WBHS Update

Hello Laker Nation,

The end of 1st semester is here! Next week is FINAL EXAM WEEK! Please see the schedule below for details.

• Monday, 1/13: Full ODD Day
• Tuesday, 1/14:
• 5th Hour Final Exam (7:30 - 9:00 AM)
• 2nd Hour: 9:14 - 10:57 AM
• 4th Hour and Lunches: 11:02 AM - 12:39 PM
• A Lunch: 11:02 - 11:32 (600 Classrooms)
• B Lunch: 11:35 - 12:05 (500 and 700 Classrooms)
• C Lunch: 12:09 - 12:39 (100, 200, 300, 400, ASD/CI Classrooms)
• 6th Hour: 12:44 - 2:23 PM

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 officially 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

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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

Thank you to the students at Gretchko Elementary for providing some encouraging words for our WBHS students during finals week! Check out the hallways for some positivity and motivation!

We are excited and honored to invite you to the 31st Annual United We Walk, celebrating our theme of “Continuing the Dream: Building Bridges of Unity.” This annual event unites neighbors, friends, and families from all walks of life to reflect on our rich heritage, uplift each other’s stories, and work toward an even brighter future for everyone. Your presence would mean so much to us. Together, we’ll celebrate our successes, strengthen connections, and continue paving the way toward understanding and inclusivity. Click Here to learn more, secure your spot, and join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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!

The WBHS Thespian (Theatre) Troupe 2070 had the BEST time at the MI Thespian Festival in Lansing!! ALL students won the highest possible scores in their competitions and senior Lynn Barber was awarded over $430,000 in college scholarships!

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

5 WBHS students, Julia Amato, Ava Lord, Ashlee Frankford, Sasha Jackson, and Bianca Pallazolo, led a full staff meeting for the entire WBHS staff this morning. The focus was on building strong communities and culture in classrooms. The students created and presented 7 different activities for teachers to utilize in their classrooms to start second semester. The students also led the teachers through one of the activities, as if the staff members were students themselves. The ideas came from the students, based on student survey data collected from our student body.

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!

Congratulations to our Lakers Competitive Cheer Team! West Bloomfield took the mat for the first time this season at Seaholm on Wednesday, January 8th for the OAA Blue League Meet. The team competed with precision and energy throughout all three rounds. West Bloomfield left the event with a first place finish! Congratulations to our team on an amazing performance!!

Go Lakers!

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.