The Banks Bulletin

The start of a new school year is an especially exciting time, and I am so delighted to welcome our Banks Bulldogs back to school. I can’t wait to see their big smiles, give some hugs and high-fives, and hear about their summer adventures.

This year marks my 23rd in education and eighth as principal. I joined the Walled Lake family in January of 2022, and I am honored to be a part of such a dynamic and caring community, and I look forward to serving our students, staff, and community again this year. It's a BE-A-UTIFUL day to be a Banks Bulldog!

School hours are from 8:10-3:00 M-F. We open our doors beginning at 7:45 am. Students who are dropped off early must remain in the Cafeteria until the first bell at 8:00 am. We do offer free breakfast for those who are interested. Please make sure to pick your child up by 3:05 pm each day. We do not have supervision for students to be in our building before 7:45 am and after 3:05 pm. If your child participates in school athletics, please pick them up promptly after practice is finished. I so appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Please review the drop off/pick up procedures listed below. For the SAFETY of all of our students it is critical that all families who drive their students to/from school follow these procedures.

Also, please take the time to log into Skyward Family Access by Sunday evening. Check your transportation information if your student rides a bus. Please make a copy or have your child take a picture of their locker #, combination and class schedule. If your child is not able to access their schedule or locker information, we will have a copy for them before school begins on Monday.

Lastly, school breakfast and lunch will be FREE for all students again this year. Our cafeteria and breakfast service close at 8:05 AM each day (unless a bus is running late). If you wish for your student to have breakfast, please have them at school no later than 8 AM so they have plenty of time to get breakfast and make it to class by 8:10 am. Breakfast may be eaten in class up until 8:25 AM. Students who bring their ID card with them will move through breakfast/lunch lines more quickly.

It is going to be a great school year for your student!

Follow our PTSA at https://www.facebook.com/Sarahbanksptsa on Facebook to stay connected and catch the greatness that is Banks.

We Are Banks!

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

JenniferVanWagnen@wlcsd.org

(248) 956-2200

• First Bell, 8:00 a.m. - This is when students are permitted to enter the hallways from the front lobby and buses.

• Warning Bell, 8:05 a.m. - This bell lets students know that they have five minutes left to make it to class.

• Tardy Bell, 8:10a.m. - This is the official start of 1st hour. Students arriving after this bell are considered tardy for their first class.

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.

September

8/30-No School for Students or Staff

9/2-Labor Day - No School for Students or Staff

9/5- Board of Education Regular Meeting

9/11-Volleyball vs. Pierce (Oak Valley)-Home

9/11-XC Quad Meet @ Hess, 4 PM For all XC events, please use information from the coaches on exact locations as some XC meets are held offsite.

9/12-PTSA Meeting @ 6:30 PM

9/16-Volleyball vs. Centennial -Away

9/16-Curriculum Night @ Banks-6:30-8:00 PM

9/17-Schoolwide iReady Testing-ELA

9/18-XC Meet vs. Oak Valley-Home

9/18-Volleyball vs. Smart-Home

9/19-Schoolwide iReady Testing-Math

Each school year, parents/guardians must complete our back-to-school “packet” on Skyward Family Access (also referred to as registration).

This is different from enrollment and is required for both new and previous students. Online registration is when parents/guardians update student information, emergency contacts, and provide other necessary information.

The District will be using the online Family Access system to automate the process for updating and completing documents such as the emergency card, FERPA form, Code of Conduct and other important annual school forms that require parental approval.

The 2024-25 Back-to-School Family Access Packet must be completed by parents, online, using Family Access, prior to the start of school. It is essential that we receive ALL documents in a timely manner in order for your student to start school on August 26.

What Parents Need to Know...

Starting August 1, parents are to login to Family Access, using their alphanumeric parent account code, to complete the Back-to-School Family Access Packet.

· Need help enrolling? Contact the Office of Student Services at studentenrollment@wlcsd.org or (248) 956-2086.

· For bilingual assistance, contact Kallee Iverson at kalleeiverson@wlcsd.org or (248) 956-2093.

· To acquire a new or lost parent account code, email FamilyAccess@wlcsd.org or

call (248) 956-2190.

Click on the link below to get started!

A Skyward Family Access parent account is required to complete the Online Back-to-School Packet. To acquire a new or lost parent account code, email FamilyAccess@wlcsd.org or call (248) 956-2190. Include ALL of the following information in the body of your message.

• Guardian name

• The name of each child in the district and school they attend

• Guardian's email address that is currently on file with the district

• Daytime phone number

Questions and Support

• If you have trouble with the Back-to-School packet, visit the Troubleshooting & FAQ page.

• If you still have issues, contact familyaccess@wlcsd.org. Include your name, the student's name, and the specific question you have.

Please click on the link below to view the Suggested School Supply List.

WLCSD has a 1-to-1 Chromebook Program in all of our middle and high schools. Please review the information about the 1-to-1 Chromebook Program as part of your Back-to-School Online Registration Process.

Each student will be required to bring a device to school each day as the middle schools do not have Chromebook carts in the building for students to use a Chromebook during the day. District issued Chromebooks often work much better within the building than personal devices do as they are set up to connect to the District Wi-Fi.

Important Highlights

Students will have two choices for technology use while at school:

1. Bring your own device from home

2. Sign up for a District issued Chromebook*

*Additional carts of Chromebooks will no longer be available for students to utilize extra building devices on a daily basis. Students will be expected to bring a charged device (personal device or District issued Chromebook) daily in order to utilize online curricular resources as well as participate in daily instruction within the classroom.

We strongly encourage families to sign up for a District issued Chromebook.

There are advantages to this practice including:

• Better Wi-Fi connectivity in District

• Increased support from District IT staff including

• curriculum resources

• support apps

• Streamline repair process

MIDDLE SCHOOL students (grades 6-8) must complete PAYMENT for the Chromebook deposit ($50) and Technology Protection Plan ($20) in order to receive the District issued Chromebook. Payments made after August 11 will still receive a device, but not until the first few days of school. Please be sure to review the entire 1-to-1 Chromebook Program Information that is linked on our Back-to-School Packet Website. If you are in need of financial assistance to participate in this program, please reach out to Mrs. VanWagnen directly at JenniferVanWagnen@wlcsd.org.

We are excited to begin another great year of Middle School Sports at Banks Middle School! We will kick off the Fall season with Girls Volleyball and Cross Country. Students interested in participating must have a physical dated after April 15, 2024 to join on the first day! Please reach out to Interim Assistant Principal Becky Smith with questions or concerns at Rebecca.Smith@wlcsd.org. We are looking forward to a great sports season!

*Transportation schedules- Bus information for general education families will be available in Skyward Family Access beginning at 8am Friday August 16th. As we continue to accept new students, routes may change. Parents/Students will want to check Skyward right before the start of school to confirm their transportation information. Special education transportation students will receive a phone call from their bus driver no later than Wednesday August 21st with their bus information. Most of the families will have that information by Monday, August 19th.

*Patience- Buses will likely be late both morning and afternoon for the first several days of school. The transportation hotline (248-956-3090) is updated for all buses that are running 10 or more minutes behind schedule. New routines are a learned process for our students, staff, parents, and community. Ensuring every student is in the right place is critical to our mission and takes extra time during that learning process.

*School of choice/ In-district transfer requests- Students who attend as school of choice or in-district transfer can request a seat on a bus within the schools' boundary using the google form on the transportation website. We will review these requests after September 14th when busing counts have been determined. Parents will be notified via email if a spot is available. Parents will need to have alternative transportation until that time and potentially after if there are no seats available. (I can tell you that school of choice busing for most elementary schools have been denied for several years because the buses are full).

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 every day 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 free/reduced meal form 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 free and reduced programs within the District including SAT testing, pay to participate, and more.

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.

WALLED LAKE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF HEALTH OR ACCIDENT INSURANCE FOR INJURIES INCURRED BY YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOL.

If your child is injured while at school, all costs are the responsibility of the parents and/or guardians. As a service to students and their families, our District is making available a student accident insurance plan for your child at a very nominal cost. The District offers this program because of trends in rising family health and dental insurance costs, increased deductibles, co-payments or lack of health or dental insurance coverage.

REASONS TO PURCHASE THIS COVERAGE:

1. Deductible and co-pays in your health plan. Many health plans have increased the amount of out-of-pocket expenses.

2. No insurance.

This plan will provide benefits for medical expenses incurred because of an accident. If you have other insurance, benefits can be applied to your deductible or co-pay. If you have no other insurance, this will become your primary accident plan.

First Agency, Inc., will be administering the program for Voluntary Student Accident Insurance. All information is attached to this email is also can be found on the district website under Families.

Parent Letter - To be distributed to your student population and posted to your school’s website.

Student Optional Accident Plans - To be posted on your school’s website ONLY. You may download and print a copy, however, it should be kept in the office and distributed upon parent request.

Schedule of Benefits and Premiums - To be posted to your school’s website ONLY. You may download and print a copy, however, it should be kept in the office and distributed upon parent request only.

All information may be found online, as explained in the Parent Letter, at www.1stagency.com as well as on the District’s website.

Each year we have questions regarding the District’s liability for accidents. Please note the first sentence of the Parent Letter States:

“WALLED LAKE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF HEALTH OR ACCIDENT INSURANCE FOR INJURIES INCURRED BY YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOLS”

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