The Banks Bulletin

I hope you had a restful Thanksgiving filled with joy and connection. We had a great first week back and are looking forward to a fun-filled final two weeks of 2025.

Progress Reports will be available to view by Monday, December 8th. Please take a moment to praise your students for their hard work, efforts and achievement and reach out should you have any questions or need support.

Wishing our boys basketball team the best of luck as they compete at home this evening! Go Bulldogs!

December

12/5-12/7- WLC presents "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" - Tickets are available now at www.wlcstickets.com

12/5 - Happiest of Birthdays to Assistant Principal, Mr. McNamara

12/5- Boys Basketball (BB) vs. STEAM MS @ 4 PM-Home

12/6- MSBOA Solo & Ensemble

12/8-12/12- Scholastic Book Fair

12/8- Boys Basketball (BB) vs. Muir MS @ 4 PM-Away

12/9- Tornado Drill

12/9- 8th Grade Band and Orchestra Feeder Tour

12/10- Boys Basketball (BB) vs. Millennium MS @ 4 PM-Home

12/11- NJHS Meeting @ 3:10-4 PM

12/15- Boys Basketball (BB) vs. TBA @ 4 PM-Away

12/16- 2nd iReady Diagnostic: ELA

12/16- Student Safety Drill

12/17- Co-Ed Swim @ WLC

12/18- 2nd iReady Diagnostic: Math

12/18- Board of Education regular meeting; 7pm @ ESC

12/19- iReady Make-Up Testing

12/22-1/2- Winter Break - No School for Students or Staff

1/5- iReady Make-Up Testing as needed

Boy's Basketball

Our Boy's Basketball season is well underway, and each team continues to improve each and every day. Most recently, our Banks Bulldogs took on East Middle School where both teams took home wins! Both coaches said that all players played phenomenal as individuals and as a team. This afternoon our Bulldogs take on Farmington STEAM at home starting at 4 p.m. Come show your support!

Swim/Dive

Walled Lake Middle Schools Swim and Dive Team - a combination of all 3 middle schools - beat Huron Valley Middle Schools Wednesday night 12/3. The final score was 124-45.

Leading the way were the following Walled Lake student-athletes:

Anthony Corbin, 4 wins

William Whitley, 3 wins

Brielle Sharland, 2 wins

Merabella Minoletti, 2 wins

Henry Parrow, 2 wins

Aubrey Griffen, 2 wins

Lilly Henry

Cooper Batchelder

Aubrey Henry

Allie Marriott

Looking Ahead

Winter II season will be here before you know it! Girl's Basketball and Wrestling are the Winter II sports. More info on tryout dates will be shared on a later date.

• WHAT: All Pro Dads, co-founded by Tony Dungy, parent(s) meeting with their kid(s).
• WHEN: 1 hour Meetings, once monthly on the SECOND TUESDAY at 7-8AM
• WHERE: Sarah Banks Media Center
• WHY: Donuts, of course! Oh- and meaningful conversation on subjects like leadership, empathy, emotional intelligence, conflict- "agreeing well", independence, character, humility, respect, confidence and more...

Organizer and Banks parent had the following to share: "my kids and I have enjoyed being a part of All Pro Dads at Hickory Woods... but....middle school is a different animal! —

changing bodies, shifting friendships, new pressures, and a search for identity make it a vulnerable time.

That’s exactly why a program like All Pro Dad is so important. It gives our kids a stable space, a listening ear, and a chance to have honest conversations with the adults in their lives — when they need it most

I hope to meet you in person Tuesday Dec 9 at 7 AM! (The topic will be "Freedom", addressing the new and growing independence our kids are experiencing)

Curriculum: Freedom

Letting go is never easy, but someday, our teens will be adults who’ll need us to do that. It’s wise to prepare them (and ourselves) for it now by giving them age-appropriate freedom. Teens only learn the value of making good choices when they have opportunities to make them. Freedom provides those opportunities.

We're excited to share that Brady Cruzen, Nicholas Small, and Nicholas Heuvers have been accepted into the 2026 MSBOA All-State Middle School Band! This is an outstanding accomplishment, as thousands of students across Michigan auditioned in October. For their auditions, students had to play challenging etudes, memorized scales, and a sight-reading excerpt they had never seen before. Only the top players on each instrument were selected.

Brady and Nicholas Small (clarinet) earned spots among just 18 selected statewide. Nicholas Heuvers (tuba) was chosen as one of only six tuba players across Michigan.

Additionally, Nick Glik received Honorable Mention (first runner-up) for both alto and bari saxophone. If any of the selected saxophonists are unable to participate, he will be invited to join the All-State ensemble as well.

Having three students selected for All-State and two additional honorable mentions is an extraordinary achievement for our program. We're so proud of these hardworking musicians and the way they continue to represent our school with excellence!

Thank you to our Banks community fo your generosity and continued support of this program! The Wixom PD was so grateful and excited for the support!

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming the Sarah Banks the week of December 8th - 12th and we need volunteers! The students will be able to shop the fair during the week and we need parent volunteers to help run our book fair.

Please use this sign up to help with the Book Fair. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054CA9AD28A4F58-60052608-sarah

All volunteers need to have a criminal history form on file for the 2025-26 school year. The following is the link to fill out the criminal history form. You need to fill this out if you plan on volunteering for the fair. https://app.informedk12.com/link_campaigns/criminal-history-volunteer-form-2025-26?token=BJiiNWAAuZsfra42VyWKsjGp

Thank you as always for your continued support of our school!

D.C. Trip Update

At this moment, all of the seats on the D.C. trip have been filled and we are moving onto a waitlist. All families interested in attending the D.C. trip should sign up for the waitlist and if/when students drop from the trip, we will fill those open seats from the waitlist first on a first come, first serve basis. To sign up for the waitlist, you MUST register through the Academic Expeditions trip portal; however, no payment will be required until you are moved to the main list. Please contact Mr. Yu with any questions you may have (TorryYu@wlcsd.org).

D.C. Trip Fundraiser

Our Little Caesar's Pizza Kit fundraiser is currently underway and wraps on Sunday, December 7. If you are interested in participating, it is not too late. This fundraiser is completely optional but is an additional way to have your friends and family support your student's D.C. trip. 6th & 7th grade students are also welcome to participate to begin raising funds for their trip as well.

Pizza Kit Fundraising Information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14RcVzYh5tcIDfTN5cIEpUg5hH-HgPWPc/view?usp=sharing

Create Your Account Here: https://fundraising.littlecaesars.com/login/join-fundraiser/6ac1dc37-1236-4121-8817-735c2e68ae89

Sarah Banks has a Ski & Snowboard Club where student members and their families can receive HUGE discounts on lift tickets, rentals, and lessons. The club will meet at Alpine Valley on Thursday evenings in January and February (between Winter Break and Mid-Winter Break) and the staff sponsor is Mrs. Chelsea Schikora. Packets and order forms are copied and available in the black flyer holders in both the Main office and outside of the attendance office for kids to pick up.

Ski & Snowboard Club will meet on Thursday nights Jan 8th - Feb 12th (6 weeks, weather-permitting) at Alpine Valley. Families can purchase their club cards at any time to receive discounts on lift tickets prior to the start of our club season.

Banks is pleased to offer FREE tutoring and homework help to students for their Math and Language Arts classes. This tutoring will be provided by Banks teachers!

Students and families are expected to ensure:

• Students report in person, at scheduled times. Students may be removed from the program for "no-shows".
• Students bring all materials they need for tutoring.

Tutoring sessions will be 45 minute sessions. Please fill out the form below for your student to be considered for free, Teacher-Led Tutoring and Homework help this year.

Tutoring will start the week of November 10, 2025

Please fill out a separate form for each child.

After submitting this form, your information will be passed on to the appropriate grade level/subject area tutor(s). Mrs. Harmsworth will then contact you at the email address provided on this form with the tutoring details for your child. You may get a separate email for each tutoring session you sign up for.

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is seeking nominations for the 2026 Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award. This award honors individuals who are true friends of multicultural diversity in our school district and community. This hoor will be bestowed on the recipient(s) at the WLCSD 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on January 19, 2026.

Any student, staff, community member, local business, or local organization is eligible to be nominated. Any member of the Walled Lake Schools community may submit a nomination.

Nominations must be submitted through the nomination form by Friday, December 12.

Walled Lake Students are invited to submit an entry that expresses the theme of “Service” in your own unique way. There are lots of possibilities for creating a project. It can be a piece of writing, music, art, or other visual that shows what unity means to you. Click on the contest form below and submit your entry to your school’s main office by Friday, December 12th.

Please include help us to promote this contest within your school community and by including it in your newsletters until the due date in December.

Express Yourself Contest

It has come to our attention that families in our community may be in need of additional assistance when it comes to food and nutrition. With the anticipated gap in SNAP funding beginning Saturday, November 1, some families may experience delays in receiving benefits. School meals (breakfast and lunch) will continue to be available free of charge to our students.

For families needing support at home, the following food resources are available:

• Hospitality House Food Pantry: https://www.hhfp.org/

• Gleaners Community Food Bank: https://www.gcfb.org/food-assistance-programs/

• Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency: https://www.olhsa.org/en-us/

• Michigan 211 Food Assistance Programs: https://mi211.org/food-assistance

• Forgotten Harvest: https://www.forgottenharvest.org/find-food/

• Findhelp.org: https://www.findhelp.org/

• Food and Other Resources Hotline: 1-888-544-8773

It's not too early to order a yearbook! Scan the QR code below and order now for $40, which is a savings of $20! Please email TorryYu@wlcsd.org, KaysieStassi@wlcsd.org or LauraShipes@wlcsd.org with any questions or concerns.

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.

I am grateful to live in a community where support is provided to families in need. Hospitality House is a food pantry feeding those in need in Oakland and Wayne Counties and the surrounding Michigan communities. Whether you participated last year and would like weekend food service to continue or are interested in joining for the first time, please complete the Google Form linked below and provide us with the following information by September 26:

• Number of students participating
• Any food allergies for each student

Also, please note the following:

• First delivery of weekend food bags to the school is Thursday, October 9th
• Deliveries will continue every Friday for the remainder of the school year

We have much to be thankful for, and the partnership we share with our families and the community organizations is one to celebrate.

Please consider the safety of our entire Bulldog Community when you are dropping off or picking up your students. Following the procedures at SLOW SPEEDS is the best way to keep everyone safe. Say long good byes while you are driving to school. When dropping off, make sure your student is prepared to exit the car quickly. Families who are prepared for this will help ensure more efficient traffic flow.

• Front Parking Lot Closed Daily, 7:45–8:10 AM
  To promote safe, calm arrivals, the front lot will be blocked to vehicles during this window. Inconsistent use of the lot has created unsafe drop-off situations. This procedure eliminates those risks.
• Bus Loop Closed Until All Buses Unload
  The bus loop is not open to cars during arrival or dismissal. Please do not park or leave your vehicle in the loop. Timing may vary slightly day to day based on bus arrivals.
• . In the event that you need to pick-up early, you must do so before 2:40 p.m.

How you can help:

• Please use district busing as the primary mode of transportation whenever possible.
• Use the pick-up/drop-off line only if you live outside the busing limits.
• Carpool when possible.
• Have backpacks zipped, instruments ready and goodbyes said before unloading to keep lines moving safely. When dropping off, make sure your student is prepared to exit the car quickly.
• Pull all the way forward even after dropping off to help ensure more efficient traffic flow.
• Refrain from cutting through the parking lot. Refer to the map below and adhere to it.
• Unload at all 6 spots-do not wait until you get to spot #1 to unload

In a world dominated by instant communication, cell phones can be a major distraction during the school day. At Sarah Banks Middle School, our goal is not to limit contact between students and families, but to promote responsible and appropriate use of technology in an academic setting.

Policy Overview:

• Student cell phones must remain in lockers throughout the school day.
• If a student needs to contact a parent or guardian, they must do so through the attendance office.
• Students are not permitted to text or call parents directly during school hours, including when they are feeling unwell or need something.
• In alignment with a district-wide directive, iPads are not permitted at school this year. If used during the school day, iPads will be treated the same as cell phones and subject to the same consequences.

Consequences for Cell Phone Use During the School Day:

• 1st Violation: Phone is confiscated and held in the office until the end of the day. Parents will be contacted with a reminder of the policy and informed of next steps for future incidents.
• 2nd Violation: Phone is confiscated and must be picked up by a parent or guardian in person.
• Repeated Violations: May result in progressive disciplinary action.

Please follow the steps below when your student's District Chromebook needs to be repaired.

1. If a student needs support, he/she should fill out a Student Chromebook Support Form linked on all of the Google Classrooms and on the school website under Students. Being logged on to the school google account is required to access the form.
2. The information in the form will be sent to Mrs. Stasak, our Middle School Computer Resource Teacher. She will reply to the student at his/her school gmail account. She will offer suggestions to fix the issue or, if it needs service, she will tell the student to take the chromebook to the office and give it to building admin secretary (enter the name for your building).
3. The chromebook in the case will be sent through inner office and the student will be allowed to use a loaner chromebook AT SCHOOL. It will be the student’s responsibility to pick it up each morning from the office and return it at the end of the day.
4. When the chromebook has been repaired, it will be delivered back to the school for the student to pick up.
5. If the family purchased insurance, the first repair is free and all additional repairs carry a deductible. Deductible invoices or repair invoices, for those that did not choose insurance, must be paid before the repaired chromebook is returned.
6. If a student with a personal chromebook has a network issue, the same form can be used. We are not able to fix physical problems with personal devices and loaner chromebooks will not be provided.

At Banks, we believe that a strong school community is built on three essential values: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. These principles guide everything we do—how we treat one another, how we approach learning, and how we care for our environment.

Being respectful means showing kindness, listening to others, and valuing differences. It’s about treating classmates, teachers, and staff with dignity and courtesy.

Being responsible means owning your actions, making good choices, and doing your part—whether it’s completing assignments, following school rules, or helping others.

Being safe means looking out for yourself and those around you. It means using technology wisely, moving through the building calmly, and speaking up when something doesn’t feel right.

When we live by these values, we create a school where everyone can thrive. Let’s work together to make Banks a place where respect, responsibility, and safety are at the heart of everything we do.

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

Anthony McNamara

Assistant Principal: anythonymcnamara@wlcsd.org

Jennifer Dean

Assistant Principal's Secretary: jenniferdean@wlcsd.org

Kevin Zurro

Student Success Coordinator: kevinzurro@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