Wow, the first nine weeks went by so fast! I hope you all enjoyed Fall Break, even with the unusually high Tucson temperatures. We're entering the holiday season; I love this time of year at school because there's always so much excitement in the air! A few things you need to know this month:

• Our first Bond project has begun! We are slated to have all new HVAC controls and units, except for one that replaced a couple of years ago, by Winter Break. We will all be thankful when it starts warming up again the spring!
• Remember, Wednesday, October 23, is a district-wide professional development day for all staff. No school for students this day.
• Hopefully you can join us for our annual Halloween Parade on Halloween Day. We will begin the parade right after announcements, about 8:45. It finishes quickly, so please arrive on time!
  
• The Martha Cooper Library just reopened after nearly two years of renovations. The library offers free, drop-in homework and reading help for students in grades K-12 who need support, assistance, and encouragement with their homework. They also help students access library resources including online databases and online, one-to-one tutoring. I've attached a flyer and you can access information on the website.
• We are utilizing CharacterStrong curriculum to help promote being kind, being strong, and being well. Please see the attached PurposeFull People Family Letter along with last month's grade level Respect Newsletter, this month's grade level Responsibility Newsletter, and a Bullying Prevention Newsletter with great information. I encourage you to access the Family Strong Website, too.
• Our Volunteer Breakfast has been rescheduled. It will now be Friday, November 22, 9:00-10:00.

Now that the school year is underway, I just want to remind our wonderful Howell families that we have many resources available. Such as food banks and clothing banks, just to name a couple. Please feel free to reach out to me or your child’s teacher if you need anything. I’m happy to help.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Walk-N- Roll! All participants received a Walk-N-Roll sticker & pencil and one student won the grand prize of a new scooter, helmet and lock.

This month we also Have our BOO Bash at Peter Piper Pizza Wednesday Oct. 30, 2024 from 5-8 @ the Peter Piper Pizza on 22nd St. Come join the fun!

Last month we were able to pass out three backpacks, two pair of shoes, and we started our weekend snack pack program.

It’s official now, our Kindness Squad has reached a total of 35 members, some of them are new members and some have been with us from the beginning! During the last couple of weeks, we have addressed “Respect and Kindness” in our meetings and talked about how each of us show this. The comments from our kids always amaze us and give us hope in today’s world.

We discussed the ripple effect and talked about how one kind act can lead to another one and positively impact other people. Therefore, each time your child does something to show kindness and respect for someone else, it gives the person receiving it a lasting and inspiring feeling to do something kind and respectful for someone else.

Our “Being Present on Tuesdays” have been very successful. Families, kids, teachers and staff love the warm welcoming we’re bringing on these days and the kids love the pom poms.