Hutchings Herald Friday, April 16th 2021 
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Hutchings Herald

Friday, April 16th 2021

Families,

 

It has been a challenging week here at the school with the growing number of new Covid-19 cases in our country and state and our students. I wanted to take a moment to reiterate some of the content from Mr. MacGregor’s e-mail.

 

“If we want to keep our schools open for in-person learning, we must double down on all of our health and safety protocols and in following best public health practices. We each must continue to wear our masks in public, avoid indoor and social gatherings and practice frequent hand washing. Additionally, students must stay home when showing any signs of illness or with COVID-19 test results pending. Since the symptoms of COVID-19 are so similar to other illnesses, we must act as if any illness could be COVID-19. We are in the home stretch of the school year. Let’s all do our part to ensure that we can end the year with in-person learning.”

 

To that end, I also want to thank our families for being so receptive when the unfortunate situation of quarantine a student does occur. I know the last thing families want to see at 9:45 on a Sunday night is that your child is in quarantine starting on Monday for the 14 day period. I’ve tried my absolute best to get information to you as soon as I receive it and help prepare the students for the switch to distance learning. 

 

We have been able to offer over 145 days of in-person or full virtual learning to our students in a year where many thought we would be lucky to get 12. 

 

When thinking about how to celebrate that fact I went for a walk around the building and ran into a 3rd grader who had just put together that summer was coming and was visibly upset. I asked this student why they were crying and the student said, “I don’t want the summer to come because I’ll miss my friends and my teacher loves me so much that I don’t want a new one.” 

 

That is where it hit me, while this year has been incredibly challenging there is a good number of students who just had their best year of school. Not just a good year, but the best year they have ever had. 

 

There are students who made connections with new friends, students who just experienced having their favorite teacher of all time, students who just discovered their favorite book, and students who got over 145 days of playing with friends and learning with peers. 

 

It has become a common thing for families to say to me on the phone when going through a quarantine, “We understand this is the last thing you want to do as well.” This is not entirely true, while quarantine ranks VERY HIGH on the list of things I do not want to do, it is not king. The LAST THING I would want to do, would be, to not have had this school year. This year has provided so much to so many kids that I cannot fathom what other courses could have occurred. 

 

We have 30 days left of school, let’s enjoy them.

 

Mr. Moore

 

 

Highlander Aquatic and Fitness Center Now Offering Youth Swim Lessons

The Highlander Aquatic and Fitness Center is now offering youth swim lessons. Lessons are available for children ages six months through 13 years old. To learn more about the Highlander Aquatic and Fitness Center’s swim lessons, please visit HowellSchools.com/aquatics.

 

Health and Safety Reminders

With the number of cases of COVID-19 increasing in our community and state, we must continue to follow our health and safety protocols both in and out of school. Following best public health practices such as wearing a mask when in public, frequent hand washing, and avoiding large gatherings will help limit the spread of COVID-19 and help ensure that we can continue to provide in-person learning to our students. It is imperative that students stay home if they are showing any signs of illness or have COVID-19 test results pending.

 

 

Counselor's Corner

Pandemic isolation, paired with kids' preoccupation with technology, has interfered with young people’s ability to talk to peers and make friends. Making and keeping friends is an important part of a child's social and emotional development - it helps kids build self-esteem and provides a protective barrier against pandemic stress. Here are some tips for making and keeping friends.

 

Explore how your child is feeling. You may find that the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 is causing your child to feel alone and isolated. Or, you may find that going back to in-person learning is causing some anxiety. Make a plan to help them develop the social skills they need to tackle those feelings. 

Build conversation skills. From taking turns when talking to asking questions about others, learning how to start and maintain conversations with others is a skill that your child may need to refine. Equip them ahead of time with questions they can ask like "What do you do for fun?" or "Do you have any pets?".

Work on social skills. Remind them to show interest in another person. Showing compassion and concern for other people in a healthy way can open the door to friendship. For instance, your child could make cookies for a friend whose pet is sick or send a card to someone who lost a loved one. Taking time to show someone that you care is a great way to show empathy and meet a potential new friend.

Look for opportunities. Help your child by getting them into an activity with children their age who have similar interests. Activities could include team sports (soccer), individual sports (martial arts), music, art, robotics, scouting, or volunteer programs.

Practice and be prepared. Talking to and making friends is a skill that must be developed. If you're concerned your child will be stressed about meeting new people, bring an ice-breaker—such as a toy, pet, or snacks—to help draw other kids to your child. This is especially helpful if your child is not naturally outgoing.

 

For the full article with links to more ideas and resources, click here.

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Hutchings Elementary School, 3503 Bigelow Rd., Howell, MI 48855, Phone: 517.540.8081, Fax 517.548.1763

Posted by deurlooj On 19 April, 2021 at 12:44 PM