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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• April 3: Board of Education regular meeting
• April 4-6: WLW presents: "Clue" - Tickets available at www.wlcstickets.com
• April 11-13: WLC presents: "She Loves Me" - Tickets available at www.wlcstickets.com
• April 12: Walled Lake Community Wide Make a Blanket Day at WLC
• April 18: No School for Students or Staff
• April 29: Half Day for Students | Staff Professional Development

Help us celebrate the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools' Class of 2025!

Click on the picture on the right to complete the form and have your senior recognized for their hard work and achievements! We'll be honoring seniors through June across district social media accounts.

Walled Lake Central junior Chloe Schneider will take over our Instagram story this Saturday to give you a behind the scenes look at the preparations for the Vikings' musical, "She Loves Me", ahead of opening night on April 11.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram so you don't miss out on all the fun!

Show Times

• Friday, April 11 - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 12 - 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 13 - 2 p.m.

Walled Lake Western senior Mallory Gamit took over our Instagram story for Tech Saturday to give you a behind the scenes look at the Warriors' play, "Clue".

In case you missed it, you can watch her takeover on our Instagram under the "Clue" highlight!

Show Times

• Friday, April 4 - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 5 - 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 6 - 2 p.m.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of former Board of Education member, Nancy Van Leuwen, each student at Wixom Elementary went home with a new book from the Book Fair.

Thank you Mrs. Van Leuwen for your continued dedication to our students and helping to spread the joy of reading!

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Julie Omer, stopped by Mrs. Chappell's kindergarten class to spotlight as a mystery reader.

Mrs. Omer read two stories and brought along some special gift bags for the Dragons.

University of Michigan engineering students visited Pleasant Lake Elementary to teach our 4th-grade Sharks all about light reflection and transfer. They even got to create their own fiber optic lights to take home!

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 group finalists, which closes today at 10 p.m.

“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.

Thank you to everyone who sent in their Spring Break photos!

Check out some of the other awesome things our students and staff did during break!

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Families that are not automatically enrolled should apply for SUN Bucks directly.

Note: Families will be automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks if they are already enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) or FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations) benefits or meet the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals.

WHERE TO FIND THE APPLICATION

Click the button below to find the online application.

Deadlines: Families must apply by April 15, 2025 to be eligible for the first issuance of benefits in May. However, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until August 31, 2025.

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 Kindness Matters award is to honor and recognize those individuals and organizations who exhibit kindness and care toward others.

You may nominate any student, teacher, secretary, administrator, bus driver, playground supervisor, or any Walled Lake Schools employee. You may nominate a parent, grandparent, or community member. You may nominate a company, a store, or an organization.

You may select any or all of the above who: demonstrate kindness on a frequent basis, go out of their way to make others feel better, lead initiatives in their school or community to benefit others, or inspire others to show kindness.

The deadline to nominate is Monday, April 14.

It's been a busy time for the Foundation For Excellence!

Grants Galore!

The month of March included visits to 70 classrooms across the district and gave us the chance to give back over $50,000 to support staff and students in Walled Lake. These classroom grants included money for items like STEM equipment, musical instruments, literacy materials, Phys Ed equipment, new appliances for the cognitively impaired classroom at WLC, leadership programs, and many other things. Check out the video above to see what it's all about!

Tuition Expedition Raffle winners were drawn

Our Tuition Expedition Raffle drawing took place on Monday, March 31st at the conclusion of the district PTA Reflections Celebration. We appreciate the support of everyone who purchased tickets and helped make the FFE a BIG winner! The raffle provided over $10,000 in funds to support our goal of putting more tools and resources into classrooms across the district.

Grand Prize winner, Judy Evola, won the option of $11,282 in scholarship funds or $6,385 in cash.

Second Prize winner, Scott Terry (WLN Science Teacher), won $1,000.

Super Star Staff Award kickoff

Nominate your favorite WLCSD Staff member (teacher, administrator, paraprofessional, bus driver, custodian, guest teacher, etc.) for a chance to win one of two $500 prizes provided by the Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union.

A $10 donation to the FFE for a Super Star Staff nomination includes:

• A personalized certificate sent to your nominee (see an example on the website linked below)

• Entry into a drawing for one of two $500 prizes from the Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union.

  Each $10 donation includes 1 entry into the drawing. You may nominate the same person multiple times in one transaction. The personalized certificate will note how many times they were entered into the drawing.

Winners will be drawn on Friday, May 2nd, and notified through a surprise pop-in to their work location during Staff Appreciation Week (May 5-9). Exact timing for the surprise will depend on the winners' work schedule that week.

Funds raised from the Super Star Staff nominations will support the FFE's mission of giving back to classrooms throughout the Walled Lake School District.

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.

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 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.

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