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 - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

• Oct. 15-21: Safe Schools Week
• Oct. 19: Community Conversation with Dr. Bernia - 10-11am at the Wixom Public Library
• Oct. 19: Board of Education Special Meeting
• Oct. 23: PTSA Council Meeting at Commerce Elementary
• Oct. 25: Community Conversation with Dr. Bernia - 5-6pm at the Westacres Clubhouse
• Oct. 31: Half Day for ALL Students
• Nov. 1: Half Day for Middle School Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Visit www.wlcsd.org/calendar for a complete list of events with details.

At the regular Board of Education meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5, the Walled Lake Board of Education proclaimed Oct. 15-21 as Michigan's Safe Schools Week in the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. In recognition of this proclamation, please review the following safety resources on a variety of subjects below:

• School Bus Safety
• Bicycle Safety
• Teen Driver Safety
• Home Firearm Safety
• Fire Safety
• Medication Safety

October is national bus awareness month and this week is national School Bus Safety week! Do you know the rules of the road when it comes to school busses? Please take a moment to view this 30 second video for a refresher.

As part of Safe Schools Week, the Walled Lake Consolidated School District completed a test of its Emergency Notification System on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. This test was completed to identify shortfalls in the District’s emergency communication procedures and reduce complications in the event of a school closure or other emergency situation where families and staff need to be contacted.

As part of the test, families and staff should have received:

• A phone call with a message from District staff
• An email with additional information
• An SMS message (if opted in to receive SMS messages)

If you did not receive one of these communications, please fill out this Google Form and the District’s Community Relations team will follow up to resolve the issue.

*See below for instructions in how to sign up for SMS messages from the District.

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
  

Mady Pavuk has shined in her first season on the Walled Lake Central equestrian team and, on October 11, claimed the first ever EWD Division state crown.

EWD stands for Equines with Disabilities. The EWD Division was a pilot program this year, which allowed riders with disabilities to compete along with their peers on their school's team against riders with similar abilities.

Pavuk has Mitochondrial Disease, which results in her small size, low muscle tone, and contributes to learning challenges. However, Pavuk showed this fall that when you don’t allow your disability to define you, anything is possible.

“While Mady may not be cut out for soccer or basketball, through Equestrian she has learned how to work together with her horse, Popcorn, to do patterns as well as run speed events,” said Greg Pavuk, Mady’s father. “This really is the greatest thing she has ever done, and she has been so happy to be on the team.”

Read more about Mady in the District News section of our website.

Warriors' senior Ryah Dewey took over our Instagram story for the day to give us an inside look at Walled Lake Western on the Friday of the annual Warriors For Warriors Pink Out.

You can view her takeover on our Instagram page by clicking on the 'WLW Pink Out' Highlight.

Mary Helen Guest Elementary teacher Melanie McFadden submitted her story of why her 3rd grade class deserved to win new pairs of shoes. That story touched the hearts of many and on Thursday, October 12, Volunteers of America and Detroit Metro Area Chevy Dealers delivered new shoes, cider and donuts to her class.

The Walled Lake Competitive Marching Band put together a performance of a lifetime on Saturday at the MCBA Novi Fanfare.

The combined marching band from Walled Lake Central and Walled Lake Western took first place in Flight I and swept all five caption awards: Best Music, Best Visuals, Best General Effect, Best Percussion and Best Auxiliary.

Kyle Clyma volunteered his time over the past month to help clean up the flower beds around Twin Sun Early Childhood Center. He pulled weeds, dead plants, and put down mulch as part of his volunteer hours for National Honor Society.

Oakley Park Elementary's Mr. B had to pay up on Thursday after his fifth grade students reached their goal for this year's annual fall mum sale. The top 16 sellers were each given a can of silly string to cover Mr. B from head to toe.

Please keep an eye out across our social media accounts as we highlight each one of our principals throughout the month of October.

As a result of increasing high demand and not having enough room in our fridge/freezers/kitchens/ovens, the elementary school menu will change to the menu below starting October 16. Light lunch and turkey sandwiches will be offered as a second option.

1. Turkey Sandwich is served with a ½ cup of fruit or a ½ cup of vegetable and choice of milk, if they want milk.
2. Light Lunch is served with yogurt, one cheese stick, a grain (Gold fish crackers, graham crackers, Chat Graham or Giant Gold Fish) ½ cup of fruit or a ½ cup of vegetable and choice of milk, if they want milk

In an effort to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the form below to nominate 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.

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