The Banks Bulletin

Dear Banks Families:

We are so proud of our students for their efforts and hard work during the 2nd iReady Diagnostic this week. Students who were absent or need extra time will be finishing today and into next week. Thank you for your encouragement and support!

We have suddenly seen a rise in students with blankets at school. While we want our students to feel comfortable at school, we do not feel these items are conducive to the learning environment. We appreciate your support and assistance in ensuring blankets are left at home. Thank you!

The boys' basketball season was a successful one for both 6/7th grade and the 8th grade team. 8th grade finished up the season with strong showings against Geisler, Muir, and Pierce. Coach Tayon said he is "so proud of our players, the opportunity to coach this year's 8th grade team and be a part of the Sarah Banks culture." The 6/7th grade boys finished the season with 7 wins and 3 losses which has secured them a spot in the LVC post season tournament for the third consecutive year where they will play at Smart on Monday at 4PM! We hope you will join us to cheer them on!

Winter II Season begins January 8, with the sports offerings of Wrestling and Girls Basketball.

Staff and students are invited to celebrate our final week of 2024 with a holiday spirit week. See the flyer below.

Cheers,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

We Are Banks!

December

12/13:iReady Make-Up Testing

12/13: 8th Grade Band/Orchestra Performance Field Trip

12/16: 6/7th Grade Basketball @ Smart, 4 PM

12/17: RDJ Field Trip

12/18: Swim Meet @ WLW

12/23-1/3: Winter Break, No School for Staff and Students

Basketball

The boys' basketball season was a successful one for both 6/7th grade and the 8th grade team. 8th grade finished up the season with strong showings against Geisler, Muir, and Pierce. Coach Tayon said he is "so proud of our players, the opportunity to coach this year's 8th grade team and be a part of the Sarah Banks culture."

The 6th/7th grade Banks basketball team ended their season last night at home against the Pierce Pirates. In the first period Banks used great defense to isolate Pierce’s best player and the rest of his group and with points from Colson, Dylan, Cameron, and Ryan as well as amazing rebounding by Ashton were only down by 2 points after the first. In the second and third period the Bulldogs continued to put pressure on Pierce by limiting turnovers, playing solid defense and continuous scoring from Cruz, Max, Quinn, Roman and Will taking an eight-point lead into half. In the second half the boys were able to double up their score while the Pirates used an aggressive press to try to stop Banks, but some key free throws by the boys in the last two minutes sealed the win 52 to 44. The boys finished the season with 7 wins and 3 losses which has secured them a spot in the LVC post season tournament for the third consecutive year where they will play at Smart on Monday at 4PM.

Swim Team

Congratulations to the 72 students representing the Banks/Geisler Swim team who took home second place at last night’s meet. They beat out Huron Valley United, Waterford and Smart/Creek. We had some amazing scores by Abigail S, Melanie O, Isaak K. and Madelyn L. Way to go swim team!

Winter II Season begins January 8, with the sports offerings of Wrestling and Girls Basketball.

Wrestling

Parents and Students are Invited to Join REMIND for Wrestling:

Text: 81010

Message: @bankswr

Wrestling practices will be in the Aux Gym 6-8PM Monday through Thursday. Students can sign-up at lunch or email coach Vaughn at teachdvaug@gmail.com. Students are also welcome to come to open mat workouts on Monday and Tuesdays 6-8PM.

Keep up the great work, Bulldogs!

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District is committed to supporting the health and well-being of our students and families. To help address concerns about vaping, we are sharing valuable resources that provide information on the risks of vaping and strategies for prevention. These tools are designed to empower families with knowledge and support meaningful conversations at home. Together, we can help every child make healthy choices every day.

• E-cigarettes and Vaping: What Parents Should Know - American Lung Association
• E-cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know - Centers for Disease Control

• E-cigarettes/Vaping Facts - Oakland County Health Department

Great news! As of Monday, December 2nd, the waitlist for those wanting to go on the trip had grown large enough to enable us to add a 3rd bus and open the registration portal again. But don’t delay! The 3rd bus is filling up quickly and has only 10 spots left. At this rate, we may have to close the trip to new registrations very soon. If you register, be sure to purchase the CFAR (Cancel for any Reason) insurance option. Don’t miss out on this memorable trip!

Please visit our Sarah Banks D.C. information and registration link through American Expeditions, click on "GO TO MY TRIP" and enter the tour code: sarahbanksdc2025. When you register, you will need to pay the initial deposit on the trip portal and the required CFAR insurance.

To view the meeting presentation from October 10th, please click here. If you have any questions about the DC trip, please reach out to Mr. Morrow at DavidMorrow@wlcsd.org.

Congratulations to the winners of the PTA Reflections competition:

Ishayu P

Annabelle S

Natalie A

Music Composition

Kevin R

Photography

Andrew L

Joel K

Visual Arts

Samantha A

Mila S

Madeline I

Thank you to all who entered the competition. You should be very proud of your inspirational work and creativity!

Order early to save! There's nothing else like your school yearbook. Get your hands on the limited edition collection of our stories from the year. Share it with your friends today and hang on to it for years to come!

As part of the District’s Facility Utilization plan and with the community’s strong support for the 2024 Bond, Geisler Middle School will be repurposed following the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year. This decision was approved by the Board of Education during its December 5 meeting and reflects our commitment to serving the evolving needs of our students and families.

Families impacted by adjustments to the District’s feeder patterns as part of this transition will receive a detailed communication before winter break. We remain committed to keeping you informed and supporting our students, staff, and families throughout this process.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership as we shape an exciting future for our District!

This year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration theme is Unity.

“Unity in diversity is unity between all individuals and groups, regardless of differences. It is unity without uniformity, and diversity without divisiveness. It is an understanding that the differences between people enrich our lives and makes our country the special, and unique place it is”.

Walled Lake Schools has created an award to honor individuals who are true friends of diversity. We hope you will join us in an effort that will result in the selection of a Fiend of Diversity. This honor will be bestowed on the recipient(s) at the 26th annual district-wide Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, January 20th, 2025.

Our committee hopes that each school building will nominate at least one staff member, student, parent, or community member for the Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award. Nominations will be submitted to the Walled Lake School Central Office Administration for final selection. Nomination forms must be completed no later than Friday, December 13th, 2024. Please click on the form below and nominate someone you believe is deserving of the Friend of Diversity Award.

Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award

Walled Lake Students are invited to submit an entry that express’s the theme of “Unity” 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 13th.

Express Yourself Contest

During the 2024-25 school year, all Michigan public school students in grades Pre-K through 12 will have access to free breakfast and free lunch every day through the "Healthy School Meals for All" program. This includes a meat/meat alternative, grain, fruit/vegetable and milk. A la carte items will be available for purchase.

Families are still encouraged to complete the free/reduced meal form in Skyward to help secure additional funding for the District including Title I funding. By completing the form, eligible families may also receive access to other free and reduced programs within the District including SAT testing, pay to participate, and more.

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

Becky Smith

Interim Assistant Principal: rebeccasmith@wlcsd.org

Jennifer Dean

Assistant Principal's Secretary: jenniferdean@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