This week the Positivity Project Character Strength we focused on was Open-Mindedness. Students discussed the character trait and learned about confirmation bias and ways to overcome this. Thursday students participated in an activity where they had a small portion of an image and they needed to work in a group to try to determine what that image was. Ask your child how their group did. After, if time allowed, students then were asked to think of a topic they constantly argue about with someone and they needed to take the other person's position and think of three reasons why their side is valid. Ask your child if they had time to do this activity and if so, what argument did they think of and what were the three reasons they came up with.
Today on our half day all students completed the VIA Youth Survey to identify their character strengths. You can take the free adult version of the VIA Institute Character Strengths survey by clicking here. Ask your child what their top strengths were and what were some of their lower strengths? Were they surprised by this information? The students participated in activities to process their results with guiding questions in their Patriot Time teams. After the school went to the football field where students gathered by character strength to learn more information about what their strength means and how it is shown. Character strengths then worked as a team to nominate students to participate in a wheelbarrow race, three legged race and the limbo contest. Ask your child how their character trait did. Upon returning to their classroom students then met with their Patriot Times to work on identifying themselves as a team using their newly acquired information. Classes then headed down to the main gym where they watched the exciting game of staff vs eighth grade girls volleyball. Ask your child who won! Be sure to check out @HowellDSchmidt and @TrishPoelke on Twitter to see some of the fun!
Next week in Patriot Time students will be focusing on another component of the Other People Matter Mindset, Identifying and appreciating the good in others. Each grade level will be learning and applying the topic by viewing different videos and participating in different discussion questions and activities. You can ask your child what identifying and appreciating the good in others means? Ask you child what he/she is going to do to improve their ability to identify the good in others.
Howell Public Schools Securing Our Future Sinking Fund Proposal Community Meeting
The Howell Public Schools Board of Education has placed a sinking fund proposal, with no expected tax rate increase, on the November 6, 2018, ballot. If passed, the proposal will provide the district with approximately 1.3 million dollars annually for the next ten years to fund security upgrades and perform major repair projects throughout the district. On Tuesday, October 9, the district will host a community meeting to share the details of this proposal. The meeting will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Board of Education meeting room at the districts administrative offices. You can also visit HowellSchools.com/SecuringOurFuture to learn more about this proposal.
Coffee Chat with Superintendent MacGregor
Superintendent MacGregor will host his first Coffee Chat of the school year on Thursday, October 18 from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. at Howell High School’s Highlander Restaurant. During the chat, Mr. MacGregor will share updates on various district initiatives and answer any questions attendees may have. The Highlander Restaurant is located on the west side of Howell High School near the Howell Aquatics Center.
Parker Pays It Forward
This November Parker Middle School in Howell will "Pay it Forward" to children in need to show how #otherpeoplematter. Every student will be participating in the Fleece and Thank You school wide program to give back to a very special group of young people. The students will be making the blankets during their Patriot Time on Monday, November 19th. We would love for families and friends to donate to our great opportunity. We will also need parent volunteers to come in and assist in each and every Patriot Time! (you must fill out a Volunteer Release form from the HPS website). Thank you for your support! Click on this page to make your donation today!!!
Tutoring Opportunities
As in past years, Parker Middle School will offer free tutoring once a week through collaboration with Howell High School NHS students. This year, we also have the opportunity to partner with Howell High School ROTC. We have heard feedback from many parents that it is difficult to pick up their child at 3:30 at Parker. In the past couple of years tutoring has had very poor attendance. So we have taken this opportunity to think outside the box and provide tutoring in two different locations. Parker will offer tutoring weekly during the 2018-2019 school year at The Hive and 2I42 Community Church, rotating locations bi-weekly. These sessions will be conducted by NHS or ROTC volunteers and a certified teacher on Monday afternoons from 3:00-4:00pm, starting on October 15. Students can ride L.E.T.S. bus from Parker after school to the HIVE for free with a Hive membership. For more information about the Hive check out the Hive flyer.
PTO Elections
Our next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, October 16th at 2:30 in the Media Center. We are looking for several positions to be filled. This is a great organization that helps make Parker a better place for your children. We hope to see many of you there.
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Poelke