First Grade "introduction"

I want to share the letter that I will be sending home with all of Brooklyn's first grade classmates, some of the students were in her kindergarten class and to be honest MOST of the students in Ryan Park Elementary School know Brooklyn :) But...I wanted all of the parents to also be "introduced" to her. I also include one of Brooklyn's GP2C purple cards (http://www.girlpower2cure.org/how-to-help/thepurplecard ) for each family as well. ANY Rett Syndrome families are welcome to use this letter and personalize it for your daughter.
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Hello!

My name is Kelly, my daughter Brooklyn will be in Mrs Minnick's first grade class this fall with your child! Your child might have been in kindergarten with Brooklyn, if not I wanted to introduce her to you!

You see, my little Brooklyn has Rett Syndrome. She has a damaged gene which regulates a special protein in our bodies. This protein helps us to walk, talk, and move around.....it really helps us do lots of things!

So, Brooklyn cannot walk, or talk, or even use her hands very well....but she is full of love, life, and energy, plus she is SMART! She understands everything going on around her....she just cannot respond in words. She uses her eyes to communicate. Your child will see her using yes/no cards, an eye-gaze board, special “buttons” and even a computer that can talk for her!

Brooklyn will be working with therapists during the school day to practice things like standing, walking and different ways to communicate. She will also have a personal aide with her in the classroom at all times to assist her with classroom activities and procedures. She is SO excited to spend most of her day with some active, wonderful children!

My hope is that like kindergarten, this will be a great experience for everyone. Brooklyn will learn from a wonderful teacher, fun students and friends! And, I hope, your child will learn about a different kind of "special" child. I'm sure they will have fun helping her and playing games!

If you (or your child) have ANY questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at home. My cell number is 260.243.2722 or my email is specialmommyx2@yahoo.com If you or your child would like to learn more about Brooklyn or Rett Syndrome we would love for you to check out her blog at www.brooklynbutler.blogspot.com

Thank you in advance for getting things off on the right foot and helping your child understand that Brooklyn is a fun little girl that just needs a little special help!

Sincerely,
Kelly Butler (Brooklyn's Mommy)