WBHS Update

Hello Laker Nation,

We just wrapped up with an incredible Winterfest Week, which showcased the WBHS energy throughout the week with five different spirit days, our annual Volleybuff tournament, an amazing pep assembly, and finished with the WBHS Girls Basketball team winning a District Championship over Orchard Lake St. Mary's!

The Lakers Girls Team will take on Grand Blanc on Monday, 3/10 at 5:30 PM at Lapeer High School, buy tickets online HERE

Wednesday, 3/12 is a LATE START. Classes begin at 8:30 AM, and doors don't open until 8:00 AM.

There are only two weeks left until SPRING BREAK! We have no school from Monday, March 24th through Friday, March 28th. Once we return from break, there is only one more week left in the third marking period, which ends on 4/4.

-------------------------

STUDENT PICK-UP REMINDERS

• With the cold weather and snowy lots, please use patience and care in the lot.
• If your student is not immediately ready to get in your vehicle, please park in a vacant spot so that you do not block the flow of traffic
• There is NO student pickup in the traffic loops closest to the building. When cars are in these loops, it can back up and block bus traffic

Student Planners are being sold in the counseling office for second semester at a discounted rate of $1.00!

Please help us with our goals by reminding students that hoods and ski masks cannot be worn indoors at any time. We need to be able to visually identify people in person, and on camera, to keep our school safe and secure. Hoods and ski masks make it very difficult for us to identify who is in our building. Thank you for your support.

Now that winter is fully upon us, please remember that school dismisses at 2:23 PM and students must be off campus or in a supervised sport, activity, rehearsal, or club by 2:45 PM. If a student is in an IN-SEASON activity, they may check in with a staff member in Laker Commons, across from the cafeteria, by 2:45 for supervision. Students who are not involved in an after school activity must leave by this time. Thank you for helping keep our school safe by complying with this request.

One of our school goals this year is to have 95% of students in attendance every school day. So far this year, we've been doing a good job, but there's always room for improvement! We all know that research shows that students perform better, learn more, and have more meaningful connections with peers and school when they are in school regularly. Please join us in these efforts by making sure students are in school when healthy, they stay in school all day, and that vacations are planned during our scheduled breaks. We are close to our 95% target, but need your help to meet it!

Eric Pace

Principal

West Bloomfield High School

-------------------------

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

Click the image above to enlarge

Zelle: sanp2025wb@gmail.com

Venmo: @wbsanp2025

Click the image above to enlarge

Zelle: sanp2025wb@gmail.com

Venmo: @wbsanp2025

Varsity Softball is looking for dedicated athletes! Whether you're a seasoned player or new to the sport, come try out to join our team of experienced teammates and passionate coaches dedicated to developing your skills

All documents, signatures, and MHSAA physical must be completed/uploaded in Final Forms by Mar-9 to participate in tryouts.

Our final senior led pre-season conditioning session is Wed Mar-5 from 3:30-5:00p; sign up here if you are interested in joining to get ready for tryouts. WBHS Varsity Softball Conditioning

Tryouts are Mar-10 through Mar-12 from 3:30-5:30pm on the WBHS Softball Field. We hope to see you there!

Mark your calendar for West Bloomfield High School Theatre Department's production of Matilda! A brilliant and talented yet oppressed young lady finally gets to go to school but finds the head mistress to be a bit of a bully. Come watch what happens when a bully learns that being mean never pays. May 1, 2 and 3, 2025.

Oakland County public high school students are invited to submit 2-D, multi-media and video art related to the importance of financial empowerment. Winners and honorable mentions from each grade will receive significant cash prizes from a prize pool totaling $10,000.

Student entries may include 2-D (drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, and illustration) and video. Entries are judged on creativity, artistic execution, and the incorporation of the financial empowerment theme.

Oakland County Public High School students in grades 9-12 may participate in the arts content. All entries must be submitted no later than Friday, March 14, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.,

https://www.oakgov.com/government/oakland-county-treasurer-s-office/financial-empowerment-center/financial-empowerment-arts-contest

Please consider supporting WBHS DECA by shopping at Kroger! You can go right to Kroger.com and log in to your account and select WBHS DECA (code XA702) under community rewards. You still get all your points, but you can also support our incredible DECA program!

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!

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

1. All athletes must register through FinalForms in order to participate in West Bloomfield Athletics. For the Spring 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 2025 Spring 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 (Baseball, Softball, Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Boys Golf), 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 and Girls Track and Field), please complete pay to participate before the first practice. *IF YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED PAY TO PARTICIPATE FOR A FALL OR WINTER SPORT, THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY AGAIN FOR A SCHOOL-SPONSORED SPRING SPORT. IF YOU ARE PLAYING A SELF-FUNDED SPRING SPORT (BOYS LACROSSE, GIRLS LACROSSE), 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 Spring Sports. The link for information on the tryout/first practice schedule is: Spring-Tryout-Schedule-20251

Thank you for your attention to all of the items above. We look forward to a great Spring 2025 sports season.

Go Lakers!!!

Eric Pierce

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.