Dear parents,

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season. As we start 2016, there are many exciting things happening at Howell Public Schools. We are making progress on developing a new strategic plan for the district. This plan will be used to guide our district for the next three to five years. Using feedback from my Listen & Learn Tour, a stakeholder survey and various pieces of data, a team of district employees, parents, and community members have identified goals for our district. This week our district and school administrators met to discuss the implementation of the strategic plan. I will share the completed plan with the Board of Education in February.

We have begun the process of issuing bid requests for work relating to the technology bond. The first round of bid requests relates to upgrading our district infrastructure. The items included in the bid requests are wireless internet upgrades, updated network electronics and additional wiring to support the wireless network. This work needs to be completed to support additional technological devices.

Please remember that there is no school this Monday, January 18, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King was an inspiring leader. One of the many quotes attributed to him is "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" When I read this quote I think of our dedicated staff who give so much of their time and energy going above and beyond the call of duty for our students. As we honor Dr. King's legacy on Monday, I encourage all of you to do something kind for someone else. Something as simple as saying "hello" to a stranger, may just make their day and make our world a better place.

January is School Board Recognition Month. Serving on a school board is often a thankless job. Our school board members spend countless hours attending meetings and school functions, visiting schools and reviewing data to make informed decisions. We will honor our school board during the January 25 school board meeting. If you see a school board member out in our community, please take a moment to thank them for their dedication to the students and staff of Howell Public Schools.

One of the great things about Howell Public Schools is the variety of opportunities available to our students. Recently, a Howell High School student took his first solo flight after completing our pilot ground school course. At the elementary level, we have some teachers who are using stability balls as classroom seating. Research shows that this helps improve student focus and achievement. We have set the date for our annual Kindergarten Registration and are excited to welcome the Class of 2029. You can read more about each of these items below.

Howell High School Senior Takes First Solo Flight

Last school year Jason Green completed the pilot ground school class offered at Howell High School. After completing the class, Jason began taking fight lessons and in December he took his first solo flight. You can read more about Jason’s flight at http://goo.gl/NPLucu.

Howell Students Have a Ball with Stability Ball Chairs 

There is no doubt that our teachers are innovators. Some of 

our elementary school teachers have begun using stability balls as classroom seating. There is research that suggests that the ability to “get the wiggles out” helps students remain focused and helps increase student achievement. To read more about this neat idea, please visit http://goo.gl/72goHy.

Save the Date: Kindergarten Registration March 1

On Tuesday, March 1 we will hold our annual Kindergarten Registration event from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event will be held at each elementary school and families should register their child at their home school. Additional information on Kindergarten Registration can be found at http://goo.gl/1hpX3N or by calling our registration office at 517-548-6232.