Dear Families,
As we continue to navigate through the challenges of this school year, we need to be sure that we are all taking care of ourselves both physically and mentally. Over the past few weeks, I have heard from both students and staff about the mental health toll that the ongoing pandemic is having on them. If we want to continue to maintain in-person instruction, we need to be attentive to these needs as well as ensuring that we are following best public health practices.
To allow both our students and staff additional time to recuperate from a challenging several months, the Board of Education and I have decided to extend our Thanksgiving break to include Monday, November 23, and Tuesday, November 24. There will be no school on these two days, and I encourage everyone to disconnect, relax, and enjoy the time. In addition to allowing additional time for students and staff to rest and recuperate, this will also alleviate some of the staffing constraints we are facing next week. While we don't anticipate needing to adjust the school calendar, depending on the number of days we need to close due to conditions not within our control (i.e. inclement weather), we may need to revisit the calendar and adjust accordingly.
We will still hold a meal kit distribution next Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Howell High School. As a reminder, the Howell High School meal kit distribution location has changed to the west side of the building near the loading dock. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the weekly meal kit distribution at Three Fires Elementary will also be held next Tuesday, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Following yesterday’s Epidemic Order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), we have heard from some families regarding their requested change in enrollment for the second semester. To ensure that we can adequately plan and staff for the second semester, we have reopened the Second Semester Enrollment Window for an additional two days. The window will be open from now through Wednesday, November 18, at 6 p.m. If you would like to change your child’s second semester enrollment, please complete the Second Semester Enrollment Change Request form at https://bit.ly/2HBizdL. If you requested a change in your child’s enrollment for the second semester and you would like to rescind that request, please complete the form again to reflect what you would like your child’s second semester enrollment to be. While we understand that there may be additional MDHHS orders, this will be the final time we will be able to allow second semester enrollment change requests, as we will need the time between now and the end of the semester to plan and make the required staffing adjustments to accommodate these requests.
Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools
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