MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
It's that time of year that we start looking forward to those end of the year celebrations, festivals, events, etc. What better way to gain more members?! Maybe have an incentive for those who are members at those events.
Are you looking for new board members for your slate? Make sure they are members of your PTA/PTSA. There's still time!
Please remember to send Michigan PTA their dues for all new members by the 28th of every month to remain in compliance.
Kindly,
Nicole Dant
Treasurer and Membership Chair, Livonia PTSA Council
Buchanan Elementary
We have never seen as much energy and enthusiasm from our general membership as we have this school year! There are many reasons for this, but a major one is our incredible board. It’s been truly inspiring to see our steady meeting attendance (even virtually!), volunteer participation, and social media engagement because of the motivation and heart of our PTA leadership team! These ladies make Buchanan a better place.
We’ve had a fantastic several months of fundraising and community events! In December, our Candy Cane Fundraiser was a success, followed by a great turnout for Applebee’s Restaurant Spirit Night and Riverside Skate Night in January. This month, we’re looking forward to our Urban Air fundraiser. The students were absolutely thrilled with our VIP Dance Luau (did you see those decorations?!) and had a blast at the Scholastic Spring Book Fair. We can’t wait to see their excitement at the Spring Fling in May!
Coolidge Elementary
Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion chair updated our bulletin board in February with a new theme - Black History Month. Students could stop by the bulletin board where we had famous quotes on display for them to read.
We had the privilege of celebrating our PTA at Founders' Day. Mr. Skebo was recognized as our distinguished staff member and Kari Burger as our distinguished parent. Additionally, Coolidge Elementary was recognized for "Best YMAD Engagement" for our school wide YMAD project and given a "Perfect Attendance Award" for attending the Livonia PTSA Council meetings.
Preparations have begun for staff appreciation week. Last year, over 1200 thank you notes from students were distributed to staff at the start of staff appreciation week. This past week students worked on a special project during media center classes where they were given the opportunity to write a few notes of appreciation to any staff member at Coolidge. It is great to see how proud and excited the students are when working on their cards. We will distribute the cards to all of our amazing staff on the first day of staff appreciation week in May.
Our Read-A-Thon began on March 1. We are excited to help our students develop great reading habits and become enthusiastic about reading with this three week event. This year's theme is "Wild About Reading" and we worked with our literacy team, art teacher and many volunteers to transform one of our classrooms into a rainforest reading lounge where classes can come down and spend time reading under one of our many caves, waterfalls, forts or trees.
We are looking forward to our next dining for donations fundraiser at Panera. This fundraiser is on Monday, March 10 at the Six Mile location near Laurel Park Place mall. Stop by for breakfast, lunch or dinner and mention our cause and 25% of sales will be donated back to the PTA.
We have been busy planning a family literacy night that will take place on March 20 for our Cougar families. We will have book bingo games and a book swap room set up. We are currently collecting used book donations to be used with the book swap. We hope that families will have a chance to stop by the event and take a few (new to them) books to read at home.
Grant Elementary
Grant Elementary was thrilled to have Science Alive return for another unforgettable experience. Students got a rare opportunity to meet some incredible animals and learn more about the natural world around us. Among the highlights were a couple of adorable chinchillas, three banded armadillos, and blue-tongued skinks. But the excitement didn’t stop there, baby Freckles, a gentle Burmese Python, made an appearance, offering students a chance to learn about reptiles up close. And of course, the star of the show was Ginger, the sloth, whose slow movements and endearing face won over the hearts of everyone in the room. Our gators had a blast interacting with the animals and learning about their habitats, diets, and behaviors. It was a hands-on experience that brought science to life in the most engaging way possible. A big thank you to Science Alive for bringing these amazing creatures to our school!
We had a great evening at this year’s Founders' Day Celebration! This year, we were thrilled to
celebrate our staff nominee, Alex Mezigian, and our parent nominee, Sara Koch. Both have
demonstrated incredible dedication and support for our school, making a significant impact on
the lives of our students and faculty. A big congratulations to both Alex and Sara for being
recognized for their hard work.
We wrapped up February with a fun and creative evening at Grant, our first-ever Cookies and
Canvas! Students in grades K-2 were led by our amazing art teacher, Mrs. McDougall, through a
step-by-step painting project. With brushes in hand and cookies nearby, the students created their
own unique masterpieces. A big thank you to Mrs. McDougall for her guidance and support in
making this event so enjoyable for everyone. We can’t wait to host more Cookies and Canvas
events in the future!
Kennedy Elementary
February was a busy month for our Kennedy Stars! We started off the month with an exciting Skate Night at Riverside. A lot of families joined in on the fun and enjoyed kicking off February together.
Our PTA parent volunteers had fun creating encouraging hearts for every student and staff member to coordinate with the week of Valentine’s Day. Volunteers also met to hang all of the hearts on lockers. As usual this encouraging note campaign is highly anticipated and enjoyed by the entire school.
In addition to the encouraging hearts our PTA asked parents and students to spread the love to Kennedy’s teachers and staff. People could show the teachers and staff how much they are appreciated by sending them a note of gratitude. Our PTA hung these “love notes” on the wall in the staff lounge throughout the month of February for teachers/staff to enjoy.
Our PTA contributed to two field trips that took place in February. Both trips took place on Valentine’s Day with the 3rd graders visiting the Capital in Lansing and the 2nd graders going to High Velocity in Canton. Fun and learning was had by all!
Kennedy’s PTA dine-out took place at Coach’s Corner this past month. It was a nice turnout by our families and of course yummy, too.
Our PTA also put together a contest for the cover of our yearbook. There were almost 100 entries and the five winners will be announced soon! First place will be on the front cover, with the four runner-ups on the back cover.
Our much anticipated Hearts Aglow dance had to be postponed due to an ice day. Our PTA is working on rescheduling this event in the coming months.
Overall, it was a fun and busy February over at Kennedy Elementary.
Getting Connected to Michigan PTA and National PTA
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/
About us...
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 Mandy Gerstenbrand at president@livoniaptsacouncil.org
Email: newsletter@livoniaptsacouncil.org
Website: www.livoniaptsacouncil.org
Location: 15125 Farmington Road, Livonia, MI, USA
Facebook: facebook.com/LivoniaPTSACouncil
Twitter: @LivoniaPTSAC