Dear Families,
October is National Principals Month. Our building principals have an amazing impact on our students every day. They are instructional leaders who strive to ensure that each student reaches their full potential. They support the fantastic work that teachers and staff do in the classrooms each day. In trying times, they rise to the challenge, and most importantly, they care for every student. Since March, our principals have not stopped working. When schools were initially closed due to COVID-19, our principals got to work finding ways to ensure that our students had access to meals, school supplies, devices for online learning, and so much more. As we progressed through the end of the school year, they worked to develop an at-home learning model, honored our traditional end of the year events, and ensured that our students' needs continued to be met. Over the summer, our principals spent countless hours developing plans to safely reopen our schools, launch two new Learning Management Systems, and develop Highlander Virtual. I cannot imagine navigating these challenging times without Mr. Schrock, Mr. LaGalo, Mrs. Poelke, Mrs. Post, Mr. Cherry, Ms. Goodwin, Mr. Moore, Mr. Munro, Ms. Naghtin, and Mr. Starkey. Please join me this month in thanking these exceptional leaders for all that they do each and every day.
As we wrap up our eighth week on in-person and online learning, I want to thank each of you for your continued partnership in your child's education and in ensuring that we are maintaining a safe learning environment. Your diligence in completing the daily student self-screener and keeping students home when showing any signs of illness has been vital in keeping our schools open. As we enter the cold and flu season, we must remain vigilant in continuing our mitigation strategies. In a letter shared last week, Dr. Juan Marquez, Livingston County medical director, provided several reasons why everyone over the age of six months should get a flu shot. According to Dr. Marquez, "while it has always been important to get a flu vaccination, this year it's especially urgent as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. Receiving a flu vaccination protects not only yourself but everyone around you." In addition to receiving a flu vaccination, continuing public health best practices such as wearing a mask and maintaining social distance as much as possible, avoiding large social gatherings, washing your hands, and staying home when you feel ill as well as seeking prompt medical care, will also help prevent the spread of both the flu and COVID-19.
This week, Special Olympics and ESPN announced that Howell High School was the only school in Michigan to be named to the ESPN Unified Champion Schools Honor Roll. Also this week, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan High School Athletic Association released updated guidance regarding size limits at indoor and outdoor gatherings, which has an impact on our athletic events. I have shared more on both of these below.
Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools
Howell High School Named to ESPN Honor Roll
ESPN has named Howell High School to its Unified Champion Schools (UCS) 2020 Honor Roll. The ESPN Honor Roll is a collaboration between ESPN and Special Olympics to recognize schools that make creating an inclusive school climate a top priority. In order to be considered for the ESPN Honor Roll, schools must meet ten standards of excellence that were developed by a national panel of leaders in education and Special Olympics. Howell was the only school in Michigan and one of only 36 schools nationwide to be named to the 2020 Honor Roll. To read more about this incredible honor, please visit https://bit.ly/2FiNri6.
Athletic Event Spectator Update
This week the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan High School Athletic Association released updated regulations and guidance around size limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings and events. This included increasing the number of people who can be at a gathering. The expanded capacity will allow the Highlander Marching Band and Pompon team to participate in next week's varsity football game. At this time, we will not be expanding to include ticket sales to the public, and the hill area at Memorial Stadium will remain closed to the public. These were not easy decisions to make; however, they are in the best interest of student and spectator safety.
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