Dear Families,
I hope you had a great week and had an opportunity to enjoy the first good snow of the season.
Last year, the One Howell committee revised our district strategic plan into an adaptive plan that will guide the district's work for the next five years. One of the goals outlined in the plan is to increase extracurricular opportunities for students. That has led to the first One Howell Middle School Musical. This spring, a cast of students from Highlander Way and Parker middle schools will present Seussical the Musical. Seussical takes the audience into the world of Dr. Seuss, to revisit beloved characters, including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie, and JoJo. To learn more about the production and how you can support it, please visit OneHowellMusical.com. Thank you to Mrs. Kelli Falls, who is leading this production, and all the staff and volunteers assisting her.
I am hosting my next Coffee Chat on Thursday, February 9, at 5:30 p.m. The chat will take place in the Meabon Room at the Howell Carnegie District Library. During this chat, I will share updates on the district and the facility assessment the district is currently completing. There will also be a time for attendees to ask any questions they may have.
Reagan Trent, a member of our Howell High School archery team, has been selected to be one of 12 National Archery In The Schools (NASP) students nationwide to be a student contributor for the 2023 season. As a student contributor, Reagan will write a monthly article on topics related to archery. She will also work with NASP staff and program partners to gain experience in online marketing and positions in the outdoor industry. You can read her first article at http://bit.ly/3kK4LRk. I know this will be an incredible learning experience for Reagan and allow her to showcase Howell's incredible archery program on a national level.
Last week, Howell High School and Innovation Academy students had the opportunity to learn from a Holocaust survivor. Ms. Irene Miller took students on a journey through her life, sharing the story of fleeing Poland, her time in a Siberian labor camp, years spent in orphanages, and how she went on to become a teacher, healthcare executive, and author. This was a powerful experience for our students. To read more about Ms. Miller's visit, please visit http://bit.ly/3wQY03b.
We continue to face staffing shortages in our transportation department. We are launching another round of advertising to promote our job openings. Additionally, for the month of February, we will be offering a sign-on bonus of up to $5,000 for fully trained certified bus drivers, up to $3,000 for fully trained certified bus drivers taking on substitute runs for at least 20 hours per week, and up to $2000 for individuals who will take part in the paid training we offer. Please help us spread the word about these limited-time incentives. Individuals interested in applying can do so at BeABusDriver.org.
Please remember that next Tuesday, January 31, at 6 p.m., we will be hosting a parent night to share information about Academia Bilingüe at Three Fires Elementary, the Spanish Dual Language Immersion program that the district will launch in the fall. This is an optional program that families can choose to enroll their child in. In a Spanish dual language immersion program, students complete the same coursework as their peers in a traditional classroom; however, instruction is provided in both Spanish and English. For the 2023-2024 school year, the program will consist of one kindergarten and one first-grade classroom. To learn more about Academia Bilingüe at Three Fires Elementary, please visit HowellSchools.com/DualLanguage.
Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools
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