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District Transition Update; From LPS website 1/19/06
Topic Started: Jan 19 2006, 05:15 PM (285 Views)
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District Transition Update
January 18, 2006


Principal Placements
The placements of elementary and middle school principals for the 06-07 school year will be announced on January 23. Each elementary and middle school principal will be sharing the announcement first with their staff, and will also be sending a letter home that day to their parents.

On January 24 there will be a follow-up public announcement of the elementary and middle school principal placements.

Staff Placements
The unions and administration are working closely together to work out a process for placing staff. Once this is agreed upon, we will begin to notify staff and parents of the process that will be used. We hope that this will occur very soon.

Preparations to Move
A large group of operations personnel are already meeting on the issues involved in the physical move, including boxes, packing procedures, and timetables.

Another group dedicated to technology issues are reviewing and projecting equipment needs for the buildings next year. Computers and drops are being reviewed for each facility; in particular, bids have already begun to upgrade Rosedale Elementary.

Transportation
A recommendation for the purchase of busses is being prepared for review by the Board of Education. The recommendation includes 20 new buses. The original estimate was between 15 and 30. They will be financed over 6 years. The administration will also be recommending 7 replacement buses, but that is separate from the new plan and part of addressing our replacement needs for the existing fleet.

The transportation department is busy working on determining bus routes for the 06-07 school year and will have a preliminary projection by the end of March.

School Age Child Care (SACC)
SACC will be offered in each K-4 and 5-6 building for the 06-07 school year.

5-6 Schools Specials
Meetings are taking place with the music, physical education and art departments to work on various program descriptions. After the principals of the 5-6 schools are announced, meetings will continue in order to determine the parameters of the potential 5-6 specials choices.

Our target is to have specials options researched in detail by February 7th. From there we plan on having the District Transition Team coordinate focus groups for parents and staff.

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NFarquharson
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As a parent with 2 kids in SACC, I am really getting annoyed at the standard line about SACC being offered at each K-4 and 5-6 building. We all got that. Will there be enough SACC rooms and available spaces to meet the demand in the overcrowded schools? Say the secret word and you get $100.
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Iliveon-Levandownbytheriver
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Okay...here is my answer...portables? Did I win..can I phone a friend?
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
NFarquharson
Jan 19 2006, 06:24 PM
As a parent with 2 kids in SACC, I am really getting annoyed at the standard line about SACC being offered at each K-4 and 5-6 building. We all got that. Will there be enough SACC rooms and available spaces to meet the demand in the overcrowded schools? Answer the secret question and you get $100.

Can you say traaiillloor...say it with me...traaiillorrr
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NFarquharson
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You said the secret word! The little birdie is gonna give you a nice $100 bill.
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NFarquharson
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Transition team to help with schools restructuring
BY STEPHANIE ANGELYN CASOLA
STAFF WRITER


As Livonia Public Schools begins to put its Legacy Initiative into place, community members and educators are coming together to work through a time of change.

Under this plan, the district will close seven school buildings, merge most elementary school communities and restructure grade levels in buildings.

For the first time last week, a District Transition Team met to begin addressing all the changes that come with this restructuring. The team is charged with meeting the needs of students, parents, staff and the community.

"It's wonderful to have representation from every school and have the opportunity to really listen to everyone's ideas, coming from different viewpoints," said Donna McDowell, coordinator of community and business partnerships for the district.

She said the team is responsible for monitoring the success of the district's transition process.

"(Team members) are not only taking information back to their schools, they are bringing reports of how things are going," McDowell said.

In addition to the new District Transition Team, each building has established its School Transition Team to work with staff, students and parents as school communities prepare to merge and change next fall. Welcoming activities are topping the to-do list for the School Transition Teams.

Shelly Robinet is an Adams Elementary parent and member of both her school and the district's transition teams. When Adams closes next year, students will attend Roosevelt. To aid in the transition, those school communities have already begun to get to know one another.

Robinet said she's been attending PTA meetings at Roosevelt since the school closing announcement was made in October. And in December, both schools forged a joint effort to go Christmas caroling through the neighborhood.

Robinet said she's excited about all that's happening between Adams and Roosevelt. She said both school communities are focused on family events and are reaching out to one another.

As a District Transition Team member, she said "it's a great avenue to talk about the good things our schools are doing. I'm getting the feeling some of the schools haven't connected yet."

But they'll begin to do so, according to McDowell. The district-wide team has created a giant calendar of events, which allows representatives from each school to see what other schools have planned. The district team will also produce a bi-weekly newsletter to keep parents informed of changes and events to come.

"I really feel the district wants to do the best for everybody," Robinet said.

Communication is going to be key, according to Mike Deraskavich, a teacher leader at Garfield Elementary. He is a member of the District Transition Team, as well as his school's transition team.

Deraskavich said each school has unique needs as they undergo these changes. Garfield's community has already planned a Family Fitness Night on April 12. As Nankin Mills is scheduled to close, those families can use the event as an opportunity to get to know a new school and new faces.

"A lot of people are excited about the process," he said.

Deraskavich said he hopes "to make the transition as smooth as possible, and to make everyone feel their voices are being heard."

The District Transition Team is beginning to coordinate focus groups and informational meetings, which will hinge on topics of change -- beginning with the special classes due to be added at the fifth- and sixth-grade buildings.

Though the groups, and the transition process overall, have just begun, district officials are working on determining staff and administrators for the schools.

In the meantime, those interested in being part of the transition process can participate in focus groups, or on their school's transition team. McDowell suggested that parents contact their individual building principals for more information on how to do so.

scasola@hometownlife.com | (734) 953-2054

Originally published January 22, 2006

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