The Fall Party is tomorrow and we are excited to celebrate with OUR community. Please read and review the information below to help us ensure a fun and welcoming experience for all!

• If your child is wearing a costume, it must be worn to school. We will not be changing into costumes during the day to lessen the impact on learning.
• Masks may be worn DURING THE PARADE but will need to remain in backpacks until that time.
• NO make up/scary paint/gore or fake weapons. Thank you for making this kid friendly for all of OUR GRAY HAWKS.
• If your child is not allowed to participate in an event like this, please let your child's classroom teacher know so that we can have an alternative option available during the parade and classroom celebration.

The forecast for Halloween looks beautiful with temps in the upper 60s/low 70s. The parade will begin on the playground at 2:50. It is advisable to check in at the front of the school to get your name tag and sign in prior to the parade. The sign in table will be open at 2:30. Visitors may check in and walk through the activities hallway to the playground.

Visitors will not be able to access the playground from outside.

PLEASE NOTE: We will ask that you show your ID to be able to get a Visitor's Badge, so please have it with you. I know this is a minor inconvenience but one that gives us more peace of mind in knowing who is here.

If you plan on attending the party that will immediately follow the parade, we are asking that you fill out this form: FALL PARTY GUEST SIGN UP FORM

Please remember that we ask that younger siblings not attend this event as it is a special time for your Gray Hawk and we are not able to guarantee treats, crafts, and other experiences to additional students that are not in the class. (We can't wait to have your younger child(ren) experience the parties when they become Kinder Hawks in the future) :)

Why are we doing this? The safety and security of OUR GRAY HAWKS is paramount! When we have an all school event during the school day when OUR students are in session, we need to do everything that we can to ensure we know who is in OUR school. By signing up, you are in essence, pre-registering for the event. By doing this, we will have a Visitor's Badge already filled out for you.

What if I don't sign up ahead of time? We want OUR GHES families at school and attending these special events. We would NEVER turn you away. When you arrive you will need to let us know who your child is, show your id, and we will write a Visitor's Badge for you and welcome you in. It just makes the process much more efficient if you do it all ahead of time.

Thank you for your understanding and partnering with us to do all we can to keep OUR GRAY HAWKS safe.

We will be having a Veterans Day Program to honor the veterans in our community on November 10th at 2:45 pm. This program will take place in the Gray Hawk Elementary gym. Everyone is welcome to attend! We will have a speaker, as well as performances from each grade level.

If you have a loved one who has served, please fill out this form so we can honor them:

https://forms.gle/3HuutVekug3HaN497

Trunk or Treat was A LOT of fun and very well attended! Thank you to Jillian Porter and her ELC team for planning such an amazing event for OUR entire Basehor and Tonganoxie Community. It was wonderful to see so many of OUR GRAY HAWK families in attendance.

Hopefully this event will continue to grow even more next year!

* Thank you to 5th graders Rylee and Elaina for helping Dr. Springer decorate his trunk! *

During the month of October, our weekly counseling lessons focused on responsibility. One way to define responsibility is “taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.” Responsibility is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Strong. Each grade level focused on a different aspect of responsibility.

Kindergarten: Practicing responsibility by following directions

First Grade: Practicing responsibility by keeping focus

Second Grade: Practicing responsibility by being engaged with learning

Third Grade: Practicing responsibility by being flexible thinkers

Fourth Grade: Practicing responsibility by being organized

Fifth Grade: Practicing responsibility by setting goals

Family Focus

Review Responsibility as a family! Responsibility is taking action and understanding how our choices affect others. Choose 1 household chore (or more!) that requires multiple steps. Then have each member of the family select 1 step to complete to help get the job done! Maybe it is washing the dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the living room, or unloading the groceries - whatever it is, see who can be the quickest or most effective at their task!

Ms. Storme has been teaching sign language to Mrs. Brown's 1st grade class. It was important for Ms. Storme to share the lessons with our entire community. Check out her lesson about Halloween!

Big shout out to Ms. Storme (and thank you for even tying it into the brain!) :)

Stress isn’t always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you’re playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it’s continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Madhumita Murgia shows how chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure, and how it functions, right down to the level of your genes.

Lesson by Madhumita Murgia, animation by Andrew Zimbelman.

Email: dspringer@usd458.org
Website: http://ghes.usd458.org/
Location: 16000 Garden Parkway, Basehor, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 269-8648
Twitter: @drspringer12301