District Update
A weekly update from Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
Walled Lake Consolidated School District Update: Feb. 10, 2022
We hope you'll review this week's District Update filled with news and notes from across the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Stay up to date with District updates by visiting www.wlcsd.org and connecting with the District on social media - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
2022-23 School Year Calendar Released!
We are pleased to share with you that the 2022-23 school year calendar has been finalized! We know what an important resource this tool is for our families and we are pleased to share this with you in advance. This calendar reflects important dates such as the first day of school, half days, school breaks and more.
Download/Save/Print the 2022-23 WLCSD school year calendar at the following link: https://wlcsd.org/downloads/district_calendars/wlcsd_2022-23_calendar.pdf
Our Calendar webpage has also been updated with a Calendars-at-a-Glance section where this information is available at all times. Please visit www.wlcsd.org/our-district/calendar/ for more information.
17th Annual FFE Tuition Expedition 50/50 Scholarship Raffle
$35 per *ticket | Only 1,000 tickets available
*Online Processing fee included
Grand Prize: Elect scholarship funds for postsecondary education or 40% lump sum payment option. Grand Prize Drawing March 21, 2022 at District Reflections Celebration at Clifford Smart Middle School. Need not be present to win.
Secondary Prize: Samsung Buds Galaxy Pro with water resistant cover
Purchase tickets: Click on "Buy Now" to purchase tickets online at wlcstickets.com.
Check and cash also accepted by the Foundation for Excellence: 850 Ladd Rd., Bldg. D, Walled Lake, MI 48390 | 248.956.2116
Additional opportunity to win!
Tuition Expedition ticket purchaser may win FREE raffle ticket per monthly drawings sponsored by Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union. Purchase by March 11, 2022 to enter.
Questions? Email MichelleBianco@wlcsd.org or contact Foundation's office: 248.956.2116
District News:
Baier receives Golden Apple Award
Kelly Baier, confidential administrative assistant to the assistant superintendent of Human Resources received a Golden Apple award at the Feb. 3 Board of Education meeting. Kelly was nominated by Dr. Michael Lonze for her outstanding coordination of the District’s COVID tracking programs. Kelly is the go-to-person for parents, staff members and the health department to learn of all things COVID within the District. She has created an efficient system to keep all stakeholders informed of cases on a daily basis and does so with professionalism, expertise, courtesy and efficiency.
Kelly created a master spreadsheet with cases, assists District administrators on reporting COVID related matters, sends daily reports to each building summarizing their cases, and coordinates with the health department, school nurses and epidemiologists as to how to handle situations.
In his nomination letter, Dr. Lonze added: “Despite the huge undertaking of the District’s COVID program, Kelly has continued to perform her normal duties and instruct others as to how to handle any COVID situations that arise, all while doing so with her normal demeanor of friendliness, cooperation and empathy. She takes time to make sure everyone else is doing well and understands what needs to happen while also finding humor appropriately where needed to lighten any mood.”
Moore awarded Golden Apple
Nichole Moore, director of Special Services received a Golden Apple award at the February 3 Board of Education meeting. Nichole was nominated by Cindy Easter because she embarked upon her position with compassion, understanding and leadership in spite of starting the week COVID sent everyone to virtual learning in March of 2020. Not only did she have the challenges of stepping into a new position during an unprecedented time, she experienced the trifecta of: learning her staff and buildings from a distance, onboarding two new secretaries, and evolving with the ever-changing environment.
Since joining the District, Nichole has made many positive changes to improve Special Specials including updates to IEP reporting, seeking Skyward training for staff, finding improved ways to connect with staff across the District, and developing new written guidelines and procedures for the department.
In her nomination letter, Cindy added: “Nichole is always positive. She came to Walled Lake not only to fill a position, but to make a difference. She leads with compassion and realism. She is able to see things as they are, knows there are areas for improvement, and understands it will not happen overnight. Her focus is on the well-being of students and staff. I am not sure many people could have stepped into a new position during COVID and done so well. I am excited to think of the possibilities for Walled Lake that Nichole and the Special Service Department will be part of when life is not so challenging, as she has already made such a difference.”
Dr. Michael Lonze, deputy superintendent, supported Nicholes’s nomination sharing: “It has been a pleasure to work with Ms. Moore over the past few years. She started in Walled Lake just a few days before we went remote learning for the duration of the school year. This was a challenging time for everyone, but especially for our Special Services Department. Nichole and her team did an amazing job providing the best information that they could in a timely fashion. Ms. Moore continues to focus on helping staff and students navigate through the challenges of today. I appreciate her leadership, vision, and her commitment to our educational community.”
HWE Alumni Scholarship Opportunity
The application is due Friday, March 25, 2022.
Eligibility
- A completed education.
- Must be a senior at Walled Lake Western, Central or Northern
- Attend Hickory Woods- 4 years+
- GPA of 3.00 or better (attach most recent report card or transcript).
- 1 letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, counselor, employer, or other non-family member.
- Proof of acceptance to an accredited college, vocational, or technical school.
- An essay- no more 500 Words-
- Note: All essays become the property of the HWE Elementary Scholarship Committee and may be published or reproduced without permission.
- This essay will be read by HWE staff members and they will ultimately choose the scholarship winner. Names will not appear so staff members will not know whose essay they are reading.
Students explore how to amplify their voices to create a more just community
In Summer 2021, students and teachers from all over Oakland County came together at one of five sites, including Walled Lake, to explore the question “ How can we amplify our voices to create a more just community?”
The Walled Lake site, led by Andrea Abraham, an Instructional Coach who supports K-12 Social Studies and ELA , welcomed more than a hundred students and 9 teachers from in and around Walled Lake. The students used the Design Thinking Model, a process that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems, to work together to attempt to solve a problem that they saw in the world. Their projects ranged from the Bottle Cap Project, which addresses the impact plastic has on the environment, to the Culture Star showcase, which according to the student designers, is intended to stop cultural appropriation and to appreciate the many different cultures of the world.
The work that began last summer culminated in a Zoom Celebration, hosted by Oakland Schools on February 2. Many students, families, and community members from around Oakland County were present to see the wonderful work the students presented.
Walled Lake Preschool 2022-2023 Interest Form
WLCSD Transportation Update - Feb. 14-18
We understand the difficulties that cancelling bus routes creates for our families and we deeply regret the impact these measures have on our students. Staffing shortages continue across our community, region and country and our partners at Dean Transportation are not immune.
We are in constant communication with Dean Transportation’s leadership and we’ve expressed our concerns related to the impact that driver shortages are having on our students. Dean Transportation has assured that they are recruiting drivers from other districts and they have several potential drivers at some stage of training who will be assuming routes in our District in the coming weeks. If hiring trends hold, they expect to be fully staffed soon and will no longer need to cancel bus routes in the future.
Week of February 14-18
While we eagerly anticipate the news that our District transportation positions are fully staffed, we have the following bus cancellations to make you aware of for February 14-18:
· Bus 126 - WL Central HS, Walnut Creek MS, Glengary El
· Bus 133 - WL Western HS, Sarah Banks MS, Wixom El
· Bus 157 - WL Northern HS, Clifford Smart MS, Commerce El
· Bus 160 - WL Central HS, Sarah Banks MS, Walled Lake El
Please note, ALL students who have specialized transportation plans that are contained in an IEP will NOT see a disruption in service.
For those families impacted by these temporary cancellations who need childcare assistance, please contact our fee-based Prime Time Care office at 248-956-5110 for more information on availability.
Solutions
Throughout our transportation staffing challenges, Dean Transportation has been hard at work recruiting, hiring, and training new drivers for our District using the following recruitment strategies:
· With our approval, Dean Transportation is offering up to $24 per hour for new bus drivers.
· Conducted numerous job fairs
· Sent out nearly 27,000 employment opportunity postcards to community members
· Engaged in digital and social media advertising
Ten new drivers have been hired since November 2021, out of more than 70 applicants. Unfortunately, many individuals that apply don’t make it through the rigorous screening and training processes. It should also be noted that it takes between six and eight weeks for candidates to earn their license to drive a bus.
Summary
Dean Transportation has done an outstanding job providing effective and safe pupil transportation for the families of Walled Lake Schools since 2013 and until recently has never had to cancel a route. While we wish we did not have to cancel any routes, we remain confident that our efforts will continue to attract qualified applicants and we’ll be fully staffed soon.
If you or anyone in your family would be interested in joining our transportation team, please visit the Dean Transportation careers webpage.
For more questions, please contact the Walled Lake Schools Transportation Department at 248-956-3090 or visit the transportation webpage on the District’s website.
Wixom, Walled Lake and Commerce Township Libraries - Library Card Drive
In a partnership between Walled Lake Consolidated School District and the Wixom, Walled Lake and Commerce Township Libraries, we are pleased to announce to residents of Wixom, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake and Commerce Township that registering your student up for a Library Card is even easier!
To sign up your student, simply complete and submit the online registration form found here: https://tinyurl.com/WLCSD-LibraryCards Submit the online form no later than Friday, March 18, 2022. A library card will be created for your student and mailed to your home.
Congratulations WL Northern Dance Teams!
The WLN varsity and junior varsity dance teams recently competed at Disney’s Wide World of Sports and finished #1 and #2 in the Nation in Poms Competition! Their work and dedication is impressive and they have represented the Northern Nation proudly!
#1 in Nation (Poms), JV Team
Coach Christina Sauchuk - Courtney Carrico, Madison Gorski, Sydney Ingber, Kaylynne Lagodzinski, Tristin Miller, Brielle Natzic, Sarah Scheuern, Elyse Glusko, Gabriella Kobylas, Mallory Nelson, Lilliana Tongko, and Tori Zimmerman
#2 in Nation (Poms), Varsity Team
Coach Meaghan Porter, Megan Bonnell, Kady Cornelius, Katie Hodge, Olivia Sikina, Maura Heymoss, Carys Krol, Ella VanSicklen, Haven VanSicklen, Sydney Bellinger, Audrey Gabriel, Bella Rushwin
Congratulations Junior Varsity Dance!
It's a Great Day to be a Knight!
Congratulations Varsity Dance!
Let us know if your athlete is committing to playing at the college level
Graduate Spotlight nominations needed!
Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert
In addition to receiving phone calls and email notifications from the school district in the event of a school closing or emergency, parents can also sign up to receive SMS Text messages.
Please find the helpful step-by-step instructions linked below as well as the video tutorial on signing up for SMS messages.
Childcare Staff Needed!
Transportation Staff Needed!
Substitutes Needed!
In the News:
Upcoming Events:
Watch Wild Hockey for FREE!
It's a WILD welcome to watch the WILD for FREE!
Walled Lake students are invited to attend a Wild girls hockey game for FREE!
Join us on Wednesday, February 16 at 4pm at Lakeland Arena. Just show your show ID and you’ll get into the game for FREE!
Also 8th grade and high school students who interested in playing hockey can join the Wild Hockey team on Friday, February 18 from 4:30 to 6pm at Lakeland Arena for a FREE skate. We will have hockey equipment to loan to the girls.
Walled Lake Wild is a united team from all the Walled Lake High Schools and is a Varsity sport. They welcome all skill levels to participate! The 2021/2022 season welcomed three new players to the ice!
District Resources:
Golden Apple Award Nominations - 2021-22
Community Resources:
District Links:
2021-22 WLCSD School Year FAQ
WLCSD Learning Newsletter
Walled Lake E-Sports
WLCSD Stormwater Management
FFE News and Notes
Lakes Area Community Coalition
Hospitality House Food Pantry
Tips can be submitted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Connect with Us!
Our mission, in partnership with parents and the community, is to become the best educational system in America so all students demonstrate they are caring, responsible, and knowledgeable citizens.
Email: danieldurkin@wlcsd.org
Website: www.wlcsd.org
Location: 850 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 956-2000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wlcsd/
Twitter: @WalledLkSchools