Mrs. Burch's Weekly Update (1/16)

Happy Friday! It was a busy week! I hope you enjoyed the Snow Day!! We completed both the Math and Language NWEA tests, as well as the Domain 4 Assessment this week. The kids did great overall! They're showing lots of growth already! I'm so proud of them!! 

Report Cards are available on PowerSchool. If you need help accessing your child's first semester report card, please contact the main office. 

Book Orders are due by Friday, January 23. Please make sure orders are submitted online by noon on 1/23. All your scholastic orders help us earn free books for our classroom! Thank you for your support! 

Mrs. Burch's Class Scholastic Ordering Page

Mrs. Burch's Code: GZKBK

We read about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today and discussed why we don't have school on Monday. He was such an important man! We talked about how we can "Be Great Like Dr. King" and share kindness, too!

Next Week:

• Math: Unit 5--Addition & Subtraction, Money
• Social Studies: Economics 
• CKLA Skills: Unit 3 Skills--/ue/ and /aw/
• CKLA Knowledge (Science): Domain 5--Butterflies, Bees, and Beetles: Insects

Upcoming Dates:

• January 19--No School, MLK, Jr. Day
• January 21--Rollerama Night 6-9pm
• January 26--State of Michigan Spirit Day
• February 6--Hutchings Swim Night (4:30-6pm)
• February 9--PTO Meeting 6pm
• February 12- Donuts w/Grownups (A-L)
• February 13--No School for students
• Feburary 20- Aubree's Night (Celebrity Server Night)
• February 25- Donuts w/Grownups (M-Z)

Please note:

• We do not celebrate birthdays with edible treats in 2nd grade. You are welcome to send in a pencil or small trinket for your child to pass out if you would like, but I will make his/her day special regardless! Thank you for understanding!
• Don't forget: students need a healthy snack and a secure water bottle at school each day! We're having an issue with tops that don't close tightly OR that pop open easily. Please check your child's water bottle to make sure it's easy for them to latch. Thank you!
• If you would like to help in our classroom this year, please see our Classroom Volunteer Sign-up! Make sure to fill out the volunteer form and turn into the office BEFORE you volunteer! Please limit sign-ups to twice per month, so all parents have a chance. Spots will become available 60 days out, so make sure to check back if everything is currently filled.

From the PTO:

1/21- Rollerama night

The next rollerama night is January 21 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM! 

Rollerama 6995 Grand River Rd Brighton MI 48114

A portion of each entry fee will be donated back to benefit the Hutchings PTO initiatives. Look out for more information closer to the event.

1/30- Basketball Youth Challenge at the Fieldhouse

One Howell spirit competition among schools at upcoming basketball games. The school with the highest percentage of student attendance for each bracket advances. Each school bracket "match up" is a theme night. Hutchings vs. Three Fires on January 30, "green out" theme. Check in between 6-7 PM at the HOME TICKET TABLE. Students are free with a paid adult ($6).

2/6- Swim/Pool Competition

It’s official, the competition at the Highlander Aquatics and Fitness Center is on!! Anytime you head to the pool let them know you’re with Hutchings and get a marble to go into the bucket. The school with the most marbles will win a donation to the PTO!

Current standings:

1. Voyager

2. Challenger

3. Northwest

4. Three Fires

5. Hutchings & Southwest

We have fallen back to 5th place so we have some work to do Huskies!

Our dedicated open swim night is February 6, 4:30-6 PM.

*Other Upcoming Dates*

2/9- PTO Meeting @6pm

2/12- Donuts w/Grownups (A-L)

2/20- Aubree's Night (Celebrity Server Night)

2/25- Donuts w/Grownups (M-Z)

A note from Central Office: 

Each year, Howell Public Schools honors two exceptional individuals through the Teacher of the Year and Support Person of the Year awards. These awards celebrate the dedication, professionalism, and daily impact of staff members who make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students.

Teacher of the Year nominees should be exceptionally skilled and dedicated professional educators, including teachers, counselors, and other instructional staff. Ideal candidates demonstrate deep knowledge of their students and engage in creative, imaginative, and inspiring teaching practices.

Support Person of the Year nominees should be individuals who go above and beyond to create a positive, respectful, and supportive environment where all students feel valued and achieve success. Eligible candidates include secretaries, library services coordinators, aides, computer technicians, food service workers, maintenance employees, and more.

New this year! Nominations for both awards can be completed at https://bit.ly/4jw1sHV.

All nominations are due by Monday, February 6, 2026, at 4 p.m. Late submissions will not be considered.

Happy New Year 2026! ~ Mrs. Burch's Weekly Update (1/9)

We had a great week back! Thank you for keeping your kiddos home when they aren't feeling well. The less germs here, the better!! It's definitely going around! 😷 Please remind your kiddos to wash their hands regularly!! 

We worked on New Year Goals and other fun New Year Activities this week! We're starting to get back into the swing of things! 

The Gingerbread Man is still traveling on many adventures across the globe! We'll keep tabs on him for a couple more weeks. He's been to SO many fun places already! 

Next Week:

• Math: Unit 5--Addition & Subtraction, Money
• Social Studies: Economics 
• CKLA Skills: Unit 3 Skills--Spelling Trees, Students Excel
• CKLA Knowledge (Science): Domain 4--Our Planet: Cycles in Nature *Review M-Th, Assessment Friday
• We will be completing the NWEA Math and Language Assessments next week during Math (Tuesday) and ELA (Thursday).

Upcoming Dates:

• January 13--Report Cards available in Power School
• January 14--Pita Way Fundraiser 4-9pm
• January 16--Fitness Friday Spirit Day
• January 19--No School, MLK, Jr. Day
• January 21--Rollerama Night 6-9pm
• January 26--State of Michigan Spirit Day
• February 6--Hutchings Swim Night (4:30-6pm)
• February 13--No School for students

Please note:

• We do not celebrate birthdays with edible treats in 2nd grade. You are welcome to send in a pencil or small trinket for your child to pass out if you would like, but I will make his/her day special regardless! Thank you for understanding!
• Don't forget: students need a healthy snack and a secure water bottle at school each day! We're having an issue with tops that don't close tightly OR that pop open easily. Please check your child's water bottle to make sure it's easy for them to latch. Thank you!
• If you would like to help in our classroom this year, please see our Classroom Volunteer Sign-up! Make sure to fill out the volunteer form and turn into the office BEFORE you volunteer! Please limit sign-ups to twice per month, so all parents have a chance. Spots will become available 60 days out, so make sure to check back if everything is currently filled.

From the PTO:

Pita Way Fundraiser

Visit Pita Way in Howell on January 14 between 4-9 PM and mention the Hutchings fundraiser for 20% of your bill to be donated to the Hutchings PTO. Thanks for supporting the PTO!

Save the Date-Rollerama night

The next rollerama night is January 21 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM! Rollerama 6995 Grand River Rd Brighton MI 48114

A portion of each entry fee will be donated back to benefit the Hutchings PTO initiatives. Look out for more information closer to the event.

Basketball Youth Challenge at the Fieldhouse

One Howell spirit competition among schools at upcoming basketball games. The school with the highest percentage of student attendance for each bracket advances. Each school bracket "match up" is a theme night. Hutchings vs. Three Fires on January 30, "green out" theme. Check in between 6-7 PM at the HOME TICKET TABLE. Students are free with a paid adult ($6).

Swim/Pool Competition

It’s official, the competition at the Highlander Aquatics and Fitness Center is on!! Anytime you head to the pool let them know you’re with Hutchings and get a marble to go into the bucket. The school with the most marbles will win a donation to the PTO!

Current standings:

1. Voyager

2. Challenger

3. Northwest

4. Three Fires

5. Hutchings & Southwest

We have some work to do Huskies!

Our dedicated open swim night is February 6, 4:30-6 PM.

A note from Central Office: 

Each year, Howell Public Schools honors two exceptional individuals through the Teacher of the Year and Support Person of the Year awards. These awards celebrate the dedication, professionalism, and daily impact of staff members who make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students.

Teacher of the Year nominees should be exceptionally skilled and dedicated professional educators, including teachers, counselors, and other instructional staff. Ideal candidates demonstrate deep knowledge of their students and engage in creative, imaginative, and inspiring teaching practices.

Support Person of the Year nominees should be individuals who go above and beyond to create a positive, respectful, and supportive environment where all students feel valued and achieve success. Eligible candidates include secretaries, library services coordinators, aides, computer technicians, food service workers, maintenance employees, and more.

New this year! Nominations for both awards can be completed at https://bit.ly/4jw1sHV.

All nominations are due by Monday, February 6, 2026, at 4 p.m. Late submissions will not be considered.

Mrs. Burch's Weekly Update (12/19)--Merry Christmas!!

We had a blast at our Holiday Party Thursday! Take a look at some pics! I hope you all have a wonderful break, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! School resumes January 5, 2026!

The Gingerbread Man is still on the loose! We think he may have more adventures during the Holiday break, so we'll check in with him again in January! 😉 He's been to SO many fun places already! 

Next Week:

• Math: Unit 5--Addition & Subtraction, Money
• Social Studies: Economics
• CKLA Skills: Unit 3 Skills--Spelling Trees, Students Excel
• CKLA Knowledge (Science): Domain 4--Our Planet: Cycles in Nature

Upcoming Dates:

• December 22-January 2--Holiday Break 🎄
• January 5--Classes Resume
• January 13--Report Cards available in Power School
• January 19--No School, MLK, Jr. Day

Please note:

• We do not celebrate birthdays with edible treats in 2nd grade. You are welcome to send in a pencil or small trinket for your child to pass out if you would like, but I will make his/her day special regardless! Thank you for understanding!
• Don't forget: students need a healthy snack and a secure water bottle at school each day! We're having an issue with tops that don't close tightly OR that pop open easily. Please check your child's water bottle to make sure it's easy for them to latch. Thank you!
• If you would like to help in our classroom this year, please see our Classroom Volunteer Sign-up! Make sure to fill out the volunteer form and turn into the office BEFORE you volunteer! Please limit sign-ups to twice per month, so all parents have a chance. Spots will become available 60 days out, so make sure to check back if everything is currently filled.

From the PTO

Elementary School Open Swim Competition

The open swim competition for the elementary schools begins December 20! If you visit open swim at the Howell Aquatic Center between December 20-Februrary 28, let them know that your family is from Hutchings. $1.00 per open swim per swimmer will be donated to the PTO and the school with the most visitors will win the competition and an extra donation!

The winter break pool schedule can be found here: https://www.howellschools.com/community/highlander_aquatics_and_fitness_center/schedule_pool

The dedicated Hutchings swim night is February 6, 4:30-6:00pm. We'll continue to share more details as the event gets closer. 

Holiday Shop Thank You!
Thank you to our amazing parent volunteers and teachers for your support of the Husky Holiday Shop! It was a fun-filled few days, and we loved seeing the joy it brought to the kids. We couldn’t have done it without our wonderful parent volunteers, your time and help made it all possible. We truly appreciate you all!

The Hutchings PTO wishes you and your families a happy and safe holiday season.

Mrs. Burch's Weekly Update (12/12)

Hi, families! The Gingerbread Man has been a world traveler!! Check out all the fun places he has been! Our BK friends made gingerbread houses to decorate around our bulletin board, too! Run, run as fast as you can...!! 

• The Husky Holiday Shop begins next week! Please don’t forget to fill out your student’s envelope completely and send it in on Monday!!  We will be shopping from 11:20-11:45 on Monday! If you cannot find the original envelope, please send $ in any envelope and indicate how much should be spent on which person! Please do not send more than $20-25. They should only be shopping for basic family members (mom, dad, siblings, grandparents). They will not have enough time to shop for pets, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Students will be able to choose one item per person. Thank you for understanding!

• PTO still has openings for Santa Shop volunteers—please consider helping for the Holiday Shop! We need support to ensure the kids can shop smoothly and also with teardown.     Sign up here: Volunteer Sign-Up

• We still have a few slots open for our Holiday Party! Thank you for all your help and donations!! Our Party is on Thursday afternoon and on Friday we will finish up crafts in the morning and watch a movie in the afternoon. 

• PTO Qdoba Night: Join us on Tuesday, December 16th from 4–8 PM at the Howell location. Use code QDOBAGIVES at checkout to support Hutchings!

We had fun writing about what makes Christmas "perfectly perfect" and decorating our Mooseltoe this week!

Next Week:

• Math: Cumulative Assessment, Holiday Math Activities
• Social Studies: Holidays Around the World
• CKLA Skills: Unit 3 Skills--Spelling Trees, Students Excel
• CKLA Knowledge (Science): Domain 4--Our Planet: Cycles in Nature

Upcoming Dates:

• December 16--PTO Qdoba Night (4-8pm @ Howell location only)
• December 18--Holiday Party! 🎄
• December 22-January 2--Holiday Break 
• January 5--Classes Resume
• January 13--Report Cards available in Power School
• January 19--No School, MLK, Jr. Day

Please note:

• We do not celebrate birthdays with edible treats in 2nd grade. You are welcome to send in a pencil or small trinket for your child to pass out if you would like, but I will make his/her day special regardless! Thank you for understanding!
• Don't forget: students need a healthy snack and a secure water bottle at school each day! We're having an issue with tops that don't close tightly OR that pop open easily. Please check your child's water bottle to make sure it's easy for them to latch. Thank you!
• If you would like to help in our classroom this year, please see our Classroom Volunteer Sign-up! Make sure to fill out the volunteer form and turn into the office BEFORE you volunteer! Please limit sign-ups to twice per month, so all parents have a chance. Spots will become available 60 days out, so make sure to check back if everything is currently filled.

Mrs. Burch's Weekly Update (12/6)

Happy Friday! We had a fun week! We started the week by figuring out our Elf Names! Ask your kiddos what their Elf Name is!! 

We have also started learning about Holidays Around the World. We created some beautiful poinsettias to decorate our room after reading about Holidays in Mexico! We also "carved" wooden shoes after learning about Holidays in Holland! 

The Gingerbread Man has started sending us notes from his adventures!! If you know someone in another state/country, please send them our information! See the post from Seesaw last weekend for all the details! 

We have reached our goal of 200 cans!! There is still one more Spirit Day for the canned food drive. Can we surpass our goal and help the EVENS take the lead?! 

Please make sure to review the spelling words from last week, as we will be testing on Monday!  

Next Week:

• Math: Measuring (ft, in, cm) *Test Wednesday, 12/10
• Social Studies: Holidays Around the World
• CKLA Skills: Unit 3 Skills--Spelling Trees, Students Excel
• CKLA Knowledge (Science): Domain 4--Our Planet: Cycles in Nature
• Writing: Mooseltoe

Upcoming Dates:

• December 8--PTO meeting
• December 16--PTO Qdoba Night (4-8pm @ Howell location only)
• December 18--Holiday Party! 🎄
• December 22-January 2--Holiday Break 

Please note:

• We do not celebrate birthdays with edible treats in 2nd grade. You are welcome to send in a pencil or small trinket for your child to pass out if you would like, but I will make his/her day special regardless! Thank you for understanding!
• Don't forget: students need a healthy snack and a secure water bottle at school each day! We're having an issue with tops that don't close tightly OR that pop open easily. Please check your child's water bottle to make sure it's easy for them to latch. Thank you!
• If you would like to help in our classroom this year, please see our Classroom Volunteer Sign-up! Make sure to fill out the volunteer form and turn into the office BEFORE you volunteer! Please limit sign-ups to twice per month, so all parents have a chance. Spots will become available 60 days out, so make sure to check back if everything is currently filled.

Notes from PTO:

• The Husky Holiday Shop is coming! Dec 15th-17th

  Flyers have been or are being sent home. If you lose your budget envelope, replacements are available in the office. This year, we are introducing an eWallet option for families. Please submit one transaction per child and include the printed receipt in their envelope to assist our cashiers. We ask that you not pay for multiple students in one transaction as our cashiers will not be able to track money left for other siblings.

  
  

  Questions about eWallet? Contact: hutchingsptotreasurer@gmail.com

  
  

  We still need volunteers to help students shop and wrap gifts—please consider signing up!

  https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0B4DAEA822A7FAC43-60634559-hutchings/99095902

  
  

  Hutchings Staff Favorite Things

  We’ve collected responses from staff for families to reference during the holidays or special occasions. View the list here: https://tinyurl.com/HuskyFavThings2025

  
  

  If you do not see a staff member listed on here, they did not complete the survey.

  
  

  Qdoba Night

  Save the Date-Tuesday 12/16 from 4-8pm at the Howell Location!

Mrs. Burch's Weekly Update (11/25) ~ Happy Thanksgiving! 🧡

We had a fun, short week! We made Thanksgiving Bracelets to tell the Thanksgiving Story! 

We also disguised our turkeys as Greek Gods, to support our CKLA Konwledge learning! They did such a great job! 

The Canned Food Drive is well under way! We currently have 142 items. We need 200 items to earn a movie/electronics reward! Keep those cans coming!! Thank you for all your donations!! 🥫

Participate in the Spirit Days and support the Canned Food Drive:

Next Week:

• Math: Measuring (ft, in, cm)
• Science: Plants and Life Cycles
• Social Studies: Comparing Cultures around the World
• CKLA Skills: Unit 3 Skills--R-controlled Vowels and Spelling Alternatives
• CKLA Knowledge: Domain 3--Greek Myths *Review and Assessment
• Writing: Mooseltoe

Upcoming Dates:

• November 26-28--Thanksgiving Break! 🦃
• December 8--PTO meeting
• December 22-January 2--Holiday Break 🎄

Please note:

• We do not celebrate birthdays with edible treats in 2nd grade. You are welcome to send in a pencil or small trinket for your child to pass out if you would like, but I will make his/her day special regardless! Thank you for understanding!
• Don't forget: students need a healthy snack and a secure water bottle at school each day! We're having an issue with tops that don't close tightly OR that pop open easily. Please check your child's water bottle to make sure it's easy for them to latch. Thank you!
• If you would like to help in our classroom this year, please see our Classroom Volunteer Sign-up! Make sure to fill out the volunteer form and turn into the office BEFORE you volunteer! Please limit sign-ups to twice per month, so all parents have a chance. Spots will become available 60 days out, so make sure to check back if everything is currently filled.

Notes from PTO:

• PTO Update:

  The Husky Holiday Shop is coming!

  We are excited to host our 2nd fully run PTO Holiday Shop this year. For those new to the school, in previous years the PTO has used Holiday Shop vendors to provide us items for the shop and in turn they keep about 80% of the profit. Along with this, the prices of these shop items range from $0.25 to $22 which is hard for kids these ages to budget/shop in such a short amount of time. To make the experience a bit easier, shop prices are going to all be on the dollar and range in price from $1 to $6, with most items costing $1 to $3. Within the coming weeks we will send home a flyer (with your students shopping day) and budget envelope for your student.
  
  

  	Time	Class
  Monday 12/15/2025	9:15 - 9:45am	Scott
  	10:00 - 10:30am	Keppler
  	10:45 - 11:15am	Stolle
  	12:25 - 12:55pm	Jilek-Wolfe
  	1:10 - 1:40pm	Wildman
  	1:55 - 2:25pm	Burch
  	2:40 - 3:10pm	Derocher
  Tuesday 12/16/2025	9:15 - 9:45am	Urban
  	10:00 - 10:30am	Buckingham
  	10:45 - 11:15am	Reis
  	12:25 - 12:55pm	Lewis
  	1:10 - 1:40pm	Viau
  	1:55 - 2:25pm	Bradner
  	2:40 - 3:10pm	Nelson
  Wednesday 12/17/2025	9:15 - 9:45am	Sulek or McCoy
  	10:00 - 10:30am	VanBlaricum
  	10:45 - 11:15am	DeLand
  	1:55 - 2:25pm	Sulek or McCoy

   

  What’s next? We need volunteers to set up, help our students shop, check out, and wrap gifts; this event can only happen with parents/adults helping students! Please sign up here if you are able.

  *As a reminder to volunteer you must have completed a current 2025/26 background check on file. If you have not completed one yet this year, please do so as soon as possible and turn into the office by 12/10.

   

  For any additional Husky Holiday Shop questions, please get in touch with hutchingsptotreasurer@gmail.com.