Words from West
Updates as of September 21, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM MS. BALBAUGH
In a year where we continue to rise above challenges and overcome obstacles, always remember to look for the good and celebrate small victories! We made it to WEEK THREE!!! Thank you for the outpouring of support, communication, patience, and flexibility as we work together to grow our students both academically and personally! As children take on the challenges of learning in a remote setting, please help your student define a "workspace" that allows for a timely arrival to class with maximum participation (preferably with their camera ON and microphone muted).
Week three wraps up the rotation for our first three hours of instruction. Please be prepared for our Open House, scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd, from 4-5pm. You should have already received an invite, via Jupiter, from your fourth, fifth, and sixth hour teachers. We look forward to meeting you and growing together on this year's journey!
A MESSAGE FROM MR. BURDETTE
Attendance counts! Please be sure to be in class everyday and on time. Our teachers are excited to work with you! As we have in the past, if you are unable to attend class, even during our remote schedule, please call our attendance line at (810) 591-8387.
We are here to support your family and your student's learning. Please reach out, we are happy to assist!
Mrs. Shephard
8th Grade Math
Mrs. Lemerond
7th Grade Science & ELA
Mr. McCombs
Team 1 & 6 Student Teacher
6th Grade Social Studies
8th Grade ELA
SECOND ROTATION OPEN HOUSE - VIRTUAL EVENT
Virtual Open House Schedule
4th hour 4:00 - 4:15 p.m.
5th hour 4:20 - 4:35 p.m.
6th hour 4:40 - 4:55 p.m.
GRAND BLANC WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL DAILY SCHEDULE
ROTATION SCHEDULE BY HOUR FOR GRADES 6-12
TITLE I NEW FAMILY ORIENTATION INVITATION
WELCOME to our TITLE I New Family Orientation!
If your child is receiving Title I academic intervention for either language arts or math - you are invited!!!
To welcome you into our intervention program, and to answer any questions you may have, I would like to invite you to join me and the other Title I interventionists, next TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020, for an informational meeting online.
We will be offering this meeting at three separate times throughout the day to meet your needs.
During this time, we will give a short presentation about the Title I program, and help you understand how we plan to help your child grow this school year.
If you are able, we would love for you to join us at one of the times that are most convenient for you, but clicking the link below:
7:45- 8:45 a.m. meet.google.com/rku-fxkf-szf
1- 2 p.m. meet.google.com/rku-fxkf-szf
6-7 p.m. meet.google.com/rku-fxkf-szf
If you have any questions or concerns prior to next week, please don't hesitate to reach out by replying to this email, or calling me at 810-591-8108.
I look forward to speaking with you soon ~ Deborah Chapman
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Hello West Middle School families,
In order to continue providing school counseling services to our middle school students, counselors are offering short-term virtual school counseling sessions in lieu of in person counseling sessions. We are committed to providing your student with support during this unprecedented public health situation. For more information please visit our website at https://mi50000457.schoolwires.net/domain/489.
On our website you will find contact information for your student's counselor, a link for students and parents to sign up for a virtual session, and academic, social and emotional resources. We are here to help you navigate through the experiences and challenges that this public health emergency brings. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time, and we look forward to talking with you soon.
Student Last Names A-K: Mr. Morey, dmorey@gbcs.org, 810-591-7338
Student Last Names L-Z: Mr. Powell, rpowell@gbcs.org, 810-591-7339
Counseling Secretary: Ms. Butcher, jbutcher2@gbcs.org, 810-591-7335
EASTER SEALS FAMILY SUPPORT
Covid19 has caused multiple changes in our lives and therefore, many have an increased need for support. We are all living through community stress and trauma that affects us differently. Easterseals wants to support GB students and families. We are currently located in 3 Grand Blanc buildings, (Grand Blanc High School, West Middle School, and Reid Elementary), and are able to see students in person or via a telehealth option.
At this time Easter Seals is taking referrals from any GB buildings for virtual appointments, visits at the current 3 schools, or their offices. They are very accommodating of work schedules and hours are flexible. There are multiple ways for students, families, and staff to contact Easterseals for support. Students can talk to their teacher or counselor who can then directly refer students, or students/parents can refer themselves. All information is confidential unless you request your Easterseals staff and/or school staff to share.
School Referral or contact Jdoyle@essmichigan.org directly
180075SEALS (73257)
Eastersealsmichigan.com
Contact us via email or call to chat with an expert!
TIPS TO HELP WITH REMOTE LEARNING
POSITIVITY PROJECT
We recently released P2 for Families, which will help connect P2 to students' homes through 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions. This is designed to be easy for parents to use to lead conversations around the importance of character strengths and positive relationships. It will be differentiated for grades Pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Most of these webpages are password protected and the password (very simple) is: P2
ATHLETICS
Athletic Schedules (9/21-9/25)
Cross Country:
Home vs. Brandon - 4:15pm
Thursday, September 24
Bicentennial Park - Grand Blanc
Girls Basketball:
Away at Corunna - 4:30pm
Corunna Middle School
400 N Comstock Dr.
Corunna, MI 48827
Away at Lake Fenton - 4:15pm
Lake Fenton MS
4070 Lahring Rd.
Linden, MI 48451
ACADEMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Also, we are asking all students to use their school-issued devices for instruction. Having all students on their chromebook for remote instruction makes two-way interaction and communication easier for the teachers. Additionally, some teaching platforms are programmed and approved for the chromebooks provided by GBCS. Thank you for your understanding.
Classroom INTEGRITY needs to remain a priority in order to preserve privacy of the learning environment. Families, please talk to your students about helping us with this. Students should not take pictures or videos of their Google Meet Classrooms. This is important as we try to maintain an environment conducive to learning.
MATH TUTORING
Hello, I am Mrs. Mingo, your math tutor for West Middle School. I am offering tutoring to students who need additional support in their math class. We will work together to break down key concepts while learning new skills and strategies to build success and confidence in math.
My schedule and hours are as follows:
6th grade- Tuesdays 2:05-3:20
7th grade- Wednesdays 2:05-3:20
8th grade- Thursdays 2:05-3:20
My google class code for tutoring is: ilh7jjy
Meet link
CHROMEBOOK INSURANCE
Grand Blanc Community Schools provides a Chromebook insurance program. Chromebook insurance covers accidental damage to a device and an in some instances, device theft. Please refer to the Optional Accidental Damage Device Insurance section of the 1:1 Device Handbook for complete coverage information (please note, the 20-21 handbook is in the process of being updated and this link to the 19-20 handbook is for reference only). Lost items, including power charges/cables, and intentional damage instances are not covered under the insurance program.
Chromebook insurance is an annual purchase and available for all K-12 students with a district chromebook. Insurance is valid from the date purchased through August 31 of the following year (i.e. insurance purchased on 9/3/20 would be valid through 8/31/21). The purchasing window is from August 1st through the 4th Thursday of September (for 2020 that date is Thursday, September 24th)*.
Insurance can be purchased via check or credit card using the district's new online payment system, SchoolPay. At this time, we can only take online payments but are hoping to allow for in-person payments soon. If you have a financial hardship, we do not want to take this opportunity away from your child; please speak with your building principal or contact our District 1:1 Coordinator at 591-6027.
TECHNOLOGY TIPS - TROUBLESHOOTING
Poor Internet Connectivity? TRY THIS:
- Make sure Wi-Fi is turned on.
- Make sure airplane mode is off on tablets or phones.
- Make sure you are logged out of any personal Google accounts. (Here's how to sign out and switch between users on a Chromebook)
- Reboot your device: Try restarting your device by powering it down for 60 seconds and then restarting it.
- Reboot your router and modem: Try restarting/power cycling your WiFi router by unplugging the power for 60 seconds and then plugging it back in.
- Make sure not too many tabs are open. (Here's how to close all tabs.)
- Clear your browsing history and cache.
- Make sure Chrome is up to date.
How to Update Chromebooks - Click the bottom right corner of the Chrome OS desktop.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Click "About Chrome."
- Click Check for updates.
- To apply the update, click the arrow icon and select Restart to Update.
- Turn off Wi-Fi on cell phones and other devices not in use.
- Make sure no one is streaming movies (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.)
- Make sure no one is gaming (Xbox, Playstation, etc.)
- Make sure no one is streaming music (Pandora, etc.)
- How Old is Your Wireless Router? It might be time to replace your router.
- Where is your Wi-Fi router in relation to the student? If the router is in the basement or upstairs and student is on a middle level, you may need a WiFi range extender from your Internet Service Provider.
- Elevate the router to the highest point possible, do not place on the ground or inside of a cabinet, instead set it on top of a desk or table
- Do not place objects, especially metal objects, on top of or around the router that may block or obstruct the wireless signal
- Avoid using your wireless devices near common sources of interference, such as power cables, microwave ovens, fluorescent lights, wireless video cameras, and cordless phones.
- Keep other small electronic devices like phones and handheld gaming devices at least 3 feet away from the computer, Chromebook, or tablet you are trying to use to reduce the number of active devices that use the same wireless frequency band. Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices use the 2.4 GHz band, but many Wi-Fi devices can use the 5 GHz band instead. If your Wi-Fi router supports both bands, it might help to connect more of your Wi-Fi devices to the 5GHz band. Some dual-band routers manage this for you automatically.
- Still stumped? Please call your Internet Service Provider for further troubleshooting or to improve Internet connectivity in your home.
ATTENDANCE
If you know your child will be absent from school, please let us know
ATTENDANCE HOTLINE
(810) 591-8387
Supply Lists
Student Supply Lists can be found on the West Middle School website.
While we limit or eliminate shared learning supplies, school supply lists will be updated to include items for certain classes such as Art and Home Economics, etc. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers.
Please watch for further communication on days, dates, and times for certain
school-issued items to be available for pickup.
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
On Monday, August 31, the Michigan Department of Education announced that all students can continue receiving free meals until December, 2020! This is great news! See below for details on distribution sites!
HOWEVER, we are still requesting that each parent/guardian complete the FREE & REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM APPLICATION in order to determine eligibility for free or reduced lunch at the end of this program come December.
- Applications will be completed online only beginning this year!
- LunchApp can be found on our website or directly at https://lunchapp.com
- Applications are to be completed EVERY YEAR to determine eligibility
- Applications are due October 13, 2020
Vaccinations
Grand Blanc West Middle School
West Middle School Main Office:
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 3:00PM
Main Number: 810-591-7309
Fax Number: 810-591-0182
Website: https://www.gbcs.org/Domain/19
Location: 1515 Reid Road, Grand Blanc, MI, USA
Phone: 810-591-7309
Facebook: facebook.com/gbwms