11 March
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Boost for Teachers Winners 2023

GRADS is pleased to announce their 2023 Boost for Teachers award winners.

Pictured below are Grant County winners Abbey Trapp (left), GRADS board member Mary Lou Bullert (center) and Michele Benike (right).

Abbey is using her award to support the Milbank Special Olympics team. This year Milbank will be hosting the spring event for the northeast area. Michele will use her award to support the Milbank transition program.

The winners in Roberts County were May Amodia and Karen Siriban both from Sisseton. May will use her award to support a school coffee shop. Karen will use her award to support an inclusive arts setting that will build on communication and social skills.

Congratulations award winners!

24 March
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The National Center on Education Outcomes is releasing a series of videos on various aspects of learning support for children with significant cognitive disabilities at home. The videos are now available on YouTube.

In addition to parents and educators, other audiences will find the videos useful as they work with parents and families. Each video focuses on three key questions:

  • Why is it important to focus on this with my child at home?
  • How can I do this at home?
  • What support can I ask for from my child’s school?


Additional videos will be added to the series over the next several months. Future videos will be on supporting the learning of reading, writing and math at home, as well as one on monitoring progress.

24 November
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Parents and Educators, GRADS understands how difficult it is to prepare for traditional learning, distance learning, and having lessons ready if you, a family member, or a student is quarantined. We want to offer our support through our website. Our listings will change throughout the pandemic, but here are some resources to begin our support. Pinterest has some fantastic distance learning ideas. Many provide free materials:

-Webcam Field Trips
-Boom Cards for Distance Learning
-Google Classroom
-Free History Videos for Kids
-Free Downloadable Resource Guides
-Free education workbooks, activity books, and art kits from Adobe Stock
-Free printable cursive worksheets
-Free Typing Games for kids
-Color Code and Organize your Google Drive
-150+ Educational shows to stream on Netflix (HomeschoolHideout.com)
-35 Animal Webcams to watch with your kids (SoCalFieldTrips.com)
-Learning Games and Activities (theeducatorsspinonit.com)