WBHS Update

Hello Laker Nation,

With only one week remaining until a much deserved holiday and winter break, it is important to remain focused on learning, being on time, and making progress toward success. Once we return from break, there is only one week until we take the semester 1 final exams. Take these next couple of weeks as an opportunity to complete any make up work to stay on track for a strong finish.

At this time of year, it is unfortunate that we see a trend of increased tardiness and absences. Please remember that being on time to class and in school are essential to quality learning. If there are extenuating circumstance or barriers to attendance, please reach out. We maintain a goal of 95% attendance on a daily basis, and it takes all of us to reach this goal.

Please join us in balancing our hard work with some fun by participating in our winter spirit week! See the flyer below for more details!

• Monday: Ski vs. Surf - Snow Gear or Tropical
• Tuesday: Winter Wonderland - Blue and White
• Wednesday: Holiday Pajama Day
• Thursday: Holiday Head to Toe - Hats and Socks
• Friday: Ugly Sweater Day

Proud to be a Laker,

Eric Pace

Principal - WBHS

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ATTENDANCE AND OUTPASS CLARIFICATION

In order to support all learners and protect our classes from unnecessary disruption:

• No immediate outpasses
• All outpasses must be called in by noon for the current day in order to be processed
• Students will not be released after 1:45, the release time must be before 1:45
• It is your student's responsibility to come to the attendance office at the time of the outpass, we are unable to call into rooms in order to protect the teaching and learning of the other students.

Drop off items:

If you are dropping off an item for your students please make sure they are aware. They will need to stop by the security desk in between classes. We are unable to call into rooms in order to protect the teaching and learning of the other students.

Teacher Communication:

In order to minimize disruptions we will no longer be calling in for dropped off items or outpasses. Please make sure to check the outpass list when releasing students.

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

As a young person right out of college, MEA member Jennifer Sepetys had all she’d imagined for herself, living in Chicago with a friend and working successfully in advertising sales. But something was missing.

She decided to do volunteer work tutoring kids at Cabrini-Green, a public housing project in the city. The educators in her family – her mom and grandparents – had always pushed her to join the family profession, but being young and stubborn she’d gone her own way, Sepetys said.

“I did tutoring for a year and loved it. I realized I loved it more than my regular job, and that’s when I decided I wanted to go back to school to become ... read more here

West Bloomfield, MI – December 7, 2024 – West Bloomfield High School (WBHS) students brought home impressive accolades from the DECA District 6 Conference, held on December 7 at Berkley High School in Michigan. WBHS emerged as a standout, earning recognition as one of the top schools in the district.

At the conference, 23 medallions were earned for exceptional performance, earning recognition as some of the best in the district. These students demonstrated excellence in various aspects of marketing, finance, business, and entrepreneurship through various role plays and sales presentations.

Among the award winners, 16 students earned the distinction of advancing to the Michigan DECA State Conference, scheduled for March 14-16, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. This prestigious event will bring together the top 5000 marketing students from across Michigan, where these students will compete for a chance to represent Michigan at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, Florida, in April 2025.

In total, 51 WBHS students will participate in the State Conference, competing in role plays, sales projects, and presenting in-depth written papers, which include 10-20 pages of research on a local business. The students will showcase their ability to analyze real-world business scenarios and present innovative solutions to industry challenges.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and their hard work,” said Julie Zalla, DECA Advisor. “Their dedication and passion for marketing are evident, and we look forward to seeing them continue to excel at the State Conference. The DECA program provides invaluable experience and skills that will serve them well in the future.”

West Bloomfield High School’s DECA chapter continues to be a leader in preparing students for careers in marketing, business, and entrepreneurship. The DECA program fosters leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, equipping students with the tools they need for success in the global economy.

For more information about West Bloomfield High School’s DECA chapter and its upcoming events, please contact Julie Zalla.

The WBHS bowling team is doing a gourmet popcorn fundraiser! Hep support our bowling team by clicking the image above to shop for delicious gourmet popcorn.

The fundraiser runs through 1/17/25

Hello WBHS Families!

The WBHS Student Leadership Adopt-A-Family committee is looking to help a family in our community this coming holiday season. Last year was a huge success raising over $2,000 in donations! This will not be possible without your help!

To help out this amazing family please consider purchasing items from this Amazon registry! https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3ANCE9TMZ7ETO

Thank you so much for your help in contributing to this family’s holiday!

WBHS Leadership Adopt a Family Committee,

Jacquelyn Sandiha, Sydney Denawetz, Elysse Love, and Jessica Conkey

Free & Reduced Lunch forms have a new name - please fill it out

The new school year has opened in meal magic so we are ready for free and reduced applications to start coming in. We are serving free meals under Michigan School Meals again this year, but we still need all families to complete an application. The free and reduced meals application is now called the "Education and Nutrition Benefits Application." This is because it is tied to other benefits that families may receive such as Summer EBT. These supplemental programs have the potential to offer additional support for reduced priced sports, ACT, SAT, college application and AP exam waivers. This information is also critical in determining the amount of money our schools receive from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs.

Here is an FAQ letter answering Frequently Asked Questions. All of our applications are taken 100% online.

Our special dietary needs form is also posted online. This needs to be filled out and returned to nutrition services for any students that may have severe medical food allergies. Thank you!

West Bloomfield junior Elizabeth Eichbrecht continued her dominance, becoming a three-time state champion in her pair of preferred events at Saturday’s Division 1 championships at Holland Aquatic Center.

A winner in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events as both a freshman and sophomore, Eichbrecht’s three-peat alone accounted for half of the Lakers’ 80 points, good for a 12th-place finish at the event, won by Ann Arbor Pioneer (386 points).

Click here for more information about Laker Athletics

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 248-865-6722. 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.

• 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!

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.

For all updates related to college, careers, counseling, scholarships, college rep visits, and more, make sure to check out the Counselor Connection Newsletter.