The Banks Bulletin

Dear Banks Families:

As we wrap up this part of the school year, I want to take a moment to thank our students, staff and families for their hard work and dedication. Mid-winter break is a good opportunity to rest, recharge and spend time with loved ones.

Wishing you all a wonderful and refreshing break! We look forward to welcoming everyone back, rejuvenated and ready to rock the rest of this school year.

Cheers,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

We Are Banks!

February

2/14: Schools of Choice Application Deadline

2/17-21: Mid-Winter Break - no school for students or staff

2/24: Girls Basketball vs. Geisler, Away @ 4 PM

2/24: Wrestling vs. Geisler, Home @ 4 PM

2/26: Girls Basketball vs. Muir, Home @ 4 PM

2/26: Wrestling vs. Muir, Away @ 4 PM

2/26: 7th & 8th Grade Pre-festival Concert, WLW @ 6:30 PM

2/27: Name of Love Tour

2/28: PTSA Sponsored Event: Sarah Banks Social

Thanks to our Bulldogs for another week of competition and dedication to their sport. We are making the final push in our winter seasons and have busy weeks after mid-winter break, please check out the schedules.

Track season is right around the corner, if your student is interested, all are welcome! Stay tuned for season start dates, updated physical and pay to participate are required.

Thank you for your continued support of our Bulldogs and Banks Athletics!

Please email me with any questions, rebeccasmith@wlcsd.org

Coaches Update:

The 6th/7th grade Banks basketball team had their second home game of the season on Wednesday facing off against the always challenging Clifford Smart. In the first period Banks again got off to a quick start taking an early 8-4 lead with points from Allison, Aubrey and Raylyn combined with great defense from Yurika and Claire. In the second and third period Smart was able to claw back and take the lead, but points from Jojo and Sabrina allowed the Bulldogs to pull even at half. In the second half a strong zone defense by Banks caused steals and quick points to keep the game close through the fourth period. In the fifth period Smart got some key steals and points to slowly pull away with the final score being 29-22.

The Bulldogs remained red hot against White Lake Lakeland Middle School. A number of grapplers remained undefeated. Earning key victories for the dogs were: Ethan Jorgernson, Max Smith, Jaxon Cruz, AJ Jackson, Jaxon Brisch, Ellington Baker, and Sal Cadili. The marquee matchup of the day was wrestled by Cooper McDermott, who earned a victory with a late take down. Congratulations to the team and keep working. The team will be back in action on Thursday when they take on Clifford Smart.

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

Clear your schedule for Friday, February 28th, because we're having a Sarah Banks Social! Come hang out with your friends, play basketball and games, listen to music and eat snacks...all at the school, after hours! This event is free to all students and will be held in the cafeteria and auxiliary gym on Friday, February 28th from 6:30 - 8 PM Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. Register through the Sarah Banks Social google form, which will be sent out to all students and posted throughout the school!

All current 8th grade students and their parents/guardians are invited to attend 8th Grade Information Night (for incoming 9th graders) on Monday, March 3 at their future Walled Lake high school: Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Northern, or Walled Lake Western. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. in the auditoriums at all three schools.

This event includes presentations from administration, counseling, and academic departments. Athletic teams, clubs, and activities will also be on-hand for students and families to learn more about extracurricular involvement in high school.

District attendance maps can be found at https://www.wlcsd.org/about-us/district-maps.

Our current math standards are more rigorous and demanding than ever. Students are expected to develop a deep understanding of concepts leading to fluency with facts and procedures, and the ability to clearly communicate their mathematical thinking. Further, students must pass a demanding sequence of high school math courses in order to meet graduation requirements. In response to the increased expectations for all students, we have adjusted the content focus and instructional approaches in all of our math courses.

Because of the higher standards and to ensure student success at all points of their

mathematical education, we are using the procedures described below to accelerate students.

In order to skip a course in the math sequence, students must demonstrate proficiency in

the content and skills of the course they are attempting to skip.

The process and procedures described on the following pages (linked below) apply to all students

currently in grades 2 through 7. Students attempting to test-out of high school courses will

use the existing process described on the district website. If you have questions after

reviewing the process, please contact your building principal or me.

Thank you for your partnership in education.

Sincerely,

Ellen McDonald

Math/Science Coordinator

ELLENMCDONALD@WLCSD.ORG

248.956.2029

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.

We still have room for 4 more students to register for the trip. We are expecting these remaining spots to fill up quickly, so please don’t hesitate to register your child if you are still considering it. The deadline to register is Friday, January 31st or once those 4 available spots fill up, whichever occurs first. The American Expeditions Travel Website has been preset to waitlist any new registrations after those 4 spots fill up. If you register, be sure to purchase the CFAR (Cancel for any Reason) insurance option. We’d love to have your child join us on this memorable experience!

Please visit our Sarah Banks D.C. information and registration link through American Expeditions, click on "GO TO MY TRIP" and enter the tour code: sarahbanksdc2025. When you register, you will need to pay the initial deposit on the trip portal and the required CFAR insurance.

To view the meeting presentation from October 10th, please click here. If you have any questions about the DC trip, please reach out to Mr. Morrow at DavidMorrow@wlcsd.org.

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