District Update

We hope you'll review this week's District Update filled with news and notes from across the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Stay up to date with the district by visiting www.wlcsd.org and connecting with the district on social media.

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• March 13: Half Day for Student | Professional Development for Staff
• March 24-28: Spring Break - No School for Students or Staff
• March 31: PTSA Reflections Celebration at WLN
• April 3: Board of Education regular meeting
• April 4-6: WLW presents: "Clue"
• April 10-13: WLC presents: "She Loves Me"

Photo (L to R): Kyle Hulliberger, Diego Baca, Aidan Keffaber

Three district swimmers punched their tickets to the MHSAA Division 1 State Championships this weekend at the Holland Aquatic Center.

Walled Lake Central junior Diego Baca qualified in a pair of events. He’ll compete in both the 100 yard Butterfly and 100 yard Backstroke.

Joining Baca in the 100 yard Backstroke, Walled Lake Northern senior Aidan Keffaber. Knights’ sophomore Kyle Hulliberger also punched his ticket to states qualifying in the 200 yard Individual Medley, which consists of the Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle.

The MHSAA Division 1 State Championship prelims are set for Friday at Noon with champions being crowned on Saturday afternoon.

Walled Lake Northern hit all the high notes this week with all three of its choirs earning Division 1 ratings at the Michigan School Vocal Music Association District 4 Choral Festival.

Walled Lake Northern was this year’s host school, which included performances from its Chamber Singers, Bel Canto and Knights choirs. Along with Division 1 ratings, the Chamber Singers and Bel Canto Choir also received perfect scores on sight reading.

Author Jonathan Rand brought the fun to Glengary Elementary on Friday afternoon. Students loved hearing about his journey as an author and shared plenty of laughs along the way! 🤣

Bulldogs principal Jennifer VanWagnen and assistant principal Rebecca Smith joined the Sarah G. Banks Middle School Food Service team on Thursday, March 6, to help serve breakfast as part of National School Breakfast Week.

Loon Lake Elementary 3rd grade teacher, Melissa Sinclair, and Walled Lake Early Childhood Center special education teacher, Kristine Szemyak, are in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher presented by Reader’s Digest.

A public vote will determine the Top 15 in the group stage, which closes on Thursday, March 13, at 10 p.m. You are allowed to vote for free once every 24 hours.

“I became a teacher to help children learn and grow; especially those who struggle in school,” said Sinclair. “I try and make sure all children learn and have fun! School should be a safe, welcoming environment all students love to go each day.”

“I became a special education teacher because my heart is not only for young children, but for those that need extra help,” said Szemyak. “Autism is sometimes a thief of those moments that parents look forward to when having children, I want to help make those moments happen.”

The winner of America’s Favorite Teacher will be featured in Reader’s Digest, win a trip to Hawaii, and take home a $25,000 grand prize.

Click here to vote for Mrs. Sinclair and click here to vote for Mrs. Szemyak.

Tickets are on sale now for Walled Lake Western's spring play, Clue: On Stage for Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 at 7pm and Sunday, April 6 at 2pm.

Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth–the butler, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!

Please help us support our students and get a ticket to come see them on stage. You will not be disappointed!

Condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Charlene Provenzale on her passing on March 9. Until recently, she served as a media center paraeducator at Sarah Banks Middle School, where she dedicated time and care to fostering a love of reading and learning among students. Though she resigned from the District in February, her contributions and the impact made on students and colleagues will not be forgotten.

Charlene was a warm and welcoming presence in the media center, always willing to help a student find the right book or assist a teacher in bringing lessons to life. Her kindness, patience, and commitment to our school community left a lasting mark on so many.

Obituary for Charlene Provenzale.

Walled Lake Early Childhood Center Head Start preschool teacher and Walled Lake Paraeducators Association president, Cassandra Chapman, received a Golden Apple Award at the March 6, 2025 Board of Education meeting.

Chapman was nominated by Early Childhood Center preschool teacher, Victoria Blake, for being passionate about her work and going the extra mile for her students’ families and all paraprofessionals across the district.

“Cassandra continuously works hard to make great changes around her and does it all with a warm smile,” said Blake. “She loves to explore new and unique ways of connecting with others, whether that be through planned events for the district or simply reaching out by email. Her passion for her students, her program and her community is what sets her apart.”

Continue reading on district website.

Walled Lake Early Childhood Center English Language Development paraprofessional, Tomoko Hirakawa, received a Golden Apple Award at the March 6, 2025 Board of Education meeting.

Hirakawa’s nominator, who wished to remain anonymous, wanted to recognize her because she advocates for all students and families. She goes above and beyond to communicate with families and share information with them about their children and the programs available to them in Walled Lake Consolidated Schools.

“Tomoko is always smiling and happy to see people and brings a positive attitude each day she is at work,” shared the nominator. “Tomoko speaks Japanese, but also helps students who speak other languages by using her knowledge of Multi-Language Learner (MLL) students and applies it to all learners and languages.”

Continue reading on district website.

The Giving Tree Club and National Honor Society at Walled Lake Central are excited to share with you that our Walled Lake Community Wide Make a Blanket Day is officially set for April 12, from 10am-2pm.

Their goal this year is 1,000 blankets! We are partnering with Fleece and Thank You to ensure that every child facing an extended stay at the hospital not only receives a comforting fleece blanket, but also receives a personalized message from the person who made the blanket.

We would like to inform you about the required spring testing for all students in grades 9 through 11. This includes the PSAT 9, PSAT 10, and SAT with Essay exams. All of these exams have moved to a digital format and will be administered on school issued Chromebooks. Paper-and-pencil versions of the exams are no longer available. In addition, 11th-grade students will take the WorkKeys assessment of workplace skills, as well as the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) in Social Studies and Science.

Save the Date

Below are the important testing dates for your family calendar. Please make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments or planned absences on these days. All spring testing activities are graduation requirements for Walled Lake students. Students should bring fully charged Chromebooks for the dates below.

March 17 - March 21

• Grades 9, 10, 11 — Digital Readiness Check during English classes.

April 8

• 9th Grade — 7:15 a.m. PSAT 9 Exam (only 9th graders in the morning)
• Grades 10, 11, 12 - 11:15 a.m. Delayed start of school day.

April 9

• 11th Grade — 7:15 a.m. SAT Exam (only 11th graders in the morning)
• Grades 9, 10, 12 - 12:00 p.m. Delayed start of school day.

April 10

• 10th Grade — 7:15 a.m. PSAT 10 Exam
• 11th Grade — 7:15 a.m. WorkKeys Exam (paper & pencil)
• Grades 9, 12 - 11:30 a.m. Delayed start of school day.

Additional Things to Know about the online PSAT and SAT Exams

The SAT and PSAT exams have now gone fully digital, and are in their second year. Students will test on school issued Chromebooks and submit their test answers online at the end of testing.

Adaptive Testing in Two Modules

Both the PSAT and SAT exams are now adaptive, meaning the difficulty of questions changes based on the student's performance. The test is divided into two sections: Reading & Writing and Math. To help prepare, you can read more about the Digital SAT Adaptive Testing on the College Board website.

For Michigan students, the SAT with Essay includes a third written essay section. The SAT with Essay lasts about 3 ½ hours, while the PSAT-9 and PSAT-10 exams take about 2 ½ hours.

Changes to the Math Section

Calculator use is now permitted throughout the Math section of these exams. Students can bring their own approved handheld calculator or use the virtual graphing calculator integrated into the testing software.

Practice

We encourage students to take at least one full-length practice test at home to become familiar with the SAT/PSAT format and timing. During the Digital Readiness Check in March, students will receive a sign-in ticket with a code to access Bluebook, an app that allows students to take up to three full-length practice exams online. For more information, follow this link Full Length Practice Tests.

Parents Guide to the SAT

To learn more about what is tested on the SAT, how to register for additional SAT test dates, and how to send score reports to colleges, please visit the Parents Guide to the SAT on the College Board website.

Information regarding spring testing for the secondary level is listed below. Schools will be following up directly with families regarding any adjusted time schedules as part of these testing days:

• 8th Grade PSAT - April 15 | Delay start for 6th & 7th graders
• M-Step - April 21-24 | SMBS, WCMS
• M-Step - April 29 - May 2 | CHS
• M-Step - May 6-9 | GMS
• iReady - May 12-15 | GMS

Year-end presents a great opportunity to celebrate our top senior student athletes and their opportunity to continue their athletic careers in college.

Please provide the following information on SENIOR athletes that have either:

- received a scholarship to play college athletics

- have a spot guaranteed to them on a college roster as a "preferred walk-on."

The information will be used by each school to plan their signing days and will also be printed in the LEARNING newsletter (if approved.)

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

The Shining Stars Award recognizes outstanding individuals who have supported the special needs community within Walled Lake Schools.

Love your child's bus driver? Nominate them.

Love your child's Unified coach or buddy? Nominate them!

Some of the qualities of the nominee might include: a positive attitude, dedication, dependability, self-motivation, helpfulness and more.

Nominees can be anyone associated with the special needs community: teacher, para, bus driver, aide, buddy, parent, coach, volunteer, etc. Nominate someone today using this link or the button below.

Every nominee will be recognized and receive a Shining Stars Award at the ceremony on

May 22, 2025 at Walled Lake Central High School. There will be special performances during the ceremony that you won't want to miss! Community agencies will also be available to share their services and resources. Mark your calendar!

All nominations must be received on or before May 1, 2025.

Questions? Contact WalledLakePAC@gmail.com

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.

Please complete the following form in order to be considered for the Graduate Spotlight section of the WLCSD quarterly Learning newsletter. The nominated student needs to be a 2016 graduate or before. Please contact pamelacole@wlcsd.org with any questions.

Mar 13, 2025 7:00 PM EDT

Walled Lake Northern Unified Basketball Team

All Tickets Include:

• Access to the Pistons game
• Access to Unified games
• Unified Showcase Winter Beanie
• A donation to the Walled Lake Northern High School Unified Program

All Unified players are sitting in section 101.

Section 208 are for people who only plan to attend the Unified games and not the Pistons game later that night.

Timing:

11:30am - Doors Open

12:00pm - Berkley vs Clarkston

12:55pm - Northwestern vs Avondale

1:45pm - Walled Lake Northern vs Livonia Churchill

2:35pm - Northville Unified vs Hartland Unified

*You must have a ticket to the Pistons game to get access to the Unified games*

*If you DO NOT plan on attending the Pistons game, we encourage you to purchase the most affordable ticket possible*

*If you would like to purchase lower-level tickets, please contact Andy Myers at 313.771.7588 or amyers@pistons.com

• SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2025
  
• 10:00AM
  
• Benefiting Pediatric Cancer Research at U of M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
  
• Register or Donate at www.Passion-for-Life.org
• Downtown Walled Lake

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 everyday 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 Child Nutrition and Education Benefits Application 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 benefit programs including reduced registration fees for standardized testing, discounted college application fees, pay to participate, discounted home internet access, and more.

Our mission, in partnership with parents and the community, is to become the best educational system in America so all students demonstrate they are caring, responsible, and knowledgeable citizens.

Email: danieldurkin@wlcsd.org
Website: www.wlcsd.org
Location: 850 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 956-2000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wlcsd/
Twitter: @WalledLkSchools