Families,
Today marks the one year anniversary of us having to close down school due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To that end I wanted to express some gratitude to everyone for their continued support of their children and of Howell Public Schools
To The Board Of Education - Thank you for your unwavering vision of putting students first and making the incredibly difficult decision to offer both 5 days a week in person and 5 days a week in a fully staff virtual academy.
To The Hutchings Staff - Thank you for your tireless efforts as we navigated virtual learning, in person learning, quarantine learning, assessing for gaps due to the pandemic, and creating an environment where the students are safe. The amount of time and work put into pulling this off will go unnoticed by the vast majority; however, I cannot tell you how appreciative I am that I can say for the majority of the pandemic we were ahead of the game.
To Our Families - I cannot imagine having to make the decision between in person learning and virtual learning when the pandemic first hit. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigated the waters. Thank you as well for taking a MUCH larger role in your children's education as we know the difficulties that came with online learning, quarantine learning, and in-person learning with Covid restrictions.
To Our Students - Thank you for being awesome. Thanks for taking the changes in stride, thanks for showing up each day and giving us your very best. Thanks for reminding me why I went into education in the first place.
Mr. Moore
Attention Fifth Grade Parents
Before you know it your students will be moving on to Middle School. We wanted to make you aware of some important upcoming dates. The Middle school principals (Mrs. Melanie Post - Highlander Way Middle School Principal, Mrs. Trish Poelke - Parker Middle School Principal) will be visiting all fifth-grade in-person classes on April 7th. They will have a virtual meeting with all Highlander Virtual 5th grade classes on April 8th at 10:15. Teachers will post this meeting in their Schoology calendar. Before the visit, students will be watching a video created by Mrs. Post and Mrs. Poelke, that will go over the changes to expect in the transition to middle school and some things they can start doing now to prepare. They will review how the middle school day is structured and the different encore classes offered. During the visit, the principals will answer questions from students. A fifth-grade parent night will be held virtually on Thursday, April 8th at 6:00 p.m. The links to the webinars will be sent out closer to the date. If you are interested in transferring to the middle school that is not your assigned school, you will need to fill out an Intra-District Transfer Request Form by Friday, March 26th. This will ensure that the committee can meet and notify parents prior to the elementary school visits and parent night.
Highlander Virtual Enrollment for the 2021-22 School Year
The district is beginning to plan for the 2021-2022 school year. The district plans to continue offering virtual instruction through Highlander Virtual for selected students. If you are interested in having your child enroll in Highlander Virtual for the 2021-2022 school year, please complete the application at https://forms.gle/FnVTFWrNsQjDjFyh7. Applications must be received by Friday, March 26, 2021.
Human Reproductive Health Advisory Committee Survey
The Howell Public Schools Human Reproductive Health Advisory Committee is in the process of reviewing the district’s reproductive health education program. To help guide this work, the committee would like to gather feedback from our families. The survey comes from the Michigan Department of Education for districts to consult with parents about their reproductive health programs. You can take the survey at http://bit.ly/3vhz5DR. The survey will be open until Friday, April 9.
Health and Safety Reminders
We must continue to remain vigilant with our health and safety protocols. If students are showing any signs of illness, they should stay home from school. Additionally, if for any reason a student is tested for COVID-19, they should not attend school while those test results are pending. Please continue to complete the student daily self-screening included in the Livingston County Health Department’s Back to School Toolkit each morning before sending your child to school. The Livingston County Health Department’s Back to School Toolkit can be found at https://bit.ly/2MTvKZJ. Lastly, please continue to follow best public health practices such as wearing a mask when in public, frequent hand washing, and avoiding large gatherings.
Highlander Aquatic and Fitness Center Hiring Lifeguards
The Highlander Aquatic and Fitness Center is hiring lifeguards for the morning and mid-day times. While experience is preferred, lifeguard training will be provided. To learn more or apply, please visit www.HowellSchools.com/jobs.
Counselor Corner:
March 13th marks one year since things changed for our community. There is no better time to celebrate the strength of our kids and community and to turn this “pandemic” into a positive, teachable moment.
Here are a couple ideas:
Have a simple conversation. Start by asking kids what courage or resilience means to them. Depending on their ages, they might describe it as bravery, not being afraid or giving up in a situation, or being willing to persevere through adversity. Ask them to share examples of people that they consider to be resilient and courageous - both famous people and those they know personally. Ask them how they have shown courage in this last year. What have they done that has been new? Scary? Uncertain?
Activity: Unfortunately, fortunately. While the pandemic has been hard, there have been some positives that have come from this experience. Make a list of some of the challenges (“unfortunately”), but then talk in depth about the good things that have come out of this (“fortunately”).
Read a book about resilience and courage. Here is a list.
Acknowledge and celebrate how far your kids have come. This is not an easy time to be a student (or a parent). Recognize how strong and brave your children have been - they are living history!