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 6: Board of Education meeting
• March 7-8: MSBOA Band and Orchestra Festival at WLN
• March 10: 6th Grade Family Night at SBMS, WCMS, CHS
• 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

Walled Lake Early Childhood Center special education teacher, Kristine Szemyak, is in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher presented by Reader’s Digest.

A public vote will determine the Top 20, which closes on today at 10 p.m. You are allowed to vote for free once every 24 hours.

“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.

The Clifford H. Smart Middle School community rose to the occasion for the Trojans’ annual Soup-er Bowl Drive to benefit the Hospitality House Food Pantry.

Students and staff collected an incredible 2,391 pounds of food, as well as over $1,500 in cash donations, during the week-long event.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when it’s served by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Lonze!

Dr. Lonze jumped into the kitchen at Keith Elementary this morning to help serve up smiles (and breakfast) for #National School Breakfast Week.

The Walled Lake Wild were well represented on Michigan Girls High School Hockey League All-State with four players being recognized for the 2024-25 season.

Walled Lake Northern junior Mikayla Ratliff was recognized as First Team All-State. Ratliff finished the season ranked eighth in the state, and third in Group B, in scoring. The Wild’s leading scorer tallied 53 points on 43 goals and ten assists on the year.

Two ladies were named Second Team All-State: Walled Lake Central sophomore Hailee Mack and Walled Lake Western junior Arianna O’Connell. Mack shined defensively on the ice, as well as averaged three points per game. She had 11 goals and five assists on the season. O’Connell was a brick wall in net all season. She finished the season ranked tenth in the state with a .905 save percentage and faced the most shots among all goalies this season with over 900 on net.

Walled Lake Northern’s Kennedy MacQuarrie was recognized on the All-State Freshmen Team. MacQuarrie thrived in her rookie season of high school hockey, netting five goals and seven assists.

(Top L to R: Mikayla Ratliff, Arianna O'Connell. Bottom L to R: Hailee Mack, Kennedy MacQuarrie)

Walled Lake United’s James Moore shined at Ford Field over the weekend finishing on the podium and earning All-State honors at the MHSAA Division 1 Individual State Championships at Ford Field. He’s the first Norseman named All-State since 2020.

Moore, who’s a junior at Walled Lake Northern, opened the 175 lbs. bracket earning a tech fall over Waterford Mott’s Ethan Drozdowski. He’d then lose a tough match to Grand Ledge’s Ashton Delaney by a 12-6 decision in the state quarterfinals. However, Moore took care of business while facing elimination against Brighton’s Nate Stark. Moore pinned the Bulldog in the 7th place match, clinching All-State honors and a spot on the 175 lbs. podium.

Walled Lake Western competitive cheer coaches Amber Stocks and Michelle Frey were recognized as the District 10, Division 2 Coaches of the Year by the Competitive Cheer Coaches Association of Michigan.

Stocks and Frey guided the Warriors to their first MHSAA District Championship since 2021, as well as an appearance at the MHSAA Division 2 State Competition where they finished fourth overall.

When music and art collide, pure magic happens!

Sarah G. Banks Middle School orchestra students filled the air with beautiful melodies while art students brought the rhythm to life on canvas. The result? A masterpiece for the eyes and ears!

Staff from Commerce, Dublin, Glengary and Keith Elementary faced off at Walled Lake Northern in their annual volleyball tournament.

The Dragons secured this year's title and bragging rights for a year. Who will come for the staff volleyball crown in 2026?!

Three incredible choirs, one powerful message!

All three high school choirs came together on Thursday, February 27, and hit the road for the annual Name of Love Tour, sharing songs of love, justice and equality with all four middle schools!

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.

The purpose of the Irene Daniels Walled Lake PTSA Council Scholarship is to encourage worthy students to undertake a post-secondary course of study. The Council Scholarship Committee reviews applications and qualifications of students from Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Central, and Walled Lake Western High Schools and one winner from each school is selected every year. The PTSA Council bases some of the criteria of the scholarship on volunteerism, leadership, school activities/honors, and recommendations by counselors or teachers. The three students selected each receive $750 to use toward future educational costs. March 10 deadline.

Complete the application form on the Walled Lake PTSA webpage: https://www.wlcsd.org/families/ptsa-council/irene-daniels-scholarship

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