Superintendent MacGregor's Year End Letter 

As the 2016-2017 school year ends and our students begin summer vacation, I have spent some time reflecting on the past ten months at Howell Public Schools. From raising $78,000 during Senior Survivor to holding a celebration honoring the Class of 2017’s post-secondary education choices, and once again earning the highest score in the county on the Michigan Department of Education’s Accountability Scorecard, it has been a great year at Howell Public Schools.

Thanks to the support of our community in passing a technology bond, we were able to make much-needed technology upgrades across the district in order to position our students to compete in an ever changing and competitive society. We started by updating our infrastructure through an increase in our wireless capacity to support the needs of our students and staff. In addition, we were able to update and standardize the instructional technology in all of our classrooms. We also added new student devices for all classrooms at the elementary level and English Language Arts classes at the middle schools. Our high school digital imaging labs, video production, and journalism labs also received new equipment.

Many of our teachers have started to incorporate Project Based Learning in their instruction. Project Based Learning integrates the core academic areas into a project where students work to solve a unique problem or challenge. Using Project Based Learning, our students have created flyers for the Sea Life Aquarium, made brochures for local real estate agents to use with their clients, reviewed restaurants, and built a school garden. When using Project Based Learning, students are empowered to become active and contributing citizens in our community.

This past school year also saw the creation of an early college program at Howell High School. The high school team worked closely with the Livingston Educational Service Agency to create the program that combines high school coursework with the first two years of college, allowing students to graduate with a high school diploma and up to 60 transferable credits, an industry credential, or an Associate degree. For the 2017-2018 school year, we will offer early college programs in health sciences and manufacturing.

Our students continue to demonstrate excellence in athletics and visual and performing arts. Our performing arts students showcased their talent in productions such as the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Our students in the vocal program delivered outstanding performances throughout the school year, and our students’ artwork was displayed on local, state, and national levels. Our student-athletes continue to compete at a very high level. This year several of our teams made it into the playoffs for their respective sports, and both our Club Rugby Team, Pom-Pom Team, and Color Guard Show Team claimed state championships. While doing this, these athletes also maintained an average GPA of 3.29.

Parent, community, and business support for the district remains very high. This allowed us to expand our partnership with LOC Federal Credit Union to open three new student-run credit union branches and offer a Teen Financial Reality Fair to our high school students. Local businesses have also helped support various fundraisers around the district and partnered with our teachers on many projects. Our parents are always willing to serve on PTO’s, school improvement committees, and volunteer in our schools. The support from these groups shows how much our community values its school district and epitomizes the #OneHowell culture that is so critical to our collective success.

All of the things I have mentioned above are possible due to our outstanding teachers, support staff, and administrators. When I visit our schools, I am so proud to see the teaching and learning that is happening in each classroom. Students are engaged and excited to learn. Our building teams have done a great job of creating a safe, caring, and nurturing learning environment in each of our schools.

As our students and their families enjoy their summer, we will be busy preparing for another great year at Howell Public Schools. I look forward to seeing our current students and meeting our new students when school resumes on September 5. Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Erin J. MacGregor

Superintendent

Howell Public Schools


Posted by gouldt On Thu, Jul 06, 2017 at 9:57 AM  

 
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