Dear Parents,

I hope each of you had an enjoyable holiday and that the new year is off to a great start for you and your family.

Next Thursday, January 12, I will host a Coffee Chat at the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Coffee Chat is an opportunity for district stakeholders and community members to meet with me to hear updates about the district and discuss matters relating to Howell Public Schools. The event is free and open to all community members. The Howell Area Chamber of Commerce is located at 123 E. Washington Street, next to the Howell Post Office. You can read more about this event at https://goo.gl/ufPJNx.

Our winter sports season is in full swing, and it is shaping up to be a very exciting one. Our girl's varsity basketball team is continuing their success from last year and currently has a record of 6-0, defeating some very tough opponents early in the season. The wrestling team is currently 2-0 in dual matches, and hockey is undefeated in our league and has a record of 8-4 overall. The boy's varsity basketball team is off to a good start with a record of 4-3 and boy’s swim and dive is even for the season at 1-1. If you have an opportunity, I encourage you to watch our student-athletes in action. You can view our athletic schedule at https://goo.gl/1Y3gvB.

When visiting our buildings during the school day or for after school events, please be sure to park in designated areas and observe no parking zones such as fire lanes. We have had a few instances, especially at the Rod Bushey Performing Arts Center, where the entire fire lane has been blocked by people who have parked in it to attend a concert. This presents a real danger to pedestrians entering the building and would create serious problems in the event of an emergency.

Team KAOS, one of our middle school robotics teams, is headed to the FIRST Robotics Super Regional North Championship. At Southeast, second-grade students used project-based learning to write persuasive letters to support a grant application. Tonight, our high school a Capella groups Calamity and Classicality will perform at the 5th Annual College a Cappella Night. You can read more on each of these stories below.

Team KAOS Headed to Super Regional Championship

Team KAOS, one of our middle school FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams, will represent Michigan at the FIRST Robotics Super Regional North Championship this March. The team has had a great season so far. They were part of a winning alliance of three teams at a qualifying event and claimed third place overall at the Michigan FTC State Championship. You can read more about the team at https://goo.gl/GCYXQJ.

Southeast Students Write Persuasive Letters

Second-grade students at Southeast Elementary recently wrote persuasive letters to support a grant application for a new drinking fountain with a water bottle filling station. Using the principles of project-based learning, the students learned about the health benefits of drinking water and surveyed their schoolmates to gather their thoughts on a new drinking fountain. That research was used as supporting evidence in their letters as to why Southeast should be awarded the grant. To learn more about this project, please visit https://goo.gl/tB8ZvT.

5th Annual College a Cappella Night

Calamity and Classicality, our high school men’s and women’s a Cappella groups, will perform tonight at the 5th Annual College a Cappella Night. Our students will share the stage with college level and semi-professional a Cappella groups for a night of outstanding music. The show will be held at the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts and will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.