Service Above Self

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! This week, I had some reminders of how important service projects are for our students. Early in the week, I was invited to the Cub Scout banquet and got to hear about the wonderful things our scouts are doing in the community. As a former scout, it brought back many great memories. Later in the week, I helped my daughter fill out her log for her school service club. It made me proud to see that she is working at making a difference in our community. As a Rotarian, I also have the privilege to join with other community members in service projects throughout the year. In fact, our motto in Rotary is "Service Above Self". I have always found that I get far more in return when I participate in service projects than I give. My hope is that ALL of our Buchanan students have the opportunity to give back to our community through service and know the feeling that comes from helping others!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

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

Wednesday, February 28: Students Dismissed at 12:10 PM / Teacher Training in the afternoon

Wednesday, March 7: New Kindergarten Families Information Night 6:00 PM
Friday, March 9: Students Dismissed at 12:10 PM / Teacher Records Day, PTA Skate Night at Riverside Arena 6:00-8:00 PM

MEET THE BUCHANAN STAFF

Mrs. Kamin - Resource Room Teacher 

Hi Buchanan Families!  My name is Carrie Kamin and I am the resource room teacher here at Buchanan.  This is my tenth year in the resource room and before this, I taught first grade for 2 years, one year at Buchanan and one year at Cass.  I have loved seeing both the Buchanan and Cass communities merge and become one!

I live in Livonia with my husband and our three daughters.  Kailyn is 9 and is in fourth grade, Kylie is 6 and in first grade, and Kinsley will be one at the end of March.  My older two both attend Buchanan and Kinsley is a future Buchanan Bear!  When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling.  We love traveling to Disney and camping around Michigan in the summers.

A goal I have for myself this school year is to help my students feel comfortable taking risks in my classroom. 

Five words to describe Buchanan are fun, energizing, welcoming, inspiring, and nurturing.  

PTA POINTS

• We are happy to announce that we were able to buy headphones for all our Buchanan Bears for use in the computer lab and in classrooms! These are to be used during school only and remain in classrooms. Our teachers and students were all very excited when we delivered them to classrooms this week! 

• We are looking for our 2018-19 PTA Executive Board! All positions are open, if you or someone you know is interested, please fill out the nomination form and return to school. Any questions on positions or duties, please email Nikki Watson at nalquiza@twmi.rr.com. We will present our nomination slate at our March general membership meeting. We will also be looking for Chairs/Co-chairs for next year's events. 

• Please join us for our first ever Buchanan Breakfast & Books on Saturday March 10, 9:00am-12:00pm! We will have a pancake breakfast and shopping at our book fair.  More details will be coming home soon. 

• We have another new event, Moms Night Out/ Make and Take Sign party on March 21, 6:00-8:00pm. Moms will be painting & adhering vinyl sayings to wood boards. We will serve light snacks and refreshments. Please see attached flyer for more information and to sign up. RSVP with selections and money are due by March 6.

• We are planning a Garden Beautification project starting this April to freshen up our outdoor area and have the area available for classes to use. We have a Chairperson but this is going to be a large project and we will need a committee of people to help with planning along with many volunteers doing the work. We are looking into having a dedication ceremony in May along with burying a time capsule to commemorate our new school. More details to come but if you are interested in helping, please contact Nikki Watson at nalquiza@twmi.rr.com.  ​​

Did you know that Livonia Public Schools promotes "Youth Making a Difference" projects? Students can do service work as an individual or class/group. The activities can happen later in the year, but the forms for projects need to be submitted by February 16. In April, there will be a district wide ceremony to honor all the students who did service projects. Great things are happening at Buchanan!