PackPride
The week before Spring break marked the end of our first ever Jump Rope Club. This club was offered to our 1st and 2nd grade students, and participants met after school on Wednesdays for six weeks. The jumpers were guided by parent and staff member, Katie Buchanan. Thank you, Mrs. Buchanan, for bringing this opportunity to our students!
Thank You 22/23 Robotics Coaches: Jill Cain (Technology Teacher)
Please join us in giving a big shout-out to our amazing robotics coaches, volunteers, and parents! Your unwavering support and dedication to our students made this year's program a huge success. We want to recognize the rockstar lineup of coaches who led the way: Nathan Brugnone, Crystal Berchem, Tina Duguay, Andrew Elms, Derrek Little, Trinie Lounsbury, Matt Medler, Jessica Nunez, Derek Pluta, Timothy Sredzinski, Justin Stengel, Danny Stricker, and Micah Swansey. This year, our program boasted 7 Explore FLL Jr teams (K-2nd) and 2 Challenge FLL teams (3rd-5th). Our older teams competed in 3 categories at their festival in Waverly. The Robot Design category involved programming the robot, and students built mission models from LEGOs. Each mission had a specific task that the robot needed to complete, and it was amazing to see how our students rose up to the challenge. We had the pleasure of hosting the Robotics Festival for our younger teams on December 10th. At this event, students had the opportunity to showcase their hard work and creativity, and work together to solve team challenges. It was a fun-filled event! Each student came home with a medal, and the team received a trophy!. Once again, a heartfelt thank you to all our coaches, volunteers, and parents for making this year's FIRST Robotics program at Three Fires Elementary such a success. We couldn't have done it without you.
How can my child join a robotics team?
If your child is interested in joining one of our robotics teams next year, some of our coaches and team members will be at the Spring Fling on Friday, April 28th. You can find us in rooms 2308 and 2309. If you're a parent looking to volunteer, we'd love to have you on board to keep our FIRST Robotics programs running smoothly. For more information on the Three Fires Robotics program, please email Jill Cain at [email protected]
Coffee Chat with Superintendent MacGregor
Superintendent MacGregor will host his final Coffee Chat of the school year on Thursday, April 13, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Howell High School's Highlander Restaurant. The focus of the Coffee Chat will be on the various co-curricular activities offered to students. In addition to sharing about co-curricular activities, MacGregor will provide general district updates and answer any questions attendees may have. To read more about the Coffee Chat, please visit https://bit.ly/3K84S23.
M-STEP Calendar
This spring, Michigan is administering its required state assessment to all 3rd- 5th graders. The test is called M-STEP - Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress. All Howell elementary schools will be taking the online version of the assessment. The state mandates that all schools statewide follow the same testing window. The Three Fires M-STEP testing schedule is as follows:
5th Grade: April 19th, 20th, 24th, 25th, 27th, and May 1st
4th Grade: May 3rd, 4th, 8th, and 9th
3rd Grade: April 11th, 12th, 17th, and 18th
Please mark these dates on your calendar. We are giving parents the testing schedule so that appointments, vacations, etc. can be scheduled around these dates as much as possible. We encourage you to help your student take this seriously and rest well the night before.
M-Step Electronic Device Policy
As we approach the M-STEP assessment window, the Michigan Department of Education has revised its technology policy for non-testing electronic devices. Students are not permitted to use, wear, or access personal, non-testing electronic devices during testing or while on a break when in an active testing session. These electronic devices include but are not limited to smartphones, cell phones, smart watches, Bluetooth headphones, headphones that allow access to voice assistant technology, and computers and/or tablets not being actively used for testing purposes.
2023-2024 Placement Consideration Form
The Howell elementary schools have a process that allows parents to provide the school information about their child that will assist in the placement of the child through the use of a Placement Consideration Form. The form asks that you describe the educational setting (academics, behavioral and physical) that you would like to have for your child without naming a particular teacher. It is important to be as detailed as possible stating the type of classroom environment that would most benefit your child. Example: structured, relaxed, hands-on, challenging, quiet, teacher-directed, etc. Please note: When a specific teacher name is included on the form, the form will not be accepted or considered. Click here to access the form. Forms will be accepted through Friday, April 14th.
1st to 2nd Grade Looping
As we plan for next year, we plan on offering the opportunity for students who are currently in 1st grade to loop to 2nd grade with their current 1st grade teacher. For example, if your child currently has Mrs. Pressel for 1st grade, your child will move up to second grade with Mrs. Pressel. We will be sending home a more detailed letter to all 1st grade parents soon. Parent support is important, so if you do not wish for your child to loop, you will have an opportunity to opt out of this practice.
Morning Drop Off
Just a reminder that morning drop off begins at 8:35 and classes begin at 8:50. Those students arriving after 8:50 are considered tardy and will need to be signed in at the office.
Senior Survivor Carnival
All Howell families are invited to the third Annual Senior Survivor Kick-Off Carnival on Friday, April 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $10 for ages 3-18*. Adults and children two and under are free! The carnival will feature games, entertainment, arts and crafts, raffles, inflatables, and more. The carnival will be held in the Howell High School Field House. There will be multiple food trucks with food available for purchase. Please visit www.howellschools.com/survivor for more information on Senior Survivor 2023. *Eighth-grade students and younger must be accompanied by an adult!
Counselor’s Corner: Jeanie Nemeth
Parenting is hard. 50% of parents worry their child is struggling, but don’t know what to do. 32% of parents feel their child is unhappy. The Livingston Educational Service Agency has partnered with an organization called ParentGuidance.org to provide every Howell parent access to some amazing opportunities:
- On-demand courses that parents can access to help support their child
- On-demand self-help courses for parents
- Access to an individual parenting coach for up to 30 minutes each week
- The ability to message a coach and receive responses within 24 hours when families experience difficult moments
ParentGuidance.org is intended to be used by parents and will not be used in the school setting. To learn more about the coaching program, please visit https://bit.ly/3VpVsnn. To register to be connected with a free parenting coach, please visit https://bit.ly/3RZgEO8 and click "Register Today."
Pinwheels for Prevention
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. To raise awareness of child abuse prevention, our school is joining LACASA and several businesses, community organizations, and other schools in displaying a pinwheel garden as part of LACASA's Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign. To read more about Pinwheels for Prevention, please visit http://bit.ly/3KHOtDj.
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