WBSD Weekly Update

Dear Families of the West Bloomfield School District,

Helping students do their best in school requires a team effort. Parents, students and school staff all play important roles in this process. To help all of us learn how to make your child's schooling experience as positive and beneficial as possible, we are asking parents and guardians to give us their honest, thoughtful responses.

The survey will be open until April 11. Click here for the parent/guardian survey. If you have multiple children please complete one survey per child.

Scott Long

Assistant Superintendent for Learning Services

We are thrilled to share some exciting news! On March 17, the West Bloomfield Board of Education officially approved the EL Education literacy curricular resource for implementation in our K-5 classrooms in the 2025-26 school year. This decision reflects our district’s strategic plan and commitment to providing our students with a high-quality, research-based approach to literacy that fosters a love of reading, critical thinking, and strong foundational skills.

EL Education is a knowledge-building curriculum designed to engage students through rich, diverse texts and meaningful learning experiences. By integrating content-rich topics across subject areas, it helps students develop deep understanding and critical thinking skills while strengthening their literacy abilities. With its structured approach and emphasis on highly focused & explicit standards-based literacy instruction, this curriculum will support each of our learners in developing the skills they need to succeed.

We’re thrilled to share the EL literacy resource with our elementary students, and we are confident that it is the best tool available to support literacy learning and growth. We also realize the importance of communicating with and educating our families in order to enhance the home-school connection. As such, you can expect the following next school year:

• District-Wide Informational Zoom on September 25th at 6:30 pm (more details to follow)

• Clear and consistent family communication at all elementary curriculum nights in the Fall of 2025

• Helpful tips and information for families about classroom pacing and content in weekly teacher newsletters throughout the 2025-26 school year

• Quarterly district-wide literacy nights to help keep families connected and aware of how to support their child at home

We look forward to growing with you and your child in our pursuit to ensure that each child has an engaging and supportive pathway to literacy growth.

Sincerely,

WBSD Learning Services & Elementary Principals

National Assistant Principals Week April 7-11

• April 18: No School
• April 21: Board Meeting
• April 23: Late Start
• May 7: Late Start
• Full Calendar Here

Friday, May 9, 2025, at 7 a.m. TEMPLE ISRAEL

Greater West Bloomfield volunteers give their time, talent, and personal resources on a daily basis without regard for recognition or promotion. We invite you to help us celebrate and recognize these individuals and organizations that serve our community year-round.

To purchase tickets, click here. The deadline to purchase tickets is April 18th!

The construction progress on the NEW Sheiko Elementary School is remarkable to watch. Here is a quick snapshot of your bond dollars at work! Thank you for investing in education.

Jesse Almodovar is from Chicago and now calls West Bloomfield home. Jesse has worked in restaurant kitchens, catering venues and operated as a private chef to many pro athletes, artists and families. Jesse's focus is now on being a husband and father as he settles into his new role as District Chef. Jesse's intention is to elevate the culinary experience of students in his community and to work closely with the district to demonstrate the versatility of healthy food.

Andrea Grobe is excited to be a part of the WBSD team with Aramark Student Nutrition! She has 8 years of experience in K-12 food services, and has a passion for serving quality and nutritious meals to our hard working kids! Meal time fuels learning and she is eager to bring some fresh new ideas to our menus in all grade levels to increase participation in our program.

What are SUN Bucks? SUN Bucks is the new name for Summer EBT. Eligible families of school-age children will receive $120 per child for qualifying groceries.

Who Should Apply? Families that are not automatically enrolled should apply for SUN Bucks directly.

Note: Families will be automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks if they are already enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations) benefits or meet the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals. In other words, keep an eye out for $120 per child at the beginning of summer!

Where to Find the Application - This application is available online!

Deadlines: Apply by April 15, 2025, to be eligible for the first issuance of benefits in May. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until August 31, 2025.

National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5-9, 2025. The Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) Office of Educator Excellence wishes to celebrate teachers across Michigan for the entire month of May.

MDE invites parents to submit 15-30 second videos of their students recognizing and thanking a specific teacher for their impact. Cell phones easily capture the videos. Please follow the directions on the flyer. Videos and parental consent must be submitted via the Teacher Appreciation Video Project Google Form. Videos are currently being accepted until Friday, April 16, 2025.

Submitted videos may be posted on the Teacher Appreciation Month webpage and MDE’s YouTube channel. The Office of Educator Excellence’s Facebook (@MIeducator) and X (formerly Twitter) social media pages will be promoting the videos throughout the month of May.

If your child has great things to say about a teacher, use the instructions found on MDE’s website to submit a video today!

Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan provides focused direction to drive educational achievement in support of all learners.

• 3 year-old preschool is tuition-based, and we offer half-day options. To register and enroll, please visit here and follow the steps.
  

Inaya Qureshi, a junior at West Bloomfield High School, has been a dedicated advocate for equity and inclusion since fourth grade, when she co-founded an anti-bullying club with her peers. She now serves as president of Voice of Equality, a student-led nonprofit dedicated to promoting the understanding, acceptance and celebration of diversity. Over the past two years, Inaya has led a core group of 19 students to deliver interactive, stereotype-challenging assemblies in more than 50 elementary school classrooms across the West Bloomfield School District.

As student co-chair of United We Walk, a district-wide initiative honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Inaya helped lead more than 90 high school students to read the book “We Dream a World” by Yolanda King to thousands of elementary students, uniting the district in a shared message of justice and hope. Inaya is founder and president of her school's UNICEF Club, advocating for children's rights and local outreach. She created PULSE, an app designed to improve access to physical and mental wellness for individuals with multiple sclerosis. As a University of Michigan Youth Civil Rights Fellow, she also founded “Mind, Body, and Imaan,” an initiative focused on reducing mental health stigma in Muslim and minority communities. In addition to her advocacy, Inaya is the author of three online books with more than 1.1 million collective reads.

She is among 32 students nationwide who have earned the prestigious Princeton Prize! It’s a $2500 prize and an all expenses paid trip to Princeton University to attend the Symposium.

WBSD is happy to share that Representative Noah Arbit is hosting an upcoming Town Hall on Hate Crimes and Extremism Wednesday, May 7th at 7 p.m. This informative, timely event will feature a panel conversation with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and world-renowned scholar Dr. Cynthia Miller Idriss, Founding Director of the Polarization, Extremism, Research and Innovation Lab at American University and bestselling author of Hate in the Homeland.

What is the aim of the event?

The event will focus on educating attendees on how to identify and report hate crimes, how Michigan is working to tackle hate crimes and extremism, including the recent passage of my Michigan Hate Crime Act, other legislation in the works, from a law enforcement perspective through Attorney General Nessel’s Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit, at universities, as well as strategies and tools to combat hate, extremism, radicalization that we can implement locally in our community.

Save the date (7 p.m., May 7) and watch for more details soon!

Thank you to our school community members, elected officials, and Chamber of Commerce friends for supporting our Ribbon Cutting last week as we unveiled the new WB Transition Center (located inside the WBHS, with a seperate secure entrance at the back of building).

The mission of the WB Transition Center is to support developmentally diverse adults 18-26 by fostering independent living skills and preparing them for competitive employment, empowering them to lead fulfilling and self-sufficient lives.

Space Features: Simulated Apartment, Instructional Kitchen, Dreamcrafts Workroom, Transition Sensory Room, and PAES Lab. PAES stands for Practical Assessment Exploration System and it is a hands-on, simulated work environment used to assess vocational potential and employability skills, particularly for students with disabilities, through a structured curriculum with various job tasks.

West Bloomfield High School Theatre department proudly presents the family-friendly fantasy Matilda, the Musical, at 7 p.m. on May 1, 2, and 3, at West Bloomfield High School (4925 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield). American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be present on May 3rd at the 1 p.m. matinee. Tickets are $20 ($5 for any WBSD student) and are on sale starting April 10th at https://wbhstheatrearts.ludus.com. Tickets will also be on sale at the school’s box office prior to each performance.

An exciting opportunity for Girl Scouts! Troops must reserve tickets by April 9th (before tickets go on sale to the general public on April 10th) to receive a special gift. Email wbhstheatreprograms@gmail.com to reserve your tickets!

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is seeking leaders in the Class of 2027 that would like to be among the next eight members of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council. Applications are due by Monday, April 21st.

The application can be downloaded from MHSAA.com and emailed directly to sac@mhsaa.com. Finalists will be interviewed via Zoom, and we will announce the new class by May 2.

• DOWNLOAD application: PDF | WORD
• MORE INFORMATION about the role of the council

• Boys Varsity Golf beats Farmington 191-197

• Track & Field Fundraiser ends 4/13!

• Shop Laker spirit gear here.

• All Teams Schedule
  
  

Bus Tracker has been deactivated, so please join the 1,372 families already enjoying the advanced features of BusZone. More families have downloaded the app but not finished the set up process so they are not getting notifications.

To sign up you'll need to:

• download the app
• use our district code 4079WBSD
• know your student ID number from PowerSchool
• for elementary routes you need to know the route number and school name
• be sure to set up both AM and PM routes
• take advantage of the push notification feature.

Need help? Contact: Tanja Thomas, General Manager, Phone: (248) 865-3682 or email tathomas@durhamschoolservices.com. We use your feedback to improve the sign up materials and services available. For example, based on feedback we added information on the midday routes after spring break!

All Lunch Menus are located on the Nutrition Services page, use this link.

• Temporary School Counselor
• School Counselor (2025-26)
• English Language Development (ELD) Program Teacher - 0.6 FTE (2025-26 or sooner if available)
• Speech and Language Pathologist (2025-26)
• Kindergarten Teacher (2025-26)
• English Language Arts Teacher - multiple positions (2025-26)
• Mathematics Teacher - multiple positions (2025-26)
• Early On Teacher/Speech and Language Pathologist/School Social Worker - Birth to 3 Years, 0.5 FTE (2025-26)
• Early On Teacher/Speech and Language Pathologist/School Social Worker - Birth to 3 Years, 1.0 FTE (2025-26)
• Teacher for the Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2025-26)

• GWB Historical Society Events
• Greater West Bloomfield Community Coalition
• Oakland County Parks
• West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation
• West Bloomfield Township Public Library
• West Bloomfield Youth Assistance

· National Poetry Month (Youth)

· Autism Acceptance Awareness Month (Youth)

· Arab American Heritage Month (Teen)

Read to a Dog

Thursday, April 17 from 6-7pm

Main Library – Youth Activity Center
What happens when you bring children, dogs and books together? You get happy, confident children who love to read. Trainers with their well-behaved, certified therapy dogs will be on hand so elementary students can practice independent reading skills while reading to a friendly canine companion.

For Grades K-5. No Registration Required

Paying For College

Wednesday, April 16 from 6-7pm

Main Library – Meeting Room
Join Carrie A. Gilchrist, Senior Financial Aid Outreach Adviser at Oakland University for a presentation on the financial aid process. Topics covered will include the elements of financial aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), private resources available, and more! Please use the link below to register. Note: If a minimum number of registrants is not reached, this presentation will move from in person to virtual. Log-in information will be sent if the program moves to virtual.

For Grades 6-12. Registration Required

Click here to register: https://apply.oakland.edu/register/?id=9af13382-2797-407b-9f8c-ea10efcd94bf

WBSD Elementary Schools welcomed Jarrett Lerner, an award-winning author-illustrator and creator of some of our favorite books!