Howbert Happenings

I hope you all had a relaxing and thankful break! I sure took advantage of sleeping in a little later and getting a variety of house projects completed, except I still didn't get the lights hung on the house.

We have just over three weeks left in the semester before winter break. The staff at Howbert will be putting all their effort into making the most of the time to support student learning and growth.

I would like to share with you the criteria I use to decide on whether students stay in or go outside for learning or recess.

These criteria are based on making sure students are safe.

Decision criteria:

• Air temperature and wind speed (taken from the nearby weather station at Garden of the Gods Park)
• If the temperature or relative temperature (to include wind speed) is below 17 then we do not go outside
• If the temperature is 17 or above, then I go outside to the playground to observe the weather first-hand.
• If it is raining or excessively wet from snow, then students do not go outside for recess.
• Additionally, I take into account the time of year and recent weather. Generally, it takes students and families a little bit of time to adjust to dressing for the winter weather. Often times at the beginning of cold weather, some students do not have their winter coats, hats, and gloves/mittens out and readily available to wear to school. This is also the case when we have a warm day followed by a cold day. Students may not adjust quickly and neglect to bring appropriate clothing for the weather.

Please make sure your child is properly prepared for the weather each day.

We are currently hiring for an early childhood paraprofessional.

This is a 7-hour position five days a week.

The early childhood paraprofessional position assists the preschool teacher to meet the needs of children that are preschool age (3-5 years).

If you are interested, please visit the D11 careers page, click on the apply link, and then search for Howbert.

You are also welcome to contact the Howbert front office if you have further questions.

We are considering forming a district elementary basketball team to represent Howbert Elementary.

If you have a 4th or 5th grade student at Howbert that may be interested, please be on the lookout for more information that will be in a future Howbert Happenings and a flyer in the Thursday Folder.

When we think of inclusiveness, we think of including others. However, in our own household it can be difficult to WANT to intentionally include everyone all the time. We tend to gravitate to certain family members more because of personalities or similar interests. However, we cannot be truly inclusive outside our home if we do not practice inclusiveness within our own family. Inclusiveness is including others, inviting them in, and welcoming them with open arms. This week, we will highlight how we practice inclusiveness within our home and new ways to expand upon this.

Read the Newsletter below for how you can support learning about inclusiveness at home.

Beginning Monday, December 4th, students in grades 2-5 will be taking the middle of year STAR assessment in reading and math.

The information that we gain from this assessment helps teachers plan instruction that meets the needs of each student.

The assessment generally takes less than 20 minutes to complete (each).

Encourage your child to do their very best on the assessment and to show what they know and can do!

Howbert is seeking volunteers to help with a variety of activities in our school. Each week we will list volunteer opportunities here. There will either be a link to sign up or you can always give the school a call and we'll be happy to help.

UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

NEXT PTO MEETING: December 14th @4:00pm.

Your Howbert PTO is a very active group hosting events for families and supporting our students and staff throughout the year. We would love to have you join our email list (https://forms.gle/yCYhDfJNYBHXYyqE8) to receive our newsletters and other information. We can be found on Facebook at Howbert Elementary School PTO and online at https://howbertpto.wixsite.com/info. If you have any questions please reach out to us at HowbertPTO@gmail.com

Ways you can support our school without spending extra money! 🙂

• King Soopers Community Program: Select Howbert PTO to tie to your loyalty card and the school receives a percentage of the sales!
• Safeway Community Giving Program: reloadable gift card that the school receives 3-5%. Available through our PTO.
• Box Tops: Scan your receipts into the box top app, and turn in any physical box tops to the school.
• American Furniture Warehouse: Mention Howbert Elementary when you purchase and a portion of the profits will come to Howbert!