MacGregor's Message 10/29/2021 
Dear Families,

I am often asked if this school year is more difficult than last year. That is a hard question to answer, and one that I really reflected on last week as we began the second quarter. In some ways, the first quarter raced by and in other ways, it felt really long. Yes, this school year has brought new and different challenges, as well as some of the same challenges we faced last year, but it has also brought back some sense of normalcy with fans at sporting events, our traditional homecoming events and field trips. Since each family and staff member have different circumstances, some may find this year easier, or more normal, while others may find it more difficult. What I do know is that we have an incredible team working with our students each and everyday, outstanding families who support their children in so many ways, and an amazing community that is always finding ways to support education. While things may be difficult at times, and frustrations may run high, it is important to have empathy and remember that at the end of the day, we all have the same goal of providing the best possible education to our students in a safe and healthy learning environment.

This week we experienced a water main break on the supply line to the Freshman Campus. In order to make the repair, we had to turn off water service to both the Freshman Campus and Highlander Way Middle School, which resulted in both schools being dismissed early. Our maintenance team did a great job quickly coordinating the repair. Since we already had some of the water supply line exposed and due to its age, we are taking this as an opportunity to further inspect the condition of the supply line to determine if a full replacement is needed. If replacement is needed, the work will be completed when students are not in the building. While we have been able to invest in needed improvements to our buildings thanks to the 2019 Capital and Security Bond, those dollars did not cover all of the aging infrastructure around our district. We will continue to do our best to maintain our facilities, however some things, such as a water main break, are unavoidable when dealing with older infrastructure. I want to thank our families and staff for their continued support and understanding when these situations occur.

Howell Public Schools has been invited to participate in the 14th Annual Christmas Elf Holiday Giving Program. The goal of the program is to be able to provide holiday gifts for children in need throughout Howell Public Schools, Brighton Area Schools, and the Livingston Educational Service Agency. To help meet this goal, the Christmas Elf Holiday Giving Program is seeking sponsors. If you would like to help support this program, please visit https://bit.ly/3C7G8Su to sponsor a student or visit https://bit.ly/3jseDM8 to make a monetary donation. To learn more about the Christmas Elf Holiday Giving Program, please visit https://bit.ly/3vyk3tS.

Within areas of our district and county, families lack access to reliable high-speed internet. To help address this, Livingston County is exploring broadband internet expansion opportunities. The county has partnered with Merit Network to gather community feedback and information regarding internet connectivity. Understanding where gaps in access to high-speed internet exist will help in developing a plan to address this need. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at https://www.merit.edu/livgov/. The information gathered from this survey will only be used by the county to explore options and will not be shared.

During my weekly meeting with the Livingston County Health Department (LCHD) it was shared that the number of COVID-19 cases in school aged children is declining, but remains high. While it is positive to see the number of cases declining, we must continue to be vigilant with mitigation efforts such as staying home when showing any signs of illness or with COVID-19 test results pending and practicing frequent hand washing. The health department also shared an update on the expected approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination for children ages five to eleven. If approved, LCHD will begin scheduling vaccination clinics for this age group. It is also expected that local pharmacies and pediatricians will be offering the vaccine to this age group. As we have more information, we will share it with families.

Sincerely,

Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools
Posted by gouldt On Fri, Oct 29, 2021 at 4:31 PM  

 
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