Thankful for Three Fires Traditions
Special thanks to our families and staff who set up a trunk at our annual Trunk or Treat! We could not have asked for better weather! The students loved the creativity that was put into the trunks. Thanks to all the families who purchased and donated books to our teachers’ classroom libraries at the book fair. These donations are much appreciated and give teachers the ability to offer our students a greater variety of books. It was a busy month at Three Fires. A final thank you to all of the parent volunteers and spectators who attended our halloween activities on Monday. We are so fortunate to have such a supportive school family/community!
Three Fires Student Run Credit Union - Open Wednesday, November 9th
Our student run credit union will be open on Wednesday, November 9th and every other Wednesday. Use your child's existing LOC savings account or open a new one to start saving. To open an account click here for more information or visit https://www.locfederal.com/join-loc Questions about participating or opening a new account? Contact: LOC Community Impact Specialist: Stephanie Hamlin- 248.919.5824 or [email protected]
Counselor’s Corner: Jeanie Nemeth
Helping Children with Friendship
Research shows that friendships are critical for social and emotional health: they can decrease stress and tension, help us develop empathy, and strengthen our defenses. To kids, though, choosing friends is a little simpler - they likely connect with people they have the most fun with. For a child, having even one good, dependable friend can make a huge difference! Similarly, when those friendships change, children can really feel a sense of loss.
There are three basic, social skills that are critical for making and keeping friends, whether you are 5 or 55:
- Breaking the ice with kids/people you have not met before
- Acting positively and appropriately with others
- Managing conflicts/problems constructively
We are often very vigilant in helping our kids master concepts in math or reading, but we often forget to teach behaviors. Here are some strategies for teaching these important friendship skills to our children:
- First and foremost, do a self-assessment and make sure you are modeling and showing the behaviors we are hoping to see in our children! Do you make friendships a priority? Are you friendly to new people? Are you open-minded and respectful when problems arise with others?
- Pay close attention to how your child behaves with same-age peers. Point out his/her strengths (“I noticed you let Lilly go first - that was very thoughtful!” or “When Stuart tried to argue with you, you calmly walked away - that was a good choice.”).
- Similarly, take note of what skills s/he needs to practice. For instance, does your child often interrupt others or boss them around? Is your child shy and afraid to try new activities, or hesitant to join a group?
- Once you identify what your child needs to work on, come up with creative ways to practice the skill. When it’s not the heat of the moment, talk about what that skill looks like. Go to the park and role play different scenarios. Check out books from the library that illustrate children using these skills. At the least, talk with your child about your strengths and weaknesses, and work together to form and strengthen your personal relationships together.
- Lastly, be patient. Teaching social skills takes time and lots of practice.
For more support, or a more personalized plan for your family, please reach out: [email protected].
PTO Updates
This week, your child will come with our next fundraising event. For this event, all proceeds from the cookie sales will go to the PTO, and all proceeds from the sport teams tumblers will go to funding the climbing wall for the gym. All order forms and money are due back to school on November 11th. There are also prizes for the top sellers. See the enclosed brochure that was sent home for a list of all of the prizes. Thank you in advance for your support of this fundraiser.
Lost and Found
This is the time of year that our lost and found area starts to grow! Every year the school lost and found contains many personal items of clothing that are never claimed. To avoid losing your valuable clothing, parents are asked to clearly label all personal belongings with your child’s name so that lost items may be returned promptly. We strongly recommend that you label lunch boxes, backpacks, coats, hats, and gloves.
Athletic Opportunities for Elementary Students - #OneHowell
The Howell High School Baseball Program is hosting a pancake breakfast starting at 8 AM on December 3rd at the Howell High Freshman Campus Cafeteria. All proceeds will benefit the Howell Baseball Program. Click here for detailed information on the pancake breakfast. On that same day, the Howell Baseball Program will be hosting a pitching clinic for K - 6 students. Click here for registration information.
School Breakfast is Available Each Day
Did you know that the Howell Food Service Department serves breakfast daily at every school? Students who eat breakfast have been shown to have better concentration, be more alert and reach higher levels of achievement. You can view the breakfast menu for your child's school at https://bit.ly/3oVCcPD. Breakfast is included if your family qualifies for free and reduced-price school meals. If you think your family may be eligible for free and reduced-price school meals, please complete an application at https://howell.familyportal.cloud/.
Mobile Food Pantry Coming to Howell on Thursday, November 17
On Thursday, November 17, Gleaners Food Bank will have a Mobile Food Pantry in the bus lot at 411 N. Highlander Way (between Highlander Way Middle School and the Freshman Campus). The Mobile will be open from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. Anyone in the community needing food can drive through and pick up food from the Mobile. If you have any questions regarding the Howell Food Mobile or food access in Howell, please contact Gleaners Food Bank at 517-548-3710.
"Do It For Daniel" Presentation Video Available
As Superintendent MacGregor shared in his newsletter last week, the district recorded the Do It For Daniel presentation given by Mr. Jeff Olsen last month. Mr. Olsen's son Daniel died by suicide, and since his death, the Olsen family has been open about Daniel's mental health struggles and has been working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. The video will be available for viewing until next Friday, November 11. You can view the presentation and documentary for the next two weeks at https://vimeo.com/762611750. The password for the video is Speaker1200. Out of respect for the Olsen family, we ask that you do not share the link or password.
Howell Public Schools Canned Food Drive Starts Monday
The Howell Public Schools annual Gleaners Food Drive starts Monday, November 7, and runs through Friday, December 9. The Food Drive is organized by students in the high school's leadership class. Last year, the district connected over 20,000 pounds of food items providing more than 76,167 meals to the community. Donation boxes will be placed at each school in the district.
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