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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• January 31: In-District Transfer Application Deadline
• 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 will take over our Instagram story for Tech Saturday to give you a behind the scenes look at the preparations of the Knights' musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", ahead of opening night on February 6.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram so you don't miss out on all the fun!

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.

Six high school and five middle band and orchestra students shined over the weekend at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids.

Walled Lake Western alto saxophone player Noah Springer was selected as one of the top young composers in Michigan and performed his full orchestra composition, Lost.

Eleven students were also chosen for the 2024-25 All-State program. Only the top performers for each instrument were selected out of over 2,700 middle school and high school students that auditioned. Those students then had the opportunity to rehearse with esteemed conductors for two days before performing on Saturday at the Michigan Music Conference.

Sarah G. Banks Middle School’s Brady Cruzen (clarinet), Nicholas Heuvers (tuba), and Arden Ishmakej (clarinet) were joined by Clifford H. Smart Middle School French horn player Evan Reed in the Middle School All-State Band. Bulldogs’ violinist Chaewon Kim was our lone middle schooler to perform in with the All-State Orchestra.

Walled Lake Northern’s Caleb Bauer (violin) and Claire Spoutz (double bass) performed as part of the High School All-State Orchestra. Knights’ percussionist Matthew Staron was joined by Walled Lake Western’s Vadim Afanasyev (clarinet) and Alejandro Samaniego Ramos (baritone saxophone) in the High School All-State Band. Warriors’ trumpet player Carter Tucker-Grough also performed as part of the High School All-State Jazz Emsemble.

Additionally, Walled Lake Central’s Han Chau (violin), Walled Lake Northern’s Scott Konopka (bass clarinet) and Gustave Vellozzo (baritone saxophone), and Sarah G. Banks Middle School’s Josh Wilson (bass clarinet) received honorable mention recognition for their outstanding auditions.

The Walled Lake Northern Bel Canto Ensemble shined on Saturday at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids.

The Knights’ were one of just three high school groups from the state of Michigan selected to performance at the annual event.

Walled Lake Northern was selected by a blind panel from their application, which included recorded performances spanning three years with a variety of style, language and accompaniment.

Bryan Feldpausch from the Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union surprised Hickory Woods Elementary principal Lisa Shannon on Tuesday with a $1,000 sponsorship check to help the Hawks in their fundraising efforts to bring a therapy dog to the school.

Along with the big check, Feldpausch also delivered Crumbl Cookie for to show WLSFCU’s appreciation for the hard-working staff at Hickory Woods.

The Walled Lake Norsemen added some new hardware to the trophy case last weekend claiming the 2024-25 Lakes Valley Conference Wrestling Championship.

The combined team from Walled Lake Central and Northern avenged early season losses to both Milford and South Lyon East en route to the title.

"The hard work is showing and, as a coaching staff, we couldn't be prouder of the effort our team is putting in each and every day," said head coach Steve Dreisbach.

The Walled Lake Western competitive cheer team claimed its 16th city championship this week as the Warriors hosted the annual all-Walled Lake Competition.

Walled Lake Western will also host the Lakes Valley Conference Competitive Cheer Championship this Saturday at 10 a.m.

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.

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