WBSD Weekly Update

Our second grade students really enjoyed our Kids in Charge assemblies over the past two weeks about expressing emotions and how to use coping skills. Did you know that dance and movement is a coping skill? We are grateful for Adonis, WBSD 2nd Grade Teacher and the Greater West Bloomfield Community Coalition for helping our students with:

• Knowing and showing your emotions
• How to handle your emotions
• Ability to recognize other people emotions
• What are emotions
• Emotions are always changing
• How to work through your emotions with coping skills and asking for help

Thank you also to the Vibe Credit Union for donating Coping Skills bags for every 2nd grader. Watch a short video clip of the presentation here.

At Monday night's Board meeting, the following board members were elected to serve as Board of Education Officers for 2023:

• Stacy Brickman, President
• Nelson Hersh, Vice President
• Julie Beaty, Secretary
• Carol Finkelstein, Treasurer

We are grateful for our wonderfully dedicated Board of Education. Please join us in congratulating them on their new roles.

Max caught up with Board Member Wm. Art Holdsworth to talk to him about his role. Max Cool Gamer Columbus is a WBMS student and is part of the FIRST Robotics Middle School team. Max has interviewed local tv and radio personalities. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel. Thank you Max!

Valentina Martinez is a 12th-grade student at WBHS who has achieved excellent academic performance, earning mostly high marks. Despite only being in this country for roughly 18 months, she has successfully transitioned, doing well in her classes and participating in extracurricular activities. She has shown great resilience and determination in overcoming the challenges of adapting to a new language, culture, and educational system in the USA. Valentina is described as hardworking, determined, respectful, and always willing to take on new challenges and opportunities.

She takes her 'job' as a student very seriously, while at the same time having fun and carrying a full social calendar. She is kind and respectful to all. Valentina is always looking to take on new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.

She is also a student athlete participating in lacrosse and swimming. Valentina has stated herself that she never would have thought that she'd be at this point in her life. That in two years she'd be living a wonderful life in America, playing sports, rocking the academic world, and applying to universities...how amazing is that?

Thank you, Valentina for inspiring all of us to put our best foot forward in everything we do.

When you imagine what it looks like to be a Collaborator, Critical Thinker, Communicator, and Contributor in the West Bloomfield School District, Jennifer Sepetys fully illustrates this vision. In her 17th year of teaching Social Studies in West Bloomfield, Jennifer currently teaches at West Bloomfield High School and serves as the High School Social Studies Department Chair. Earlier this year, Jennifer was recognized as the Region 9 Michigan Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Department of Education. She was also chosen as an Auschwitz Legacy Fellow for the State of Michigan. In this role, Jennifer traveled to Poland in July with a team of 34 fellow educators for an eight-day learning program in Warsaw, Krakow, and the Aushcwitz-Birkenau camp in Oswiecim. The goal of this fellowship program is to bring teacher leaders from across the United States together to learn how to keep the memory of Holocaust survivors alive and at the forefront of their teaching.

In addition to these great achievements, Jennifer’s passion for supporting students and staff is evident in everything that she does, from proposing new courses to Curriculum Council to positively impacting students on a daily basis with her positivity. Her compassion, thoughtfulness, tireless work ethic, and desire to create innovative opportunities inspires everyone around her.

We wish to thank Jennifer for her dedication to our students and our District.

A few WB alumni choir members attended the Michigan Music Conference as music teachers this year! It was wonderful to see some of our alumni doing wonderful things in music.

West Bloomfield’s 2022 season may not have ended at the state finals, but it was a significant step in the right direction.

Behind Paige Harris’s (9th), a 2022 graduate, and senior Sophia Nelander’s (7th) top-10 performances in the all-around at the Region 4 Championship on March 5, West Bloomfield finished sixth in a field of 12 teams. Junior Angel Aharauka also finished 16th in the all-around out of 84 gymnasts.

Nelander (vault, bars and beam) and Aharauka (beam) return as the only starters to qualify for the 2022 state finals in their respective events. Read the rest of the article here.

Register your little one for WBPA!

February 1 - Current Preschool Families

February 8 - Registration opens to the Public

Book Lists

• Friends in Our World – Asian Friends (Kids)
• Winter Sports (Kids)
• Books with a Winter Theme (Teen)

Pen Pal in Japan

Due Friday, February 3

Young students are invited to be part of an exciting exchange of friendship and ideas with our sister library community in Awaji City, Japan. Pick up a postcard template from any of the library’s public service desks. Complete and return postcards to the library by February 3 to have your card mailed to our friends in Japan. When you drop in, be sure to stop by the signs in our lobby to see postcards sent to us by Ishiya Elementary School students.

Pokemon Party

Saturday, January 28, 2 - 4 p.m.

Celebrate your passion for Pokémon with themed crafts and activities! Recommended for grades K-5. No registration required.

Do you have a newsworthy story to share? We want to share your wonderful stories with the rest of the community! Please share with us what is happening with your child(ren) and our staff. We would love to hear about your events and activities including awards, honors, good deeds, and accomplishments. Help us share your success stories in art, music, scholastics, athletics, drama, debate, and more. We look forward to sharing your news! Submit a story here.

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