Hello!

Thank you for turning in the permission slips for our CBI and Job Site locations. Students are expected to participate in all job sites and CBI activities as they are able. Obviously they will not be scheduled for something they aren’t able to do, but we do want them to gain as many experiences as possible to support their IEP goals and objectives as well as their independence. We have many great opportunities for our students! When the permissions slips started coming in today, I realized I should have worded it differently. A new permission slip will be coming home to those who may not have filled theirs out correctly. If you haven’t turned it in yet – please return in the new form which will be printed on colored paper. Please return this new permission slip on Monday, October 4, 2021. My apologies for the confusion. If you do not get a permission slip today – the one you turned in was fine!

Communication Folders – we have our blue communication folders set up and ready to go. This is a folder that will go back and forth between home and school. If your student is bringing something home, look for the blue folder with a lime green insert in their backpack. This makes things easier to spot and keeps things from getting too crumpled in their backpacks. Please remember to return it each time it comes home.

Backpacks – some of our students backpacks have to weigh over 20 pounds! Please make sure your son/daughter isn’t bringing anything unecessary to school. I think some students have the kitchen sink in there! They shouldn’t have to bring anything other than lunch and a water bottle and whatever device they want (phone, ipad, etc.) Everything else they need for school can be left at school and not carried back and forth.

Job Sites – we are hoping to start Oct 4th – so please turn those permission slips in! If you son/daughter has been absent – no worries, we will send it home when they return. Students will rotate through the different job sites each card marking. This will provide consistency yet allow the students to experience all of the sites throughout the year.

Upcoming Dates:

October 8 – Half Day – 11:30 Dismissal

October 13 – Late Start/First CBI outing

October 29 – Class Halloween Pizza Party – details to follow

Hello! We’ve reached the end of September and we are settled into a routine. The classroom day is busy and running smooth! Each day the students rotate between five different groups in the morning, and in the afternoon we have to whole group lessons, along with two fitness activities that students participate in. With all the rain, we have not been able to get outside for a mask break, but I anticipate we will do that again as soon as it dries up. With the cooler weather coming in, it might be a good idea for your son/daughter to keep a light hoodie/jacket in their backpack.

Reminder: Please turn in the applications for Goodwill and the SMART bus. Applications that have already been turned in were picked up by our transition coordinator today. Unfortunately those who choose not to turn them in may miss out on some of our job site and community activities.

Also, please remember to send emergency medications to school with your student if they are required. (Epi pens, seizure medications, etc.) While we are trained to administer medication for these emergencies, we are not medical professionals and we are not in a building that has a school nurse on site. We do worry for the students’ safety when the proper medications are not here, as emergencies can happen at any time.

We have implemented our token system for the classroom. Students start the week with $5, and owe us $1 each time a “rule” is broken. The students and I came up with the rules together as a class and they are posted on our board. At the end of the week, students who still have money left are able to participate in a “reward” day. This could be a movie, classroom games, a special treat, etc. They have done a great job this week and they DO NOT like losing a dollar! Some of the most frequent offenses are: Not wearing a mask, getting out of their seats, and swearing. Honestly this is the first year we’ve had to deal with swearing in the classroom, so if you know your son or daughter swears, please talk to them about it.

Upcoming Dates:

October 8 – Half day

October 13 – Late Start

October 29 – Pizza Party/Halloween Celebration – Details to follow

We have collected cell phones from those who cannot handle them responsibly during the school day. They sit in a basket on my desk until the end of the school day and then they may have them again. Since they are right by my desk, I’ve been noticing that some of the phones are receiving calls, texts, and notifications all day long. Students should not be receiving calls and/or texts while in school, however, if you are trying to reach your son/daughter for an emergency, please feel free to call or text the school phone at 313-701-7985.

Hello! Cell phones have become a problem for some students. Some students are making inappropriate calls to their classmates during instruction, others are on tiktok, face timing while in the classroom, etc. Those students are now required to turn in their phones at the beginning of class and they will receive them when they go home. Hopefully with some time and maturity we can allow those students to have their phones again. Students who have followed the rules are allowed to keep their phones with them during the day. You may want to ask your son/daughter if they were allowed to keep their phone today to find out how they’re doing.

Hello! I hope you all had a great week! The biggest news here is the bus situation. It seems as if there will only be one bus taking all of the students home which is resulting in longer bus times. As much as we’d love to help, you have to call the transportation department at 313-827-3300. It is my understanding that there is a shortage of bus drivers, but I still encourage you to call if you are having issues.

We are excited to announce that we are planning to start job and community sites soon! Please check your son/daughters backpack tonight. We are sending home paperwork that will allow us to use the SMART bus for transportation as well as an application for Goodwill. The Goodwill application is for a volunteer position (with supervision from Dearborn Public Schools) in order to learn job skills. Students will go in a small group with a teacher or parapro. Please send both forms back on Monday, September 13th, 2021. If you have any questions please feel free to call us 313-701-7985.

Upcoming Dates:

September 15 – Late Start

September 17 – Half Day (dismissal at 11:30)

Good Morning!

It has come to our attention that several student have gotten a hold of our personal phone numbers. LOL I assure you, no one has abused them, in fact, we love when students call to let us know they won’t be here! Please have students call or text our classroom number – they are welcome to do that at any time! Our classroom is 313-701-7985

Thank you!

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! It sure was beautiful! This week we will have our Open House on Wednesday from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Due to COVID restrictions, we will need to minimize the amount of people in our room at the same time. We have created a sign up sheet with four different time slots for you to choose from. At this time, we ask that only parents and students in this class attend. Masks are required. Please click the link to sign up. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0545A4AF23A0FE3-open Please do not show up without a scheduled time, it can cause overcrowding in our room.

Students did a great job today getting back to work and adjusting to our schedule. We were very impressed! It’s great to be able to work with the students in person – let’s work together to keep everyone healthy so that we can continue to learn in class! If your son/daughter shows any sign of illness, it’s best to keep them home until he/she feels better and/or has been seen by a doctor. Please keep your student home if they have a fever, cough, sore throat, cold, diarrhea or if they have been vomiting within the last 24 hours.

Most students have their supplies, we will be sending reminders home at the end of the week for those who may be missing something.

Have a great week!

Hello! I hope you’ve had a great summer! It sure went by fast! As much as I’ve enjoyed the break, I am excited to see all of your smiling faces on the 30th! I’m including a few reminders along with our school supply list -so that everyone is prepared for the start of the year. Students will need supplies on the first day of school, August 30th. Students will need to start bringing their lunch on August 31.

Reminders:

• The first day of school is August 30th and is a half day
• Classes will be in session M-F for a full day. Virtual classes will not be offered.
• Our school hours have changed. Howe School follows Middle School Times and the Elementary Calendar. Our new time is 8:25-3:20. Half day ends at 11:30.
• If you have transportation questions, such as pick up and drop off times, please call the transportation office at 313-827-3300 Ms. Cote and I do not have access to that information
• We are anticipating a full class which will mean all hands on deck! Kindly allow us 24 hours to respond to any calls, texts or messages. (Unless it is in an emergency).
• Speaking of emergencies…it is our policy to text first and call second if we need to get a hold of you due to sickness or an injury. Please make sure we have the correct cell phone number at the beginning of the year. We want to be able to reach you as quickly as we can. (Why do we text first? Because most people can receive a text in locations where they cannot receive a phone call, such as doctor offices or other appointments and you can instantly see why we need to reach you)

School Supply List:

• Academic Planner  (Monthly, 8×10)   MOST IMPORTANT! (Academic Planners are July-June 2021-2022)
• Pencils
• Colored Pencils – a good set of 12 or 24 is sufficient. Students will need all of the basic colors for assignments
• Scissors
• Glue Sticks – at least 2 per semester
• Pencil Case
• Calculator – can use their phone if they have one
• Watch (or other time keeping device such as a phone)
• Girls – personal hygiene items to be kept in purse or backpack (VERY IMPORTANT)
• 1 box of kleenex to be kept on your students desk
• Thermal lunch bag with cold pack
• Folding lawn chair for outdoor classes
• OPTIONAL but HELPFUL:  1 container of disinfecting wipes (such as Clorox)
• Face Masks – one to wear and one extra in backpack. (two extra if your son or daughter is prone to breaking them) The district will release their official decision on masks next week

We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and we will see you soon! Ms. Cote and I will be in meetings next week and will be checking our email regularly starting the 25th, should you have any questions or concerns. Our class phone will be turned on beginning August 30th. As a reminder, our class phone number is 313-701-7985

We made it! We’ve ALL made it – parents, teachers, and students! We’ve taught in two different buildings, online, in person, and online and in person at the same time! We’ve navigated through our own fears, your fears and the students…..and we made it! We are so proud of EVERYONE! It’s awesome to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m hopeful that we will be off to a much better year next year. Have wonderful summer!! We are looking forward to seeing everyone in the fall!

As a side note, please know that the classroom phone will be turned off and we will not be checking emails after “business hours” today. You are welcome to send us an email that we will see when we return to school. If there is a pressing issue, please feel free to call Howe School with your concern. For those who borrowed Chrome Books, you may hang on to them until the fall.

See you in August!

~Camp and Cote

Hello! Next week is the last week of school which means Spirit Week!

Monday – Neon or Bright Color Day – light us up! Wear anything neon or brighly colored!

Tuesday – Sunglasses Day – show us your shades!

Wednesday – Detroit Tigers Day – show us your spirit, wear any Detroit Tigers shirt, hat, etc.

Thursday – Red, White and Blue Day – wear any color or all three!

Friday – Hat Day – show us your favorite! (Half Day – dismissal at 11:55)