WBMS Family Update Week 1
August 30, 2026
Mindset & Standards: Every Day, Every Moment
Dear WBMS Families,
As we begin a new school year, we are excited about the opportunities ahead for our students. Middle school is an important time of growth—not only academically, but also in developing the habits, character, responsibility, and independence students will carry with them into high school and beyond.
One message we will continue to reinforce with our students this year is simple:
Mindset and standards are not a “some of the time” thing.
Being respectful when it is convenient is not enough. Making good choices when an adult is watching is not enough. Giving your best effort only when something is easy or interesting is not enough.
At WBMS, we want our students to understand that who they are and how they show up matters every day.
We expect our students to:
- Come to school ready to learn.
- Treat classmates and adults with respect.
- Give their best effort, even when something is challenging.
- Take responsibility when they make a mistake.
- Make good choices in classrooms, hallways, the cafeteria, buses, athletic events, and online.
- Understand that their words and actions have an impact on others.
- Ask for help when they need it and accept support when it is offered.
- Take pride in themselves, their school, and their community.
Middle school students are going to make mistakes. That is part of growing up. Our job is not to expect perfection. Our job is to help students learn from those moments, make adjustments, and do better the next time. We provide coaching to support our students.
That requires consistency between school and home. When families and school staff reinforce the same expectations for responsibility, respect, effort, and accountability, our students receive a powerful message: the standard doesn't change based on where you are, who is watching, or how you feel that day.
We want our students to dream big—but dreams require action. The small decisions students make each day become habits, and those habits ultimately shape who they become.
As we begin this year together, we ask for your partnership in reinforcing these expectations at home. Talk with your student about what it means to show up with the right mindset, meet high standards, make good choices, and represent themselves and WBMS well.
Every class. Every hallway. Every interaction. Every day.
That is how we grow. That is how we build confidence and character. And that is how we turn our dreams into action.
We look forward to an outstanding year at WBMS!
Sincerely,
The West Bloomfield Middle School Administrative Team
It's time to check your PowerSchool information and communication preferences. ALL Families need to login to PowerSchool and complete the Back to School Update Packet. This will ensure that your contact information is up to date. Please double check parent/guardian phone numbers, email addresses, etc... This is imperative for emergency contact and communication purposes.
Once you are logged in to PowerSchool, click on "FORMS" and then "General Tab".
This process needs to be completed before the first day of school on Monday, August 31.
Please click on the following link: https://westbloomfield.powerschool.com/public/
Families are required to do this for each child enrolled with WBSD.
If you do not know your login and/or password for PowerSchool visit https://www.wbsd.org/parents/powerschool for more information.
First day of school for 2026-27
Monday, August 31, 2026
NOTE that our school day is 8 AM to 2:52 PM
Students are expected to be in classrooms ready to learn at 8:00
Doors open at 7:25 AM for breakfast
Students are expected to leave the school campus promptly at 3:00 PM
Buses leave at 3:00 PM, we do not have after school care at WBMS
Each student receives FREE breakfast and FREE lunch every day.
Students are allowed to pack a lunch & bring it with them to the lunch room.
Energy drinks are not allowed for consumption during the school day.
Food is consumed in the AUDITERIA; not in the hallway, restroom, or stairwells.
Refillable water bottles are encouraged for hydration.
We have drinking fountains and water filling stations providing filtered water.
Download First Day of School Signs
Click the link above to access all WB printable signs
For example:
Lifetouch Photo - Photo packages
West Bloomfield Middle School
Your child’s school pictures are now available! To view them online, please log in to your account at mylifetouch.com. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one using your email address. You’ll need your student’s ID number or their portrait id and access code to locate their photos.
Thank you! —The Lifetouch Team
YEARBOOK orders are through a separate company.
Upcoming Lifetouch Picture Day Dates:
September 1st is for students without an ID.
If you missed orientation you will be photographed on September 1st.
ALL students need a photo for their WBMS school ID Card.
The photo is also published in the school yearbook.
Picture RETAKE DAY for everyone at WBMS is October 21st.
If your student retakes their photo, this is the one we publish in the yearbook.
Once the retake is processed, the original photo is no longer available.
Missed Orientation??? If you are new to the district or coming into 6th grade, you will be issued a Chromebook during the first week of school.
Students are not allowed to use personal devices at school. Each student is expected to bring their Chromebook to school, fully charged, every day. Our Go Guardian and Gaggle system are in place, for safety measures, and we require students to use our devices.
Thank you!
Every student will receive a planner in Advisory Class. We made an intentional decision to distribute them in class with intentional guidance from their teacher. Students will learn how to use their planner and be accountable for following through.
Start using your planner!
Check it after school & before school to make sure you are prepared for the day.
Keep it in your backpack
No planners were distributed at Orientation.
For the past three years, WBMS counselors have been assigned to a grade level of students and have followed those students from sixth grade through eighth grade. This model has provided valuable consistency and allowed counselors to build meaningful, long-term relationships with students and families.
Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, WBMS will transition to an alphabetical counseling model, similar to the structure used by many schools, including West Bloomfield High School. Under this model, students will be assigned to a counselor based on their last name.
A-G Ms. J’Mesha Anderson
H-Pa Mrs. Rachel Hamilton
Pe-Z Ms. Susan Chang
While the structure of counselor assignments will look different, the consistency our students and families value will remain. Students will continue to have the same counselor throughout their three years at WBMS. The transition changes how students are assigned to counselors, not the continuity of care, relationships, and support they receive.
Benefits of the alphabetical counseling model include:
Continued consistency:
Students will remain with the same counselor from sixth through eighth grade, maintaining strong, long-term relationships and continuity of support.One counselor for families:
In many cases, siblings attending WBMS will be assigned to the same counselor, providing families with a consistent point of contact.Balanced counselor caseloads:
Students will be distributed more evenly among counselors, supporting equitable access to academic, social-emotional, and future-planning resources.Greater stability:
Alphabetical assignments provide a consistent structure that is less affected by changes in grade-level enrollment or staffing needs.Stronger collaboration with WBHS:
Aligning our counseling structure with the alphabetical model used at West Bloomfield High School creates greater consistency and familiarity as students prepare for the transition to ninth grade.Long-term understanding of student needs:
By continuing to work with students across all three years, counselors will develop a deeper understanding of each student’s strengths, goals, experiences, and individual needs.
Our counselors will continue to collaborate closely as a department and support all WBMS students when needs arise. This updated structure maintains the relationship-centered approach that has served our students and families well while creating a more balanced, sustainable, and consistent counseling model.
Ms. J ; J'Mesha Anderson
A-G
Mrs. Rachel Hamilton
H-Pa
Ms. Susan Chang
Pe-Z
LOCKER Information
The locker dimensions are:
Height: 34 in.
Inside width: 14 ½ in.
Depth: 11 in
Students will have room for their coat, backpack, and other personal items.
Please remember to keep your cologne, perfume, and body sprays at home. We have students/staff with allergies and there are NO glass bottles allowed at school.
Keep all valuables at home.
Below please find a suggested supply list for the upcoming school year. In August, at orientation, your student will receive a school agenda to use throughout the year. If you need help providing these supplies for your student please contact your student’s counselor.
Every student will need a set of headphones to use with their Chromebook Computer. Students will NOT be allowed to wear the headphones throughout the day/between classes. We recommend an inexpensive set of wired headphones or wired earbuds for your student to leave in their locker here at school.
Students are allowed to carry backpacks throughout the day. It is recommended that students leave unnecessary items at home and only bring what they need to school.
The locker dimensions are:
Height: 34 in.
Inside width: 14 ½ in.
Depth: 11 in
Some of our students have found it helpful to carry a binder with a shoulder strap. Here is a sample.
Click to view/print
West Bloomfield Middle School
SAFE LINE to report absences:
248-865-4482
Leave your child's FIRST & LAST NAME
State the reason for absence