Team,
What an amazing week we had. We had an excellent turnout for Curriculum Night, and I received lots of positive feedback from families following. Your efforts to ensure a safe environment for all made my heart sing and we cannot thank you enough for your flexibility and commitment to academic success as we completed our first iReady Diagnostic.
We have much to be grateful for, and I couldn't be happier.
Your Proud Principal,
Jenn
Important Dates
September
9/23- NJHS Induction Ceremony @ 6:30 PM
9/24- iReady Make-Up Testing Day
9/24-Half Day of School, Staff Professional Development
9/24: iReady Diagnostic Make-Up Testing in AM
9/25: Jenn @ ESC for MS Principal Meeting
9/25: Becky in ELA Classes for Code of Conduct Discussion w/ Students
9/25-Strategic Plan Survey Deadline
9/25-XC Meet vs. Muir-Away
9/25-Volleyball vs. Mason-Home
9/26: Becky in ELA Classes for Code of Conduct Discussion w/ Students
9/26- School Board Candidate Forum @ WLC from 7-9 PM
9/27- Dues and Donuts Social Committee Event before School
9/27- Social Committee's FIRST P.O.E.T.S (P*$$ On Everything Tomorrow is Saturday) after school!!
9/27- Middle School Band Night @ WLC
9/30- Volleyball vs. White Lake-Home
October
10/1-XC Meet vs. White Lake-Home
10/2- Count Day
10/3-No School for Staff or Students
10/4-XC County Meet-Away
10/4- WLW Homecoming @ 7 PM
iReady Make-Up Testing on Half Day
iReady Make-Up testing will be held in the morning during the half day on Tuesday, September 24th. A list of students with whom this applies will be sent soon.
If you have students in your resource room classes – math, ELA, &/or Study Skills - that have not finished i-Ready, they will finish testing during Resource Program classes. We want to avoid having them pulled for the make-up day next week.
Counselors Corner
Counselors recently went into all Social Studies classrooms to discuss counseling protocols.
Here is a quick summary-
1) How to sign up
During passing time or pass from teacher
Emotional needs
Social issues
Academic support/organization
Scheduling
3) Reporting vs. Tattling
If you see something, say something
Tattling is when reporting a conflict, but everybody is safe and can be resolved with peers
Student All-Star Nominations
In an effort to find additional ways to celebrate our students, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that staff members fill out the information below for students who are all-stars within their classrooms, schools and/or communities. We hope to highlight students who are good classmates and friends, as well as those who have continue to grow and develop as learners.
A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our District Update can be found below.
Reminder: DO NOT Email Helpdesk
The beginning of the school year always comes with mountains of tech issues and people needing assistance. Emails, texts and mentions passing in the hallway are bound to get buried, so my department would like to remind everyone how to submit a helpdesk ticket.
- Log on to your Classlink account at https://launchpad.classlink.com/wlcsd (username is full name no spaces and password is same as logging on your computer)
- Click on the helpdesk icon on the Classlink dashboard (credentials are same as above)
OR Visit https://helpdesk.wlcsd.org (username is full name no spaces and password is the same as logging on your computer)
Pull down and select the correct request type and provide as much information as you can.
After you click Save, you should receive an Opened email confirmation.
As a member of my department addresses your ticket, they will add notes to the ticket, which will be emailed to you as an Updated message. Make sure you scroll down in the email to read any pertinent notes. If you click on the ticket number in the email, it will take you directly to the ticket to respond as needed.
When the ticket has been resolved you will receive an email indicating it has been Closed.
*****Please DO NOT email helpdesk@wlcsd.org That email address was reserved in the past for new enrollments only, and does not route your ticket to the correct person*****
Classlink Update from Amy Stasak
CLASSLINK NEW STUDENT INFORMATION:
Attached is a list of students brand new to the district. I created a new student checklist for each of them that hopefully they picked up at Banks Blast Off, but I wanted you to have the info in case they have lost theirs. The first time they log on to a chromebook they will use their Classlink username and the temporary password provided on the spreadsheet, they will be prompted to change their password. That password is for both Classlink and Google. I do not know which ones checked out a district chromebook and which ones will be bringing their own devices.
CLASSLINK FORGOT PASSWORD INSTRUCTIONS:
If you have students who say they forgot their password, please do not send them to the office. Instead, please email at the Classlink login page have them click “Help, I forgot my password” right under Sign In. It will prompt them to answer one of their security questions. If they answer correctly they will be prompted to create a new password. If that does not work:
Email me their first and last name
I will create a temp password Banks2024 and they will be prompted to change it.
Positive Reinforcement: Please Carry With You and Distribute Paw Print Pride Tickets
Continued Safety Reminders
Classroom doors should be closed and locked anytime students are inside the classrooms. Thank you for your attention to this important safety procedure.
It is important that we do not give students key card badges to access doors. Badges should only be in the possession of the staff.
Exterior doors should NEVER be propped open.
Save the Date: Staff Meetings
September 5 -Student Safety, beginning of the year checkpoint-COMPLETED
October 10 - Prepare for MTSS PD Day
November 7
January 9 - Tacoma Corbin presents Health Training
February 6 or March 6-TBD Based on Need
April 3 - State Testing Training
May 1- Reflection
District seeks operating millage replacement in November election
The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ Board of Education approved seeking a replacement of the district’s operating millage in the upcoming November election during its August 8, 2024 special meeting.
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is asking the community to replace its current operating millage with an 18 mill non-homestead millage that represents roughly $31 million and a 3.6297 mill hold harmless that represents approximately $2 million of the district’s budget. The total of $33 million accounts for 18 percent of the district’s $187 million revenue budget.
Every District in the state is expected to levy, with voter approval, 18 mills on all non-homestead properties in order to receive full state funding under Proposal A. The 3 mill "Headlee cushion" will allow the district to collect the full 18 mills over the duration of the operating millage. The proposal will not increase property taxes on any primary residence property that is within Walled Lake Consolidated Schools boundaries. Since the approval of Proposal A in 1994, the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ community has overwhelmingly supported the operating millage, most recently in 2014.
“Our community has always been incredibly supportive of our schools, and the upcoming operating millage replacement is critical to maintaining the high-quality education that Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is known for,” said Dr. Michael Lonze, Superintendent of Schools. “Approval of this proposal ensures that we can continue to provide our students with the resources and support they need to succeed."
If the November 5, 2024 proposal is not approved, the school district will lose more than $33 million in operating revenue every year and the state will not make up the shortfall.
The three primary uses for revenue collected through the operating millage are operating expenses, facility maintenance and staff compensation.
For more information about the 2024 Operating Millage Replace can be found at www.wlcsd.org/elections.
District Announce MLK Day Celebration Theme: Unity
MLK Day Celebration Theme: 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.
Sign Up for SMS Text Messages via Skylert
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.
WE ARE BANKS!
Let us not ever lose sight of our mission and beliefs. This is what makes us Banks strong and ready to take on everything together!
We believe that we have been entrusted with providing a warm, friendly environment, where students feel supported and secure.
WE ARE BANKS
- We believe by instilling a love of learning, students have the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential.
- We believe in creating a positive environment where students feel safe & secure, engage in respectful discourse, and are willing to take intellectual risks.
- We believe in the power of fostering meaningful relationships among students, staff and the community. #OtherPeopleMatter
- We believe in celebrating individual character strengths, respecting differences, and learning from those around us as we develop a spirit of empathy.