WBHS Update

Hello Laker Nation,

We are pleased to announce that WBHS will again be utilizing an online management system for the purposes of scheduling Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences. This system allows parents to personally schedule conference dates and times for their high school child(ren). Conferences will be held with options for both virtual and/or face-to-face attendance.

CLICK FOR FULL GUIDE TO CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

You will be provided with a link for each virtual conference. After opening the link you will be placed into a waiting room until the teacher admits you at your scheduled conference time. In order to have time to exit one meeting and log into another, it is recommended that you allow no less than five minutes between conferences.

In-person conferences require participants to meet in-person with the teacher in their designated location at the school. Please wait near that location at least 5 minutes before your scheduled time.

Important Dates:

• Beginning Today: Register for an account on the Schoolsoft website
• Wednesday, November 13: Schoolsoft site open for scheduling at 6:00 AM
• Wednesday, November 20: Schoolsoft site closes for scheduling at Noon
• Thursday, November 21: Virtual Conferences Only - 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM Parent-Teacher Conferences (teacher dinner break 5:30 PM-6:00 p.m.)
• Friday, November 22: In-person Conferences Only - 11:20 AM to 2:40 PM. - Parent-Teacher Conferences

We strongly recommend that parents go onto the Schoolsoft site now and register for an account. After an account is configured users will receive an email when the system opens prompting them to book an appointment.

The Conference Manager opens to all parents for booking appointments on November 13 at 6:00 AM and will remain open until Noon on November 20. All Parent-Teacher conferences are limited to five minutes.

Step 1 – Go to wbsd.schoolsoft.com and create an account for yourself.* (Click on Register Now) This will take less than a minute but is a necessary step for scheduling your child’s conferences.

*If you created an account as a WBHS parent last year, simply login with your email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, click “forgot my password” and it will be emailed to you.

Step 2: Fill out the registration information and click submit.

Step 3 – Book your Parent-Teacher Conferences beginning Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00 AM

Select the date you wish to book an appointment and then select all the teachers with whom you wish to meet. You will see each teacher’s schedule. **Please note: Some teachers share the same last name. In this case, carefully review first initials.

Please note that conference times will be scheduled as follows on Thursday, November 21 for virtual conferences:

• 3:30 - 5:30 PM - Conferences
• 5:30 - 6:00 PM - Teacher Dinner Break
• 6:00 - 7:30 PM - Conferences

Please note that conference times will be scheduled as follows on Friday, November 22 for in-person conferences:

• 11:20 AM - 2:40 PM - Conferences

After booking your appointments you may print off your schedule. You will also receive an email confirming your bookings. You may also log into the system at any time to view your bookings, print, or cancel and reschedule appointments.

Step 4 – Email confirmation and reminder emails

Once appointments are booked, you will receive a confirmation email from appointments@schoolsoft.com Adding this email address to your address book in your email application will help ensure it overrides any spam filters. You will also receive an email reminder before your conference to confirm your upcoming appointment.

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PARKING PASSES! - All student drivers must have a WBHS parking pass. Those who are driving without a pass have received multiple warnings. If a student is caught driving without a pass, they will be subject to school discipline. It is a safety measure to monitor student driving and to make sure the only students in our lot are WBHS students.

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We will be continuing to conduct hall sweeps frequently. Students have 5 minutes between classes to be on time. We have seen several students standing in the hallways talking with friends, even after the two minute warning bell. Anyone caught in a hall sweep will receive a warning the first time. After that, any student caught will receive an after school detention. Please help us reinforce the importance of being on time.

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IMPORTANT - Please help us with our focus areas for student attendance and behaviors

1. It is essential that students are on time. Students receive four tardies penalty free in a week, and then will receive an after school detention. After that, a detention will be assigned every third tardy. This resets weekly. Please encourage students to move to each class in a timely manner, and to be in class by the time the bell rings. Parents can excuse up to 3 tardies when students arrive to school, but any other tardies will count toward consequences. Parents may not excuse tardies between classes.
2. Students are not allowed to wear hoods in the building at any time. It is imperative that we can identify students on camera and in person at all times. Hoods, especially when coupled with masks, make that very challenging. Ski-Mask style face masks with hoods are NOT PERMITTED. Also, clothing that has logos of alcohol or drug related business or products, or expose undergarments are NOT PERMITTED. Students were asked, without penalty, for the first week of school to remove hoods or change clothing listed above if wearing them. Additionally, each student heard me speak directly on this issue at our class meetings, or will hear it this week. Students will receive one more reminder, penalty free, and then each occurrence afterward will result in an after school detention. Please remind your students of these expectations.
3. After school, students have from 2:23 until 2:45 to take care of any needs they may have. A warning bell sounds at 2:40, followed by a final bell and verbal reminder at 2:45. At 2:45 students must be at their athletic practice or designated area, at their club or activity, or need to leave campus. If a student is still waiting for a ride at 2:45, they can wait outside. Students who have an after school sport or activity that begins after 2:45 may check in with staff in Laker Commons, verify their name on a roster, and wait until their event begins. There is NO AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISION for students who are not in a sport or activity.
4. WBHS is a closed campus for lunch. Students may not leave campus for lunch and return. This presents safety and learning issues when students leave campus. Students found to be getting out passes or leaving without permission will be considered skipping in an unauthorized area.
5. Students MAY NOT use food delivery services during school. No outside food will be allowed into the building unless it is hand delivered by a parent/guardian to the security office. Students cannot exit the building to retrieve food.

Finally, we understand that the parking lot can be pretty overwhelming at arrival and during dismissal. Please be patient, plan for traffic delays, and follow the expected flow. Students and parents must use the main lot for parking, pickup, and drop off. The drive in front of the building and along the south side of the building is reserved for bus traffic. The north lot near the athletic fields is reserved for staff parking. Students are not allowed to be picked up or dropped of in these areas. There is a traffic flow pattern in the main lot from the main entrance, through the lot, and up to the center walkway. Please follow this pattern to maximize timing, efficiency, and safety.

Proud to be a Laker!

Eric Pace

Principal - WBHS

West Bloomfield Varsity Football will travel to Detroit Catholic Central this Friday, November 8th at 7pm for a District Championship game. Please see the information below regarding details for the game:

1. Catholic Central's home field is located at 27225 Wixom Road, Novi.
2. All tickets ($7) are available on GoFan at the following link: https://gofan.co/event/2142296?schoolId=MI10121
3. Parking is at a premium on campus. When the campus parking is filled, all spectators will be directed to the following and bussed over to the game: Target parking lot (directly across the street) or St. Catherine Academy, 28200 Napier Rd., Wixom.
4. There is no tailgating at TARGET. Visiting tailgating will take place at the tennis court fields off of the South drive.

Let's cheer on our Lakers to another District Title!!!!

Go Lakers!

After defeating the Novi Wildcats by a score of 49-15 in the first round of the MHSAA playoffs, the Lakers will take the field on the road against the Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks on Friday, 11/8 at 7:00 PM in the District Finals. Join the SWAMP in cheering on our Lakers!!! Tickets will soon be available on gofan.co by searching for West Bloomfield High School.

Where can you find a donkey, a fairy, a love potion, and a play within a play? In next weekend’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream—one of Shakespeare’s funniest comedies!

When a runaway bride flees into an enchanted forest, chaos, magic, and mistaken identities follow. Join us for this whimsical adventure full of love, laughter, and enchanting surprises. Will true love conquer all? Come find out!

Show Dates:

• Thursday, Nov. 14, Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7pm

• Matinee with ASL interpretation on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1pm

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!

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.

If you are interested in participating in athletics during the Winter Sports Season 2024-2025, please see the following reminders:

1. All athletes must register through FinalForms in order to participate in West Bloomfield Athletics. For the Winter Season, registration must be complete before the start of First practice/tryouts. Parents/Students who already have a FinalForms registration complete from previous seasons must log onto their existing FinalForms account, verify all information is correct, complete all signatures, and select sports that the student would like to participate in for that season. Please click the link at the end of this post for registration
2. Everyone must have a physical turned in on FinalForms dated after April 15th, 2024 in order to be eligible to participate in athletics for the 2024-2025 Winter Sports Season.
3. Pay to participate has been reinstated for the 2024-2025 school year. Student-athletes in school-sponsored sports will be required to pay a one-time yearly fee based on the fee structure below. Students can participate in multiple athletic opportunities with this fee. If you are planning on trying out for a school sponsored sport that has cuts (B/G Basketball, Competitive Cheer, Poms, Hockey), please do not pay your pay to participate fee until after you have made the team. If you are participating in a school sponsored sport that does not have cuts (Boys Swim, Skiing, Wrestling), please complete pay to participate before the first practice. *IF YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED PAY TO PARTICIPATE FOR A FALL SPORT, THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY AGAIN FOR A SCHOOL-SPONSORED WINTER SPORT. IF YOU ARE PLAYING A SELF-FUNDED WINTER SPORT, PLEASE DON’T PAY THE SCHOOL PAY TO PARTICIPATE. YOU WILL TURN IN YOUR MONEY TO YOUR COACH FOR PAYMENT FOR A SELF FUNDED SPORT. SCHOOL SPONSORED SPORTS PAY TO PARTICIPATE FEES ARE LISTED BELOW:
   1. High School Level:
      • Regular Rate $325
      • Free/Reduced Lunch Rate $160*

      Middle School Level:

      • Regular Rate $225
      • Free/Reduced Lunch Rate $110*

      A family cap of $800, still applies for all athletes in the family, including both Middle School and High School Levels. It is a “true” family cap.*The free/reduced lunch rate is for those who have filed approved paperwork with the Nutrition Office for Free/Reduced Lunch.

4. Please note the dates/times of tryouts or first practices for all Winter Sports. The link for information on the tryout/first practice schedule is:
   Winter Sports Tryout First Practice Schedule 2024-2025

Thank you for your attention to all the items above. We look forward to a great Winter 2024-2025 sports season.

Go Lakers!!!!

Eric Pierce

• 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.