Happy Thanksgiving!
Here we are in November with a snow storm already under our belts! A snow day in November? Who knew?
This month we know many schools are running canned food drives for the needy. It's so great to see LPS year after year come together to help those who are less fortunate. We have such a giving community and it also sets a wonderful example to our students! The importance of kindness and giving is always a valuable lesson.
We would like to wish all of the units, staff, and LPS leaders a wonderful Thanksgiving! And remember...holiday calories don't count!
PTA Shout Out!
On November 2nd I had the pleasure of volunteering to help with Frost's 43rd Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts show. This was my first time volunteering at this event, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Can I just say WOW! This event is HUGE! In fact, I don't think HUGE is a strong enough word. So many vendors, so many crafts, so many attendees, and SO MANY VOLUNTEERS! Board members, teachers, staff, parents, and students were all hands on deck! I was in awe! This enormous event is a well oiled machine, more so than I could have imagined. The layout, the food, the parking, the prize drawing every 30 min; it was all planned incredibly well! And the sheer amount of people who have been coming for YEARS just goes to show how all the hard work put into this event has paid off! So, I would like to give a PTA Shout Out to the Frost PTA Board for putting on an AMAZING event! And thank you for allowing me to volunteer and help.
Andrea Malenfant
LPTSA Council Newsletter Chair
PTA D.A.D.S. Chili Cook Off
The 6th Annual Chili Cook Off will be here before we know it! We encourage all units to have participants from their school! It's a good time to remind families about this great event! We recommend encouraging them to try out their recipes at upcoming family parties, potlucks, and holiday get togethers! Who better to try out recipes than family and friends! It also gives them time to tweak their recipes to perfection!
Remember, all Dads and Designated SuperStars (D.A.D.S.) who are members of their local unit are welcome to participate and enter their chili! Please be sure to stress this to families. All members are welcome to compete! The 1st place winner will receive a prize package and a $500 grant for their home school courtesy of the Livonia Kiwanis Early Risers!
We are happy to announce that DO Apparel will be making special Chili Cook Off T-shirts for those who register before January 7th! Please be sure to announce this as well! Flyers and entry forms were sent to all unit Presidents, so get them in!
Reflections Update!
Speaking of proud, I would like to give a quick shout-out to Rosedale Elementary! This is the first year that they are participating in Reflections and they had ten entries! That is a tremendous success for a first-year effort! Way to go, Rosedale Rissos!
We'll share more information about what's next, after we've handed off the entries to the judges. Thank you to everyone who has helped with wrangling art projects and entry forms!
Debbie Yates
LPTSA Council Reflections Chair
Congratulations Educators and Support Staff of the Year!
Please join us in congratulating the following Livonia Public Schools employees who have been selected as 2019-2020 Educator and Support Staff of the Year!
Elementary Educator of the Year is Kitty Yost, a fifth grade teacher at Cooper Upper Elementary and a 27-year employee of LPS!
Secondary Educator of the Year is Christine Antonelli, a marketing teacher at Stevenson High School and a 20-year employee of LPS!
Support Staff Member of the Year is Abby Knoph, a paraprofessional in the Western Wayne Skill Center program at Garfield Community School and a 3-year employee of LPS!
The honorees were selected by a committee, which reviewed dozens of nominations that were collected back in June. Each honoree received the "surprise" news from their colleagues this week and will be honored during a special recognition program on Monday, November 25 during the 7 p.m. Board of Education meeting.
We are so excited to celebrate this year's honorees during the program on November 25 and throughout the school year! We thank all of the parents, students and staff who submitted wonderful, heartfelt nominations and kudos to the staff members who participated in the program! We appreciate you very much!
Founders Day Reminder
Founders Day will be held on February 12 at Schoolcraft's Vis Ta Tech Center.
Presidents, please be sure to submit the honoree forms prior to Christmas break to allow time for the printed program to be put together. It's is never to early to get them submitted!
Remember to start brainstorming about those centerpieces using the Reflections theme "Look Within"! There are prizes!
We will follow the same format with each unit nominating one staff volunteer and one parent/grandparent/guardian volunteer to honor who has made an impact in their school through their work with PTA. Middle school and high school units will also nominate one student volunteer to be honored.
Debbie Pline, Founders Day Chairperson
rdpline91@gmail.com or 734-788-4009
YMAD Unit Chairs Needed
Debbie Pline & myself are chairing Youth Making a Difference this year. If your school has a chairperson, please let me know as soon as possible. This will help us get information out to the schools & to the current chairpersons. Forms were emailed by Kellie Dummer to all PTA Presidents & Vice-Presidents. The forms are also on MemberHub under files. Thank you!
Council YMAD Chair,
Nicole Watson
Get Your PEP On!
The PEP Program is underway! Your PEP guide has all the important dates!
Due December 1st: STANDARDS OF AFFILIATION, which includes: submission of updated bylaws, submission of audit from previous school year, submission of current school year budget, and submission of proof of insurance. Also due is the submission of a screenshot of your Member Hub store showing how many members have joined via Member Hub (send to PEP email). As always, be sure to submit your Membership Dues to Council by the 28th of each month!
The Founders Day Photo Album is Open!
Don't forget to submit photos! Mandy Gerstenbrand has already created the Founders Day album for your units to submit photos from your events as you go instead of trying to do it all at once! Thanks Mandy! You can submit them to https://photos.app.goo.gl/zwt6aj6kaigf2xBV9
Please be sure to label your photos with your unit and the name of the event in each picture!
Have You Joined Us On Facebook?
If you are a PTA officer or committee chair, please make sure to join our page for important information, discussions, and more! A lot of great info is shared on this closed group page. It's also a great way to network with other units, share ideas, and ask for help.
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 Kellie Dummer at kellie.dummer@livoniaptsacouncil.org
Email: newsletter@livoniaptsacouncil.org
Website: www.livoniaptsacouncil.org
Location: 15125 Farmington Road, Livonia, MI, USA
Phone: .
Facebook: facebook.com/LivoniaPTSACouncil
Twitter: @LivoniaPTSAC