The Banks Bulletin

Dear Banks Families:

Sarah G. Banks Middle School is incredibly grateful to have such dedicated school counselors, Mrs. Danforth and Mrs. McBride. During National School Counseling Week, and every day, we celebrate their unwavering support and guidance which has helped to create a positive and nurturing environment for our Bulldogs to thrive. Their commitment to the well-being and success of every child, every day is truly appreciated! It's a beautiful day to be a Banks Bulldog!

Cheers,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

We Are Banks!

February

2/10: Girls Basketball vs. Centennial, Away @ 4 PM

2/10: Banks PTSA Meeting @ 6:30 PM in the Learning Commons

2/12: Count Day

2/12: Girls Basketball vs. Mason MS, Home @ 4 PM

2/12: Wrestling vs. Mason, Away @ 4 PM

2/13: Name of Love tour

2/14: Schools of Choice Application Deadline

2/17-21: Mid-Winter Break - no school for students or staff

2/24: Girls Basketball vs. Geisler, Away @ 4 PM

2/24: Wrestling vs. Geisler, Home @ 4 PM

2/26: Girls Basketball vs. Muir, Home @ 4 PM

2/26: Wrestling vs. Muir, Away @ 4 PM

2/26: 7th & 8th Grade Pre-festival Concert, WLW @ 6:30 PM

2/28: PTSA Sponsored Event

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools Pupil Membership Count Day is on Wednesday, February 12th, 2025.

Student attendance on this date is very important to assure full funding for our school district. Michigan schools report to the Michigan Department of Education the tally of students in attendance on Count Day. District funding is directly tied to student attendance, and we encourage parents to send your student to school for each and every class period on Wednesday, February 12th, 2025.

If your student is unable to attend school for any portion of the day, please make sure to call our attendance office at 248-956-2200.

Thank you for your support!

The Chaldean Catholic observance of Ba’utha is February 10-12, 2025.

In order to accommodate students who are fasting until 12:00 p.m. on these days, students who are actively fasting may follow the schedule below on February 10-12, with meatless options available.

6th Grade Students who are fasting may go to the media center during their regularly scheduled lunch period beginning at 11:18 and stay until noon. At noon, they may go to the cafeteria to eat lunch. They may return to class at 12:30.

8th Grade Students who are fasting may go to the media center for the first few minutes of their regularly scheduled lunch period beginning at 11:53 and stay until noon. At noon, they may go to the cafeteria to eat lunch. They may return to class at 12:30.

7th Grade Students who are fasting may go to lunch at their regularly scheduled time (12:25-12:55)

Parents of students who are fasting are asked to discuss this with their students. Students who are not fasting are asked to stay in class. Please reach out to your student’s counselor if you have any questions of concerns.

We wish those who observe Ba’utha our regards. More information on Ba’utha is available at this website.

Dear 8th Grade Families,

Thursday, February 13th is the last day to create & order your 8th grade parent ad!

Sarah Banks Middle School is offering the 8th grade parents the opportunity to create a recognition ad for your student. Recognition Ads are a great way to celebrate your student and their accomplishments on a personal level. Designing and creating your ad is very easy. Click on the parent ad link and follow the directions to create your ad. You can also order your student's yearbook through the link below.

Parent ad link: https://www.jostensyearbooks.com

Deadline: Thursday, February 13th

Kaysie Stassi & Laura Shipes

Yearbook Advisers

Clear your schedule for Friday, February 28th, because we're having a Sarah Banks Social! Come hang out with your friends, play basketball and games, listen to music and eat snacks...all at the school, after hours! This event is free to all students and will be held in the cafeteria and auxiliary gym on Friday, February 28th from 7:00 - 9:00. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. Register through the Sarah Banks Social google form, which will be sent out to all students and posted throughout the school!

All current 8th grade students and their parents/guardians are invited to attend 8th Grade Information Night (for incoming 9th graders) on Monday, March 3 at their future Walled Lake high school: Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Northern, or Walled Lake Western. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. in the auditoriums at all three schools.

This event includes presentations from administration, counseling, and academic departments. Athletic teams, clubs, and activities will also be on-hand for students and families to learn more about extracurricular involvement in high school.

District attendance maps can be found at https://www.wlcsd.org/about-us/district-maps.

Our girls basketball and wrestling teams have been making us proud on the court and the mat. Win or lose, our bulldogs have demonstrated a high level of perseverance and sportsmanship. We look forward to another week of competition and practice before going into our mid-winter break.

I know it is hard to believe, but it will soon be time to be thinking about our final sport season of the year, spring track! All bulldogs are welcome to join. Please look for the track sign-up in upcoming Bank’s Bulletins.

Our current math standards are more rigorous and demanding than ever. Students

are expected to develop a deep understanding of concepts leading to fluency with facts and

procedures, and the ability to clearly communicate their mathematical thinking. Further,

students must pass a demanding sequence of high school math courses in order to meet

graduation requirements. In response to the increased expectations for all students, we have

adjusted the content focus and instructional approaches in all of our math courses.

Because of the higher standards and to ensure student success at all points of their

mathematical education, we are using the procedures described below to accelerate students.

In order to skip a course in the math sequence, students must demonstrate proficiency in

the content and skills of the course they are attempting to skip.

The process and procedures described on the following pages (linked below) apply to all students

currently in grades 2 through 7. Students attempting to test-out of high school courses will

use the existing process described on the district website. If you have questions after

reviewing the process, please contact your building principal or me.

Thank you for your partnership in education.

Sincerely,

Ellen McDonald

Math/Science Coordinator

ELLENMCDONALD@WLCSD.ORG

248.956.2029

We’re currently in our enrollment period, and we want to make sure students who are interested have the chance to join.

Our meet this year is scheduled for May 17th, and we’re excited to get the team organized for the season.

We still have room for 4 more students to register for the trip. We are expecting these remaining spots to fill up quickly, so please don’t hesitate to register your child if you are still considering it. The deadline to register is Friday, January 31st or once those 4 available spots fill up, whichever occurs first. The American Expeditions Travel Website has been preset to waitlist any new registrations after those 4 spots fill up. If you register, be sure to purchase the CFAR (Cancel for any Reason) insurance option. We’d love to have your child join us on this memorable experience!

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.

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.

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