Dear Garfield Family,

Welcome to October! This year is moving right along. I am impressed with our wonderful students, paraprofessionals, teachers, staff, and parents.

Throughout October and the remainder of the school year, we will reinforce our expectations and celebrate student achievements. Your student will participate in activities that encourage respect, responsibility, and safety, helping them to understand the importance of positive behavior in our school and community. We will focus on the LCEC Transition Curriculum, designed to prepare students for the next steps in their employment and life. We will engage in hands-on activities that build essential skills for independence, including job readiness and daily living skills. Also, SEL will be integrated into our daily lessons, focusing on skills such as self-awareness, relationship building, and responsible decision-making. We believe these skills are crucial for your student's overall development and will help them navigate social situations effectively. We appreciate your support in reinforcing these concepts at home. Together, we can help our students thrive academically and socially.

Just a reminder that Victor's Day is Friday, October 4th at Oosterbaan Field House (9:00-12:45pm). Students will need a signed permission slip in order to participate. If you have any questions, please contact your students caseload provider.

Halloween is still 4 weeks away, but it’s time to start thinking, if you haven’t already. Students are NOT allowed to wear masks or anything that covers their faces or bring any weapons or facsimile of a weapon. Please help us with this so we don’t upset or disappoint your student.

Our theme this year is: GROWTH MINDSET

Together, we can make this school year one of the best yet! Thank you for being an integral part of our community, and I look forward to working collaboratively with you this year!

Lauren Feigel

Principal

Garfield Skills Center & Livonia Transition Program

Updated 10.1.24

Wednesday, October 2 - Student Count Day

Friday, October 4 - Victor's Day

Friday, October 18 - Picture Day

Wednesday, October 30 - Mobile Dentist

Tuesday, November 5 - Professional Development Day - No School

Thursday, November 21 - GSC Picture Re-Take Day

Tuesday, November 26 - Turkey Trot

Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29

Friday, December 13 - GSC Winter Craft Show

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

Each October, we come together to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), recognizing the immense value and talent that workers with disabilities bring to America's workplaces and economy. This observance is a reminder of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that individuals with disabilities have access to good jobs—not just in October, but every month of the year.

This year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” reinforces our collective responsibility to ensure that opportunities are accessible to everyone, without exception. At LTP, each of you plays a crucial role in empowering our students, not only in their educational journeys but also in preparing them for life beyond the classroom. Your dedication has a lasting impact on our students and their future contributions to the workforce.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our students and for fostering an inclusive community where every individual is valued and prepared for success.

Join us for the exciting Grand Opening of the Tiger Den! 🐯

Students, get ready to shop for all your favorites, including:

• Snacks 🍿
• Drinks 🥤
• Frozen Desserts 🍨
• Garfield Gear 🧢👕
• And so much more!

Don’t miss out on this fun event, and come check out what we have in store for you. Whether you’re looking for a quick treat or some awesome school spirit gear, the Tiger Den has something for everyone!

Be there on October 14th to explore, shop, and enjoy!

Mr. Mike Shine will be a long term substitute covering for Ms. Mary Baharozian (Woodshop/Oak Lanes). Should your student be assigned to these courses, you will be receiving a welcome letter from Mr. Mike.

Each year, we ask all families to complete the “Back to School Checklist” in Parent Connect. As we prepare for the new school year, it is important that we have current and reliable information posted in our Student Information System.

Please complete the “Back to School Checklist” in Parent Connect at your earliest convenience. This is the electronic version of the previous paper packet and “pink emergency cards.”

We are asking that you update your information in Parent Connect by clicking on the link “Back to School Checklist” (located at the top of the screen in red) by August 19, 2024. This is a requirement for all students. Please complete the updates for each student in your household.

As a reminder, you can access Parent Connect via the district website www.livoniapublicschools.org by clicking on the Parents tab. If you have trouble accessing your Parent Connect account, please send an email with your student’s name and the issue you are experiencing to parentconnect@livoniapublicschools.org.

Do you have a young adult learner ages 18-35? Come join us for a virtual presentation on October 8th at 6:30pm (link to be shared in near future). Come explore the learning and fun at PARClife Young Adult Program. In addition, PARClife Foundation can assist individuals 18 and over, helping to provide support throughout their lives.

I'm sure you've run into many of the road construction sites as you've been driving through Livonia, particularly near 5 mile & Farmington. It seems you can't turn a corner without running into road construction. While this will be great for long term road traveling, I have a feeling it's not going to bode well for our students' bus routes.

Late buses are always a frustration point, whether it's a bus that's dropping off students to school, or a bus that's picking up a group of students for a worksite. It's that time of the year for road construction and, from what we've been told, the City of Livonia received funds from the county and the state to do road work, so they're hitting it hard.

Please keep in mind, the LPS Transportation Department is always trying to stay on schedule, and they also are frustrated with road construction delays. Let's all work together during Michigan's fifth season...road construction season!

Livonia Public Schools, in an effort to ensure the safety and security of its students, is continuing our safety procedure for all visitor and volunteers.

It is necessary for anyone visiting or volunteering in a classroom to provide information for a criminal conviction/background check. Please use the following link to go to the ICHAT form: I-Chat Form. This needs to be completed each school for each individual.

Garfield Tigers are SAFE, RESPECTFUL and RESPONSIBLE!

Please consider the Winter Wonderland Fundraiser provided by the Livonia Transition Program. All funds will benefit their positive behavior intervention support program, ensuring that students are safe, respectful and responsible in the classroom and the community.

This is the application and information about MRS and the summer employment program. There is an application for PreETS included, if a student is not yet enrolled to MRS. By enrolling, students can be part of their summer programming and get paid work experience. There are also many other services provide, they are listed in the brochure attached. Ebony Smettler is our representative for MRS, parents/guardians can contact her if they have any questions. Her contact is also in the attached documents.

This year we are fortunate enough to have Ebony Smettler from Michigan Rehabilitation Services available to connect and support students at Garfield during the school day. So let's get them signed up!

Please use the LINK below to complete the sign up form for students who are interested in working with MRS.

If a parent and/or guardian is interested in using Ebony's office hours to connect and receive more information, please fill out the Sign Up form and indicate the request in the additional information section.

MRS Student Sign Up

Dear Parent,

Blessings in a Backpack-Livonia is an all-volunteer program designed to provide students who are in need, with enough food for three meals a day during the weekends. If you participate in this program, your student will receive a bag at the end of every week of school (Thursday or Friday), filled with non-perishable food for the weekend. There is no cost to you for participating in this program. No further information is required. Your information will not be shared. If you would like to have your student participate in this program, fill out and submit the form using the link below as soon as possible. We are requesting your name and email address, so that a confirmation of registration will be emailed to you. Delivery will begin the week of September 11th.

https://forms.gle/oifKHq56fSvQ4Pis8

If your student participated in the program last year we do need a new enrollment form for this school year.

Currently, we are providing prepackaged bags, so we are unable to customize for allergies or religious dietary needs. We apologize for any inconvenience.

****You will need to complete a separate form for each student that you wish to enroll.****

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email us at biablivonia@gmail.com

Dear Parents and Guardians of the Livonia Public Schools School Community,

As the new school year begins, supporting our youth's mental health is more important than ever. The new school year can bring feelings of both anxiety and excitement as students transition into a new grade, perhaps a new school, and are all in turn learning and growing into who they are.

We have provided a Back to School resource packet for parents and teachers who are navigating through this time. Click here to access to the flyer.

By working together, we can create an environment where our children thrive. Remember, Care Solace offers valuable mental health care coordination services to connect you with community-based providers for counseling, therapy, and more.

To access Care Solace:

• Call 888-515-0595: Their multilingual helpline is staffed 24/7/365.
• Visit www.caresolace.com/livonia: Explore mental health providers independently or click "Book Appointment" for personalized assistance.

By joining hands as a community, we can provide a nurturing environment that supports the mental health and well-being of our youth. Let's prioritize their emotional growth and create a brighter future together.

Thank you for being dedicated parents in the Livonia Public Schools community. Your commitment to our youth is truly commendable.

If you have medical questions or medication to bring for your student, Ms. Laura Flavin, Garfield's Administrative Assistant, will be available to learn how to support your student's health needs. If you have any questions, she can be reached by email at lflavin@livoniapublicschools.org.

When you bring in paperwork and medication, please come to the main office. She will review the information and make sure the appropriate signatures are present and the medication is not expired. Also, it would be very helpful if you could label the medication and any equipment with your student's name.

With the Michigan School Meals program underway, free meals are available for all students throughout this school year.

Please click on the logo to load event flyers from around the LPS community.

Mission

Educate, Advocate, Empower

Vision

To empower students with the skills to make their transition plan come to life.

Email: lfeigel@livoniapublicschools.org
Website: https://garfield.livoniapublicschools.org/
Location: 10218 Garfield, Livonia, MI 48150
Phone: (734)744-2810