. OUR GRAY HAWK PTO is sponsoring the float in the Homecoming parade. If your child wants to ride on our 90s themed float they will need to be dropped off at Holy Angels parking lot at 5:30. Make sure your child has used the restroom as there are no facilities to use on the route. Students can dress in 90s attire: tight rolled jeans, fanny packs, overalls, bomber jacket, football jerseys, etc. If your child would like to pass out candy, please bring individually wrapped candy. The parade concludes at the high school. Look for our float and we will release the children to their parent/guardian. Students may go with another adult that is not their parent or guardian, but we MUST have a written, signed note indicating who SPECIFICALLY they can go with.
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Promoting Diversity

As a part of our commitment to ensuring that our students are exposed to the contributions of people of color and from different backgrounds, we kicked off this past week by giving daily clues to a famous person from history that has made our world a better place. This past week, the students heard the following clues:


  • I was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. When I was six years old I had a best friend and we played together all the time. He was white and I was black. When we started going to school, he had to go to a school for only white kids and I had to go to a school for only black kids.



  • I was angry that my best friend could not play with me because I was black but my parents taught me how important it was to keep more love in my heart than hate.



  • When I was just 15 years old, I started going to college. It is in college that I learned about using love and peaceful protests to change unfair things especially the way black people were being treated in the United States.



  • On August 28, 1963 I gave one of the most famous and important speeches of my life. It was called the I Have a Dream Speech. One year later I received the Nobel Peace Prize.



  • In 1968, he was killed. He was only 39 years old when he died. Things are not perfect today but his influence has made our world a better place to live and his lessons have taught us the importance of living together in harmony instead of apart.


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Teachers discussed their guesses with their students each day until we revealed that the person of the week was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. They were then given a video that introduced OUR GRAY HAWKS to Dr. King and some of his many accomplishments. You can check out the video below:

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A Leader and a Hero

Diverse Literature

Jacqueline Woodson is an American author. She writes for both children and teens. She has served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2020. All of these very prestigious awards for writers.


She split her youth between South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York both of which have influenced her writing!


The featured book this week is The Day You Begin.


“There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.


Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael López's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.” Amazon


(Thank you Mrs. Kenton and Miss Quinby for another great author!)

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GRAY HAWK NEUROSCIENCE NEWS

In having a conversation this past week with friends from Butler University, we talked about the importance of relationships but someone made a comment that really stuck with me. She stated that relationships are the foundation of what we build with our students, each other, the community, etc but it really doesn't mean a whole lot if we don't feel SAFE. Safety is crucial for all of us. When we feel safe, we are more open to relationships, we feel better equipped to handle stress or other adversity that may come our way, and more. We have to remember that some stress is actually GOOD for us, but when we are constantly living in a state of stress that is where safety, relationships, even our health are negatively impacted. The video offers some practical suggestions about ways to manage the stress. We are all stressed right now but it is so important that we take the time to breathe and face things in stride. We are seeing this stress in our students. Please encourage them at home to "take a break". I know it is something that I have to constantly remind myself to do!


The video this week is from Sentis and is about Managing Stress for Safety.

Managing Stress for Safety
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For the latest information from OUR GRAYHAWK PTO check them out on Facebook @grayhawkpto458

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USD 458 Safe Return to School Plan 2021/2022

Please click the link for more information about USD 458's Safe Return to School Plan. Thank you.
Important Gray Hawk Documents

Calendars, Supply Lists, and More

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