So many great back to school events happened in August and September. Congratulations to all units on their successful events. Hopefully, these events helped to increase your membership as well. Council also had several events this past month including the IEP Binder Event (see info below) and the LPS Board of Education Candidates Forum (see video below).

As always, thank you for all you do for our LPS students, staff and families!

Laura Ulaszek

Newsletter Chair

https://livoniaptsacouncil.org/work/advocacy/

This page will be updated by the end of the week. Please refer to it for more information regarding the November 8 elections and pass on to your families.

Mike Testa

Advocacy Chair

On Wednesday, September 28th, Council held its first IEP Binder Organization Event at Holmes Middle School. We had a full house! Each family received a binder with organizational handouts for each of their children with an IEP or 504. Student service coordinators from the district were present, including the Director of Student Services, Dr. Jennifer Taiariol. Representatives from Livonia Parent Advisory Committee (LPAC) and Wayne County Parent Advisory Committee (WPAC) were in attendance as well. We provided a complete PowerPoint presentation on what to bring to an IEP meeting, what paperwork to keep, and how to organize it all in their binder.

This event would not have been possible without the full support of our LPTSA Council members, as well as the generosity of Livonia Public Schools, who generously funded all the materials needed for the binders. Thank you LPS for helping us to provide a valuable resource for families in the district. We received a lot of positive feedback and have plans to continue this effort in the future.

If you know a family who could benefit from an IEP Binder, please direct them to our Council website for copies of handouts and our PowerPoint Presentation. IEP Binder Organization – Livonia PTSA Council

Andrea Malenfant

Livonia PTSA Council President

Reflections Season Is Here!

This is the time of year to start promoting the Reflections art program at your school. If you haven't already identified a volunteer to lead Reflections and would like your students to be able to participate, now's the time. When you choose your Reflections chair, please notify Debbie Yates or Monique Cadoret and also add them to MemberHub.

If they are new to Reflections, don't fret! We have training to help them learn the ropes.

We've been adding this year's materials to the Reflections page on the council website. This page now has downloadable versions of the rules brochure, category guidelines, special artist division guidelines, and entry form.

This year's theme is Show Your Voice.

The deadline for student submissions is Friday, November 11, 2022.

Thank you for your support!

Debbie Yates and Monique Cadoret, reflections@livoniaptsacouncil.org

Livonia PTSA Council Reflections Co-Chairs

Happy Autumn! Now that the year is in full swing, it's a perfect time to make sure certain things are being done and turned in on time. There were several things that were due by the end of the day on October 1st. If you missed the deadline, you should still submit the items, you just won't be able to receive PEP credit for them. The PEP Checklist is a great resource to help keep you in compliance and to see what and when it's due. Did you misplace your PEP Checklist? No problem! You can find it below and on Livonia PTSA Council's website at www.livoniaptsacouncil.org, under Resources or Our Work/PEP.

There have been some questions on what documents need to be uploaded into MemberHub and what needs to be emailed to PEP. Here's some help:

• Submitting the signed copies of the Best Financial Practice and Bylaws Acknowledgement forms are to be emailed to PEP.
• Inputting your chairpersons needs to be submitted in MemberHub. Enter their information as an officer. Click the Title dropbox, scroll down to their position and select the committee name.
• Submitting compliance information needs to be uploaded into the Compliance Hub in MemberHub so Michigan PTA can approve it. This includes your 990s, Bylaws, Budget, Audit, and Proof of Insurance.
• Inviting your liaison to your meetings and submitting newsletter articles, simply CC PEP on those emails for PEP credit.

Want to see what your PTA/PTSA unit has received PEP credit for? This can be located on our website as well under Our Works/PEP. This will be listed by each PTA/PTSA unit. If you happen to notice any errors or have any questions, please contact PEP at PEP@livoniaptsacouncil.org.

I can't wait to watch everyone's PEP points continue to increase! Keep up the great work!

Sara Bennett, PEP Chair

PEP@livoniaptsacouncil.org

The school year has started − our students are back into the swing of things, activities have started up, and this year is in full swing!

Have you had your first PTA/PTSA meeting yet? Has your budget been approved? If so, don't forget to send in your Livonia PTSA Council annual dues and completed form. The address to send/deliver this to is on the form. DO NOT send this form and payment to the Central Office. The form is below.

Don't forget to send in your monthly membership dues to Michigan PTA via MemberHub by the 28th of each month, as well.

I can't wait to see how many members you can gain this year!

Nicole Dant, Membership Chair

At Buchanan Elementary we welcomed back our staff by filling the staff lounge with fruit smoothies, trail mix, granola bars, chips, and healthy snacks. We know that during the first couple weeks of school, the teachers work long days to prepare and we wanted to make sure they stayed energized and full throughout the day.

Our book fair ran September 26-30 and as a special incentive, we provided every staff member who became a PTA member with $50 each to shop for their classroom at the fair!

Churchill High School is thrilled to welcome our new principal, Kristen Quesada! We hosted a "Connect with Quesada" for our first PTSA meeting of the year. It was great to see students and parents being able to connect to her better and ask questions. As we transition into the new reality of post Covid education, Churchill is blessed to have a leader who is so enthusiastic about the well-being of our students, both in academics and mental health. We are looking forward to a great partnership between Ms. Quesada and PTSA!

The PTA at Cleveland Elementary participated in not one, not two, but THREE open houses in September. Phew! It was an exhausting week, but we took turns manning our table and had a great time connecting with families. As an incentive to renew memberships during the open house, we had a prize wheel that new members could spin. Prizes included school spirit swag, candy, and eagle backpacks.

The Franklin PTSA was excited to be able to get some student members to volunteer during open house. This gave parents the opportunity to go to their students' classes. We would also like to thank the PTSA Council! We used our PEP point winning gift card to buy the cookies we handed out. #patriotpride #studentinvolvement

Welcome Back Falcons!
Like all other PTA/PTSAs and schools, September was a busy one at Frost! We started with chalking the walk for our students and staff to see on the first day of school, including some incredible Falcon artwork from two of our board members. We also hosted a staff breakfast the second week of school, held our first meeting of the school year, and had a table at the September 22 Open House which allowed us to meet some new people and see familiar faces. Moving to middle school is a big transition for our students and families, and we're trying to be there along the way to answer questions and create a sense of community.

In October, we're looking forward to hosting the Middle School Activity Night on Friday the 28th as well as planning for the return of our craft show on Saturday, November 5!

Kennedy Stars kicked off the new school year in style! Before the first day, we invited families to come to the school and “Chalk the Walk.” We had a great turn out and our sidewalks were ready to welcome all of the students to school.

On the first day of school, the PTA had banners and photo props available so that families could snap some adorable first day photos. With the generous addition of yard signs from the district, there were many first day photo shoots happening! We are ready for a wonderful year!

Hi LPS PTA/PTSA members! What an awesome start to our school year! September has already been a fun month for all! During the first week back to school, you could tell that the kids were anxious to see their friends/classmates! The new Randolph kitchen is up and running! Whoo-hoo! We also had our first PTA meeting in the NEW library space. All the construction is almost completed, and we are excited to start enjoying the new areas. We welcome new PTA members weekly and are currently running a Target gift card raffle for those who sign up before October 31st. In September, we had our mums fundraiser and it was a hit! We also kicked off our Color Run fundraiser! So far, we are ahead of the game with donations! Way to go, Roadrunners! We are well on our way toward our Color Run goal! We had our Dine to Donate event at Chuck E. Cheese on September 28th and another coming up at Panera on October 12th! Cheers to a great start to the school year!

On August 26th, we had Popsicles with the Principal. What a great way to ease into the back-to-school transition. On September 1st, we welcomed our amazing staff back with breakfast and chalk art. It is always a pleasure to treat our Tiger family!

We had a wonderful turn out for our first meeting − lots of parents ready to help make this a great year. We are gearing up for our largest fundraiser of the year, our Color Run. It’s a student favorite for sure! We are looking forward to all the fun things we have planned for the year!

We've had a great start to our year! We had an amazing turn out for open house and were able to talk to many parents, new and returning, about our work. Many signed up right on the spot using our QR code. We will have a gift basket raffle at our next meeting for those who have already signed up. Some parents signed up for our open committee chairperson roles. Our first meeting had great discussions with the principal, Mr. Mazzoni, and regarding plans for the year. Our student representative, Halle Hunter, is promoting PTSA to the student body to get more student membership. We have surpassed our membership total from last year in the first weeks of school! We are looking forward to a successful year!

The Webster PTA has had a busy September. We had our first day morning mingle with parents as they dropped their kiddos off. We enjoyed coffee and donuts and chatted with new and familiar faces. The staff was also treated to bagels and donuts on the first day back to school.

Our first PTA meeting of the year was held on September 20th and we had a great turnout. We had about 10 people come in-person and over 20 who joined us virtually.

Our beloved secretary for the past 12 years, Mrs. Lynne Gulick, retired from LPS on Friday, September 23rd. The PTA and the school teamed up to throw her a goodbye surprise with all the children out on the playground. Many classes made posters and signs, and the PTA provided popsicles for all as well as presented Mrs. Gulick with a beautiful fall basket filled with some special tokens of appreciation.

We are now in full Walkathon mode as our Walkathon will be on Thursday, Oct. 6th. Our theme this year is Walk on the Wild Side. This is our main fundraiser for the year and we are excited to see everyone in animal print and Webster spirit wear. We already have a good amount of volunteers for this event which is very encouraging. Next up is our Fall Fest, which will be in late October.

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

10/6 - LPTSA Council Costume Closet | 6 - 8 p.m. | Franklin High School

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 | 11 a.m-2 p.m. | Franklin High School

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! Be sure to answer the questions when you request to join. 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