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

We've received confirmation from Leavenworth County that KDHE is now advising the new CDC guidance for K-12 schools (January 6, 2022), which has reduced the recommended time for isolation and quarantine periods to five days for those testing positive for COVID-19.

With this in mind, we've created a new Exposure Guidelines one-sheet for you to reference in the event you or your student(s) are a close contact, symptomatic or test positive for COVID-19.

Please note that if you or your students have symptoms, regardless of vaccination status:
~Test immediately
~If using an at-home test and you receive a positive result, please contact Leavenworth County Health Department (913.250.2000) to report your result.
~Isolate while waiting your result, if applicable
~If positive, isolate for 5 days or until fever free for 24 hours whichever is longer
~Please communicate with your building secretary that your child is staying home with COVID and their planned return to school date.
~Students and staff will wear a mask for five additional days once returned to school*
*If an individual does not want to wear the mask for the additional five days, they may quarantine or isolate for 10 days at home instead.

We will have OUR Gray Hawk Book Fair the week of January 24 - 28. Mrs. Kenton is sending out a more detailed email to everyone this weekend, but we wanted to give you a heads up to put it on your calendars. OUR Family Book Fair Night will be on Tuesday, January 25 from 6:00 - 7:30.

Mr. Powers will be coming to Gray Hawk on a listening tour for our community on Tuesday, February 1 from 5:30 - 6:30. He will be here to share information about the new strategic plan for USD 458 and get feedback about things that are going well and things that may need to looked at in the future.

Tuesday, January 25 - Sign Up to perform at GHES from 6 - 7:30 pm. (This is only a time to sign up). In order to sign up for an opportunity to perform, you must come on 1/25 and have the form below filled out. Please CAREFULLY READ THE FLIER BELOW IN ORDER TO BE PREPARED for sign ups.

OUR Gray Hawk PTO met on Tuesday, January 11. Please click on the button below for the minutes from that meeting.

This week, as we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., Day instead of focusing on one author for our Diversity focus, we will look at some classic books for children about Martin Luther King Jr.

Our featured story is I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer.

As a child, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shocked by the terrible and unfair way African American people were treated. When he grew up, he decided to do something about it—peacefully, with powerful words. He helped gather people together for nonviolent protests and marches, and he always spoke up about loving other human beings and doing what’s right. He spoke about the dream of a kinder future, and bravely led the way toward racial equality in America.

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:

Monday: I was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. When I was 12 years old, someone stole my bike which made me very angry. I told a police officer that I I was going to beat up the person that took my bike. The officer told me that I better learn how to defend myself before doing anything and he suggested that I learn how to box.

Tuesday: I quickly figured out that I was a very talented boxer. I fought 105 fights as an amature boxer and I won 100 of those fights. I was much faster than anyone else during that time.

Wednesday: In 1960, I flew to Rome, Italy to be a part of the Olympics. I won a gold medal in the Olympics. In 1964 I was given the chance to fight for the heavyweight boxing title and I won beating the champion Sonny Liston by knockout. That was when I really earned my nickname of “The Greatest”.

Thursday: I loved to talk trash to other boxers and one of my most famous sayings was “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” I changed my name in 1964 from Cassius to my more recognizable name. I refused to join the army when I was drafted for the Vietnam War. I didn’t believe in fighting in the war and the boxing association didn’t allow me to fight for three years.

Friday: I retired in boxing in 1981and began to suffer from Parkinson’s Disease in 1984. President Bush awarded me the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 for my work with charities and helping others. I died on June 3, 2016 and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest boxers in history.

As we continue to build OUR Gray Hawk culture, please take a moment to check out what it means to be a trauma-informed school. Mathew Portell, principal at Fall-Hamilton in Nashville is an inspiration.