BOO BASH

Hi Folks, Jon Wennstrom here! This has been a year of "firsts" for our school community and Boo Bash was no exception. In addition to the events that have occured in the past, we added Trunk or Treat to the list of attractions. Again, with the increase in student population, the event was bigger than ever! I feel so fortunate to be a part of a school community that has such high parental involvement and such dedication from the PTA team. School should be a place where families and educators come together to make learning fun for students and that's exactly what I see at Buchanan. If your child didn't get a chance to come to Boo Bash, there will still be an opportunity to wear their costume on Halloween for our costume parade at 3:20 PM. Learning is fun at Buchanan!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

Tuesday, October 31: Happy Halloween! Costume Parade at 3:20 PM

Tuesday, November 7: No School for Students (Teacher Professional Development)
Thursday, November 9: Barnes & Noble Book Fair 5:30-7:30 PM (Flyer Attached)

Wednesday, November 22 - Friday, November 24: No School / Thanksgiving Break

Monday, November 27: PTA General Membership Meeting 7:00 PM

MEET THE BUCHANAN STAFF

Mrs. Jones - First Grade Teacher 

Hello Buchanan Families!  My name is Kristin Jones and this is my tenth year of teaching, third year at Buchanan Elementary.  My first seven years were spent in Wayne-Westland Community Schools where I taught 4th grade, 1^st grade, 6^th grade and was even an Intervention Specialist.  Since being at Buchanan I’ve taught second grade and this year I’m teaching first!  I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and feel lucky that I love what I do! 

 My husband and I live in Livonia and we have two sons, Jordan who is 11 years old, and Joshua who is four.  Jordan plays hockey so when I’m not teaching, I spend a lot of time at the rink.  My family and I love spending time together, especially going up north and getting ice cream at Dairy King in downtown Plymouth. 

My goal for this year is to instill a love of learning in my students.  I want school to be a positive, welcoming place where all my students love to be! 

Five words that I would use to describe Buchanan are: Positive, Fun, Inviting, Dedicated and Amazing. 

PTA POINTS

• Thank you to everyone who helped make the Boo Bash such a big success! We hope everyone had a great time:)

• Don't forget the deadline for entries for the Reflections competition is Friday, November 7 (Flyer Attached)

• The next PTA meeting will be Monday, November 27 at 7:00 PM

Did you know that Buchanan just received some new playground equipment? Four new pieces were installed this week and the two pieces across the drive will be moved back in the very near future. New sports balls are being delivered and the play pads have been painted for hopscotch and four square. This spring, two large play structures will be installed and we will also receive swings for both the younger and older students. Great things are happening at Buchanan! 

Conferences

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! It was wonderful to see so many parents here at Buchanan for our Parent-Teacher Conferences last week! Technology has enabled us to communicate more frequently through email, phone and text, but nothing replaces a good old fashioned face to face meeting. Conferences are a time for parents to build a relationship with their child's teacher and to find ways that we can partner to ensure success for all students! Each child is unique and therefore each conference is unique. I'm so impressed with the amount of parent participation at Buchanan and I'm very proud of our staff for the long hours they put in and their level of knowledge of each child in their classroom. Good communication between home and school is the foundation for a superior education and that's what we strive to provide for every student at Buchanan!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

Thursday, October 26: Picture Retakes in the morning. Please bring the original picture packet with you. If you have not had your picture taken, please bring an order form (available in the office).

Friday, October 27: PTA BOO BASH 6:00-8:00 PM on the back playground 

Tuesday, October 31: Halloween Costume Parade around the building at 3:20 PM

Tuesday, November 7: No School for Students (Teacher Professional Development Day)

Thursday, November 9: Barnes & Noble Book Fair with special guest readers 5:30-7:30 PM

MEET THE BUCHANAN STAFF

Mrs. Pillai - Kindergarten Teacher 

Hello Buchanan Families!  My name is Jackie Pillai and I am one of the kindergarten teachers.  I started teaching in 2000 as a special education teacher.  Majority of those years were spent at Cass, teaching 1st grade in a special education classroom.  I have been teaching kindergarten for the past 4 years and LOVE it!  

I have lived in Livonia for most of my life and my children have grown up here too.  I have two children.  My son Dylan is 16 and a junior at Stevenson and my daughter Kailyn, is 11 and in 6^th grade at Riley. My son recently got his driver’s license, which is exciting and SO scary at the same time!  Enjoy your babies; time goes way too fast.  I enjoy traveling, reading and spending time with my children and friends!

My goal this year is to ensure that children believe in themselves and develop to their full potential.

Five words that describe Buchanan are: Inviting, Caring, Fun, Safe and Respectful.

PTA POINTS 

• Our Boo Bash is quickly approaching and we still need volunteers, cars for the trunk or treat, decorated pumpkins and candy donations! Please go to the sign up genius if you are able to help:  Boo Bash Sign Up Please remember to return the bottom portion of the flyer that was sent home with money if you would like to pre-purchase and save time at the event. All forms need to be turned in by the morning of Thursday October 26 as we will send the bags home that afternoon. You may purchase bags/tickets at the event on Friday, October 27 until 7:00 PM.

• Our Bake Sale was amazing this year!! Huge thank you to all the families that donated delicious treats and to Costco for their donation of baked goods! Things sold out very quickly!

• National PTA Reflections Art show is coming soon! All art entries must be turned in by November 7. Please see the attached flyer or contact Margaret Cordle at margaretcc@gmail.com for more information and to coordinate artwork pickup. 

Did you know we will be having a Costume Parade in the afternoon of Tuesday, October 31? Following the afternoon recess, students will change into costumes (if they wish) and each class will exit their exterior classroom doors at 3:20 PM and walk around the building. Parents may come line up along the exterior of the building to watch the costume parade as the classes pass by and may check their child out following the parade if they wish. Please make sure that costumes do NOT include any blood, gore, or weapons. We are looking forward to seeing the costumes. Great things are happening at Buchanan! 

Many hands make light work

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! This week, we gave out prizes for our top fundraisers for the PTA Fun Walk. It was so nice to see the excitement on the faces of the students as they came up to get their prizes and also to hear the cheering of all the students. I also liked that in addition to recognizing the top earners, every child who contributed something had a chance to earn a prize. It shows that every little bit helps and that everyone can make a contribution. My mother always used to say "Many hands make light work". That's still true and it's definitely true in the school setting. Thanks to our PTA board for getting all the prizes for our students and thanks to all the kids and families who contributed to helping our school meet its goal for the year!!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

Wednesday, October 18: Students dismissed at 12:10 PM

                                        Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00-4:00 & 5:00-8:00 PM

Thursday, October 19: Students dismissed at 12:10 PM

                                    Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00-4:00 & 5:00-8:00 PM

Friday, October 20: Lunch with the Principal for top fundraisers from each class (Pizza provided by PTA)

Thursday, October 26: Lifetouch Picture Retakes in the morning

Friday, October 27: Buchanan BOO BASH 6:00-8:00 PM (See attached flyer)

Tuesday, October 31: Halloween Costume Parade at 3:20 PM (See information below)

One of my goals this year is to honor the traditions that each school community had in the past. It has come to my attention that a Halloween Costume Parade is a tradition that Buchanan has had for several years. In keeping with that tradition, we will be having a Costume Parade in the afternoon of Tuesday, October 31. Following the afternoon recess, students will change into costumes (if they wish) and each class will exit their exterior classroom doors at 3:20 PM and walk around the building. Parents may come line up along the exterior of the building to watch the costume parade as the classes pass by and may check their child out following the parade if they wish. We want learning to be fun at Buchanan and I hope this event will be a fun time for all our students, staff, and parents! 

MEET THE BUCHANAN STAFF

Mrs. Ringler - Fourth Grade Teacher

Hello Buchanan Families! My name is Donna Ringler.  I am so excited to be here teaching fourth grade. Before coming to Buchanan, I spent the past 11 years in 4th grade at Cass. I’ve had the privilege of teaching the past 21 years in Livonia and Orlando, Florida before that. I find it fascinating watching children learn things for the first time or watching them develop into independent, confident learners. I am married to my husband Scott, and we have two incredible children, Nicholas, who is a senior, and Jenna, who is a sophomore. We spend a lot of time either at the baseball fields, softball fields, or volleyball courts. I truly enjoy watching them play their sports. Our other favorite place to be is up at our cottage on Hubbard Lake.

One of my goals this year is to make sure each child has the confidence to reach toward their potential. They are capable of much more than they think!

My five words to describe Buchanan: Inviting, Caring, Fun, Friendly, Awesome

PTA POINTS

• We are looking forward to our Bake Sale during conferences on October 18 and 19- all items are for sale on a donation basis. If you would still like to sign up to donate a baked good, please click on the sign up genius. Bake Sale Sign Up

• We are having our first restaurant night at Jersey Mike's Subs on October 18 and 19 located at 37294 W 6 Mile Rd. Buchanan PTA will receive 20% of the proceeds! Please make sure you bring in the flyer that is sent home to support the PTA.

• Box Tops are due October 20 for our first submission. The class with the highest total will win a pizza party from the PTA. Please make sure all baggies are labeled with student and teacher name to count towards the contest. Expired Box Tops do not count for our submission and will not count towards any class totals. Any unlabeled bags will go to a miscellaneous pile and not count towards any specific class. 

• We are excited for our upcoming Boo Bash on Friday October 27 from 6:00-8:00pm. We will have trunk or treat, photo booth, DJ, guessing games, a magician, pizza/drinks, cider and donuts and a decorated pumpkin raffle. Costumes are encouraged but not mandatory. A flyer will be going home with all the details. If you would like to sign up to help, donate a decorated pumpkin or decorate your car to participate in the trunk or treat, please go to the sign up genius link: Boo Bash Sign Up

Did you know that we serve breakfast every morning beginning at 8:30 AM? Students getting dropped off or riding the bus may enter the cafeteria and eat breakfast before getting in line or going to classrooms. Students not eating breakfast should arrive no earlier than 8:40 AM when our crossing guard and bus monitors go out for morning supervision. We want to make sure that all students are safe at school. Great things are happening at Buchanan! 

Students of the Month

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! We recently had our first Student of the Month assembly at Buchanan. Each month, we focus on a specific theme throughout the school. We talk about it during our Celebrate Monday assembly each week, teachers refer to it throughout the month in class, and we try to recognize students when they exhibit that trait. At the end of the month, we have a special celebration where we recognize one child from each classroom for going above and beyond in demonstrating that trait. We recently recognized 20 students for the theme of Respect. Each child received a certificate in front of the whole school, had their picture taken, and (my favorite part) received a positive phone call home! Congratulations to our Students of the Month for the theme of Respect and I'm looking forward to making 20 more phone calls at the end of this month as we recognize students for the theme of Responsibility!

RESPECT!! 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

Monday, October 9: Awards given for top Fun Run fundraisers during morning assembly 

Wednesday, October 18: Students dismissed at 12:10 PM, Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00-4:00 and 5:00-8:00 PM

Thursday, October 19: Students dismissed at 12:10 PM, Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00-4:00 and 5:00-8:00 PM

Friday, October 20: Lunch with the Principal for top Fun Run fundraisers from each classroom (PTA will provide pizza) 

Thursday, October 26: Picture Retakes

Friday, October 27: PTA BOO BASH 6:00-8:00 PM

MEET THE BUCHANAN STAFF

Mrs. Trantham - Third Grade Teacher 

Hello Buchanan Bears!  I am so happy to be a part of this awesome family and excited to have Cass students and staff join us this year!  I am in my 21st year of teaching (I started at the young age of 10 ☺) and absolutely love working with kids and watching them have fun while learning!  I have taught every year at Buchanan except for my first year teaching; I have taught in a Resource Room, first grade, second grade, third grade, and fourth.  I am a proud resident of Livonia and share my home with my husband Terry, my daughters Kaitlin (13 at Holmes) and Gracie (10 at Riley), and the cutest Brittany Spaniel named Charlie.  In my free time I love to spend time with my family, go out to dinner, play cards, exercise, and READ! 

A goal I have this year at Buchanan is to create a classroom community where students feel safe in order to show growth throughout the year.  I know that every student can learn regardless of their challenges!

Five words that describe Buchanan are:  Welcoming, Loving, Safe, Respectful, and Mindful.

PTA POINTS

• Join us for our next General Membership PTA meeting on October 12 at 7:00 PM. Childcare will be provided. 

• The PTA is holding a Bake Sale on October 18 and 19 during conferences. Baked goods will be set up with donation jars, so parents can grab some treats on their way to or from conferences and leave a donation for the PTA. If you would like to contribute baked goods, please click here to visit the Sign Up Genius. Please drop off your baked goods to the Front Office by the end of the school day on Tuesday, October 17.

• Don't forget to turn in your Box Tops by October 20. The class that brings in the most Box Tops will win a pizza party from the PTA! Please make sure all baggies are labeled with student and teacher's names to be counted towards the contest. Expired Box Tops do not count towards our submission and therefore will not count towards any class totals. We thank you for supporting this free money program!

• Our PTA Boo Bash will be Friday, October 28 from 6:00-8:00 PM. More information to come!

Did you know that we focus on a different character trait each month at Buchanan? We use the Character Elements that were developed a couple of years ago by our district climate team and are used throughout all the Livonia Public Schools. Our goal is to have a common language and  a common focus across the district to help students from kindergarten through grade 12 develop traits that will help them be successful in school and beyond. Great things are happening at Buchanan!