Dear Voyager Families,
Happy Valentine’s Day!!! There is a district reminder below, but please remember that there is NO SCHOOL for staff and students on Monday, February 17th!!! Enjoy the long weekend!
Vision Screening for 1st, 3rd, & 5th Grade Students and Referrals - Vision screening will occur at Voyager on March 2nd & 4th (re-screening will be on March 5th). Here is some information from the Health Department regarding vision screening:
The Livingston County Department of Public Health will be conducting Vision Screening at Voyager. All Health Departments in Michigan provide routine vision screening to identify children who have vision problems or might be at risk for vision problems. Children who do not pass the initial screening will be rescreened. If a child does not pass the rescreen, a letter will be mailed home recommending the child see an eye doctor for a complete eye examination. Students in 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th grade will receive vision screening. Vision screening will also be provided to students in other grades who are last-year follow-ups and parent/teacher requests.
Please notify the school (prior to the first day of screening) and provide child’s name and teacher if: 1) You have a concern for your child and your child is not in the above grades, or 2) You do not want your child screened.
Please let the office know if you have any questions about vision screening.
REMINDER - Registration for the Feelin’ Good Mileage Club 2020 is open through March 2nd - From April 13-May 29, students are provided opportunities to walk or run during identified lunch periods. Students earn a toe token for every five miles logged up to 20 miles. When they reach 20 miles they earn a water bottle. This is a free program, however, any student who chooses to walk/run even on one day has to be registered to participate. As a result, I encourage you to register your child even if he/she is not sure if he/she wants to participate (some of our younger students decide they want to participate after they see friends participating). You can register on your phone, tablet, or computer at SparrowMilesClub.com. Please contact the office if you need a hard copy of the form! Let’s shoot to have 90-100% of our Voyager Vikings registered to participate.
**** A program like this requires a large number of volunteers - information on how to volunteer will be available next week from our VBC. Please be on the lookout for this information so you can see how you might support this program once or twice; on a weekly basis; or even more than that if your schedule allows. It’s a fun way to be involved at the school that doesn’t require any prep work or a long term commitment!!!
On Tuesday, I will be on the morning announcements, encouraging students to have their parents register them for the program, will be sharing some new “features” of the program this year, and will be letting students know that I will be walking with students when my schedule allows. I LOVE Sparrow’s Feelin’ Good Mileage Club!
There are several “District Updates” this week. As a result of this, I am going to keep my letter short this time - enjoy the three day weekend with your families! Please read the “District Updates” and the “Counselor Corner”. Every other week, our wonderful Elementary Counselor, Ms. Jennifer Starkey shares information with parents - this week’s Counselor Corner features information about an in-school program that is offered to all of our 2nd graders - 2nd Grade Ability Awareness Day! Please read the information even if you don’t have a 2nd grader - Ms. Starkey needs volunteers to help with this program!
As always, please feel free to contact me at anytime. My email is [email protected] or you can reach me by calling the main office at 517-552-7500 ext. 46503.
Sincerely,
Kari Naghtin, Principal
District Updates:
No School on Monday, February 17
Please remember that there is no school on Monday, February 17 in honor of Presidents’ Day. Classes will resume on Tuesday, February 18.
Senior Survivor Kick-off Carnival
Howell High School's Senior Survivor fundraiser is coming up soon! This year's charity is Special Olympics of Michigan. To kick off Senior Survivor, the high school is hosting its second Senior Survivor Kick-Off Carnival on Friday, April 24th from 6-9 p.m. in the Howell High School Field House. The Carnival will have bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, inflatables, food trucks, arts and crafts, a DJ, games, raffles, etc. The survivors will be there with their buckets for donations and interacting with everyone. Admission is $10 (ages three-18), and donations are appreciated for adults and children two and under.
Kindergarten Registration is March 17
Howell Public Schools will hold its annual Begindergarten and Kindergarten registration event on Tuesday, March 17. To learn about the district’s Begindergarten and Kindergarten programs, find your child’s home school and begin the online enrollment process, please visit HowellSchools.com/KDG.
Information for Fifth Grade Families Regarding Middle School (5th grade parents received this information via a separate email from me on Thursday)
As you and your child prepare for the transition to middle school, the middle school principals wanted to share some upcoming dates. On March 12 and 13, the middle school principals and counselors will be visiting all fifth-grade classes in the district. During these visits, they will be going over the changes to expect in the transition to middle school and some things students can start doing now to prepare. Additionally, they will review how the middle school day is structured and the encore class choices available to students. A fifth-grade parent night will be held at both Highlander Way and Parker on Wednesday, March 18th at 6:30 p.m. Students and parents are encouraged to attend this meeting.
Livingston Educational Service Agency Early Childhood Programs are Enrolling for Fall
Livingston Educational Service Agency Early Childhood Programs are enrolling for the 2020-2021 school year. Head Start and Great Start Readiness Programs offer no-cost/low-cost preschool to income-eligible or children “at-risk” who qualify under federal and state guidelines. Families meeting eligibility guidelines have access to learning opportunities, health and wellness, social and disability services, and other community resources. Children of all abilities are encouraged to apply. To learn more, please call 517-548-2100 or visit www.startfreepreschool.org to complete an application.
COUNSELOR’S CORNER:
Celebrating Diversity and Ability
We are pleased to offer an informative and interactive experience for our second-grade students: Ability Awareness Day! This is a program of many activities designed to heighten sensitivity and appreciation for people who are perceived as “different.” On Tuesday, March 10, our second-grade teachers and our counselor, Mrs. Starkey, will help our students better understand how children with various disabilities (learning, physical, emotional) are just like other children through hands-on learning activities, an interactive puppet show, and much more!
To make this happen, we need volunteers! If you would be willing to volunteer at one of the hands-on learning stations, please reach out to your child’s 2nd-grade teacher (or me, if you don’t have a second-grade student) as soon as possible. We will need volunteers from approximately 8:45 a.m. (the classrooms will begin rotating through the centers at 9:15 a.m.) until around 11:15 a.m.
Feel free to contact Jennifer Starkey at 517-552-7500, ext. 46124 or at [email protected] for more information!
Jennifer Starkey, School Counselor