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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• February 6: Board of Education regular meeting
• February 6-9: WLN presents "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" - Tickets on sale NOW

• Feb. 11: High School early release
• Feb. 13: Name of Love tour - all 4 middle schools
• Feb. 14: Schools of Choice Application Deadline
• Feb. 17-21: Mid-Winter Break - no school for students or staff

Walled Lake Northern senior Anatasia Lipsitz took over our Instagram story for Tech Saturday to give you a behind the scenes look at the preparations of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", ahead of tonight's opening night!

You can see the takeover on under the "Joseph" Highlight on our Instagram.

Show Times

• Thursday, February 6 - 7 p.m.
• Friday, February 7 (ASL Performance) - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, February 8 - 7 p.m.
• Sunday, February 9 - 2 p.m.

Walled Lake Northern senior Amal Younes etched her name in the Knights’ record books on Friday, January 31 as she buried her 1,000th career point. Younes hit the historic milestone with a bang notching a double-double, 29 points and 13 steals, in a win over rival Walled Lake Western.

“I feel very blessed to be put into a position where I could achieve this milestone and it feels good to know that all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off,” said Younes.

Not only did Younes reach the milestone, but she is also the first person in school history to reach that mark on the basketball court, girl or boy.

“Being the first to hit 1,000 career points at Walled Lake Northern for both girls and boys is an incredible honor,” said Younes. “It means a lot because it reflects not just individual success, but also the hard work, dedication, and support from my teammates, coaches, and the community. It’s a reminder of the years of commitment I’ve put into the game and how far I’ve come, but it also shows how much the program has grown and the impact we’ve had on the school's basketball legacy.”

Four Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ wrestlers stood at the top of the podium on Saturday at Lakeland High School claiming individual Lakes Valley Conference championships.

Walled Lake Central senior Connor Doughty took home the league title in the 150 lbs. class. Doughty clinched the LVC crown pinning Kettering’s Cameron Burley in the second period.

Doughty’s Walled Lake United teammate, and Walled Lake Northern junior, James Moore cruised to the 175 lbs. class title with an 8-1 major decision over Kettering’s Jamari Powell.

Walled Lake Western had two of its wrestlers take home league titles as well. Junior Nicholas Vo defeated Kettering’s Mason Holland with an 11-5 decision in the 126 lbs. class, and freshman Austin Davis pinned Walled Lake United’s Landon Kane to claim the 113 lbs. title.

Continue reading on district website.

Walled Lake Western cheer showed out on its home floor on Saturday taking home the 2024-25 Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Championship.

The Warriors won two of the three contests totaling a score of 778.06 to win the conference crown by nearly ten points over South Lyon East. The Cougars, however, edged Walled Lake Western by 0.42 points to claim this year’s overall Lakes Valley Conference Championship.

The 4th-ranked team in Division 2 closes its regular season on Saturday at Divine Child before the Warriors shift their focus to the MHSAA Division 2 District competition on February 15, 10 a.m., at Holly.

The Walled Lake Middle School dance team claimed a pair of Top 5 finishes at its second trip to the UDA National Championships at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Florida.

In just its fourth year as a program, the ladies took third place in Junior High Pom with a score of 83.5375 and claimed fourth place with their jazz routine tallying a score of 82.075.

A year ago, the Walled Lake Middle School dance team finished sixth in Junior High Dance in its first time competing at the UDA National Championships.

(Photo: Teresa Presty Sports Photography)

Warriors For Warriors dished out $40,000 on Friday night at the annual Walled Lake Western Pink Out basketball games to two foundations that help families battling Cancer, Angels of Hope and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

Warriors For Warriors presented Angels of Hope and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation with checks for $20,000 each during the boys’ and girls’ basketball double-header. The generous donations were possible thanks to funds raised during Pink Out events from football, basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, boys’ and girls’ hockey, softball, swim and dive, boys’ lacrosse, volleyball, and fundraising efforts from Walled Lake Western’s student leadership. Scott Bancroft also donated money from the proceeds of his hand crocheted hats.

Warriors For Warriors has raised and donated over $750,000 since being established 13 years ago.

Nine students from across Walled Lake Consolidated Schools took home Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the regional competition with over 5,000 entries submitted from the state of Michigan.

Seven Walled Lake Central students received Gold Key Awards and will be moving on to the national competition for a chance to have their artwork shown at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Additionally, four Vikings and two Walled Lake Western students earned Silver Key Awards.

The Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Award Ceremony will be held on February 10 at the Detroit Institute of the Arts on February 10. The winner’s pieces will also be on display at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit from February 10 thru 25.

See complete list of winning students and their artwork.

The Walled Lake Northern snow sculpting team doubled down in 2025 earning a pair of Top 10 awards at one of the state’s most well-know winter festivals.

The Knights were among more than 20 high school teams to compete at the 34th annual Zehnder’s Snowfest, and after coming in eleventh place a year ago, created two sculptures that finished in the Top 10 in just their second year as program.

Walled Lake Northern’s sculpture “Empathy Over Appetite” (left) claimed fifth place with its sculpture “Artic Kin” (right) taking eighth place.

It was an epic afternoon at Pleasant Lake Elementary on Friday! The Sharks knocked down 369 boxes of cereal to celebrate their HUGE donation to the Hospitality House Food Pantry! Talk about making an impact, one box at a time!

Watch the cereal dominos fall!

Take a short survey on your school and be entered for a chance to win $1,000. Open to students, parents, and recent alumni. Enter the survey by clicking here or in the graphic.

Deadline: February 28, 2025

All current 8th grade students and their parents/guardians are invited to attend 8th Grade Families' 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.

The purpose of the Irene Daniels Walled Lake PTSA Council Scholarship is to encourage worthy students to undertake a post-secondary course of study. The Council Scholarship Committee reviews applications and qualifications of students from Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Central, and Walled Lake Western High Schools and one winner from each school is selected every year. The PTSA Council bases some of the criteria of the scholarship on volunteerism, leadership, school activities/honors, and recommendations by counselors or teachers. The three students selected each receive $750 to use toward future educational costs.

Complete the application form on the Walled Lake PTSA webpage: https://www.wlcsd.org/families/ptsa-council/irene-daniels-scholarship

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.

March 17 - March 21

• Grades 9, 10, 11 — Digital Readiness Check during English classes.

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

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 this link or the button below.

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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.

Mar 13, 2025 7:00 PM EDT

Walled Lake Northern Unified Basketball Team

All Tickets Include:

• Access to the Pistons game
• Access to Unified games
• Unified Showcase Winter Beanie
• A donation to the Walled Lake Northern High School Unified Program

All Unified players are sitting in section 101.

Section 208 are for people who only plan to attend the Unified games and not the Pistons game later that night.

Timing:

11:30am - Doors Open

12:00pm - Berkley vs Clarkston

12:55pm - Northwestern vs Avondale

1:45pm - Walled Lake Northern vs Livonia Churchill

2:35pm - Northville Unified vs Hartland Unified

*You must have a ticket to the Pistons game to get access to the Unified games*

*If you DO NOT plan on attending the Pistons game, we encourage you to purchase the most affordable ticket possible*

*If you would like to purchase lower-level tickets, please contact Andy Myers at 313.771.7588 or amyers@pistons.com

• SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2025
  
• 10:00AM
  
• Benefiting Pediatric Cancer Research at U of M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
  
• Register or Donate at www.Passion-for-Life.org
• Downtown Walled Lake

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