Dear Parents,
When I talk about providing students with a voice in their experience as a student, this means encouraging them to pursue a passion, supporting them through their challenges, and ultimately watching them thrive as they achieve something they never thought possible. The past couple of weeks has provided me with a number of opportunities to watch our students find their voice. From our Voyager students proposing a school garden, to our Southwest students leading a Kindness Campaign, and our student leaders across the district collecting more than 25,000 canned goods, our students’ voices are strong. In addition, I am so proud of our performing arts students who have had the opportunity to share their passion of music and singing with our parents and community the past couple of weeks, all while getting us in the holiday spirit.
I would like to thank each of you who took time to write a thank you note as part of our “Thank A Teacher” campaign. We received more than 1,700 thank you notes, with each teacher receiving at least one note. Every teacher in the district received a printed note during our professional development day last Friday, and teachers who received more than one note, received digital copies of them. The notes were very well received, with one teacher mentioning that “this was the nicest thing the district has ever done.” You can watch a video of the teachers receiving their cards at https://goo.gl/atDD6N.
Due to a scheduling conflict, I had to move my next Coffee Chat from January 11 to January 18. The Coffee Chat will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at Crosswinds Aviation. You can find more information and a map to Crosswinds Aviation at https://goo.gl/R4DwJy.
Last week, the Parker Middle School eighth grade band premiered a new musical arrangement at their winter concert. A district-wide canned food drive collected more than 25,000 canned goods for Gleaners Community Food Bank. Tomorrow, two of our FIRST Lego League teams will compete at the FIRST Lego League State Championship. I have shared more on each of these great stories below.
This will be the last MacGregor’s Message before the new year. I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, love, and laughter.
Parker Band Debuts New Musical Arrangement
At its winter concert last Thursday, the Parker Middle School eighth grade band debuted a new musical arrangement titled “Gradients.” The band was one of nine schools who commissioned the arrangement from composer Andrew David Perkins and one of the first to play it publicly. As the students prepared for the concert, they spent time working with Mr. Perkins. This unique opportunity allowed the students to learn what Mr. Perkins thought as he composed the piece and heard how he envisioned the music sounding. You can read more about this experience at https://goo.gl/R1aHN2.
Howell Schools Food Drive Collects 25,769 Canned Goods
During the district-wide canned food drive organized by students in Howell High School’s Leadership Class, our students and families donated more than 25,000 canned goods and $1,679 to Gleaner’s Community Food Bank. This exceeded the students goal of 24,000 items and doubled last year’s efforts. This once again shows the kind, caring nature of our community. I am very proud of the students who organized this and thankful to all those who supported the effort.
Brick Bosses and Mustache Monsters To Compete at FLL State Championship
Tomorrow, Saturday, December 16, two of the district’s FIRST Lego Teams will compete at the FIRST Lego League State Championship in Bloomfield Township. The Brick Bosses and Mustache Monsters both earned a spot at the championship event based on their outstanding performance at a qualifying event earlier this month. To read more about the teams, please visit https://goo.gl/NQFZHK.