Highlander Nation 05/15/22

Last week, we watched our seniors walk out of the building for the last time. This week, we celebrate the HHS seniors at the Breslin Center and next week we celebrate the IA seniors at the Parker Stadium. We are a part of the greatest and most important profession in the world and each of you have contributed to preparing our seniors for this moment and the next chapter in their lives. Thank you!  

Howell Education Foundation (HEF) Golf Outing 

The annual HEF golf outing is scheduled for Friday, June 10. The HEF supports our students and staff through classroom grants, field trips, and facilitates the procurement of property for our Construction Trades program. The golf outing is a major fundraiser for the HEF. Please consider participating in this event - it’s always a great time. For registration and sponsorship information, click here.

Perception Surveys

In an ongoing effort to get feedback from staff, students, and families, we are in the process of administering our annual perception surveys. This year, we extended these surveys to include all students in grade 5 as well as all students in grades 6 - 12. Please take a few minutes and take the staff survey by clicking here.

Senior Survivor

Wow, what an incredible accomplishment by this year’s Senior Survivor - more than $228,000 raised for the inclusive playground in Genoa Township! In addition to the funds raised, the OneHowell community pride is absolutely amazing. There are so many people that play a part in making Senior Survivor so special. Thank you! This Friday, May 20 there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the playground. Many of the individuals involved with last year's Senior Survivor will be attending as well.

New Accountant - Marc Mckay

We have been in the process of restructuring our Business Office. Part of the restructuring plan includes the addition of an accountant. We were fortunate to find a great candidate in Marc Mckay. Marc will bring a level of expertise as well as new perspectives to our district operations. Marc lives in Howell with his wife and daughter. Please join me in welcoming Marc to Highlander Nation.

Cognia Accreditation Review 
As most of you know, we recently hosted an external review team for our accreditation process. It’s always a nice opportunity to have educators from outside the district visit to affirm the things we are doing well and to give feedback on the things we can improve. Overall, the visit went well and the team will be recommending we remain an accredited K-12 educational institution. To view the team’s report, click here (the full written report will be submitted to the district in the coming weeks). I would like to extend a special thank you to the Instructional Services Department and the building school improvement teams for their through preparation for the visit.

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Highlander Nation 04/04/22

On Friday, April 22, the high school will be hosting Decision Day. The day celebrates the specific paths of each of our seniors as they look to their next chapter. It's a celebration, but it's also a memory they can reflect on when they think of their high school experience - a defining moment. This is really what it's all about.

What will our students think of when they reflect on their last eight weeks of 1st , 5th, 8th, 11th grade? As we look to these next eight weeks, I recognize we have tasks to complete, and it can seem overwhelming at times. Let's challenge ourselves to think about and focus on the ways in which we can create defining moments for our students - academically, socially, or within a co-curricular experience.

Staff in the Spotlight

This year we had over 150 nominations from staff, students, and families for Teacher and Support Person of the Year. Congratulations to Jeff Klapper and Donna Pompilius for being selected as the 2021/22 Teacher and Support Person of the Year.

John Young was recently recognized by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) as the Regional Athletic Director of the Year for Region 11. John is one of only fourteen administrators state-wide to be honored by the MIAAA.

Christine Schoendorff (Voyager) has been named the 2021-2022 Michigan Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Elementary Teacher of the Year. 

Programs in the Spotlight

Unified Champion Sports - Our Unified Champion basketball team was invited to play at the halftime of the MHSAA Class A basketball championship game. It was an absolutely amazing experience for the students, staff, and families involved. The Unified Champion Sports Programs continue to grow in the district, providing opportunities of inclusion for so many more student-athletes. 

Howell High School Hope Squad - Hope Squad is a staff facilitated, student run suicide prevention program at the high school that trains and empowers students to be advocates for their peers. It launched in the fall of 2021 and is a tremendous way to make sure student voice is at the center of our mental health conversations. Most recently, representatives from the Hope Squad traveled to Lansing to advocate for suicide prevention legislation. 

District Updates

2019 Capital and Safety Bond Work - we completed a majority of the bond projects the past two summers, however, we have a few remaining large projects planned for this summer. Specifically, new roofs at the Little Highlanders/IA and Operations buildings, asphalt and paving projects including the service drive that runs from Grand River to M-59 on the campus and the service drive on the east side of Parker. In addition, we plan to purchase several new buses and the HHS field house floor will be repaired and refinished. 

Highlander Virtual Update - we plan to offer our Highlander Virtual program to grades 6 - 12 in the 2022/23 school year. We are finalizing a leadership structure for the program and will begin the student registration and staffing process shortly. 

Secure Education Consultants (SEC) Assessment Process - we met with our consultant, Jason Russell, from SEC to review their draft report. Overall, Mr. Russell was very positive about the district's safety and security procedures. Once we receive the final report I will share our comprehensive plan to implement the recommendations. Prior to the assessment being complete, we had already started to develop a plan for their first recommendation - a Behavior Threat Assessment Process. Specifically, I have convened a team comprised of counselors, social workers, psychologists, and administrators to develop a Behavior Threat Assessment and Management process for the district. We have made significant progress and are waiting for some key state agencies to further inform the process. While we have shared our preliminary work with the district's leadership team, we will be waiting to share it with all staff until the state has finalized their work.

#OneHowell Process Update - the #OneHowell team finalized their recommendations for the district's Adaptive Plan. In July, the board charged this team with reviewing the Adaptive Plan and to provide recommendations around the vision and goals, as well as to develop guiding questions for each goal. The board discussed the draft plan at a March workshop, and will consider approving it at the April meeting. I will share more about this after the April meeting.

Policy Review - as we get closer to the primary and general election season, the political climate is only going to get more charged. As we navigate this challenging landscape, I want to remind you of our responsibilities as educators. While Policy 9700 (Relations with Special Interests Groups), Policies 3231 & 4231 (Outside Activities of Staff) and Administrative Guideline 3231A and 4231A detail the standards and expectations of staff in relation to political activity, here is a brief summary from these policies and guidelines:

• Staff cannot use any type of educational material (curricular or co-curricular) if such materials contain partisan political messages. Professional staff may utilize political materials in adopted courses of study with the approval of the principal.
  
  
• School facilities may not be used to disseminate to the community any materials that advertise or promote a political party, a political cause, or the candidacy of an individual for public office. Students and employees of the Board shall not be used to distribute campaign literature within the schools or on school grounds.
  
  
• Staff cannot campaign on school property during work hours on behalf of any political issue or candidate for local, State, or National office.

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