It is with great pleasure that we write this letter to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! The first day of school, August 19th, is a half day for BK through 5th grade students from 8:50 a.m. until 12:05 p.m. This year is going to be different than any year we have had before, but we can assure you that we are doing everything possible to ensure that our students' experience is memorable! Our plans will advance them academically, but also provide a lot of fun, support, and normalcy. If we have not had the opportunity to meet, we would like to introduce ourselves. My name is Bob Starkey, and I am the principal at Three Fires. I live in the Howell community along with my wife, Jennifer, our nine year old son, Jude, and our four year old son, Axel. In my 20 years with Howell Public Schools, I have had the opportunity to work as a high school special education teacher, student council adviser, high school dean of students, middle school assistant principal, and elementary school principal.
My name is Angie Tyrpak, and I am the Student Services Advisor at Three Fires. My husband, Chris, and I live in Howell with our 9th grade daughter and 11th grade son. I have taught in the Allen Park, Walled Lake, and Howell school districts. This is my 9th year working for Howell Schools and I am proud to be a Highlander! As Student Services Advisor, my job is to help students to make positive behavior choices through PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) as well as working to develop strategies and programs to meet the educational, physical, and social-emotional needs of our students. I have missed our students and am excited to start the school year!
On behalf of the Three Fires staff, we want you to know that we will do everything we can to make your child’s year the best possible! We are evermore committed to providing the best education possible to our Timberwolves. Together, students, parents and staff make a strong Three Fires family. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected], [email protected], or at (517) 548-6387 if you have any questions.
Building Hours and Class Lists
Our main office is now open. This year, we will not be posting class lists in the building. Sometime next week, you will be able to view the name of your child’s teacher in Powerschool. The date when you can access this information is still TBD. We will email you once teacher assignments are in Powerschool. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to review your child's information in the PowerSchool Parent Portal and make any updates that are needed. This will ensure that we have the proper contact information for your family. You can find directions on how to do this at https://bit.ly/2OchZTy.
Virtual / Zoom Open House - Monday August 17th, 6 - 7:30 PM
In order to ensure the safety of our students, parents, and staff, and to comply with the latest Executive Orders from Governor Whitmer, the Elementary Open House (all grade levels - Begindergarten to 5th Grade) will take place via a Zoom call this year. During this Zoom, students and parents will have an opportunity to meet your teacher, specials teachers, and any other staff members. These Zoom meetings will take place on August 17th from 6 - 7:30 PM. There will be three 20-minute Zoom meetings with classes divided into alphabetical groups. Your child’s teacher will be providing you a Zoom link and meeting time via your registered email address prior to August 17th. If you cannot make your assigned alphabetical time, please attend a Zoom meeting that works best for your schedule. This will ensure your ability to meet with all of your students’ teachers if you have multiple children in one school. If you are a new student (Begindergarten, Kindergarten, or a new family to Three Fires), you will be invited to sign up for a brief tour of the school on August 13th or 14th. We will be sending out an email on Monday, August 10th on how to sign up for a building tour if you are interested.
Drop Off and Pick Procedures
At the end of next week, you will receive a paper copy of our updated drop off and pick up procedures in the mail. Your 20/21 pick-up pass will be included in this mailing. One major change this year is you will no longer be able to drop your child off before 8:40 a.m. We are no longer able to have students wait inside the main entrance and cafeteria before school begins.
Back to School Webpage
To help create a seamless transition into the new school year, the district has created a Back to School webpage. This webpage contains important dates and information relating to the 2020-2021 school year. Please visit the webpage at HowellSchools.com/RTS.
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
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