It's Easy Being Green

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! Kermit the frog famously said "It's not easy being green", but it sure was easy for our Buchanan students this week! We had fun with St. Patrick's Day and our some of our students even did a virtual Leprechaun scavenger hunt and I saw that students in SACC were building Leprechaun traps. We are always looking for ways to make learning fun at Buchanan! 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

• Tuesday, March 23: PTA Meeting in the Library Media Center 7:00 PM (Masks required)
• Wednesday, March 24: Virtual Author Visits with Dennis Mathew 
• Friday, March 26: Last Day of School before Spring Break (I should have my hair dyed by then!)

On Wednesday, March 24, Children's author Dennis Mathew will be hosting a Virtual School Visit. Below are the links for the "Assemblies"

Virtual Author Visit Grades K-2 6:00 PM

Virtual Author Visit Grade 3&4 7:00 PM

No School Monday, March 29 - Friday, April 2

PTA POINTS

• PTA Meeting: We will have our first in-person PTA meeting of the year on Tuesday, March 23 at 7:00pm in the library. Masks are required. We hope to see you there!

• Read-A-Thon: It's the final day of the Buchanan Read-A-Thon, and we still need about 10,000 reading minutes to reach our goal (and for Mr. Wennstrom to dye his hair), so keep logging those minutes! If you have not already done so, it's not too late to register - students' donation pages will remain active and accept donations through March 25. Please visit https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/ to register or re-login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage (use Building ID: 5d49989d85ce5). 

• Virtual Book Fair (March 11 - 24): Our Book Fair is online and helps our students discover new books, favorite characters, and more! Every purchase earns our school rewards for much needed resources. Plus, shipping is free on book-only purchases over $25.Thank you for instilling a love of reading and supporting our Book Fair! Visit the following link to shop: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/buchananelementaryschool10

• LAST CALL for FREE SHIPPING on Spirit Wear: Orders placed between now and Monday, March 22 will receive FREE SHIPPING. This is the final free shipping period of the school year. Please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com

• Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

• Five Below Fundraiser: We will be holding another Five Below Fundraiser from March 28 through April 3. Please show the flyer attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email when you check out for 10% of your purchase to be donated to the PTA. This is a great opportunity to shop for Easter and Spring Break activities!

• PTA Membership: It's not too late to become a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

• Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

• Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

Ms. Kaufman’s 4th Grade was chosen to participate in the STEM Through Literature Kits for Kids project developed by Wayne RESA, the Wayne Regional STEM Network (MiSTEM), and the Nutty Scientists of Southeast Michigan and funded by the MiSTEM Network and the Early Literacy Grant.

The kits are designed to get students reading, to give them practice applying the Engineering Design Cycle, to bolster their imaginations through innovation and creativity, and to explore the wonders of STEM.

Each teacher has received a STEM kit for each student that includes the materials needed for 8 STEM activities, 4 hardcover books, and 2 hardcover books for each student.

Recently, there was an update to the District's face mask requirement, which included a ban on neck gaiters. After further research into the latest studies and recommendations from the CDC and the MDHHS, Livonia Public Schools has amended face covering requirements. Based on current research and CDC guidance, students, staff, and visitors may continue to wear a neck gaiter only if it worn "doubled up." This means the wearer would be required to either wear two (2) gaiters over their mouth and nose, one on top of the other, or would be required to fold a single gaiter in half so double the material will cover both the mouth and nose. We apologize for any confusion. Thank you

Congratulations to our Students of the Month for the theme of INTEGRITY!! 

KINDERGARTEN                                            FIRST GRADE

Mrs. Pillai - Layla K                                          Mrs. Jones - Nicholas L.

Ms. Haapala - Owen T.                                      Mrs. Hurula - Nathan R. 

Mrs. Stromberg - Sophia O.                              Mrs. Kamin - Natalia Z.

Mrs. Mcguigan - Vivian V.                                Mrs. Hochkins - Megan P.

                                                                           Mrs. Sparrow - J.J. 

SECOND GRADE                                            THIRD GRADE

Mrs. Drolet - Derek L.                                       Mrs. Duff - Mallory O.

Mrs. Tanner - Jack M.                                        Mrs. Trantham - Aubrey H. 

Ms. Adams - Sandy M.                                      Mrs. Allmayer - Mayar A.

Mrs. Gruenewald - Izzy S.                                 Mrs. Edwards - Jeremy M.

Mrs. Benson - Eloise F.                                      Ms. Yost - Scarlet S.

FOURTH GRADE

Mrs. Banter - Diti Z.

Mrs. Ringler - Sheylynn L.

Ms. Medellin - Cali C.

Ms. Kaufman - Mattilyn P.

Miss Brown - Anna L. 

The students will receive certificates and will be announced on the Celebrate Monday Video!

Records Day

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! As a music lover, records day sounds like a lot of fun to me. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with vinyl and is actually a lot of work. Records day is the time when teachers update their files, review student assessments and most importantly work on report cards. It's an important day, because communicating with parents how students are progressing is essential for the home-school connection. Report cards will not be printed this year, but will be viewable on Friday, March 19 through parent connect. A reminder of how to access report cards will be sent home to assist families next week. Thank you for your continued support! 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

• Thursday, March 18: Read in your PJ's Spirit Wear Day
• Friday, March 19: No School for Students/PD Day for Teachers/Last day of Read-a-Thon
• Tuesday, March 23: PTA Meeting 7:00 PM (In person - Masks required)
• Wednesday, March 24: Virtual Author Visits (Links will be sent out prior)

PTA POINTS

• Read-A-Thon: It's the final week of the Buchanan Read-A-Thon, and we are only about halfway to our reading goal. Our students have logged about 50,000 reading minutes, but we need to get to 100,000 for Mr. Wennstrom to dye his hair, so make sure you are logging those minutes! If you have not already done so, please visit https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/ to register or re-login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage (Use Building ID: 5d49989d85ce5). This is where you can donate or share your child's donation page with friends and family, and where you will log your child's reading minutes. There are prizes for reading and for raising money. Please see the flyer attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email for details. 

• Book Fair (March 11 - 24): Our Book Fair is online and helps our students discover new books, favorite characters, and more! Every purchase earns our school rewards for much needed resources. Plus, shipping is free on book-only purchases over $25.Thank you for instilling a love of reading and supporting our Book Fair! Visit the following link to shop: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/buchananelementaryschool10

• FREE SHIPPING on Spirit Wear: Orders placed between now and March 22 will receive FREE SHIPPING. This is the final free shipping period of the school year. Please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com

• PTA Board Nominations: Nominations are open for the 2021-2022 PTA Executive Board. If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else (with their permission), please fill out a Nomination Form (attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email). Nomination forms are due Thursday, March 18. Elections will take place at the PTA meeting on April 20, 2021.

• Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

• Photos for Yearbook: If you have photographs from this school year that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the yearbook, please email them to pta.buchanan1@gmail.com. It is going to be a challenge to fill the yearbook this year, so we would love any school-related photos (e.g., first day of school, at-home learning set up, bus stop, walking to school, posing with assignments/projects, students dressed up for special theme days, etc.).

• PTA Membership: It's not too late to become a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

• Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

• Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

• Next PTA Meeting: Tuesday, March 23 (In person in the LMC - Masks required)

Dress as your favorite literary character! 

What Color Will It Be??

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! I've made a promise to our students that IF we reach our schoolwide goal for the Read-a-Thon, that I will dye my hair whatever color the top reader chooses. Now, I'm not going for the spray on/wash out color. I'm going ALL THE WAY. My hair will be bleached and then dyed with whatever color is chosen. Unlike Snoopy below, I can only do one color though. I hope it's a color I like, because I will be stuck with it for 6 to 8 weeks!! My goal is to have it dyed just before we go to spring break, so the kids can see the product of their hard work. They will also have the reminder of Reading Month through April and May each time they look at my hair. Maybe YOUR child will be the one to pick the color!! 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

• Friday, March 12: Dress as your favorite book character Spirt Day! Students dismissed at 12:20 PM (No lunch served)
• Thursday, March 18: Read in your Pajamas Spirit Day! 
• Friday, March 19: Report Cards viewable in Parent Connect. No School for Students. 

PTA POINTS

• Read-A-Thon: The Buchanan Read-A-Thon is off to an amazing start! We have already raised over $7,500 and our students have logged over 15,000 reading minutes! If you have not already done so, please visit https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/ to register or re-login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage (Use Building ID: 5d49989d85ce5). This is where you can donate or share your child's donation page with friends and family, and where you will log your child's reading minutes. There are prizes for reading and for raising money. Please see the flyer attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email for details. 

• FREE SHIPPING on Spirit Wear: Orders placed between now and March 22 will receive FREE SHIPPING. This is the final free shipping period of the school year. Please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com 

• PTA Board Nominations: Nominations are open for the 2021-2022 PTA Executive Board. If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else (with their permission), please fill out a Nomination Form (attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email). Nomination forms are due Thursday, March 18. Elections will take place at the PTA meeting on April 20, 2021.

• Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

• Photos for Yearbook: If you have photographs from this school year that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the yearbook, please email them to pta.buchanan1@gmail.com. It is going to be a challenge to fill the yearbook this year, so we would love any school-related photos (e.g., first day of school, at-home learning set up, bus stop, walking to school, posing with assignments/projects, students dressed up for special theme days, etc.).

• PTA Membership: It's not too late to become a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

• Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

• Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

• Next PTA Meeting: Tuesday, March 23

Looking for activities for your kids to do outside of the school day? Check out the Community Hub section on the district's homepage to see flyers from local youth-oriented programs! 

Please see the flyer attached in this email for information on the 2021 Bond Proposal! 

The Buchanan Bears love to read!! 

Let's Get Ready to Read!

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! We are getting ready to start our annual March is Reading Month! Although things look a little different this year, due to Covid, we are doing our best to keep things fun and exciting for our students. Our fabulous PTA has organized a "Read-a-Thon" for students to earn prizes and also to raise money for our school. They have also planned fun Spirit Wear days throughout the month. Many of the staff members are recording videos as they read with their pets for the students to view and we will have a virtual author visit at the end of March. While we always promote reading at Buchanan, March is a time to celebrate the love of literacy and have some fun while we do it! 

Acclaimed children's author Dennis Mathew will be facilitating Virtual Author Visits for our students the evening of March 24! 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

• Monday, March 1: Read-a-Thon kick off
• Friday, March 5: Wear Something You Can READ Spirit Day & Livonia Virtual Material Pick up in the gym 3:00-4:00 PM

• Friday, March 12: Dress Like a Book Character Spirit Day, Students dismissed at 12:40 PM (no lunch served). Teacher Records Day in the afternoon.

• Thursday, March 18: Report Cards viewable in Parent Connect, READ in you Pajamas Spirt Day
• Friday, March 19: No School for Students (Teacher Professional Development Day)

• Tuesday, March 23: PTA Meeting at 7:00 PM
• Wednesday, March 24: Virtual Author Assemblies (K-2 6:00 PM, 3rd&4th 7:00 PM)

PTA POINTS

• Buchanan Read-A-Thon: The Buchanan PTA presents the Buchanan Read-A-Thon from March 1 through March 19! This is a fundraiser that promotes good reading habits and will help us replenish our funds so we can maintain a healthy budget. The most important thing you can do is visit https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/ to register or re-login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage. This is where you can donate or share your child's donation page with friends and family, and where you will log your child's reading minutes. There are prizes for reading and for raising money. Please see the flyer attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email for details. 

• PTA Board Nominations: Nominations are open for the 2021-2022 PTA Executive Board. If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else (with their permission), please fill out a Nomination Form (attached to Mr. Wennstrom's email). Nomination forms are due Thursday, March 18. Elections will take place at the PTA meeting on April 20, 2021.

• Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

• Photos for Yearbook: If you have photographs from this school year that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the yearbook, please email them to pta.buchanan1@gmail.com. It is going to be a challenge to fill the yearbook this year, so we would love any school-related photos (e.g., first day of school, at-home learning set up, bus stop, walking to school, posing with assignments/projects, students dressed up for special theme days, etc.).

• PTA Membership: Please consider becoming a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

• Spirit Wear: To purchase Buchanan-branded items, please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com The next free-shipping period will be March 5 through March 22.

• Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

• Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

• Next PTA Meeting: Tuesday, March 23

Buchanan is proud to present our Students of the Month for the theme of EMPATHY!!

KINDERGARTEN                                        FIRST GRADE

Mrs. McGuigan - Isabella N.                         Mrs. Hochkins - Emily G.

Ms. Haapala - Jude H.                                    Mrs. Jones - Destiny M.

Mrs. Pillai - Lucas P.                                      Mrs. Sparrow - Zuri S.

Mrs. Stromberg - Adam A.                             Mrs. Hurula - Amelia B.

                                                                        Mrs. Kamin - Landon L. 

SECOND GRADE                                         THIRD GRADE

Mrs. Drolet - Mila M.                                     Ms. Yost - Lucy C.

Ms. Adams - Houghton B.                              Mrs. Edwards - Dylan H. 

Mrs. Gruenewald - Emma J.                           Mrs. Duff - Ailish O. 

Mrs. Tanner - Brooklynn V.                            Mrs. Allmayer - Emma K.

Mrs. Benson - Emily P.                                   Mrs. Trantham - Ronin L. 

FOURTH GRADE

Ms. Kaufman - Michaela W.

Mrs. Ringler - Jacob B.

Ms. Medellin - Elyse D. 

Mrs. Banter - Lola G.

Miss Brown - Lilah B.

A little bit of normal

Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! This week we had a wonderful event with our Winter Field Day. One of the best compliments I heard was that it brought back "a little bit of normal" for our students. It was such a fun time and I need to thank Mrs. Berg-Grant for organizing and facilitating the event, our PTA team for providing hot chocolate and leading the stations, our Livonia Virtual team for coordinating the before school activities for our virtual students, our custodian Mr. Miller for making sure we had access to the stations by removing the snow and salting the walks, and finally to our amazing staff who ALL pitched in to make this event successful. My hope is that our students will remember this event fondly and they learned we can do anything we put our minds to! 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

• Kindergarten Registration for the fall is ongoing.
• Friday, March 5: Materials Pick Up for Livonia Virtual 3:00-4:00 PM 
• Friday, March 12: 1/2 Day of School for Records Day. Students dismissed at 12:40 (no lunch served) End of Marking Period
• Thursday, March 18: Report Cards available in Parent Connect 

PTA POINTS

Box Tops: We are no longer collecting physical Box Tops, but you can still support our school by downloading the Box Tops for Education app and selecting Buchanan Elementary School as your school. Then shop as you normally would and scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit our account!

Other ways you can support the Buchanan PTA:

• Amazon Smile: Visit http://smile.amazon.com and select James Buchanan Elementary PTA as your charity. 
  

• Kroger Rewards: Visit https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards and link your Kroger Rewards card to Buchanan Elementary PTA.

• Busch's: Visit https://www.buschs.com/community and log in to (or create) your *MYWAY account. Then select Cash for Education from the dropdown menu under your name. Select Buchanan Elementary PTA as one of the four organizations you would like to support. 

Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

PTA Membership: Please consider becoming a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

Spirit Wear: To purchase Buchanan-branded items, please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com 

Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

Next PTA Meeting: Tuesday, March 23

If you need assistance obtaining winter gear, please reach out to us in the office and we will be happy to assist. We want ALL of our students to enjoy the winter wonderland!

Midwinter Break

 Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! It was another great week at Buchanan. February is a short, but busy month with Black History Month, Valentine's Day, Winter Field Day and President's Day. Having our midwinter break makes it go even more quickly! Whether you are staying at home or getting away, we hope all our Buchanan families have a safe and relaxing break. We look forward to seeing the students when classes resume on Wednesday! 

Remember no school Monday and Tuesday! 

Winter Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, February 18 (Weather Pending). I will send out a confirmation notice the day before. Please make sure students have winter gear and are ready for some fun in the snow! Classroom teachers will send out the specific time for each class. 

PTA POINTS

Box Tops: We are no longer collecting physical Box Tops, but you can still support our school by downloading the Box Tops for Education app and selecting Buchanan Elementary School as your school. Then shop as you normally would and scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit our account!

Other ways you can support the Buchanan PTA:

• Amazon Smile: Visit http://smile.amazon.com and select James Buchanan Elementary PTA as your charity. 
  

• Kroger Rewards: Visit https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards and link your Kroger Rewards card to Buchanan Elementary PTA.

• Busch's: Visit https://www.buschs.com/community and log in to (or create) your *MYWAY account. Then select Cash for Education from the dropdown menu under your name. Select Buchanan Elementary PTA as one of the four organizations you would like to support. 

Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

PTA Membership: Please consider becoming a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

Spirit Wear: To purchase Buchanan-branded items, please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com 

Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

Next PTA Meeting: Tuesday, March 23

We would like to wish all of our Buchanan Bears a very Happy Valentine's Day on Sunday! 

Student Recognition

 Hi folks, Jon Wennstrom here! One of our goals at Buchanan is to celebrate all the wonderful things our students do at school. From academic achievement to demonstrating our character traits, we do our best to make sure they know we are watching and recognize their efforts. This week ALL of our Students of the Month (Past and Present) received certificates to bring home. We also created and presented all of our top GROWTH students for iReady Reading and iReady Math a certificate to take home. I know that not everyone who works hard gets a certificate, but we do our best to recognize student effort and encourage them to always do their best.  It's not about the award, but about doing our best and working hard, but it's still nice to be noticed and celebrated! 

UPCOMING EVENTS AT BUCHANAN

Friday, February 12: Picture Retakes in the gym 9:00-11:00 AM (for LV students too!)

                                  PTA providing individual treats for students for Valentine's Celebration

Monday, February 15 & Tuesday, February 16: No School for Mid Winter Break

Tentative Dates for Winter Field Day

Tuesday, February 9

Thursday, February 11

Thursday, February 18

A notice will be sent to all staff & families the day before to confirm our Winter Field Day based on the forecast. If the temperature is predicted to be 15 degrees or colder, we will postpone the event to the next scheduled date above. Please make sure your students have winter gear on the days of the event. LV families will drop off students in the gym at 8:15 the day of the event and pick up at 9:20 from the gym.  Students will ONLY be with their class.

PTA POINTS

• Yearbooks: If you would like a yearbook for this school year, please place your order at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com (Yearbook ID: 1643321) by Friday, April 9. 

• Photos for Yearbook: If you have photographs from this school year that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the yearbook, please email them to pta.buchanan1@gmail.com. It is going to be a challenge to fill the yearbook this year, so we would love any school-related photos (e.g., first day of school, at-home learning set up, bus stop, walking to school, posing with assignments/projects, students dressed up for special theme days, etc.).

• PTA Membership: Please consider becoming a PTA member! Membership does not require anything from you other than the $7.00 membership fee, but it gives you a voice in decisions affecting our school, staff, and students and shows your support for our school, staff, and students. Purchase your membership here: https://buchanan.new.memberhub.store/store

• Spirit Wear: To purchase Buchanan-branded items, please visit our spirit wear store here: https://buchananspiritwear.com 

• Follow the PTA on Facebook: @BuchananElementarySchoolPTA

• Contact the PTA via Email: pta.buchanan1@gmail.com

• Next PTA Meeting: Tuesday, March 23
• 
  

Buchanan is celebrating Black History Month! Here's a fun photo from PBS. How many faces can you put a name to in this picture?