Dear Families,

Over the past week, we have celebrated the Howell High School and Innovation Academy seniors at their respective graduation ceremonies. Each student's path to graduation is different, and regardless of that path, reaching this milestone is a huge accomplishment. That path is paved with the love and support from families, administrators, teachers, and support staff. I know these students will leave us and go on to do amazing things. To the families of this year's seniors, thank you for your partnership in your child's education, and thank you for sharing your children with us.

We have finalized the summer route for the Highlander Reading Express, our mobile library. Each week the Highlander Reading Express will run its route bringing books to our students. We have also started to finalize the dates for our 'Free Book Fridays," where students who visit us can select a new book to keep. We are also working on planning a very fun summer reading night. The Highlander Reading Express's summer route and information about our other summer reading opportunities can be found at https://bit.ly/38Nnk1C. Be sure to check the Highlander Reading Express webpage often as new events will be added as they are confirmed.

In addition to our summer reading programs, the Howell Carnegie District Library runs an incredible summer program. This year, the library's summer reading challenge will run from June 1 through July 30. The library's 2022 Summer Reading Challenge is easy and fun for all ages 0-101. You can pick up your age group's Bingo card in the library or participate online. Read, explore the library, and be engaged this summer as you complete activity squares on your card to get BINGOs and chances to win prizes. Visit www.howelllibrary.org to find out more! The library also has great family events such as Start of Summer Family Slam,  Family Art,  Up, Up, & Away: a family science show from Mad Science of Detroit,  Sensory Storytime, and more. For teens (entering grades 6-12), there are events such as  Teen Build Alongs, an Oreo Taste Test, and more! Some require registration, please visit the Howell Library events calendar for details. 

Last week, students from Challenger Elementary and Three Fires Elementary took part in a Unified Champion Schools Cornhole Tournament. The tournament was an excellent opportunity for our students with and without disabilities to come together and enjoy a fun morning outside. Additionally, eighth-grade students from Highlander Way Middle school who are part of the TIES program recently visited Voyager and Challenger to give presentations about different disabilities. The TIES program is a peer-to-peer program where students work together to support each other, foster friendships, and better understand disabilities. I am proud of the work that all of our schools are doing to ensure that our schools foster a culture of caring, acceptance, and inclusion. 

If you have not completed our annual Family Perception Survey, please take a few minutes to complete it. We use the feedback received from this survey to gauge how the district is doing in several areas and to help guide our work to improve the district. The survey will close on Friday, June 10, at 5 p.m. To complete the survey, please visit https://bit.ly/3N8QTc9.

The Salvation Army will again be hosting its Summer Lunch Bunch at locations across our district and county. The Summer Lunch Bunch provides an essential source of meals during the summer months. Each Tuesday, the Highlander Reading Express will join the Summer Lunch Bunch at the Brighton Village Mobile Home Park. To view this year's Summer Lunch Bunch flyer with all of the stops listed, please visit https://bit.ly/3PaPnYW.

This is the last MacGregor's Message of the 2021-2022 school year. While in some ways this year seemed incredibly long, in other ways, it flew by. I am proud of all of our work this year to ensure that our students were in school, learning, making friends, and participating in co-curricular activities. As we head into summer vacation, I want to take one last opportunity to thank all of our amazing teachers, support staff, administrators, bus drivers, custodians, and operations staff who work tirelessly each day. None of what we do would be possible without their unwavering dedication to our students and families. 

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe summer.

Sincerely,

Erin J. MacGregor, Ed.S.

Superintendent

Howell Public Schools