The Banks Bulletin

Dear Banks Families:

I had the pleasure of attending the combined 6th, 7th and 8th grade Vocal Music Concert on Tuesday, and I was reminded of just how much I love my work and what an extra special place Sarah G. Banks Middle School truly is. Thank you to our vocal music teacher, Mr. Danner, for highlighting the greatness that is Banks!

We hope you enjoy a wonderful Spring Break and look forward to our students return on Monday, March 31st. Safe travels to all those vacationing afar!

The next edition of the Banks Bulletin will be published on April 4th.

Cheers,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

We Are Banks!

March

3/21: End of 3rd Marking Period

3/24-3/28: Spring Break - No School for Students or Staff

3/31: PTSA Reflections @ WLN

April

4/3: Board of Education Regular Meeting

4/7: Report Cards Available to View

4/9: Boys and Girls Track vs. Smart, Away @WLN

4/15: 8th Grade PSAT Testing, Late Start for 6th/7th Grade Students (See Below)

4/16 Boys and Girls Track vs. Muir, Home @WLC

4/17: Cabinet to visit Sarah G. Banks MS

4/18: Good Friday, No School for Staff or Students

4/21-4/25: M-STEP Testing @ Banks

4/28: Rescheduled. Banks PTSA Meeting @ 6:30 PM

4/29: Half Day for Students, Staff Professional Development

Please Join Us in Welcoming Vanessa Precious to the Bulldog Family as our Media Center Paraeducator! Vanessa lives in White Lake and is married to Ben and has two sons Robbie (25) and Nathan (21).

Vanessa has worked in several buildings in the district including Guest Elementary, Hickory Woods Elementary, Commerce Elementary, WLW and most recently at Geisler Middle school as their Media Center Paraeducator.

In her spare time, she enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles, reading, sudukos, watching English football (aka soccer) and travelling. Vanessa is also the “voice” of WLN girls soccer and announces at all their home games. She can also been seen at high school games selling tickets.

We're so happy she is here!

We have noticed an increase of the number of students who have removed their district Chromebooks from the cases. Please help us to remind them to leave students that district issued devices MUST be kept in the cases to keep them safe and prevent damage. Thank you for your support!

The Washington, DC trip is now at full capacity and closed to new registrations. To view the meeting presentation from the October 10th parent meeting, please click here. If you have any questions about the DC trip, please reach out to Mr. Morrow at DavidMorrow@wlcsd.org.

We are excited to share with you that our SMBS NJHS members have been invited to participate in a Walled Lake Community Blanket Making Event. Join us on Saturday, April 12th at Walled Lake Central High School in Walled Lake, MI to make 1,000 blankets for 1,000 kiddos in the hospital! Registration is FREE, and any additional fundraising or donations help support MORE blankets to be made!

Please help support comforting kids in the hospital by registering to attend or making a donation through this page! Every dollar counts! Thank you!

Here are the ways you can help:

1. Attend the event - Register and plan to attend the event Saturday, April 12th, 2025 at Walled Lake Central any time from 10:00am-2:00pm to help make blankets. Family and friends can also join our team! There will be food trucks available with food to purchase, face-painting, and other festivities. NJHS members will receive Community Service hours…just check in with Mrs. Nelson at the event!

2. Make a donation - Our NJHS group fundraising goal is $1,000. Share this link with family and friends to help us reach our goal! Every $30 donation = one blanket.

If you have any questions, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact Nancy Kattoula (NancyKattoula@wlcsd.org) or Amanda Swanson (AmandaSwanson@wlcsd.org).

Thank you for your Support of NJHS and Walled Lake!

8TH GRADE PSAT TESTING ON TUESDAY, APRIL 15TH

Please note that all Walled Lake 8th graders will be here for a full day and 6th and 7th graders will have a late start on April 15th.

Morning Schedule

• 8:00 a.m.-8:05 a.m.-8th Graders arrive
• 8:20 a.m.-11:25 a.m.-Administer the 8th Grade PSAT
• 11:25 a.m.-11:58 a.m.-8th Grade Lunch
• 6th and 7th graders arrive at approximately 11:45 a.m.

Afternoon 1/2 Day Schedule

• 1st Hour 12:05 p.m.-12:30 p.m.
• 2nd Hour 12:35 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
• 3rd Hour 1:05 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
• 4th Hour 1:35 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
• 5th Hour 2:05 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
• 6th Hour 2:35 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Transportation will be provided to all students to and from school on April 15th

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.

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