July 26, 2019
Dear Howard Family,
I want to officially welcome all of you to the 2019-2020 School Year! Summer has come and gone and now it is time to continue with the excellent traditions of Howard Middle School. The faculty and staff members have been busy preparing for another amazing year and have been working hard to ensure a successful start of school on Monday, August 19, 2019.
I am very excited about this upcoming year, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to get to know all of you and engage in the educational process together. The middle school years are critical times of development for students and families alike, and I look forward to working with all of you to make this year successful.
REGISTRATION:
School Registration will take place on Wednesday August 7 - Thursday, August 8, 2019 between the hours of 10:000 AM-6:00PM in the Howard Middle School cafeteria. ALL STUDENTS MUST REGISTER PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
ARRIVAL TIMES:
Our school day begins at 7:30 AM every day. Please be sure to have your child/children here on time. All students who arrive after 7:40 AM must sign in at the office with a parent. If your child is sick please turn in an excuse to the Attendance Clerk.
UNIFORMS:
All students are required to wear school uniforms and must adhere to the school uniform policy.
DISMISSAL:
The school day ends at 3:15 PM. All carpool riders must be picked up by 3:45 pm.
Policy Changes for 2020:
This year there are two new school wide initiatives that will affect the students of Robert E. Howard:
Safe Schools Initiative
AVID
The Safe Schools Initiative requires that each student have a clear book bag. The first will be provided at no cost to each student. Replacement cost of the bag is $12.00
Robert E Howard Middle School is an AVID site. AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) was founded in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson. The AVID curriculum, based on more than 35 years of research and rigorous standards, emphasizes teaching pedagogy which focuses on writing-to-learn, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading for comprehension. This allows college preparatory classes to be accessible to all students.
As a part of the AVID curriculum the following supplies will be provided to each student:
• Large three ring binder (Replacement Cost of $6.00)
• Literacy toolkit (inclusive of Post-Its, paper clips, rubber bands, highlighters, colored pens, scissors, and various items needed for text annotation) Replacement costs $6.00
Parents should purchase (all Grade Levels)
• Composition notebooks (teachers may require a specific color)
• Index cards
• Glue sticks
• Additional sheet protectors
• Paper
• Ruler (not wooden)
• Pencils and pencil pouch
• Pens
• Flash Drives (16G)
• Folders with pockets and prongs (6)
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS:
Howard will have an assortment of after school programs this school year. Students will receive a list of the wonderful and exciting programs that they can join at the beginning of the school year.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
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Registration
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Wednesday, August 7th
Thursday, August 8th
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10:00-6:00
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Howard Middle School Gym
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Meet and Greet
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Thursday, August 15th
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6:00PM- 8:00PM
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1st Day of School
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Monday, August 19th
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7:30AM- 3:15PM
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SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT:
Because it is so important that teachers and parents work together in making a child’s school year a happy and successful one, it is hoped that you will be able to spend some time during the school year helping in the classroom or at home. Please discuss with your child’s teacher, ways that will work within your schedule. The following are examples of how you can help improve the achievement of our students at Howard….
§ Support your child’s teacher
§ Attend all Parent Teacher Conferences
§ Check on your child’s progress regularly
§ Set high expectations for academic and behavior
§ Encourage your child’s participation in school organizations
§ Visit the school and know your child’s teachers
§ Volunteer to help in the classroom
PARENT/TEACHER ORGANIZATION:
We strongly encourage all of our families to join our Parent Teacher Organization. Fundraising is paramount to the success of Howard and we hope you will help support our programs and events in the fall. When a fundraising event surfaces please consider supporting it through donations or time as it helps support our number one priority: our children.
We look forward to seeing all of you this fall and making this the best year ever at Howard. With your help and support of our children in the Howard community, will “Claw to Success.” Enjoy the remainder of the summer!
Warm Regards,
Eric Brown, Ed. S.
Principal
