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

I just cannot say enough about OUR PARAS at GRAY HAWK. We are incredibly fortunate to have Nicole, Jim, Angela, Dena, Joni, Judi, Nicki, Melissa, Debbi, Amber, Holly, and Shannon serving OUR students. Your impact is phenomenal and we would not be able to do what we do without YOU! Thank you so much for showing up, loving kids, and helping OUR GRAY HAWK STUDENTS and STAFF to be the best we can be! WE LOVE YOU!

A huge shout out to OUR Structured Learning Classroom teachers Mrs. Loseke and Mrs. Ford for helping to organize an amazing World Autism Celebration last week. They hung up puzzle pieces around Gray Hawk providing information and facts about autism so that we could all learn more about autism. Huge shout out to Mrs. Gay and her children Bianca and Jackson for melting crayons down and creating unique puzzle pieces for each of OUR GRAY HAWKS to remind them that, like the puzzle pieces, they are unique. OUR students in SLC also planned our NEST activity on Monday and we were able to learn more about autism from them in addition to hearing a story about autism and hearing what makes OUR students unique when they explained the activity we would be doing that day.

Please check out the video below of OUR kindergarten friend Abel leading OUR NEST Mindfulness activity. Thank you, friend!

We have scheduled a COMMUNITY CONVERSATION centering around the biology of stress and * possible * explanations for some of what we are seeing in our schools nationwide regarding dysregulation and what we can do to begin to address these needs.

This event is scheduled for Sunday, May 1 in the Gray Hawk Gym. The doors will open at 5:30 with a brief introduction at 5:50. The film will begin promptly at 6:00, followed by a Community Conversation with everyone in attendance in small groups (lead by Gray Hawk staff) about the information presented and considerations for where we can go next to work TOGETHER to support not only OUR students, but one another.

This film is NOT for children and we would ask that you not bring them to this particular Community Conversation. Thank you for your consideration.

Major Saver Card envelopes were sent home this past week. The Major Saver card promotes local businesses and raises money directly for Gray Hawk and the Basehor Linwood Educational Foundation. This campaign will run from Monday April 11 - Thursday April 21. Thank you for supporting this opportunity for Gray Hawk.

State Assessments went very well this week. Congratulations to our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders for putting their best foot forward! Math State Assessments begin on Monday. Please be mindful of the testing schedule next week in the mornings. Thank you!

This week we will continue to celebrate the books we were able to purchase with the Basehor Linwood Education Foundation Grant. These books also focus on celebrating the way we are all unique and special!

Our featured story this week is Roll With It by Jamie Sumner. In the tradition of Wonder and Out of My Mind, this big-hearted middle grade debut tells the story of an irrepressible girl with cerebral palsy whose life takes an unexpected turn when she moves to a new town. Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker.

Each week we will provide clues to the identity of someone from throughout history that has made an important impact on our world. We provide these clues each morning and then reveal the person to OUR GRAY HAWKS on Friday morning with a brief video. Here are the clues from this past week.

Monday: I was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 29, 1947. I was diagnosed with autism in 1950 at the age of 3. Back then, many people who were diagnosed with autism were discriminated against and a lot were sent to live in hospitals away from their families because people did not understand much about autism. My parents did not do this because they were very supportive of me and learning more about what they can do to help me.

Tuesday: When I was 8 years old, my mom scheduled a party so that I could practice social skills by welcoming people and helping to take their coats. Because of my autism, I did not think in terms of words, but I did think a lot in pictures in my mind. I was very smart but school was very hard for me. I was teased and bullied a lot for being different. I loved science, horses, and other animals. I joined a lot of clubs to learn more. I was kicked out of junior high school because I threw a book at another classmate who was making fun of me. He kept calling me “tape recorder” because I tended to repeat a lot of what others would say. This is called echolalia. (echo-lay-lee-uh)

Wednesday: When I was in high school, one of my favorite teachers, William Carlock always encouraged me to do great things. He once encouraged me to create a “Hug Machine” that would help calm people with autism. My real passion is not only about advocating for people with autism but also focusing on animals.

Thursday: In 1970, I graduated with honors from college, earned my Masters degree, created my own company called Grandin Livestock Handling Systems and got my doctorate degree in Animal Science in 1989. I have worked most of my life to help the cruel living conditions of livestock. I noticed similarities in the way animals and autistic people see the world. I have inspired many people and written books about autism and ways to make life better for animals.

Friday: In 2010 I was named of Time magazine's most 100 influential people in the HEROES category. I believe that we need to focus less on children’s challenges and more on their strengths. We need to be flexible about education, know that some children might have a hard time with reading, writing, or math, but they might be brilliant in another area. Today I am a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and advocate for others with autism.

Celebrating World Autism Day was a fantastic experience for all of us. Please check out the Autism Simulator video below. It was certainly eye opening to see what those with autism deal with in interpreting the world around them. I think it brings an even greater awareness to what some of OUR students encounter on a daily basis (AND ties directly into brain!) :)