Hutchings Herald 8-14-2020 

Hutchings Herald 8/14/2020
The Principal's Corner:


Dear Families,

What a week it has been trying to get a school up and running during the pandemic. I was trying to think of how to express the work being done at the school by everyone at Howell Public Schools but there's no way to encapsulate that work in a meaningful and quick way. I know there have been bumps, I know there have been delays, I know there has been nervous energy from everyone involved during this time but as my old Farmington High School teacher used to say, the struggle is the journey, the destination is never the end. 

I was thinking about my high school experience this week which happens to educators as the year starts, we tend to think back and refelct on our own expereinces. I remembered a time where Mr. Hermanni, who was my home room teacher, had just come back from paternity leave to be with us again after the semester break. I went up and asked him, what I thought to be, a smiple question which was, “How is your daughter?” He responded by saying, “Tim, you’re the first student today who asked me how my daughter was instead of what grade they got on the final, I appreciate it.” I started thinking back to 2nd grade where my favorite activity was Reading Buddies because I had the chance to go help the Kindergarten students learn to read for a while and how much I loved watching someone learn. I was made for teaching and working in the schools, I’ve known this my entire life.

However, this year brings with it new challenges, new fears, new experiences, and an uncertanity that you cannot find the answer to online or in a book. For families coming into BK and Kindergarten or for families enrolled in the Highlander Virtual Academy it is a brand new school expereince for your children. For families coming back to us in-person there is an inheranit level of risk now associated with that decision and while no matter what side of the fence you are politically that nervous energy can feel new. 

But here is the key to start the school this year - I am still that same 2nd grade boy who loves watching kids learn. I am still that same middle school student who wanted to make sure his peers understood the reading assignment before working on my own. I am still that same high school student who cares first about family more than my own personal academic success, and I am still the same college kid who voulenteered at refugee centers in East Lansing trying to help families fill out applications for jobs. I am still the same teacher who taught for seven years in South Lyon and did anything possible for his students, and still the same principal who regardless of climite, virus, politics, economic conditions, phsyical school, virtual school, homeschool, is still going out mask shopping trying to get masks that will make the kids laugh, connect with, and be interested in (the Baby Yoda one is fantastic by the way). I’m also still the same principal who is going to make sure he does everything in his power to give your kids the best possible school experience. I’m just not cut out to be any different. 

Mr. Moore

 

 

Hutchings New Phone Number:

Thank you for your patience during the district-wide phone system outage yesterday. As with any significant change, this process did not go exactly as planned. The request to transfer our building phone number was denied. The request to transfer numbers can take up to 45 days for approval, so our school was assigned a new main office number, which is (517) - 540-8081 


Open House:

As this year starts Open House is going to be a key as well as connecting via E-mail. I’m attaching the Open House format and times to this e-mail and some steps you should take if you do not recieve an e-mail from your classroom teacher. 

On Monday, August 17th around 9:00 with your specific classroom zoom link. 

Around 11:00 you will get an e-mail from myself with the links to everyones zoom session in case the e-mail the teacher has for you was different from what I have in PowerSchool. (This was a big reason we wanted everyone to update PowerSchool Information) 

The zoom sessions start at 6:00. The schedule is 6:00 - 6:20 (1) 6:30 - 6:50 (2) 7:00 - 7:20 (3). You really only need to attend one session per teacher but we wanted to provide options so families could attend multiple sessions if they had multiple students. 

 

Highlander Virtual Academy:

There will be a seperate e-mail from me  with information on the Virtual Academy.

 

Yearbooks: (From LifeTouch)

Dear Families,

Yearbooks are a tradition for schools throughout the US and Canada. At Lifetouch, we are humbled to be a part of providing that tradition. We know how important yearbooks are - especially in times like these.

We want to take a moment to acknowledge this year’s delayed yearbook delivery is not what you, as our customers expect, nor deserve, from Lifetouch.

We want you to be aware that our primary yearbook production facilities are located in some of the states that are being hardest hit by the pandemic. We have prioritized the safety of our employees; and we are following all state and local health guidelines to create a safe working environment. Social distancing requirements mean that there are fewer people available to work at any given time. These changes have impacted our production schedule in meaningful ways.

We realize this has created a lot of frustration since we are currently unable to provide an estimated delivery time frame for your school’s yearbook. Please know our teams are doing everything possible to get your yearbook to you. Shipping is monitored daily. As soon as your yearbook ships, your school will receive tracking information so they can arrange to distribute the yearbooks to the students and families in a manner that is best suited for everyone’s safety.

As we navigate COVID-19, our intent is to provide you with a yearbook that your student will treasure for a lifetime. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented time together.

Sincerely,

Lifetouch

 

 

 


Hutchings Elementary, 3503 Bigelow, Howell, MI 48855
Phone: 517-548-1127, Fax: 517-548-1763


Posted by deurlooj On 14 August, 2020 at 3:42 PM