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Shark Tales Summer Update
Sheiko Elementary: August 11, 2023
Principal Update
Happy August Sheiko Shark Families!
We are so excited to welcome you back to the 2023-24 school year! Every week I will have a "big announcement" for the week to highlight a special event that is coming up. This week, our big announcement is around our "Meet the Principal Zoom," which will be happening this coming Thursday, August 17th at 7 p.m.. I will be sharing a little bit about my story and about my family. Your students are welcome as well! I do ask that everyone is on mute for the best sound quality. You are welcome to put questions in the chat, and I will stay on to answer questions at the end. The school and family connection is vital to student success. One of the take-aways from the Panorama Survey, that you took in the spring, was the desire for more opportunities to be involved at school. We want you to know that we heard you, and you will see LOTS of fun opportunities for everyone to be a part of our Sheiko School Family. Our goal is for every family to attend or volunteer for at least one event at Sheiko. This is also why there will be events on zoom, in person, and offered at different times of the day and evening. We do not want any barriers to be in the way of being involved with school.
This newsletter is filled with great information to "keep you in the loop" with all of the wonderful opportunities that the West Bloomfield School District has to offer. I want to end by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for welcoming me as your new principal. Your support means the world to me. I am proud to serve as the Principal of Sheiko Elementary. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Go Sharks!
Blaine McDowell
Have you ever wondered what it would look like when administrators run like dinosaurs down the West Bloomfield Middle School track? I was a cheerleader for this event, but I did get to dance like a dino later in the day!
Messenger System: Changing over August 14
This will be one of the last newsletters sent from Power School Messenger as we are moving to a different system after August 14th. If you stop getting emails from us please let us know.
We are hoping for and expecting a smooth transition to the new platform
Back to School Update
Have you completed your back to school update? If not, please go to this link to complete it.
Families are required to do this for each child enrolled with WBSD. If you do not know your login and/or password for PowerSchool, please contact your school for assistance, or visit https://www.wbsd.org/parents/powerschool for more information.
Important Dates and Links
Thursday, August 17th - “Meet the Principal” Zoom, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, August 22nd from 4-6 pm - Popsicles with the Principal at Sheiko Elementary
Sunday, August 27th, 7-7:30 p.m. - Back to School Read Aloud on Zoom with myself and Mr. Spitzley for Sheko and Doherty Families
Monday, August 28 - First Day of School
Friday, Sept. 8th, 4:30-7:30 WBSD Family Fun Night at West Bloomfield High School - hope to see you there!
School Calendar
Click here for the school calendar.
Check out this amazing event with Mrs. VanNostrand! Let's get reading!
Strategic Visioning Committee and Board of Education
The Strategic Visioning Committee and Board of Education welcome your input regarding the 10-year strategic vision proposed at the last Board of Education Study Session. We encourage you to attend one of the stakeholder informational and feedback sessions, where you can learn more about the proposal and share your thoughts. We invite you to join us at one of the following sessions (all meetings will be held in person, with two sessions having a concurrent virtual option):
Wednesday, August 23 at Noon - ACS & Virtual Option - Register here for virtual option
Tuesday, September 5 at 7 p.m. - ACS
All sessions will be held in person at the Administrative and Community Services (ACS) Building, located at 5810 Commerce Rd, West Bloomfield. If you are interested in attending one of the two virtual options, please register 24 hours in advance in order to receive the link. Your feedback is important to us! We look forward to hearing your input.
Dear Parents of West Bloomfield School District Students,
If your child is a student (3 to 26 years of age) in the West Bloomfield Schools, s/he can also participate in the 2023-24 Blessings in a Backpack program. This program sends six non-perishable meals home each Friday of the school year. Its goal is to make sure that no child goes hungry on the weekend. Run by volunteers, there is NO cost to you.
To enroll in this program, please fill out the form below and return it to your school office or email it to katherinesheiko@hotmail.com. This registers your child/ren in the Blessings program and alerts us to any allergies they might have. The first backpack of food will be distributed to your child at his/her local school the first week of October.
Please use this link to enroll today.
School Supplies List
Here is the link to get to all of our school supplies for the upcoming year.
Cashless Meal Service
We are a cashless school for meals. This means every student who wants to purchase breakfast or lunch MUST have an account. We need ALL families to fill this form out this year before school starts. Please fill it out even if you don't think your child will ever buy lunch. Please use the link below:
https://westbloomfield.familyportal.cloud/benefits/onlyapplying
When the system opens we will send you information about creating a meal account (if your student is new) and completing the free/reduced meal application if you believe you may qualify.
The governor did sign legislation to bring back the co-vid 19 era of free meals for everyone but we have not learned about when that program will begin. Details soon!
Transportation
Transportation is provided for all West Bloomfield School District elementary resident students. The Middle School and High School students have a 1-mile walk area. Safe, efficient, and friendly service is our goal and we will strive every day to accomplish this.
We will do our best to arrive at your child’s bus stop on time. There may be delays due to road conditions or heavy traffic. All buses are equipped with 2-way radios and we are able to contact your child’s driver, as needed.
Students should arrive at their bus stop 10 minutes prior to pick-up time to allow for weather and traffic variances. Remind your child to wait at a safe location away from traffic and vehicles. We encourage all parents to review the Transportation Handbook with your children. See below to access the Transportation Handbook.
Shuttle service will be available in certain areas. If you reside in a walk area, live outside the District, or live outside the attendance area of your school and would like to ride a shuttle. The form to request the shuttle service will be available in August. It must be signed by your building principal and will be forwarded to the Transportation Department. You will be contacted when a seat is available on a shuttle.
DURHAM BUS TRACKER
Durham Transportation is rolling out a new bus tracking app for West Bloomfield families. The Bus Tracker app is available for iOS, Android and web and allows families to track their student(s) bus along its route, to and from school. Families will need to have their student(s) ID numbers which are available in PowerSchool in order to log into the app and create an account. As a safety protocol, the Bus Tracker app will only allow families to see their student(s) bus route(s) only.
If you have any questions, please consult the Bus Tracker instructions and visit the Bus Tracker webpage on the Durham Transportation website for more information and to download the app.
Families with students in elementary school who would like to utilize Kids Klub services on Late Start Wednesdays may register for a drop-in contract through the Eleyo registration site. Drop-in rates are $15 per drop-in session, per day. A non-refundable registration fee of $60 per child or $90 per family will be collected at the time of registration. Automatic Payment is required. All children who attend Kids Klub must be registered for services for the state of Michigan licensing compliance. Children who are not registered will not be accepted. If you are interested in registering for Kids Klub services, please click here. Families must notify Beth Helka the Monday before a Late Start Wednesday to ensure staffing compliance. To view the 2023-2024 calendar, click here.
After careful consideration and research amongst the surrounding Districts, WBSD will not offer Tween Time Services for middle school students. This decision is based on previous enrollment numbers, which have not been high enough to justify staffing.
The Early Childhood Department
About Us
Email: blaine.mcdowell@wbsd.org
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/sheiko-elementary
Location: 4500 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone: 248-865-6370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/225210744201191
Twitter: @BlaineMcDowell