Welcome to Grayhawk !
Don Hiemstra, Principal

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Don Hiemstra


Greetings from the Principal,

Ten years ago, I met with a group of parents of the students that would be the first to attend School #27 (later named Grayhawk Elementary School) to dream about what we wanted our school to become.  Although there were many ideas listed and discussed, the main ones we wanted to address were:

bulletImplementing a more challenging curriculum-  “raise the bar academically”
bulletPride in our school – “a small town feeling”
bulletPositive communication – “From school to home and home to school”
bulletStrong Fine Arts – “ Special Areas that are Special”

In all these areas I feel we not only met the challenge, but we went beyond our expectations.  This has occurred because we have developed an outstanding team of staff, students, parents, and community working together to make sure Grayhawk is a wonderful place for our children.

By implementing Core Knowledge we have raised the Bar!  Success leads to success and to pride in our school.  Between newsletter, e-mails, phone calls, and personal contacts we do a wonderful job of communicating together.  From our awesome PTO, to our room helpers, to conferences, to Silent Auctions, our parents are active participants in their children’s education.  Our special area teachers and curriculum are outstanding and all of our children are enriched because of this.  Our PTO’s Art Masterpiece program is but one example of parents working with staff to improve the fine arts.

As you can see, as the building leader, I certainly have pride in our school.  Although I feel we met our original challenges I won’t allow us to stand still.  Each morning I start the announcements by saying, “Welcome to Grayhawk Elementary School where the Great Come to get even Better!”  And we will continue getting better together.

Respectfully,

Don Hiemstra, Ed.S., Principal
Grayhawk Elementary School

dhiemstra@pvschools.net