November 11, 2024

Megan Saunders named as Farmington Public Schools’ 2024-2025 Senior Adult Extraordinaire

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, Farmington Public Schools (FPS) honored Megan Saunders as the 2024-2025 Senior Extraordinaire Award winner at the District's Annual Senior Adult Breakfast. Interim Superintendent Dr. Kelly Coffin presented Megan with the award at this year’s breakfast.

Since 2006, FPS has been honoring distinguished senior adults that volunteer their time and talents to enhance educational activities for students in our District. Megan has been volunteering with the District for more than six years and was nominated due to her work at Lanigan Elementary School.

Megan Saunders was nominated by Debby Kuna, first grade teacher at Lanigan Elementary School. Megan has been a volunteer in Debby’s classroom for more than six years. Megan started off volunteering with FPS in a Kindergarten classroom where the kids instantly connected with her and grew to love her. Megan is always extremely involved with the students on a high level, being very hands-on in helping them learn.

After the Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan continued her volunteer work and joined Debby in her new third grade classroom. Megan makes learning fun by joking with all of the students, and often buying them treats to enjoy. The students love having Megan volunteer in the classroom.

Debby Kuna currently teaches first grade, and Megan still volunteers with her. Megan, no matter what grade classroom she is in, brings joy, positivity, and smiles to the students. She is able to make connections with every student she meets.

“Megan is very hard working, extremely dependable, flexible, and an all around great person,” said nominator Debby Kuna. “I take comfort in the days that I know she is coming to volunteer, it is like having another teacher in the classroom.”

Megan started volunteering with FPS as a Senior Adults Giving to Education (SAGE) volunteer. SAGE is a community program designed to bring senior adults into the classroom to share the wisdom and values of their generation. The SAGE program is sponsored by the Farmington Hills Department of Special Services Senior Adult Division in cooperation with FPS.

Using her life skills, Megan helps in the classroom by working one-on-one with students who need extra help with assignments. She also assists with small groups during STEM time, helping students with their writing, and anything else the students are working on.

Megan is also an active member of the Farmington Hills community. In her time away from the classroom, Megan plays pickleball and participates in other community activities.

Megan has been described as kind, humorous, professional, dependable and consistent. “I’d say her best quality is her devotion towards all students,” said Debby Kuna.

Please join us in extending a huge congratulations to Megan Saunders! Thank you for always going above and beyond in supporting our students.

Farmington Public Schools opens nominations for Outstanding Teachers of the Year

Farmington Public Schools opens nominations for its Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards for the 2024/2025 school year. These awards are presented annually to honor and reward teachers in Farmington Public Schools Who have achieved the highest standard of excellence in their profession through effort and example.

Each year, FPS recognizes three outstanding educators, one from elementary, middle, and high school. This year, the District is adding an additional category and will include the early childhood program. The four FPS teachers that are named Teacher of the Year winners will advance to the Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards.

Teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members are eligible to nominate for Teacher of the Year. Nominees must be certified, full-time teachers in pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Nominees must have a minimum of five full years of classroom teaching experience. Ancillary District personnel, such as social workers and counselors, unless they are full-time, certified teachers with classroom students, are not eligible for this award.

Nominations at each building will be accepted until Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Each building principal will then read, review, and develop a process to select one final Teacher of the Year candidate from their respective building. The final submission from the building principal will be due on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. From here, winners will be selected by a committee, and the winners will be notified via a surprise visit to their classroom in December.

Do you have a teacher you want to nominate? To submit your nomination, visit https://www.farmington.k12.mi.us/departments/human-resources/teacher-of-the-year-forms

Holiday Angels 2024

Farmington Youth Assistance, in collaboration with FPS's Community Support Services department, is hosting the Holiday Angels Program this year. This program is designed to provide essential support to families who may encounter difficulties in providing gifts and necessities during the holiday season. Unlike many programs that focus on younger children, the Holiday Angels Program specifically aims to assist children aged 13 to 18. Through this program, families in need can receive the crucial support they need to celebrate the holidays with joy and dignity.

Applications are being accepted for this program until Friday, November 15, 2024. Click HERE.

Calling all volunteers!

Volunteers help to make the Toast to Education a success each year.

Volunteers get free entry to the Toast including a punch ticket for wine/beer tasting for their own personal use.

if you'd like to sign up, click HERE.

Community News You Can Use is designed to provide you with a brief update of happenings at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and throughout our community.

For Community Programming and other events at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, click HERE.

For information on the C.A.R.E. Program and Caregiver classes & support groups, click HERE.

For information on culinary classes at Oakland Community College in partnership with Henry Ford Health, click HERE.

Do you know someone looking for a new job?

Farmington Public Schools (FPS) is taking an innovative step forward by partnering with Care Solace, a social purpose organization focused on removing barriers in accessing mental health care. FPS understands the profound impact of untreated mental health conditions. This collaboration provides District families and staff with access to Care Solace's care coordination services at no cost.

FPS will use Care Solace to support its commitment to ensuring accessible mental health care. This initiative demonstrates the District’s dedication to building a resilient community, where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

“Farmington Public Schools is dedicated to supporting the health, safety, and welfare of our students, staff, and families,” said Lydia Moore, Executive Director of Special Education at FPS.

“As such, we are proud to announce our partnership with Care Solace. This partnership will allow our students and families to get connected with the services they need to address mental health or substance abuse concerns.”

As a central hub of care, Care Solace streamlines communication and coordination to connect individuals with the right resources and appropriate level of care. Individuals seeking mental health care now have a trusted companion to rely on.

With a team of more than 500 dedicated Care Companions, Care Solace connects Farmington Public Schools families to more than 425,000 licensed mental health and substance use treatment providers. Through a human-centered and technology-supported approach, these Care Companions navigate the fragmented mental health care system on behalf of individuals, helping them find the perfect fit for their unique needs and insurance requirements. Their multilingual Care Companions are available 24/7/365 ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for the entire community.

"Care Solace is proud to support Farmington Public Schools in prioritizing the well-being of its students, staff, and community, " says Chad Castruita, Founder & CEO. "Care Solace exists to calm the chaos that often surrounds mental health crises, providing a supportive and compassionate framework to help individuals regain control of their lives."

To learn more about Care Solace, visit www.caresolace.org.

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We would love to hear about your newsworthy events and activities including awards, honors, and accomplishments. Help us share your success stories in art, music, scholastics, athletics, drama, debate, CTE, IB, and more. We look forward to sharing your news!

Fill out the News Tip Form, HERE.

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!