Dear Hutchings Community,
I wrote a long, personal anecdote in the last Hutchings Herald. I feel like being respectful of everyone's time with this Herald- it'll be more concise.
On October 20, I shared a resource we've been using called The First Five. Today, you can check out The First Five: Thanksgiving Edition or The First Five: Non-Holiday Edition. I promise I won't overuse it as source material for these newsletters.
In the days ahead, I invite you to connect with your Husky with any of The First Five activities. I wanted to share the quote from the Thanksgiving Edition with everyone today: "Gratitude turns what we have into enough."
In my second year at Hutchings, I have big dreams and hopes for our building. I know that every day, our staff enters into their important work with a vision for how the day will go. I'd imagine every student feels the same way. But life is full of variables, and we have to respond to setbacks, adjust as necessary, and help each other. And both adults and students do these things very well at Hutchings. I'm grateful for that.
For me, the value of this quote is the reminder that when we're doing great work, it will always feel like we could do more. But we can celebrate each other, celebrate the work, and celebrate our powerful and positive community. I'm grateful for all of you, and hope you have a wonderful holiday.
Sincerely,
Ben Malecki
Principal
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District Updates:
District-wide Food Drive Continues Through December 1
The district-wide Gleaners Food Drive continues through Friday, December 1. All food items donated support Gleaner’s work to fight food insecurity in our community. If you are able, please consider supporting this important cause.
Now Hiring Kids Kare Staff
The Howell Public Schools Early Childhood Education Department is hiring additional staff for its before and after-school care programs for elementary students. The starting pay for these positions is $15.50 per hour. To learn more about these job openings, please visit https://bit.ly/3R0HbNZ.
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Counselor's Corner:
"It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy." (Unknown)
This month brings to mind the idea of being grateful. Gratitude is not an instinct, it is something we are taught and must practice. The ability to show gratitude and be grateful not only allows us to feel at peace with our lives, but also helps us to build strong relationships with others.
Here are simple ways that we can help children appreciate the people and things in their lives:
- Model Gratitude: Find time during the day when you can talk about the people and things for which you are grateful. At school, we often talk about sunshines and clouds (sunshines are things that inspire us to feel good, clouds are things that might be icky or uncomfortable). This reinforces the idea that we can be grateful, despite everything not going our way.
- Develop Perspective: When you have your child write a “wishlist” for a birthday or holiday, also have him/her write a “thankful for” list (spending time with family, baking, decorating, etc.). This is a healthy perspective to develop at an early age.
- Say 'Thank You': Make writing thank you notes or drawing pictures a normal ritual after receiving a gift or sharing a special event together.
- Volunteer: Volunteering, even a few hours a month, helps us connect with the world around us and affirms our part in something bigger than ourselves. It can easily help children to feel grateful for their own situation. Check out this link for volunteering needs in our area: Volunteer Livingston.
Kristen Hogan
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The Howell Food Drive runs until December 1st! Thank you for all you've already donated!
Please review the 2023 Food Drive Flyer and Spirit Days
Big thanks to Jason DeLand and the Hutchings Student Council for their leadership with the drive!
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Please review the November PTO Newsletter to see updates from our organization: NOV PTO Newsletter
November 21st is Hutchings Night at Panera Bread in Howell. For more information, check out this Panera Flier
Finally, the Board created an easy list of ways to becoming involved: 5 ways to support Hutchings PTO
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Hutchings Elementary School
3503 Bigelow Rd., Howell, MI 48855
Phone 517.540.8081 | Fax 517.234.6075
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