Happy Friday, Team WB! It was wonderful to welcome back our hybrid WBHS and OEC learners to in-person instruction this week. It is so wonderful having students in all of our buildings with the proper safety protocols and procedures in place.

We are in awe of the herculean efforts of our staff to prepare for welcoming students back to our schools. We appreciate the adaptability of our students when it comes to the format of their daily instruction. We are grateful for the grace and understanding of our families and community as we work to bring students back in a safe, controlled, data-driven manner.

While we are already receiving questions on where do we go from here. For the here and now, we celebrate everything we have accomplished in these past 11 months and we will continue to look ahead and discuss our best practices with the wellbeing of students, staff and families as our North Star.

Welcome back, Team WB!

Congratulations to the entire Lakers football program on beating Davison HS in the MHSAA Football State Finals over the weekend at Ford Field. Our Lakers came in with a statement victory, beating the Cardinals 41-0.

We are immensely proud of everyone associated with this team has accomplished in a season filled with ups and downs. The perseverance and dedication shown by players, coaches and support staff was truly remarkable.

We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of our UPDATED PowerSchool link following the platform’s transition to the Cloud. Please use the following link to access PowerSchool moving forward: https://westbloomfield.powerschool.com/. Your account information will NOT change due to this upgrade. Please be sure to update any local bookmarks/favorites in your browser settings on your device(s).

For assistance, please contact Sylvia McCoy at sylvia.mcoy@wbsd.org.

Our move to the PowerSchool Cloud will ensure our system is up to date with the standards required to run the system seamlessly for our staff, students and families.

Our Kindergarten building teams hosted a successful Virtual Kindergarten Roundup on Jan. 20 via Zoom. Buildings will now be hosting their own individual Kindergarten Showcase events starting next week. For more information on those meetings as well as additional resources and timelines for kindergarten families, please visit the Kindergarten webpage.

• Virtual Kindergarten Roundup Newsletter

The West Bloomfield Band Department is proud to recognize the achievements of three West Bloomfield Middle School band students that were selected to the 2020-21 Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association All-State Middle School Honors Band. This is the highest music honor among middle school musicians throughout the state. We are very proud of their hard work and outstanding accomplishments. Congratulations to:

• Natalie Weissman, First Chair Trombone, grade 8
• Neel Kamath, Second Chair Bassoon, grade 7
  
• Skyla Rojas, Trombone Honorable Mention, grade 8
  

This school year, 2020-2021, 1,466 students in grades 7-12 were registered for an All-State audition held via uploaded videos, for the approximately 400 seats in the five ensembles.

A panel of 25 All-State adjudicators listened and adjudicated the blind auditions, selecting and ranking the top student auditions in the state of Michigan.

Because the 2021 Michigan Music Conference will be a virtual conference, the All-State ensembles will not perform this school year. However, the performance of this prestigious ensemble would have been January 30, and in lieu of a stellar performance, we would like to publicly congratulate our exceptional student-musicians on their accomplishments and hard work.

During a typical year, All-State students have an opportunity to attend a 3-day conference in Grand Rapids where they rehearse and perform alongside the top middle school students in Michigan under the direction of a world-renowned conductor. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the conference was cancelled this year, but the audition and selection process were equally rigorous, and we are delighted with the honor of our students' selections.

As we return to face to face instruction in our schools , Preschool -5th grade students and Transition Center students registered for Blessings in a Backpack will receive their bags of food for the weekend each Friday in their classrooms.

Middle school students can pick up their bags in the School Office .

All Lakers On Line and West Bloomfield High School Students / Parents can pick up their bags in the front circle drive of West Bloomfield High School every Wednesday from 11:30 am -12:30 pm and from 3:30-4:30 pm.

It is not too late to sign up for Blessings in a Backpack!! If you are interested in receiving six non perishable meals each weekend of the school year, please email
katherinesheiko@hotmail.com.

• Eligibility: Open to all students under the age of 19 as of Oct 1, 2020 (and not enrolled as a degree-seeking student of a post-secondary institution)
• Residence: Student must reside in the State of Michigan, Lower Peninsula
• Language: The essay must be written in English only
• How to enter: Students write and submit an essay on their interpretation of this year’s official topic, “Reaching your Dreams by Choosing Optimism”.

This scholarship contest is comprised of 2 levels: A preliminary round, which is conducted by local Optimist clubs across the state (entry deadline is Jan 31, 2021, for West Bloomfield). The winner from each local club advances to the District level, where the overall winner receives a $2,500 scholarship in the spring.

The application, official rules, and entry details can be found on our website: https://michiganoptimists.org/essay

The Optimist Club of West Bloomfield will be awarding $150 to 1st place, $100 to 2nd place, and $50 for 3rd place.

All submissions must meet the rules outlined at https://michiganoptimists.org/essay and the author must attend a school in the West Bloomfield School District area.

Local essays should be submitted to gflynn@wbtownship.org. Please include “OPTIMIST ESSAY ENTRY” in the subject line. Also, include your school name in the body of the email. Entries will be accepted until Jan 31, 2021, at 12 PM.

No cost meals are available for curbside pick up to all children in the community.

Each child will receive:

• 7 breakfast and lunch meals.
• Please pre-order meals on the West Bloomfield School District Food Service page or at the linked order form.

Pick up sites:

• West Bloomfield HS main entrance (4925 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield)
  • Pick-up day: Wednesday or by special arrangement
  • Times: 11:30am-12:30pm or 3:30pm-4:30pm or by special arrangement
• Roosevelt Elementary main entrance (2065 Cass Lake Road, Keego Harbor)
  • Pick-up day: Wednesday
  • Time: 11:00am-1:00pm

As you may already know, our district utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages, straight to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts and more. This resource is on top of the emails and phone messages you already receive from SchoolMessenger.

You can participate in this service just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our district’s short code number, 67587.

You can also opt-out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our

messages with “Stop”.

SchoolMessenger is compliant with the Student Privacy PledgeTM, so you can rest assured that your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.

Reading Lists for Kids and Teens

• African American Historical Fiction (Teen)

• Black History Month

• History in the Making - African American History (Kids)

• History in the Making - Civil Rights (Kids)

• Friends in Our World - Civil Rights Activist Friends (Kids)

• New Must Read Fiction (2020) (Teen)

• Winter Reading Program - Chapter Books and Graphic Novels (Kids)

• Winter Reading Program - New Picture Books and Easy Readers (Kids)

• Winter Wonderland (Kids)

Celebrate Black History Month Virtually @ Your Library

On February 6 at 10:30 AM, join Diane Macklin for Small Wonders and Stupendous Feats! (all ages). Hear enlightening tales of unlikely heroes that defy the impossible through kindness, friendship, and courage. On February 22 at 7 PM, join us for a YA Book Discussion (grades 6-12) on "Stamped" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi. Both programs will take place on Zoom, and are open to anyone with a library card in our system. Register to receive connection details.

On February 15 at 7 PM, join Dr. Tara Hayes for a BOOKED for the Evening (adults) book discussion. February's title, in honor of Black History Month, is "Girl, Woman, Other" by Bernardine Evaristo. This program will take place on Zoom and is limited to West Bloomfield Library cardholders. Register to receive connection details.

Virtual Dungeons & Dragons (Grades 6-12)

February 1 @ 4 PM on Zoom

Whether you are a seasoned gamer or new to D&D, join us for some fantasy adventure and roleplaying.

Register to receive connection details

Virtual Oliver’s Animal Adventures (All ages)

Thursdays @ 6:30 PM on Zoom

Join us for an educational and entertaining mix of puppetry and live exotic animals.

Register to receive connection details

Virtual Rock 'N Read (Ages birth-5 years)

Fridays @ 10:30 AM on Zoom

Rock the morning away with books, fingerplays and music from your own home! This interactive storytime imparts early literacy skills, music and movement, and cognitive growth.

Register to receive connection details

Virtual Tinkercad (Grades 6-12)

February 13 @ 10:30 AM on Zoom

Tinkercad is a 3D design program that is accessed via the Internet. In each session, follow along as a different object is created, which will then be printed on the Library's 3D printer. Register to receive connection details

NEW! Winter Reading for Grades K-5 through Sunday, February 14

Elementary students can read for fun 30 minutes each week and earn rewards for reaching reading milestones. Choose to read books, eBooks, graphic novels or magazines. Registration is open to K-5 students who live in the Library’s service area and K-5 students enrolled in the West Bloomfield School District with a WBTPL student card. To register, library cards must be in good standing.

Register for the Winter Reading program online or in-person. A packet of information with a reading log will be available after registration.

The West Bloomfield Township Main Library and Westacres Branch are open for Phase 3 services.

In Phase 3, our priorities continue to be the health and safety of staff, users and the community at large and providing convenient access to collections of materials in all formats. An additional goal of Phase 3 is providing access the Library’s public computers, scanners and printers, equipment that we recognize not everyone in our community may have at home. Please see the Library’s website for the latest updates and temporary hours.

Renew or request a library card

Ask at the Main Library Reception desk or the Westacres Branch Circulation desk. You can also continue to renew or request a library card on the Library’s website.

• Employment Opportunities

• New Middle School Updates

• GWB Historical Society Events

• WB Township Library News and Events

Preparing our students to be their best IN and FOR the world!

Email: daniel.durkin@wbsd.org
Website: www.wbsd.org
Location: 5810 Commerce Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 865-6420
Facebook: facebook.com/WestBloomfieldSchools/
Twitter: @wbloomfieldschl