It's the end of February which means most, if not all, of our units have begun their nominations process for their 2020-2021 Boards. We know there's a lot of work involved in this: knowing your bylaws, forming a nominations committee, and finding (or persuading) suitable candidates (cake helps, haha). Most importantly, it's about forming a board that works as a team and is committed to not only the students and school they represent, but to the position they accept and are voted into. As most of us know, we don't get paid to be the awesome volunteers that we are. The hours can be long, the events can be many, and often it is a thankless job, but the difference we're making for the students and the schools is what it's all about!

If you have questions about the nominations process or need any assistance, utilize your Council Liaison. They are always there to help you with any questions you might have! The upcoming workshop in March is a good tool to utilize as well!

Good Luck to you all, and we look forward to seeing old faces, new faces, and most importantly, happy faces!

On Wednesday February 12th we gathered at Vis Ta Tech Center to celebrate all things PTA! "PTA Prom" as Webster President Chris Chmura called it, is a gathering we all look forward to! It's always a great time mingling with all LPS units, leaders, staff, volunteers, and students. This event is always exceptional and this year was no different thanks to Debbie Pline and her commitee. As the Founder's Day Committee Chair, Debbie puts A LOT of hard work and effort into making it an enjoyable experience for all! Thank You Debbie, Mandy, and Sara!!

A special congratulations to all of the staff, volunteers, and students from each school who were nominated to receive awards for being shining stars in their PTA!

Of course, let's not forget those centerpieces! Wow! Every year the centerpieces get better and the competition becomes more fierce! The Reflections theme "Look Within" definitely inspired some amazing pieces! It's incredible to see the creativity of our units! Great job to all!

Until next year (and more cake),

Andrea Malenfant

Council Newsletter Chair

Member hub is starting a new passive fundraising platform that they are piloting in Region D & F of Michigan. They have asked the units in our council to be involved since all our units have functioning MH stores and great participation. It is basically like Groupon but the offers will be on your already existing MH store page, they will be for local businesses and your PTA will receive a percentage of sales of each offer purchased through your store. FREE MONEY!! The great news is Member Hub will be doing all the "sales" work to get these local businesses to participate.

This website will give you more information about the program.

https://www.memberhub.com/memberhub-givebacks

If you have not already, please let me know whether your unit would be interested in participating in this trial run. (If we don't have enough units who want to participate they will move onto another council.)

If you have questions please let me know. This is a great opportunity for our PTA's!

Thanks!

Kellie Dummer

Council President

We had a terrific time celebrating the accomplishments of our Reflections artists. Thank you to all who attended our awards ceremony. And an even bigger thank you to our team of fantastic volunteers who helped make this year's program a success! We announced next year's theme at the end of the ceremony. Time for your young artists to reflect on the theme of "I Matter Because..."

We are also looking for a volunteer to join us on council to become a Reflections co-chair. Now that I have two years under my belt, I've got the processes figured out. But I could really use someone to help make the magic happen. The Reflections "season" starts over the summer, as we work to get our team of unit chairs in place and fully trained. The first couple months of the school year are spent helping to promote the program. November is when things really get fun, because the entries roll in. That's when my part of the process really ramps up, as I prepare everything for the judges. There's a bit of a breather in December, as the judges are doing their thing. But then by the end of December, it's full steam ahead until the awards ceremony in January. This job includes things like recruiting volunteers, fielding questions from those volunteers, creating flyers and promotional materials, checking the entries for rules violations, prepping the entries for judging, data entry, number crunching when the scores come in, planning the awards ceremony, making the program & PowerPoint for the ceremony, and lining up volunteers for the ceremony. You wouldn't have to be involved in all of the steps. We could talk about which parts of the process match up with your skills and your availability. I actually enjoy all of it. I would just like a partner to help lighten the load. If this sounds like something you would like to join me in, please let me know.

Debbie Yates
Reflections Council Chair
reflections@livoniaptsacouncil.org

It was big PTA news, and it got people talking. . . the need for a Public Performance License or "Movie License" is the real deal my friends!

A PTA in Berkley, California was fined $250 by the Disney corporation for showing "The Lion King" at their 'Parents' Night Out' event. This PTA did not purchase a "movie license" claiming they were unaware that they needed to do so. How Disney became aware of the showing is unclear, however, this story goes to show that IT CAN happen!

About 25,000 schools nationwide have licenses that allow them to show movies, and if you show movies at your events, you should be one of them! Most companies offer a one time viewing fee of $250 dollars or you can opt to purchase an annual license which costs a little over $500.

If you have any questions regarding the purchase of a movie license for your unit and school you can reach out to your Council Liaison or email President Kellie Dummer.

If you are a PTA officer or committee chair, please make sure to join our page for important information, discussions, and more! A lot of great info is shared on this closed group page. It's also a great way to network with other units, share ideas, and ask for help.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/541318689333449/