Dear Families,
It has been a great two weeks at Howell Public Schools as we launched into the new school year. Seeing our students back in the buildings and excited about learning has been wonderful. On the first day of school, I rode along on one of our elementary school bus routes where I had the opportunity to chat with one of our students. During our talk, he shared all the reasons he was looking forward to starting first grade, which included wanting to become a better reader, his excitement to meet new friends, and that he was looking forward to seeing all of the "big people" that helped him out last year. This reminded me why we have all worked so hard to get our students back in school.
As I shared in my email yesterday, I have been so impressed with how quickly everyone has adjusted to our new safety protocols. However, we must remain diligent in following these safety protocols both at school and within our community. Currently, there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission within Livingston County schools. Instead, the increase we have seen in cases has been linked to students' activities outside of school. In turn, we must practice good public health practices like avoiding large gatherings (parties, etc.), wearing a mask, washing our hands, and practicing social distancing outside of school. When we work together, we can limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our schools open for in-person instruction.
Lastly, I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping students home when they are showing any signs of sickness and completing the student self-screening outlined in the Livingston County Health Department Back to School Parent Toolkit each day. Lastly, if for any reason your child is tested for COVID-19, they must stay home until permitted to return by the Livingston County Health Department.
In addition to the excitement of reopening school last week, we also received some great news from Special Olympics. They shared that Howell High School had been selected as a 2020 Unified Champion Schools Banner School. Howell High School was only one of five schools in Michigan to receive this honor. A school earns this honor by meeting ten standards of excellence. According to the Special Olympics website, "A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting ten national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community." To read more about this honor, please visit https://bit.ly/31vGOkO.
Sincerely,
Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.
Superintendent
Howell Public Schools
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