Dear Families,

I hope you have enjoyed this week's unseasonably warm and sunny weather.

In this edition of MacGregor's Message:

• National School Counseling Week
• CTE Month
• Coffee Chat
• HHS Cool School Polar Plunge
• Three Fires Teacher Receives Tanger Kids Grant
• Gleaners Mobile Food Pantry
  

Today marks the end of National School Counseling Week. The week celebrates the dedication of school counselors and honors their unique contributions to our schools. We are fortunate to have an outstanding team of counselors working in our schools. Our counselors support students in many ways, including welcoming new students, supporting students experiencing a family change or loss, supporting student mental wellness, and helping with college and career planning. Simply put, each day, our counselors show up for our students. Please join me in thanking our school counselors for everything they do.

February is Career and Technical Education Month (CTE). This month celebrates the accomplishments of CTE programs and the importance of CTE for students. From firefighting to educational careers and culinary arts to construction trades, I am proud of the robust list of CTE courses we offer to our students. Thanks to support from the State of Michigan, we have been able to continually invest in our CTE programs. Last year, we purchased a 3D virtual dissection table for our health occupations class, and last month, the Board of Education approved the purchase of a heavy equipment training simulator. Our CTE programs are a shining example of one of the many ways we are preparing our students to be future ready. To learn more about the CTE courses we offer, please visit https://bit.ly/3SSMwIc.

My next Coffee Chat is scheduled for Thursday, February 15, from 9-10 a.m. in the Edinburgh Room at the district's Administrative Office. The theme for this chat is “Innovation In Education." During the chat, I will share updates on some of our new programs, cutting-edge technology in the district, and how we are planning for the impact of artificial intelligence in education. I will also provide an update on the implementation of the bond, and there will also be time for questions about the district. To read more about Coffee Chat, please visit https://bit.ly/3ummALt.

This morning, Howell High School hosted a Cool School Polar Plunge event. Students and staff volunteered to raise funds and take the plunge into a special mobile pool to support the Unified Champion Schools program and help continue to grow Unified programming in schools across Michigan. Seeing our schools and community embrace the Unified Champion Schools program by supporting our various Unified teams and events like this has been incredible. The polar plungers set a goal of raising $10,000, and they are nearly there. You can still donate to this great cause at https://bit.ly/42yDfYO.

Last Friday, Ms. Tina Duguay, a technology teacher at Three Fires Elementary, was presented with a $1,024.54 grant from Tanger Kids Grant to support project-based learning initiatives she is working on with her students. These hands-on learning experiences support critical thinking by having students design and develop solutions to real-world situations and problems. We are fortunate to have a supportive business community that constantly gives back to our schools and students.

Next Thursday, February 15, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Gleaners Mobile Food Pantry will hold its monthly food distribution event in the bus lot at 411 N. Highlander Way (between Highlander Way Middle School and the Freshman Campus). Anyone in the community needing food can drive through and pick it up from the Mobile Food Pantry. The Mobile Food Pantry is just one of the many ways that Gleaners works to fight food insecurity within our community. To learn about the other programs that Gleaners offers, please visit https://bit.ly/4btLt8N. If you have any questions regarding the Howell Food Mobile or food access in Howell, please contact Gleaners Food Bank at 517-548-3710.

Please remember that there is no school next Friday, February 16, and Monday, February 19, for mid-winter break and in honor of Presidents Day. I hope you have a great weekend, and Go Highlanders.

Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools