Dear Three Fires Families,
In the four weeks that schools have been closed, students/parents have been receiving K-5, Special Area, and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Choice Boards. Although classroom teachers, special education/support teachers, specials teachers, and counselors have been interacting with students in a variety of ways during this time, interacting with the choice boards has been optional and ungraded. During the initial state-mandated school closure, districts were encouraged to provide families with materials and resources that would help them keep their children academically engaged, but did not have specific mandates/expectations relative to teaching, learning, and assessment.
On Thursday, April 2nd, Governor Whitmer signed an Executive Order ending in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year and requiring school districts to implement a Continuity of Learning Plan. The district’s Continuity of Learning Plan and COVID-19 Response Plan outlines and highlights the components related to teaching and learning that are required in the Executive Order. Schools must keep students at the center by planning for student learning, developing a weekly plan/schedule, and contacting parents so as to continue to build and maintain relationships with students and families. Schools need to teach content, deliver instruction in multiple ways, provide feedback, and engage students and families. All student learning needs to take place under the direction of a teacher of record.
At the elementary level, our teachers will be delivering two English Language Arts lessons and two Math lessons along with assignments/tasks related to those lessons each week for six weeks. During those six weeks, teachers will be interacting with students, contacting students/parents, and reviewing/assessing the work. Student participation in these lessons is highly recommended. Please be patient as teachers navigate this new method of teaching and learning. We are all in this together!
Howell Public Schools’ policy is based on a “do no harm” philosophy, where pupils unable to fully participate will still be permitted to move forward next year. 3rd quarter report cards will not be issued. All elementary students will receive one of the following marks in ELA and Math at the end of the year: Not Evident (NE), Developing (D), or Secure” (S). Pupils who were unable to fully participate will receive a Not Evident (NE) informational mark without penalty and may receive remediation and support based on need in the fall.
Our classroom teachers will be providing more details and information regarding the plan for advancing our curriculum. Starting on April 13th, teachers will be connecting with students on specific choice board items leading up to new content being delivered starting on April 20th. We are living in unprecedented times, and all families are dealing with different issues related to COVID-19. We want to first make sure that the physical and social-emotional needs of our students and families are being met and also want to provide instruction for our students to the best extent possible. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about the information.
Sincerely,
Bob Starkey starkeyr@howellschools.com
Meal Distribution Information
We have partnered with The Salvation Army to continue providing meals to our families in need during this time. On Monday, April 13th, The Salvation Army will distribute pantry boxes containing breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. The distribution will take place from 4 - 6 PM at The Salvation Army Warehouse at 3600 East Grand River Ave., Howell. Families must provide a student’s school ID or proof of Howell residency.
School Food Mobile Pantry
The Three Fires School Food Mobile Pantry will be onsite in the Three Fires bus lot (entrance off of Latson Road) on Wednesday, April 15th from 9:15 - 10:15 AM. Please do not enter the bus lot before 9 AM.
Virtual Coffee Chat With Superintendent MacGregor Next Week
On Thursday, April 16, 2020, from 11 AM to 12 PM, Superintendent MacGregor will host a Virtual Coffee Chat. During the chat, Mr. MacGregor will share updates on the district’s response to COVID-19 and answer questions that district stakeholders have about the current situation. You can access the Virtual Coffee Chat at https://bit.ly/2UUOoSz with the password 9Ew3Xq.
District Issued Chromebook Technology Support
Technology support for school-issued Chromebooks is available by calling 314-635-0638 Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 4 PM. For the immediate future, and following the Governor’s Stay at Home Order, on-site tech support has been discontinued.
The Results Are In! Timber and Stella are in the Championship Bracket!
Starting this evening, your child can vote for his/her favorite name for our therapy dog! The final two options are Timber or Stella. Again, she is a female standard poodle who is anxious to learn what she'll be answering to when we come together. Limit ONE vote per student. This final round will end on Friday, April 17th at 4 PM. Click here to vote!
Doughnut Fix
Here is the final chapter from the Doughnut Fix. Click here if your child would like to follow along with Mrs. Boyd and her special guest reader/singer, Chewy! Chewy has a special song for you at the end of the video! Thank you to all of the families for participating in our One School, One Book this year. Although the program didn’t quite go as planned, we hope you still enjoyed the book and activities! For our finale, we’d like to see as many of you as possible share a photo of your family or child with a donut. This could be a real donut, one made from play-doh or a picture of a donut. Please email pictures to Sharyn Tormanen at [email protected]
BK and K Online Registration
While our Begindergarten and Kindergarten Registration event has been postponed, families can still register their child for Begindergarten and Kindergarten online at HowellSchools.com/KDG. The district will schedule a day in the future for incoming students and their families to visit the students’ new school and to turn in any required paperwork needed to complete the enrollment process.
Howell Public Schools COVID-19 FAQ
The district has created a FAQ that has answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the state-mandated school closures and the district’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the FAQ at https://bit.ly/2yR440R. If you have questions that are not addressed in the FAQ, you can submit them at https://bit.ly/2y1qyeW.
Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/threefireselementary, find our PTO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ThreeFiresElementaryPTO/, find us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowellTFE