The Timberwolf Times - September 24, 2021 

September 24, 2021 

Timberwolves are Readers!   

Our reading curriculum is Units of Study.  Right out of the gate we are working with kids on some pretty complex questions.  What habits do good readers have?  What does your reading life look like?  How can you select a book that you’re interested in that you can also read? This program grants students more choices with their reading, and it allows for differentiation among the students.  As our students grow academically this year, we challenge everyone to connect with their child about their reading life. You will be amazed at the level of focus your child will have when you engage with them around their reading.  Here are some suggestions for all parents who want to help their child read well:

  • Read with your child every day

  • Listen to your child read.

  • Echo read (You read a line, then they repeat).

  • Choral read (Read together at the same time).

  • Reread or retell favorite stories.

  • Talk to your child about the stories you have read.

As you read:

  • Ask your child to share what they remember.

  • Ask questions about the story.

  • Talk about your favorite parts, what you’ve learned, or who is in the book and what they do.

  • Help connect the stories to your child’s life or other books you’ve read

If you are struggling to find books that your child enjoys reading, please reach out to your child’s teacher.  Research shows that reading with your child—not to them—greatly increases children’s language and literacy, and puts them on a path to grade level reading. Watch this video about how to “READ” with your child and try it at home: https://youtu.be/FjJD1UDwVKg

Family Access to Schoology and Seesaw

Our teachers in grades third through fifth, are using the Schoology Learning Management System. The Schoology Family Portal gives families access to their child’s course information and progress. To learn more about the Schoology Family Portal, please visit https://bit.ly/3hTWC6H.  In grades begindergarten through second, our teachers are using SeeSaw as their learning management system.  To learn more about SeeSaw, please visit https://bit.ly/3iRIqva.  If you have specific questions regarding these learning management systems, please reach out to your child’s teacher.    

Counselor’s Corner (Jeanie Nemeth):  Weekend Survival Kits 

As we ease into the 2021-2022 school year, we would like to remind you of a program that we offer for our families.  All schools in the district participate in a supplemental food program entitled Weekend Survival Kits.  A typical kit will contain approximately two weekends’ worth of food servings that are discreetly sent home with students every other Friday throughout the school year.  The kits are free to eligible children who currently qualify for free or reduced school meals. Your family must complete a free or reduced price school meal application to participate. The application can be found at https://bit.ly/2z6nDlP.  The contents of the food kits vary from month to month.   However, some commonly included items are boxes of macaroni & cheese,  individual apple sauce servings, peanut butter, oatmeal packets, granola bars, canned soup and fruit snacks.  Breakfast items are always a priority in the kits.  Additionally, the meals are easy to prepare!  Weekend Survival Kit application forms will be sent home with your child soon.  If you are interested in participating in the program, please complete the form and return it to your child’s school.  If you have more than one child, you only need to submit this form to one school.  And remember, there is no cost for your family to participate in this incredible program!  If you have any questions, please reach out!   Additional information about the Weekend Survival Kit program can be found by visiting www.weekendsurvivalkits.org

 

Stop By and Visit the Highlander Reading Express Tomorrow

The Highlander Reading Express will be out in Downtown Howell tomorrow, Saturday, September 25, as part of Downtown Day. The Highlander Reading Express will be parked near the historic courthouse on Grand River, giving out free books. Additionally, there will be special offers from downtown businesses and even some give-a-ways. 

 

#OneHowell Committee

To ensure that Howell Public Schools continues to meet the needs of our students today and into the future, the district is forming the #OneHowell committee. The committee will review the district’s current strategic plan and revise it into an adaptive plan to guide the district for the next several years. The plan will align with the district’s  Portrait of a Highlander, which outlines the skills and abilities that our students need when they leave Howell Public Schools for the next chapter of their lives. To learn more about the #OneHowell Committee or apply to be a member of it, please visit https://bit.ly/3o4U4bC

Covid-19 Process and Options

With the recent addition of the Livingston County Health Department’s (LCHD) Alternate Quarantine Option and other changes to the quarantine process, the district has completed a document that includes its case identification process and each of the quarantine options approved by LCHD. To view this document, please visit https://bit.ly/3u9bPrd

 

School Meals and Free and Reduced Meal Applications 

Thanks to several USDA waivers, all students will receive school meals for free this year. This applies to full breakfasts and lunches but not ala carte items. While school meals will be free for everyone, it is very important that families who would typically be eligible to receive free or reduced-price school meals still complete a free and reduced meal application. The district receives federal and state funding based on the number of eligible families in the district. Qualifying families may also receive additional benefits, such as discounted college application fees and access to supplemental meal programs. To learn more about these benefits, please visit https://bit.ly/2Xxqhx0. To complete a free and reduced meal application, please visit https://bit.ly/2z6nDlP.

 

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 


Posted by tormanes On 27 September, 2021 at 1:58 PM