Did you know that disability affects approximately 61 million, or nearly 1 in 4 (26%) people in the United States and more than one billion people worldwide!  Here at Wicklund, many students are living with a disability.  Inclusion Week is dedicated to building awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of children with disabilities of all kinds!

The WSF Inclusion Committee, along with Mr. Manley and Mrs. Beck, have been working hard to plan a variety of activities to make Wicklund’s first Inclusion Week one for the books!  In fact, some activities have already started and will wrap up during the week.  Mark your calendars and don’t miss a thing!

Questions?  Please contact our Inclusion Committee Chair, Andrea Gehmlich, at Andrea@mhwsf.org.

	Monday, 3/20:  “Light it Up Blue” for Autism Awareness.  Wear as much blue as possible! Tuesday, 3/21:  “Pull UP for DOWN Syndrome” for World Down Syndrome Day.  Pull on a pair of mismatched socks! Wednesday, 3/22:  “Jeans for Genes” for Genetic Disorder Awareness.  Wear jeans! Thursday, 3/23:  “ADHD is a Big Peel” for ADHD Awareness.  Wear as much orange as you can! Friday, 3/24:  “Be a HERO, be INCLUSIVE!”  Dress up like a Wicklund Hero!
	Get your mismatched socks for World Down Syndrome Day through our pals Fundraiser and earn $5 for every pair for the WSF Inclusion Program. Text WICKLUND321 to 855-202-2100 for a link or CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. Order by March 6th to guarantee delivery in time to wear them on March 21st.
	Theme:  What Does Inclusion Mean to Me?” One 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper using any medium appropriate for paper (crayon, pencil, marker, paint, mixed media, etc.) Turn in to front office no later than March 24th. Artwork will be featured at school in the weeks after Inclusion Week, with the top three pieces in each grade-level group (TK-1st, 2nd-4th, and 6th-8th) will be highlighted. One winning design will be featured on an exclusive inclusion t-shirt available for purchase at a later date.
	During Inclusion Week, teachers will distribute puzzle pieces to students to decorate either in class or at home. Students should decorate the puzzle piece to reflect who they are as an individual. At the end of the week, the puzzle pieces will be collected and assembled into one large, collaborative art project to be displayed at school.
	During Inclusion Week, teachers and their students are invited to participate in decorating their classroom door using the theme, “What Does Inclusion Mean to Us?” Along with the door decoration, the class is encouraged to create a short mission statement of how they can be inclusive and display it on their door. All doors will be featured in a special edition of the WSF Newsletter and on the WSF Facebook page for all of our Wicklund Families and Friends to see!
	During Inclusion Week, Mrs. Shawntel will be featuring books that teach awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of people with disabilities. If you’d like to know which books might be included or if you’d like to suggest some or, even better, donate some, please read more about the resources we are compiling HERE.
	Wednesday, March 22nd from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We welcome families with children of ALL abilities to join us for an evening of mingling, snacks and drinks, and a short presentation about inclusion in our school community.  We look forward to getting to know everyone better! The presentation will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.
	During Inclusion Week, short, grade-appropriate presentations that highlight a few different disabilities will be available for teachers to use in their classrooms if they’d like. WSF Inclusion Committee Members will be available to present the material.