Friday, January 26, 2018

PTA

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! This week, I want to give a shout out to some very special people. Everyone knows that the PTA does a lot for the school as far as organizing spectacular events and fundraising for the school. But they also do a lot of behind the scenes work that nobody sees. Before the big events, they plan, they round up volunteers, and they set up. After fundraising events, they actually communicate with our staff to see what our needs are and then purchase supplemental items for each classroom and for the entire building. I think of our PTA as an iceberg...everyone sees the top part during the schoolwide events, but they may not see the much larger portion under the water which includes the planning, organizing, budgeting, and all the hours they spend volunteering for our school. This week alone, the PTA held two events on Monday evening (Roller Skating and Dave & Buster's), planned for next week's VIP Dance, held a meeting Thursday night, AND gave a updates to the teacher's lounge after the evening meeting! All schools have volunteers, but Buchanan has a very special group with our PTA and our amazing volunteers. Great things are happening at Buchanan, BECAUSE of our PTA!!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

Thursday, February 1: Kindergarten Registration Begins!! 
Friday, February 2: VIP Dance at Riley Upper Elementary 6:30-8:30 PM

Monday, February 19: No School for President's Day!
Wednesday, February 21: PTSA Founder's Day Celebration at Schoolcraft College
Thursday, February 22: PTA Meeting in Buchanan Library 7:00 PM

Wednesday, February 28: Students dismissed at 12:10 PM / Teacher training in the afternoon

MEET THE BUCHANAN STAFF
Mrs. Benson - 2nd Grade Teacher

Hello Buchanan Families! My name is Sandi Benson and I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been a LPS teacher for the last 23 years. Prior to my adventure request to move to Buchanan this year, I spent the entire time teaching at what was originally Johnson Elementary School but was later renamed Rosedale Elementary School.  Out of those 23 years, I spent 15 years teaching 1st grade and the remainder of the time I have taught 2nd grade. I was a super excited, but a little nervous, to start a new adventure at a new school with new colleagues and leave all my friends behind. However, I now realize I had nothing at all to worry about. This is such a warm and friendly staff! I am so excited to be working with such an amazing group of educators and the families have been so incredible! Thanks for welcoming me into this fabulous community. 

My husband and I were both born and raised in Livonia so our roots run deep. We were happy to buy a home and settle in this community. Together, we are raising our three amazing daughters that range in ages from 10-16.  Our girls are very active leaders within their schools and within the community. When I am not working, you will often find me at a cross country meet, track meet, or at the dance studio. As a family, we love to travel and go camping. Taking pictures has always been a hobby of mine and as a result I enjoy making photo projects or creating basic movies when the needs arises. 

One of my goals for this year is to start learning more about digital student portfolios. I love the idea of the concept and I want to take the time to investigate them a little further. 

The five words I would use to describe Buchanan are: inviting, inspiring, exciting, lively, and cheerful.

PTA POINTS
  • Our VIP dance will be Friday February 2 at Riley Upper Elementary, 6:30-8:30pm. Riley has more space and we can accommodate our families better by hosting the event there. Please look for a flyer coming home next week with more information. Pre-sale tickets only, tickets will not be sold at the door. 
  • Keep sending in Box Tops labeled with student and teacher name. The class that brings in the most will win a pizza party from the PTA!! Every top is worth $.10 and they add up quickly!      
  • PTA Executive board nominations for the 2018-19 school year will be coming out in early February- all positions are open. We are in need of a treasurer, if anyone is interested, please contact Nikki Watson at nalquiza@twmi.rr.com for more information. We would like someone to start "shadowing" our current treasurer as soon as possible. 

Did you know that we had a "Positive Post It Day" last week? With our theme of "Confidence" we talk a lot about believing in ourselves, but we also talk about how confident people lift up those around them. This was a simple way to do that through positive messages. My hope is that idea of leaving positive notes and motivational messages for one another will be something that will stick with our students throughout their time at Buchanan and far beyond. Great things are happening at Buchanan!