WBHS Update
10/13/23
Principal's Message
Hello Laker Nation,
On Thursday, 10/12, the WBHS Counseling Department hosted its Annual College On-Site Admissions Day! We had 13 different colleges and universities on-site at WBHS to meet with our seniors, offer admissions decisions, and provide scholarship opportunities on the spot! This year, we had nearly 160 students participate in the event, with many students walking away being accepted to multiple colleges. Several students went home with full tuition, or even full ride scholarship offers! We are so proud of our seniors and for the many achievements they have reached so far. Stay tuned for the next Counselor Connection newsletter for much more about this event.
We work every day to make our schools a safe learning environment, and starting Monday we will be participating in Safe Schools Week as a district, with age-appropriate activities at each level. Here is a quick summary of activities by day.
Monday - Positive Post-It
Today we flip the script on bullying by encouraging students to post compassionate and thoughtful messages on lockers and in hallways. Students can fill out post-it notes in the front atrium before school.
Tuesday - See Something, Say Something.
At the high school level, students will work through the See Something, Say Something campaign. Students will participate in a see something, say something lesson during Advisory.
Wednesday - Digital Safety, Wear Orange
Today, we encourage students and staff to wear orange (the Unity Day color) to show kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Students will be reminded about digital safety by discussing safe online practices. Each class will learn the dos and don’ts of being online. K-2 students will simply be reminded that strangers can be both in person and online and to tell a trusted adult. Grades 3-12 will review this checklist. Students will also prep Unity posters for Thursday’s activity.
Thursday - Safety Pledge
Students and families are encouraged to take a stand and pledge to keep their schools safe. Students will have the opportunity to complete this pledge in school.
Friday - Link Together to Keep Schools Safe
Students will participate in making safety chains to think about and promote safe school behaviors. Each idea for safe behavior will be written on a paper link and connected to form a chain. Additional activities may include roundtable discussions on safety, reminding students about OK2SAY, and other activities like posting the safety pledges, or celebrating those who go above and beyond to keep our schools safe.
We will highlight activities throughout the week on our social media, and encourage families to discuss these activities at home to reinforce we are all in this together.
After School Expectations
Thank you for all of your support this year with attendance and student behaviors! As we enter the colder months, there are a couple of areas we are focusing on. We need your help. In order to keep our students and school safe, we cannot have students staying after school for extended periods of time. Anyone who stays after school MUST be in a supervised activity or sport. Students cannot stay beyond 2:45 if they are waiting for a ride. Please make proper arrangements, as we cannot safely supervise students who stay after school with nothing to do. We will ask students to be outside at 2:45 and they will not be permitted to re-enter the building. Students in unsupervised areas will be subject to disciplinary action. As it gets cold outside, it is important to make proper arrangements.
Also, it is essential that students are in school regularly and on time. As it becomes darker earlier, and cooler in the mornings, we typically see an increase in the number of students arriving late. Please join us in making prompt arrival and attendance a focus for all.
Proud to be a Laker!
Eric Pace
Principal - WBHS
District Wide Free Meal Information
For the 2023-24 school year, the State of Michigan created the Michigan School Meals Program allowing all students to receive one free breakfast and lunch meal daily at school, no matter their free/reduced meal status. However, filling out a free/reduced meal form is very important to families who are eligible and for the District to receive funding.
Family Benefits for Qualifying for Free/Reduced Meals
When families qualify for free/reduced price meals, students may be eligible for the following benefits:
Reduced Summer School fees
Reduced field trip fees with request
Reduced SAT, ACT and AP testing fees
Reduced college application fees
Potential additional benefits for Bridge Cards/P-EBT
Potential support for household cable/internet
Potential programs that provide holiday support
West Bloomfield School District Benefits for Qualifying Free/Reduced Meal Families
Did you know the federal government uses the number of free/reduced meal eligible students to determine how much money the district receives in grant funding?
West Bloomfield School District becomes eligible for Federal funds (Title I) when qualifying families fill out their free/reduced meal applications. If families do not fill out their forms, the District is at risk of losing funding for staff who provide critical services to our students.
Visit the application page to view the complete the application today!
À La Carte Items
Students are welcome to bring meals from home and purchase à la carte items as needed (including milk, second meals, bottled beverages and snack items).
Donuts with Dania
Blessings in a Backpack - Trivia Night
Save the Date - Casino Night
Join the Global Equity Team
Global Equity Team - first meeting October 18
You are formally invited to be part of the West Bloomfield School District’s Global Equity Team (G.E.T.).
G.E.T. exists to build a community that supports a restorative culture through relationships and educational equity for all. The three main focus points of the Global Equity Team are student outreach, culture and climate, and training and development.
Who will we be as a team?
We are students, caregivers, staff; and anyone who is part of the West Bloomfield community! Are you passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and social-emotional health and well-being? If so, please join us. Meetings will be held monthly along with opportunity for participation in subcommittees and special programs/projects.
What kind of work might G.E.T. be involved in?
Shared articles, learning, and discussion around various topics relevant to our school and district
Examining school materials with an equity lens
Development of language protocols on school documents
Reviewing and updating school policies and practices through an equity lens
Sharing classroom practices that lift up equity work
Discussion of concerns that arise around equity within a building
Elevating student, parent and community voices
If you are interested in being a member of the Global Equity Team click here. Our inaugural meeting will take place at West Bloomfield High School in the Media Center on October 18, at 6 p.m. We encourage your participation and engagement in this transformative initiative.
What other resources may be helpful in understanding our work?
Inclusive Celebrations and Information
Click for the October Inclusion Newsletter
Italian American Heritage Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
LGBT History Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Polish American Heritage Month
Red Ribbon and Anti-Bullying Month
September 29 - October 6 -- Sukkot (Judaism)
October 2 – International Day of Nonviolence
October 9 – National Indigenous Peoples’ Day (United States)
October 10 – Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
October 10 – World Mental Health Day
October 11 – National Coming Out Day (LGBTQ+)
October 15 – Navratri begins (Hindu)
October 15-21 Safe Schools Week
October 16 – Birth of the Bab (Baha’i)
October 19 – Spirit Day (LGBTQ+ anti-bullying)
October 20 – Sikh Holy Day (birth of Guru Granth)
October 22 – International Stuttering Awareness Day
October 23-31 Red Ribbon Week Theme "Be Kind to your Mind"
October 25 – Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i)
October 31 – Halloween
Technology Assistance Links
- Help with Canvas
- Help with Chromebook: www.wbsd.org/departments/technology
- Help with PowerSchool: www.wbsd.org/parents/powerschool
Registration for Winter Sports is Now Open In FinalForms
Registration for the Winter Sports Season at the high school is now available on FinalForms. If you have already created a FinalForms account, simply log into your account and select the sport you are interested in playing/trying out for.
If you have not set up a FinalForms account already, please do so at the following link:
www.westbloomfield-mi.finalforms.com
Follow the prompts to create your account, create your students and sign your forms. Attached below is also a Final Forms Parent Playbook to help you get started with your registration. You will need to sign all forms and attach a current physical (dated after April 15th, 2023) to complete registration.
Senior All Night Party
Important Updates and Information
ALLERGIES/ASTHMA/MEDICAL CONDITIONS – Students are not allowed to carry medication. The office must have a complete, signed West Bloomfield School District Medical Action Plan to be able to carry out any medication distribution. Each medication requires a separate form. Each year we need an updated plan for students needing medication. If your child requires medication the first day of school you must contact the office before school to verify paperwork and deliver the medication to the office. Further questions, please contact the school office at 248-865-6720.
ATTENDANCE – West Bloomfield School District expects students to be in school and on time for school on a daily basis. Absent and tardy students will be recorded daily and parents will be notified.
If your child will not be in school or will be late to school, you must call the 24-hour answering machine at 248-865-6522. Leave your student’s name, teacher’s name and reason for absence. For the safety of our students, please do your best to remember to call before the start of school (even if you are only going to be “a little” late).
- PROMPT 1 - Excuse an Absence - Absences must be called in within 24 hours of the student missing school, or the absence will be marked as unexcused.
- PROMPT 2 - Excuse a Tardy (only if a student is late to school, not to a class after they've arrived)
- PROMPT 3 - Early Dismissal (Outpass) - These must be submitted prior to the dismissal time if possible. Those trying for an early dismissal at the time that it is needed may experience a delay while the information is processed and the student is retrieved from class.
In an effort to support student safety and proper accountability, all absences should be excused by a parent. If the absent in unexcused, this tells us that the school and the family do not know where the student is, if not in school. Please make sure to excuse all absences. Teachers may not accept work for unexcused absences in an effort to discourage skipping.
Students who accumulate too many tardies may be subject to disciplinary actions such as after school detentions or suspension of school parking.
Students who accumulate too many absences will be referred to Oakland County Youth Assistance for support and may be referred to Oakland County Truancy is absences become excessive.
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS - Students are expected to be safe, respectful, and responsible at all times. Specific expectations can be found in the student handbook or the student code of conduct, and key items are listed below.
- Closed campus for lunch - Students MAY NOT receive an outpass to go to lunch or to pick up food for any reason.
- No food deliveries during school hours. This includes Door Dash, Grubhub, etc.
- No inappropriate or revealing clothing for any students
- No clothing with alcohol, drug, sexual, or inappropriate language or images
- No inappropriate language or gestures to be used by students at any time
- No hoods to be worn in school at any time
- No ski masks to be worn in school at any time
- No sunglasses to be worn in school at any time
- Phone use should only occur during passing time or during lunch. During class, it is up to the teacher's discretion as to how students may or may not use phones. If a student violates a teacher's phone policy/expectations, the teacher may confiscate the phone and return it to the student at the end of the period, or turn it in to the Student Relations office.
- Students must be in the cafeteria, Laker Commons, or the courtyard during lunch times. Students may not wander the halls or be in any unauthorized areas during lunches.
AFTER SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS - School dismisses at 2:23 PM. ALL STUDENTS need to be in a supervised activity or out of the building by 2:45 PM. We do not have the ability to safely supervise students after this time. There will be a late stay location for students who are in athletics or activities that begin AFTER 2:45. This supervised location will be in Laker Commons, across from the cafeteria. This supervision is ONLY for students who are in an activity. Students who are staying later than 2:45 who are not in a sport/activity must exit the building at or before this time. Students will be required to sign in with their ID and the activity they belong to.
LATE STARTS – throughout the school year we will participate in professional development that delays the start of the school day. On these days, school will start at 8:30 a.m., and the doors will be open for students beginning at 8:00 a.m.
IMMUNIZATIONS – All students that attend West Bloomfield School District must have accurate shot record information on file. Please be sure records are up to date. New students that do not have a shot record or a waiver on file are not allowed to attend school.
Blessings in a Backpack
If your child is a student (3 to 26 years of age) in the West Bloomfield Schools, s/he can also participate in the 2023-24 Blessings in a Backpack program.
This program sends six non-perishable meals home each Friday of the school year. Its goal is to make sure that no child goes hungry on the weekend. Run by volunteers, there is NO cost to you.
To enroll in this program, please fill out this form and return it to your school office or email it to katherinesheiko@hotmail.com. This registers your child/ren in the Blessings program and alerts us to any allergies they might have. The first backpack of food will be distributed to your child at his/her local school the first week of October.
World Celebrations
WBSD is Hiring
Social Skills for Kids
Attendance Tips
- Talk with your child about the importance of showing up to school every day, on time.
- Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
- Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
- If your child attends an unavoidable appointment during the school day, please ask the dentist, doctor, etc. for a note to excuse them from school. This should be turned in to the main office.
- Communicate with us if your child is sick. Please always call the SAFELINE if your child will be absent.
- Help your child stay engaged--remind them that you are excited to hear about their day when they come home.
- Ask for help from us if you’re having trouble getting your child to school. We are here to partner with you for your child's success!
Mental Health Resources
WBSD has partnered with Parent Guidance.org to give parents free access to resources and helpful information. We have shared this information with our families. We hope that it will be useful for some of you as well!
ParentGuidance.org is an online service by licensed therapists that provides trusted and specialized courses, professional support, and a safe community for parents to learn how to support their children and get answers to mental health questions.
Counselor Connection
