Dr. Lydia Moore selected as the new Executive Director of Special Education for Farmington Public Schools
Upon the retirement of Farmington Public Schools’ Executive Director of Special Education Dr. Jackie McDougal, the selection process began for her successor. After a thorough interview process, Dr. Lydia Moore, who currently serves as a Special Education Supervisor for the district, was selected as the new Executive Director.
Dr. Moore has served as a Special Education Supervisor with the District since 2017. Prior to coming to Farmington Public Schools, she served as an Early Childhood Special Education Consultant with Oakland Schools and was an ASD Teacher in Birmingham Public Schools. She has served as the Professional Development Committee Co-chair for the Michigan Administrators of Special Education (MAASE) and is also the past president of the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children (MCEC). She also serves as a delegate to the Michigan Department of Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC).
Dr. Moore received her Bachelor’s of Science in Special Education, Cognitively Impaired, Early Childhood Education from Eastern Michigan University, her Master’s of Education in Special Education, Autism Spectrum Disorder from Oakland University, and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Special Education, Early Childhood Intervention Services from Kent State University. She also received her Special Education & K-12 Approval from Grand Valley State University.
"I am very honored to have been chosen as the next Executive Director of Special Education for Farmington Public Schools,” stated Dr. Moore. “I am excited to continue to serve this wonderful community and look forward to the opportunity to lead the department in our quest to provide the best educational opportunities to our students."
“We are excited for Dr. Moore to continue her great work here in FPS serving in this new leadership role,” stated FPS Superintendent Dr. Christopher Delgado.
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Patrice Baxter hired as new assistant principal for North Farmington High School
Patrice Baxter has been selected to serve as one of the two assistant principals at North Farmington High School (NFHS). Patrice replaces Tonya Corbitt who is now serving as the principal of Lanigan Elementary School.
Ms. Baxter currently serves as an assistant principal in the Detroit Public Schools Community School District where she has been since 2016. Prior to becoming an assistant principal, she was a math teacher.
Baxter earned her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Detroit Mercy focusing on Education and Mathematics, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She earned her Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University and obtained her Administrator Certificate through the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.
“We are excited to have Patrice Baxter join the Raider Community as our new Assistant Principal!” stated NFHS Principal Joe Greene. “Her focus on building relationships with all stakeholders, her organized and goal-oriented thinking, and her commitment to serving students make her a great addition to our administrative team and school community. I invite you all to join us in welcoming her to North!”
“I am heavily influenced by the teachings of Dr. Nelson Mandela and his belief that "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world," stated Baxter. “As a lifelong learner I continue to seek opportunities to deepen my knowledge and extend the limits of what students can achieve. I am very excited to continue doing my part to help change the world and bring my unique perspective along with passion for excellence and equity to the students at North Farmington, as they continue to change the world!”
Patrice was introduced at the December 13th Board of Education meeting and will begin at North on Monday, December 19. Please join us in welcoming Patrice to the FPS family!
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Jennifer Katz appointed to serve as the new Assistant Principal
for Power Middle School
Jennifer Katz, a middle school Spanish teacher and educational leader, has been appointed to serve as the new Assistant Principal at Power Middle School following working as the interim assistant principal since August 2022. Prior to coming to Farmington Public Schools, she worked for Berkley Public Schools and Wayne-Westland Community Schools.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Michigan State University, her Masters in Elementary from Wayne State University, and her Masters in Administration from the University of Michigan - Flint. She currently serves as the co-leader for one of the District’s strategic planning committees entitled “District Organizational Effectiveness.”
“In her three months as an administrative intern at Power, Jennifer Katz has demonstrated that she has all of the qualities that we are looking for in an assistant principal,” stated Power Middle School Principal Allyson Robinson. “She is smart, resourceful, and a wonderful asset to our Power community. We are so excited to have her as a permanent addition to our team!”
“I am beyond excited to be appointed the position of Assistant Principal at Power Middle School and to continue to partner with the Power community,” stated Katz. “I want to especially thank Mrs. Robinson, the staff, and the community for their generous support. I look forward to further collaboration with our families to ensure success for our Power Gladiators.”
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Courtney Stewart named WNIC’s Teacher of the Week
The week of January 9, 2023, Farmington Public Schools’ (FPS) Courtney Stewart, of Beechview Elementary School, was named WNIC’s Teacher of the week. On Thursday, January 12, 2023, Ms. Stewart was joined by her students, family, and Principal Shawndra Hernton, as she received her award from a WNIC station member.
During the award presentation, multiple students spoke on Ms. Stewart's behalf about how deserving she is. In order to be named WNIC’s Teacher of the Week, submissions must be made in the form of a letter to the station. Ms. Stewart was nominated by the family of a student in her class, who wrote - describing the impact Ms. Stewart was having on their daughter as she transitioned to Beechview as a new student.
Ms. Stewart received a special Teacher of the Week plaque along with a $100 Kroger gift card as part of her award.
“I’m very honored and grateful and I feel very blessed to have received such an award,” said Stewart. “To know that it came from my students, that they think so highly of me is very humbling. Myself personally, as an educator, I focus a lot on building relationships with my students.”
“Dr. James Comer- states that ‘no significant learning can happen without significant relationships’ and that’s a quote I hold near and dear to my heart and so I take a lot of time building intentional relationships with my students so that the learning goes further and they feel comfortable taking risks and working together collaboratively,” she added.
Shawndra Hernton, Beechview Elementary Principal, said, “We want to congratulate Courtney Stewart on this special award. We are so proud of her as an educator in our learning community. We appreciate her focus on educating the whole child and really putting the needs of her students first and really making their success her priority.”
Additionally, Ms. Stewart said, “I’m thankful to my Farmington colleagues for the support they have given to me during my time here at Farmington Public Schools, allowing me to grow and excel as an educator.”
Congratulations to Ms. Courtney Stewart!
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Farmington Public Schools honors Board of Education members during National School Board Recognition Month
Farmington Public Schools honors its Board of Education members throughout the month of January 2023 for National School Board Recognition Month. The school board members play an integral role in the District. They set policy, approve educational goals and curriculum changes, and act on recommendations of the Superintendent. The Board has fiscal responsibility for approving the annual budget and maintaining a balanced budget at the end of the year.
The Board of Education consists of seven school district residents. The Board of Education is a governing body which is independent of other municipal, elected governing bodies.
Thank you to the Farmington Public Schools’ Board of Education:
Cheryl Blau, President
Claudia Heinrich, Vice President
Donald Walker Jr., Secretary
Terri Weems, Treasurer
Mable Fox, Trustee
Zach Rich, Trustee
Angie Smith, Trustee
Thank you to our School Board members! We appreciate you!
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The Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation has re-launched its innovation grant program. Applications are now open for Mini (up to $500), Collaborative (up to $1500) or Major (up to $5000) grants for projects or programs to be completed by December 2023. Applications can be submitted online, HERE, now through 10 pm on Friday, February 10, 2023. Grants will be awarded in the areas of educational equity and COVID learning loss and in our four investment areas: Scholastic Achievement, Extracurricular Enrichment, The Arts, and Technology Integration.
Questions? Please direct them to Chris Greig at director@ffhedfoundation.org.
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January District Spotlight
The January District Spotlight highlights our International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs. Please listen to the discussion between Dr. Delgado and the teachers and students about the programs.
IBDP: Diploma Program
Kevin Miesner, Teacher/IBDP Coordinator - FHS
Natasha Davis-Mickles and Isabel Torres, students
IBCP: Career Program
Janet Cadeau, CTE Teacher/IBCP Coordinator - FHS
Hank Burns-Pavlik and Simra Nadeem, students
IBPYP: Primary Years Program
Melissa Wiercinski, IB PYP Coordinator/Interventionist - Wood Creek Elementary
Ava Grays and Jessie Lewis, students
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Be one of the "100 people surveyed"!
C.A.R.E.S. Family Feud needs residents to complete its survey for the upcoming Family Feud charity game show! But you have to hurry. Once the Feud has received enough responses, it will no longe be available.
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We are SO proud of each and every one of our schools for the work they do and our community NEEDS to see it. We would love to highlight your events, projects, experiments, games, clubs, recess, and students overall.
Please send photos you take to diane.bauman@fpsk12.net or courtney.ohara@fpsk12.net so we can share them out on social media.
Want us to come take photos for your events? We can!
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H.E.A.R.T. of Farmington:
Helping Educators Attain Resources to Teach
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For the Jotform link, QR code, and contact information, download and open the flyer HERE.
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IN THE NEWS
The "In the News Section" is a compilation of news stories about Farmington Public Schools. We feel it is an important resource for staff to know what is in the news.
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Meteorologist Karen Carter spent the afternoon at STEAM Academy in Farmington Hills, talking to students about weather and what it's like being on tv.
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Photo gallery from the Horatio Williams Foundation Tip-Off Classic at North Farmington |
The Horatio Williams Foundation hosted its Tip-Off Classic at North Farmington High School, with nine games over a two-day span from Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10, 2022.
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Forty schools in Oakland County will be receiving help from the state to improve their performance in several areas, including academic growth and graduation rates.
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Santa Jack has heard kids' Christmas wishes in Livonia for 25 years |
It takes a special kind of person to be a great Santa Claus.
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If you love car rides and want weekends and holidays off, being a bus driver could be a good fit for you. Farmington Public Schools is hiring bus drivers, and they want you to “not knock it till you try it.” |
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Farmington Public Schools is hiring bus drivers, and they want you to “not knock it till you try it.” |
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District News Releases
(Releases not covered above)
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Board of Education Meeting - Tuesday • February 7, 2023
6 p.m.
Board of Education Meeting
Maxfield Education Center
32789 W, Ten Mile Rd., Farmington
You can watch the meetings LIVE on TV-10 (Spectrum 210).
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February Break
February 20 - February 24
No School - Enjoy your break!
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