Summer always flies by so quickly but Council is ready for a new year with new events!

It's truly an honor to serve as president of the Livonia PTSA Council and I'm looking forward to getting to know you all! Council consists of an amazing group of individuals who I have the privilege of working with. The amount of PTA experience that Council members have is second to none! We are ready for a great year!

We hope you join us this year at meetings, events, and workshops! We have great things planned! Remember, your Council liaison is always available to help your unit have a successful year. Reach out if you need guidance.

We're looking forward to a fantastic year ... WITH CAKE!

Andrea Malenfant

Livonia PTSA Council President

Welcome to a new school year! For those wondering "What Is PEP?" allow me to explain. PEP stands for PTA/PTSA Excellence Program. This is a program created to help you make sure everything you need to be in compliance is completed and submitted on time and gives you points for doing so. What do these points mean? The top ranking PTA/PTSA units in Livonia will be awarded a gift from Livonia PTSA Council in May. The rankings from every unit also gives Livonia PTSA Council the order in which the next year's Council liaisons will be chosen.

How do you get PEP points? That's simple! After completing each task on the PEP checklist, email PEP at PEP@livoniaptsacouncil.org with the information. You will receive an email confirmation stating the information has been received and the points have been added to your units totals. These totals will be shared every month in this amazing newsletter and posted on Livonia PTSA Council's website.

Please reference the PEP Checklist to know when everything needs to be completed and submitted on time. Once you have your first meeting, be sure to upload items such as your budget, audit, 990, bylaws, etc. into MemberHub's Compliance hub. After you meet as an executive board, have each member of the board sign the Financial Best Practices and Bylaws Acknowledgement forms, then email the signed copy to PEP. Don't forget to invite your Council liaison to your monthly meetings and CC PEP for an easy 100 points a month! Submit a newsletter article to be published, CC PEP, and receive another easy 100 points a month!

Let's have a great year and earn those PEP points!

Sara Bennett

Livonia PTSA Council -- PEP Chair

pep@livoniaptsacouncil.org

The Reflections art program kicks into gear in the fall. We are looking for volunteers to lead Reflections at each unit. We will reach out to last year's volunteers to get the ball rolling. If your unit will have a new Reflections chair, we will provide training.

This is a great volunteer opportunity for someone who:

• Loves encouraging students to express themselves through the arts
• Wants to dip their toes in the PTA waters
• Can't spend their days at the school, or
• Doesn't want a year-long commitment.

Please let Debbie or Monique know if your unit has identified a Reflections chair for this year.

Debbie Yates & Monique Cadoret

Livonia PTSA Council Reflections Co-Chairs

reflections@livoniaptsacouncil.org

We are heading into our second year of having a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) committee with volunteers from the units. I will reach out to last year's volunteers to see who would like to continue. If your unit doesn't have a returning DEI chair, please consider finding a volunteer to fill that role.

We work together to find ways to make PTA events and programs more inclusive.

This is a great volunteer opportunity for someone who:

• Loves to celebrate the diversity of our students
• Believes in the PTA mission of making every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children
• Likes to plan fun, unique events at your unit, or
• Loves to make a difference at a district level.
• 
  

Please let Debbie know if your unit has identified a DEI chair for this year.

Debbie Yates

Livonia PTSA Council Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair

debbie.yates@livoniaptsacouncil.org

Please use the form below to submit your unit's Council membership dues.

On Aug 25th, the kindergarten team and PTA at Cleveland Elementary collaborated to host a picnic for the incoming kindergarten class. About 50 kindergartners and their families attended. At the event, students filled out a passport as they moved around different stations to have their passport photos taken, meet their teachers, say “hi” to the principal, learn crosswalk safety, have their faces painted, and receive a free backpack from the PTA with a few goodies inside. There was even a bus ride for students who wanted to see what it’s like to ride the yellow school bus. It was a beautiful day!

Franklin PTSA is always excited to provide the staff with a welcome back breakfast. It's a great way to show the staff that the parents and families appreciate them and that we are looking forward to a great year ahead. AND who doesn't love a free meal? It also happens to be a great time to get staff signed up for a PTSA membership! Our amazing membership chairperson, Mandy, creates a couple of small gift baskets to raffle off to staff. During breakfast, they can join the PTSA, via MemberHub or a paper form and they become entered to win. At the end of the day, we pick the winners and deliver their prizes. This is an inexpensive way to encourage the staff to join the PTSA and since they are all in one spot it is easy to get many to join at one time. Can't wait to get this school year started!

(left: picture from the 2021 breakfast)

Frost Welcomes Students and Families at Walk-Through

The Frost PTSA had a table at the student walk through on Thursday, August 25 where we helped answer questions and guided people as to how the walk through worked. We also promoted memberships and had several sign up on site!

The transition to middle school is a big one, and the nerves of students and parents alike were clear. It was nice to be able to connect, calm those nerves a bit, answer questions and offer candy to those who stopped by and make new connections.

While of course we want as many members as possible, it was a good reminder that the PTSA is there to help connect parents with the school. Little things like explaining how the drop off line works or how they can find out what lunch their student was assigned to, go a long ways.

The Hoover PTA hosted a “Popsicles on the Playground” event on August 23rd. The event was a chance for families, new and returning, to come meet the new principal, Mr. D, visit with friends and have a popsicle. We had an amazing turn out with over 300 students, family members, and staff showing up! It was a great way to kick off our year and show everyone what great Hoover spirit our school has. After 2+ school years that have been affected by Covid-19, the Hoover PTA is looking forward to getting back to some much needed normalcy in our school life and events! We look forward to bringing back some pre-Covid events as well as trying out some new ones. We plan to kick off our year with a Color Run fundraiser. Looking forward to a great year!

Over the summer, Kennedy Elementary PTA arranged for two "Playground Meet-ups" at the school. It was a great opportunity for students and families to come together and reconnect. Students, new and returning, enjoyed time playing on the playground, while parents had an opportunity to connect with other parents. It was also great to see teachers and staff stop by as well. Cookies and Cream food truck came for both events and made the time even sweeter! We are looking forward to a great school year!

Our executive board had a great idea to turn our standard curriculum night into a school-wide party. While the parents took turns per grade level to be in the classrooms sitting at desks, the kids got some play time with games like over-sized Connect 4 and tic-tac-toe, as well as drum lessons from Kofi Sensei.

Our garden committee was out with snacks made with ingredients grown right at Niji Iro. Motor City Street Treats and Sweet Delights Ice Cream also joined us, so nobody had to miss dinner time or dessert.

Watching the families of our school connect over the evening made our hearts grow. It was very uplifting seeing the people new to our school make friends and connections, and ultimately have a great time.

Niji Iro Kindergarten Welcoming Ceremony

The kindergarten welcome ceremony is a Japanese tradition welcoming students to their journey of education. In Japan, it takes place in 1st grade which is when they start school there. They sit with their class and each is called up by name to be greeted by their first teacher. It lasts about a 1/2 hour and is an important, formal occasion.

Thank you to Niji Iro Council Liaison Debbie Pline for this info and pictures!

Hello LPS PTA members! Randolph Roadrunners are ready for the 2022/2023 school year! We are welcoming new Principal Julie Linn to the Randolph family!! Welcome Mrs. Linn! The Randolph PTA has spent the last month planning a great year ahead!

Check out what we planned in the month of AUGUST!

“Popsicles on the Playground” on 8/24

“Chalk the Walk” on 8/29

“Meet and Greet” with Randolph teachers on 8/31

This year the back-to-school open house “Meet and Greet” was an outside event due to the construction in the school. It was a beautiful day for all and the kiddos will get some extra fresh air before their days start in the classroom. We plan to have a formal open house in Sept (date TBD) when we do the unveiling of our new Media Center and Library. August was just the beginning of so much to come for our school year! We hope every family is as excited as we are to start the year!

The Webster PTA is gearing up for a fun year. Most of our executive board was new last year and most of us have stuck around for this year. It is a nice feeling knowing what to expect and what is expected of us. Webster has a new principal and building supervisor as well as a few other new staff members so we are excited to show them what the Webster PTA is all about.

The last few days of August were full of chalk the walk, open house, and our last summer play date. We are planning our meet and greet after drop off on the first day as well as ways to promote membership early on in the school year. After the first day, the next big thing is our Walkathon which is our main fundraiser for the year. We are ready to hit the ground running!

Some events have set dates while others have tentative months. Please watch for finalized dates or any date changes.

Please mark your calendars now for Founders' Day, Officer Training and the 2022-23 Audit Party.

2022

9/6 - First Day of School

9/21- LPTSA Council Meeting | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

9/28 - IEP Binder Event | 6 - 8 p.m. | Holmes Middle School Media Center

9/29 - Candidate Forum | 6 p.m. | Livonia City Hall Auditorium

10/10 - Council Meet and Greet | 5:45-6:30 p.m. | Central Office, Patriot Room

November - Food Staff Appreciation

11/16 - LPTSA Council Meeting & Workshop | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

2023

1/18 - LPTSA Council Meeting | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

1/21 - Chili Cook Off | TBD | TBD

January - Reflections Ceremony | TBD | TBD

2/15 - Founders’ Day | 6 p.m. | St. Mary's Cultural Center

March - Transportation Appreciation

3/15 - LPTSA Council Meeting | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

4/19 - LPTSA Council Meeting & Elections | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

4/27 - YMAD Celebration | TBD | TBD

5/24 - Officer Training | TBD | TBD

6/7 - LPTSA Council Meeting | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

7/19 - LPTSA Council Audit Party | 6 - 8 p.m. | Central Office

Please note that these dates and times could be subject to change due to any change in COVID-19 regulations. We will inform all units of any updates or changes as soon as possible.

Use the link below. Please include school in the comment.

If you are a PTA/PTSA officer or committee chair, please make sure to join our group for important information, discussions, and more! A lot of great information is shared on this closed group page. It's also a great way to network with other units, share ideas, and ask for help.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/541318689333449/

Michigan PTA Website: https://www.michiganpta.org/

Michigan PTA Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/everychildonevoice

National PTA Website: https://www.pta.org/

National PTA Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ParentTeacherAssociation

National PTA Blog: https://onevoice.pta.org/

The Livonia PTSA Council is a group of 22 local PTA/PTSA Units within the Livonia Public Schools District. The Council is organized under the authority of the Michigan PTA for the purpose of promoting conferences, communications, leadership development and coordination of the efforts of the local units.

Interested in joining Council? There are chair opportunities available! Contact President Andrea Malenfant at andrea.malenfant@livoniaptsacouncil.org

Email: newsletter@livoniaptsacouncil.org
Website: www.livoniaptsacouncil.org
Location: 15125 Farmington Road, Livonia, MI, USA
Phone: .
Facebook: facebook.com/LivoniaPTSACouncil
Twitter: @LivoniaPTSAC