C.H.S CHRONICLES
Week of September 8, 2025
I am excited to share that Mr. Jacob Hess is honored to be joining CHS Middle School as our Assistant Principal beginning Monday, September 8th.
Mr. Hess graduated from Western Michigan University and began his teaching career at Moyock Middle School in North Carolina, where he taught 8th grade social studies and helped coach the school's soccer and football teams. In 2017, he and his wife, Ashley, moved back to Michigan, where he taught social studies at Highlander Way Middle School in Howell for five years. After earning his master’s degree in Educational Administration from Eastern Michigan University, he became Dean of Students at Fowlerville High School, a role he held for the past three years. As an administrator, he led initiatives to improve student behavior, attendance, and engagement through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and restorative practices that promoted accountability and growth for all students. He is proud that while at FHS the school was recognized as a Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase School.
Jacob and Ashley live in Pinckney with their four-year-old daughter, Margot. In his free time, he enjoys boating, cooking, and cheering on the Detroit Lions. As a former coach, he has a passion for student athletics and looks forward to supporting and celebrating CHS’s programs and activities.
Dedicated to the middle school experience, Jacob is excited to return to supporting developing learners as they transition into young adulthood. These experiences reflect a deep commitment to building healthy relationships with students, staff, and families to foster both academic success and socio-emotional growth. Jacob looks forward to becoming part of the CHS Middle School Community and working collaboratively to ensure every learner thrives.
CHS Interim Assistant Principal Mr. Stuart Riley's last day at CHS will be Thursday, September 11th. We are thankful for everything that he has done for our school community to ensure a great start to the school year.
Thank you Mr. Riley!
- Middle school students need to be accompanied by an adult when coming to ANY home game at Walled Lake Northern High School.
- WLN High School Events are cashless for ticket purchases. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at https://gofan.co/ ahead of time at this website or through the Go Fan app. You can also buy them at the game, it just takes more time.
We've reminded our students during our assembly and morning announcements that we have the same expectations during sporting events at Walled Lake Northern High School as we do here at CHS Middle School.
The information below has been shared with students this week:
Student Council is open to 6th, 7th and 8th graders. If you are interested in participating in Student Council and making the school a better place, please stop by Mrs. Arens Room (Room 401) and grab an application.
Spaces are limited and applications are due by Monday, September 8th. See Mrs. Arens if you have any questions.
The information below has been shared with students this week:
If you are in the 8th grade and you are interested in joining the National Junior Honor Society for the coming school year, the time has come! NJHS is a student leadership organization that is committed to serving our community. You can pick up an application from Mrs. Sparks Room in 310, OR Mrs. Buell in room 311.
Please turn in all applications by next Thursday, September 11th for consideration. Late applications will not be accepted.
Dear C.H.S. 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, September 9th.
During our lessons, we will be discussing the options-based concept, and diving deeper into the concepts (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate).
To ensure consistency, our teachers will provide all children a slideshow presentation. Later this school year, 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 September 9th 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,
Nayal Maktari
The Fall Musical, Frozen Jr., is starting next week!
All grades are welcome to audition for the Cast or sign up for the Stage Crew.
Audition Workshops are next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 9 & 10th, 3:10PM to
4:00PM in room 312. Come to ONE of them to learn how to prepare your audition, get forms and music and sign up for an audition time.
Auditions will be September 11 & 12 in room 312.
Callbacks are September 15 as needed after school until 5:00PM.
Rehearsals begin September 24th. Rehearsals last from 3:10PM to 5:30PM until Dress Rehearsals.
Crew Permission Slips will be available September 15th outside room 312 and in Classwork.
Parent/Guardian/Cast/Crew Meeting is September 24th at 6:00PM.
Rehearsals will be scheduled by scene. If your scene is not on the schedule, you don't attend rehearsal. The schedule will be available September 22.
Crew Meets on Monday and Thursday from 3:05PM to 5:30PM until November.
Contact Mrs. Tranchida with questions. tinatranchida@wlcsd.org
iReady Window 1 Testing Schedule
ELA iReady Testing on Monday, September 15th
- Students will report to 1st hour and remain there until 11:18 a.m.
- They will be allowed to step out during the normal 5 minute passing time in between classes to use the restroom and walk around.
- Students are encouraged to a book to read and/or work to complete in case they finish early.
- Students will report to their 4th, 5th, and 6th hour following testing.
Math iReady Testing on Tuesday, September 16th
- Students will report to their 4th hour first thing in the morning and remain there until 11:18 a.m.
- They will be allowed to step out during the normal 5 minute passing time in between classes to use the restroom and walk around.
- Students are encouraged to bring a book to read and/or work to complete with them in case they finish early.
- Students will have their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hour following testing.
Please remind your children to try their absolute best on all testing dates. Thank you!
Curriculum Night is taking place on Tuesday, September 16th from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.. This is your opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and to hear about all of the fantastic learning taking place at C.H.S. Middle School We will be following a reduced version of your child's daily schedule that evening. Please use your child's class schedule, that you can access through Skyward Family Access, as a guide for teacher’s names and room numbers.
Below are the times for the evening:
6:30 p.m. - 6:40 p.m. 1st Hour
6:45 p.m. - 6:55 p.m. 2nd Hour
7:00 p.m.- 7:10 p.m. 3rd Hour
7:15 p.m. - 7:25 p.m. 4th Hour
7:30 p.m. - 7:40 p.m. 5th Hour
7:45 p.m.- 7:55 p.m. 6th Hour
8:00 p.m.- Optional Washington DC Trip Informational Meeting for 8th grade parents in the main gym.
Students will be completing a schedule in their 6th hour class on Tuesday, September 16th to take home for your reference. As a backup, you will want to bring a printed copy of your student’s schedule or reference your Skyward account through the use of a personal device. The Skyward link can be found on our website under the Parents tab.
Please call our main office at 248.956.3500 if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing you on September 16th!
End of year 8th grade party
Oakland Yard
Wednesday, June 10th
2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Process for requesting service for district issued chromebooks if needed:
- 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.
- 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 Mrs. Wilseck in the main office.
- 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.
- When the chromebook has been repaired, it will be delivered back to the school for the student to pick up.
- 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.
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.
Dear Parents.
If you haven't already filled out the new Chromebook device paperwork, please do so here https://app.informedk12.com/link_campaigns/chromebook-device-agreement?token=QyMwthC1mpJ761Rqg3jvZUu6
If you haven't already paid for the new Chromebook device, please pay through Skyward/ EFunds: https://payments.efundsforschools.com/v3/districts/55905 or send cash or check with your student to Mrs. Wilseck in the office.
Chromebooks that have not been picked up or missing documents/payment will be distributed at a later date.
Thank you.
We can expect our car pick up and drop off lines to run a little slower the first few weeks of school. Thank you in advance for your patience as our children and drivers get acclimated to the process.
I strongly encourage parents to have their children, if eligible, ride the school bus to and from school.
Another great tip would be not to arrive early and wait in the car line but to instead wait till after 3:10 p.m. and to pull into our bus loop for pick up only. Please do not attempt to enter the bus loop prior to 3:10 p.m.
PROGRAM: Coming this September is an opportunity for 7th grade students to apply to attend the Religious Diversity Journeys Program.
WHAT IS IT? Students and chaperones travel through the tri-county area to learn about the world cultures they study in 7th grade Social Studies this school year. The Journeys are 6 field trips over several months for first-person learning of different cultures and faith traditions.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS PROGRAM? We travel for six field trips during the school day to 5 places of worship and the Holocaust Memorial to explore Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism. This Program offers a chance to meet people and learn about the values and traditions we all share, regardless of different faiths or cultural traditions.
WHAT WILL I SEE ON A FIELD TRIP? This exploration includes experiencing culture, food, music, writing, service projects and meeting other students from multiple districts to discuss, learn and grow together.
WHO CAN APPLY? All 7th grade students are welcome to apply for one of the 25 spots available in the Program. So you and your friends can apply and travel to learn together.
HOW DO I APPLY? Applications and more information will be available in September.
Click on the video below to see some highlights of the Journeys and hear about the experience.
Contact Mrs. Tina Tranchida-- C.H. Smart Sponsor—with any questions. TinaTranchida@wlcsd.org
Dear Walled Lake Families,
We want to provide you with an important update regarding school meals and the State School Aid budget.
While the 2025-26 State School Aid budget has not yet been finalized by the Michigan Legislature, we do know that the current 2024-25 budget remains in effect through September 30, 2025. This means the Michigan School Meals program will continue to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students through the month of September.
However, there is still uncertainty beyond that date. One of the key differences between the House and Senate versions of the proposed budget is funding for the Michigan Free School Meals program. If state funding is not extended, families who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals under federal guidelines may be required to pay for meals again starting October 1, 2025.
What families can do now:
To help us prepare and support all students regardless of funding outcomes, we strongly encourage families to complete the Child Nutrition and Education Benefits Application in Skyward Family Access during online registration. This form:
- Helps secure important state and federal funding for our schools
- Supports educational programs
- Ensures meal benefits continue for eligible families
- May provide access to additional benefits like reduced testing and college application fees, discounted internet, and more
We are closely monitoring developments and will keep you informed as updates become available.
Thank you for your continued support of Walled Lake Schools.
—
Walled Lake Schools Food Service Department
*Reply @LEAVE to the number you are receiving messages from if you'd like to leave the text group at anytime.
FROM THE ATTENDANCE DESK
If your child will be absent, please call the Smart Attendance Hotline (248) 956-3510 as soon as possible. If you know of a vacation or pre planned days off, you can leave those dates on the hotline as well.
If you have not called your child in by 9:30 a.m., you will receive a call from Mrs. Jennifer Schloegl to verify that your student is not at school for the day. Thank you for partnering with us in keeping your children safe and accounted for.
Transportation Information
Please remember to please call 248.956.3090 for ALL bussing questions. Please click on the link below to visit our transportation website for more information. A reminder that bus passes are not allowed.
MAIN OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION
Please feel free to call our main office with any questions at 248.956.3500. You can also email us.
Principal's Secretary: MelissaWilseck@wlcsd.org
Building/Attendance Secretary: JenniferSchloegl@wlcsd.org
6th Grade Counselor: KathleenHoover@wlcsd.org
7th Grade Counselor: MaureenBratke@wlcsd.org
8th Grade Counselor: JulieBraley@wlcsd.org
SCHOOL BELL TIMES
SCHOOL STARTS 8:10 A.M.
DISMISSAL 3:00 P.M.
1/2 DAY DISMISSAL 11:40 A.M.
Smart Administrative Team
Stuart Riley, Interim Assistant Principal
Steve Spickard, Dean of Students
Please contact us with positive or constructive feedback, questions, and/or concerns.
Website: www.wlcsd.org/smart
Location: 8500 Commerce Road, Commerce Charter Township, MI, United States
Phone: 248-956-3500
Twitter: @CliffordSmart