The Banks Bulletin

Important Notification: the parent drop-off line closes at 8:10 AM. All exterior doors automatically lock at that time and students arriving late will need to sign-in at the front entrance.

As a reminder, Progress Reports are available to view. Please take a moment to praise your students for their hard work, efforts and achievement and reach out should you have any questions or need support.

Wishing our boys basketball team the best of luck as they compete at home in the first round of playoffs on Monday, December 15th at 4 PM. Show your spirit and join your student to help us stuff the stands! Go Bulldogs!

December

12/15- Boys Basketball (BB)-First-Round Playoffs @ 4 PM-HOME

12/16- 2nd iReady Diagnostic: ELA

12/16- Student Safety Drill

12/17- Co-Ed Swim @ WLC

12/18- 2nd iReady Diagnostic: Math

12/18- Board of Education regular meeting; 7pm @ ESC

12/19- iReady Make-Up Testing

12/22-1/2- Winter Break - No School for Students or Staff

January

1/5- iReady Make-Up Testing as needed

1/6-All Pro Dads Meeting in AM

1/6-1/9- Vision Screening, 7th Grade

1/8- Board of Education Meeting @ 7 PM

Dear Banks Families:

Next week will be a busy one. Your assistance in ensuring your student comes to school prepared will be much appreciated as we complete the 2nd iReady Diagnostic on Tuesday, December 16th and Thursday, December 18th.

Please note the iReady Testing Schedule below. The schedule is similar to previous testing dates.

• iReady ELA Testing on Tuesday, December 16th
• Students report to 1st hour and then attend 4th-6th hour in the afternoon
• iReady Math Testing on Thursday, December 18th
• Students report to 6th hour and then attend 3rd-1st hour in the afternoon

Please remind your child to put forth their best effort and to make sure the evening prior to testing that they have their Chromebook or laptop fully charged. We do not have additional Chromebooks to lend to students that forget their device at home.

Swim/Dive

Swimmers and divers continue to make great progress with each practice and event. The next event is a home match at WL Central on December 17th.

Boys' Basketball

After picking up three wins last week against Centennial, East and STEAM the 8th grade boys entered the last week of regular with a game at Muir against the Colts. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start in the first half turning the ball over often, but with points from Jordan, Kosei, Will, Emmett, Colson and Liam Banks was able to take an 18-16 lead into the half. In the second half, aggressive defense, and solid offense allowed the boys to go on a 17 to 2 run in the 4th period and a 19 to 5 run in the 5th period to pull away quickly from Muir. Second half points by Cruz and Ryan helped Banks win 54-23. With this win, the 8th grade boys team have clinched a spot in the post season tournament for the third year in a row. We will host a game on Monday against Centennial with the game starting at 4PM.

Also, the boys took on Millennium Thursday night picking up another win for both teams. Nice work, Bulldogs!

Teams are taking team photos today during practice so bring your smiles!

Winter II Sports

When we return from break, Boys' Wrestling and Girls' Basketball will pick up. For all girls trying out for basketball, please make sure the following form corresponding to your student's grade level is complete prior to tryouts.

6th/7th Grade Basketball: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScX7qkQGD1ag0ST6ulpje6Ihlf3DH6CyPnhLXYVKfAy-4twAA/viewform?usp=header

8th Grade Basketball: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8Op5OG4I7VpJz5U_mvGlgWKmLyRg9MgDM0S-MQ_SGrACj8g/viewform?usp=header

As with all other sports, athletes must meet the following criteria to be eligible to participate:

1. A physical on file with the school dated after April 15, 2025.

2. Complete the following form linked above. Wrestling form will be sent next week.

3. Before the first match, athletes must have a pay to participate on file. The cost is $120 per sport, with a family cap at $240 for the year. If your family has already paid a total of $240 for the district pay-to-participate fees this school year, then this cost is waived for the rest of this school year.

We're excited to share that Joel Kane, Kosei Okano, and Thomas Cirihal have been accepted into the 2026 MSBOA All-State Middle School Orchestra! This is an outstanding accomplishment, as thousands of students across Michigan auditioned in October. For their auditions, students had to play challenging etudes, memorized scales, and a sight-reading excerpt they had never seen before. Only the top players on each instrument were selected.

Joel and Kosei earned spots among just 30 violinists selected statewide. Thomas was chosen as one of only 13 viola players across Michigan.

Having three students selected for All-State is an extraordinary achievement for our program. We're so proud of these hardworking musicians and the way they continue to represent our school with excellence!

Congratulations to our November Student of the Month nominees! These students have been nominated by a staff member for being an outstanding student in our Bulldog nation, demonstrating safe, respectful and responsible behaviors each and every day. We are very proud of their accomplishment!

Andrew Lafferty - 7

Cameron Kurzeja - 8

Ashton Schwartz - 8

Evelyn Pitsch- 7

Macy Miranda - 6

Sahana Sagayanathan- 8

Mandy Nafsu- 7 (not pictured)

Dear Sarah G. Banks Middle School Families,

At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, the District adopted ALICE, a research-based training program to ensure schools are prepared to respond to potential intruder events. ALICE is about empowering individuals and providing options or strategies beyond the traditional lockdown methods.

We review this options-based safety protocol (ALICE) with our students each school year. Our objective is to provide meaningful, life-saving information to our students in an age-appropriate manner. We see this day as an opportunity to empower our students in life-saving measures in the extremely rare event that we are faced with a life-threatening situation in our school. We will be conducting a verbal ALICE scenario with our students on Tuesday, December 16th.

Students will participate in verbal and movement-based ALICE scenarios. Our students will not be participating in training that involves re-enactments, nerf guns, crisis actors, etc.

Our students will practice how to barricade a classroom and discuss safe rallying points outside of our school in case of an evacuation.

We strongly encourage all students to attend school on December 16th to participate in our first student ALICE drill, as this information will be the basis for our protocol for future ALICE drills.

If you have any questions about our student safety presentations, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

D.C. Trip Update

At this moment, all of the seats on the D.C. trip have been filled and we are moving onto a waitlist. All families interested in attending the D.C. trip should sign up for the waitlist and if/when students drop from the trip, we will fill those open seats from the waitlist first on a first come, first serve basis. To sign up for the waitlist, you MUST register through the Academic Expeditions trip portal; however, no payment will be required until you are moved to the main list. Please contact Mr. Yu with any questions you may have (TorryYu@wlcsd.org).

D.C. Trip Fundraiser

Our Little Caesar's Pizza Kit fundraiser is currently underway and wraps on Sunday, December 7. If you are interested in participating, it is not too late. This fundraiser is completely optional but is an additional way to have your friends and family support your student's D.C. trip. 6th & 7th grade students are also welcome to participate to begin raising funds for their trip as well.

Pizza Kit Fundraising Information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14RcVzYh5tcIDfTN5cIEpUg5hH-HgPWPc/view?usp=sharing

Create Your Account Here: https://fundraising.littlecaesars.com/login/join-fundraiser/6ac1dc37-1236-4121-8817-735c2e68ae89

Sarah Banks has a Ski & Snowboard Club where student members and their families can receive HUGE discounts on lift tickets, rentals, and lessons. The club will meet at Alpine Valley on Thursday evenings in January and February (between Winter Break and Mid-Winter Break) and the staff sponsor is Mrs. Chelsea Schikora. Packets and order forms are copied and available in the black flyer holders in both the Main office and outside of the attendance office for kids to pick up.

Ski & Snowboard Club will meet on Thursday nights Jan 8th - Feb 12th (6 weeks, weather-permitting) at Alpine Valley. Families can purchase their club cards at any time to receive discounts on lift tickets prior to the start of our club season.

Banks is pleased to offer FREE tutoring and homework help to students for their Math and Language Arts classes. This tutoring will be provided by Banks teachers!

Students and families are expected to ensure:

• Students report in person, at scheduled times. Students may be removed from the program for "no-shows".
• Students bring all materials they need for tutoring.

Tutoring sessions will be 45 minute sessions. Please fill out the form below for your student to be considered for free, Teacher-Led Tutoring and Homework help this year.

Tutoring will start the week of November 10, 2025

Please fill out a separate form for each child.

After submitting this form, your information will be passed on to the appropriate grade level/subject area tutor(s). Mrs. Harmsworth will then contact you at the email address provided on this form with the tutoring details for your child. You may get a separate email for each tutoring session you sign up for.

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is seeking nominations for the 2026 Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award. This award honors individuals who are true friends of multicultural diversity in our school district and community. This hoor will be bestowed on the recipient(s) at the WLCSD 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on January 19, 2026.

Any student, staff, community member, local business, or local organization is eligible to be nominated. Any member of the Walled Lake Schools community may submit a nomination.

Nominations must be submitted through the nomination form by Friday, December 12.

Walled Lake Students are invited to submit an entry that expresses the theme of “Service” in your own unique way. There are lots of possibilities for creating a project. It can be a piece of writing, music, art, or other visual that shows what unity means to you. Click on the contest form below and submit your entry to your school’s main office by Friday, December 12th.

Please include help us to promote this contest within your school community and by including it in your newsletters until the due date in December.

Express Yourself Contest

It has come to our attention that families in our community may be in need of additional assistance when it comes to food and nutrition. With the anticipated gap in SNAP funding beginning Saturday, November 1, some families may experience delays in receiving benefits. School meals (breakfast and lunch) will continue to be available free of charge to our students.

For families needing support at home, the following food resources are available:

• Hospitality House Food Pantry: https://www.hhfp.org/

• Gleaners Community Food Bank: https://www.gcfb.org/food-assistance-programs/

• Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency: https://www.olhsa.org/en-us/

• Michigan 211 Food Assistance Programs: https://mi211.org/food-assistance

• Forgotten Harvest: https://www.forgottenharvest.org/find-food/

• Findhelp.org: https://www.findhelp.org/

• Food and Other Resources Hotline: 1-888-544-8773

It's not too early to order a yearbook! Scan the QR code below and order now for $40, which is a savings of $20! Please email TorryYu@wlcsd.org, KaysieStassi@wlcsd.org or LauraShipes@wlcsd.org with any questions or concerns.

In an effort to find additional ways to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the information below for staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities.

A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our district newsletters is on the right.

I am grateful to live in a community where support is provided to families in need. Hospitality House is a food pantry feeding those in need in Oakland and Wayne Counties and the surrounding Michigan communities. Whether you participated last year and would like weekend food service to continue or are interested in joining for the first time, please complete the Google Form linked below and provide us with the following information by September 26:

• Number of students participating
• Any food allergies for each student

Also, please note the following:

• First delivery of weekend food bags to the school is Thursday, October 9th
• Deliveries will continue every Friday for the remainder of the school year

We have much to be thankful for, and the partnership we share with our families and the community organizations is one to celebrate.

Please consider the safety of our entire Bulldog Community when you are dropping off or picking up your students. Following the procedures at SLOW SPEEDS is the best way to keep everyone safe. Say long good byes while you are driving to school. When dropping off, make sure your student is prepared to exit the car quickly. Families who are prepared for this will help ensure more efficient traffic flow.

• Front Parking Lot Closed Daily, 7:45–8:10 AM
  To promote safe, calm arrivals, the front lot will be blocked to vehicles during this window. Inconsistent use of the lot has created unsafe drop-off situations. This procedure eliminates those risks.
• Bus Loop Closed Until All Buses Unload
  The bus loop is not open to cars during arrival or dismissal. Please do not park or leave your vehicle in the loop. Timing may vary slightly day to day based on bus arrivals.
• . In the event that you need to pick-up early, you must do so before 2:40 p.m.

How you can help:

• Please use district busing as the primary mode of transportation whenever possible.
• Use the pick-up/drop-off line only if you live outside the busing limits.
• Carpool when possible.
• Have backpacks zipped, instruments ready and goodbyes said before unloading to keep lines moving safely. When dropping off, make sure your student is prepared to exit the car quickly.
• Pull all the way forward even after dropping off to help ensure more efficient traffic flow.
• Refrain from cutting through the parking lot. Refer to the map below and adhere to it.
• Unload at all 6 spots-do not wait until you get to spot #1 to unload

In a world dominated by instant communication, cell phones can be a major distraction during the school day. At Sarah Banks Middle School, our goal is not to limit contact between students and families, but to promote responsible and appropriate use of technology in an academic setting.

Policy Overview:

• Student cell phones must remain in lockers throughout the school day.
• If a student needs to contact a parent or guardian, they must do so through the attendance office.
• Students are not permitted to text or call parents directly during school hours, including when they are feeling unwell or need something.
• In alignment with a district-wide directive, iPads are not permitted at school this year. If used during the school day, iPads will be treated the same as cell phones and subject to the same consequences.

Consequences for Cell Phone Use During the School Day:

• 1st Violation: Phone is confiscated and held in the office until the end of the day. Parents will be contacted with a reminder of the policy and informed of next steps for future incidents.
• 2nd Violation: Phone is confiscated and must be picked up by a parent or guardian in person.
• Repeated Violations: May result in progressive disciplinary action.

Please follow the steps below when your student's District Chromebook needs to be repaired.

1. If a student needs support, he/she should fill out a Student Chromebook Support Form linked on all of the Google Classrooms and on the school website under Students. Being logged on to the school google account is required to access the form.
2. The information in the form will be sent to Mrs. Stasak, our Middle School Computer Resource Teacher. She will reply to the student at his/her school gmail account. She will offer suggestions to fix the issue or, if it needs service, she will tell the student to take the chromebook to the office and give it to building admin secretary (enter the name for your building).
3. The chromebook in the case will be sent through inner office and the student will be allowed to use a loaner chromebook AT SCHOOL. It will be the student’s responsibility to pick it up each morning from the office and return it at the end of the day.
4. When the chromebook has been repaired, it will be delivered back to the school for the student to pick up.
5. If the family purchased insurance, the first repair is free and all additional repairs carry a deductible. Deductible invoices or repair invoices, for those that did not choose insurance, must be paid before the repaired chromebook is returned.
6. If a student with a personal chromebook has a network issue, the same form can be used. We are not able to fix physical problems with personal devices and loaner chromebooks will not be provided.

At Banks, we believe that a strong school community is built on three essential values: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. These principles guide everything we do—how we treat one another, how we approach learning, and how we care for our environment.

Being respectful means showing kindness, listening to others, and valuing differences. It’s about treating classmates, teachers, and staff with dignity and courtesy.

Being responsible means owning your actions, making good choices, and doing your part—whether it’s completing assignments, following school rules, or helping others.

Being safe means looking out for yourself and those around you. It means using technology wisely, moving through the building calmly, and speaking up when something doesn’t feel right.

When we live by these values, we create a school where everyone can thrive. Let’s work together to make Banks a place where respect, responsibility, and safety are at the heart of everything we do.

In addition to receiving phone calls and email notifications from the school district in the event of a school closing or emergency, parents can also sign up to receive SMS Text messages.

Please find the helpful step-by-step instructions linked below as well as the video tutorial on signing up for SMS messages.

· Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert

Jennifer VanWagnen

Principal: jennifervanwagnen@wlcsd.org

Kellan Watkins

Principal's Secretary: kellanwatkins@wlcsd.org

Anthony McNamara

Assistant Principal: anythonymcnamara@wlcsd.org

Jennifer Dean

Assistant Principal's Secretary: jenniferdean@wlcsd.org

Kevin Zurro

Student Success Coordinator: kevinzurro@wlcsd.org

Important Phone Numbers:

Main Line: 248-956-2200

Attendance: 248-956-2290

Email: JenniferVanWagnen@wlcsd.org
Website: https://banks.wlcsd.org/
Location: 1760 Charms Road Wixom, MI 48393
Phone: (248) 956-2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sarahbanksptsa