April 17, 2021
Dear West Hills School Community:
I hope this message finds you enjoying the weekend and finding safe ways to spend quality time with your family. It was quite the day in the Gignac house on Friday as my oldest turned sixteen and received her driver's license. I couldn't help but think back to when I first received mine, just a few decades ago. The sense of freedom and adventure. Planning exciting outings with friends. Constantly asking my parents if they needed me to run to the store. While some of the excitement has faded, Friday I was able to live vicariously through my daughter and feel the energy rush through me as I celebrated the independence she gained.
I wanted to share a special thank you to our elementary teachers and families as they got together this week to discuss student progress during our conferences. We will continue to embrace a growth mindset at West Hills and the power of feedback was on display during these meetings.
Please see the important article below for information about Covid testing for students ages thirteen and over playing on sports teams at WHMS.
As we work together to keep our school safe I remind you of the following guidelines:
- Please continue to do the daily screener
- Keep your students home if they are not feeling well
- Keep your students home if a household member is awaiting Covid testing results.
- Please abide by our quarantine guidelines if need be
- Please be sure to mask up when on school property...even during drop off and pick up!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." -Albert Einstein
Andy
Andy Gignac
Principal
West Hills Middle School
Bloomfield Hills Schools
School A/B Schedule:
Mon., Apr. 19 - B Day
Tues., Apr. 20 - A Day
Wed., Apr. 21 - B Day
Thurs., Apr. 22 - A Day
Fri., Apr. 23 - B Day
KEY DATES
Mon.-Fri., Apr. 26-30 Staff Appreciation Week
Tues., Apr. 27 Virtual PTO Meeting 9:30 a.m.
Wed., Apr. 28 Virtual Incoming 4th Grade Parent/Guardian Night 6:30 p.m.
Fri. May 7 Half Day of School - 11:35 a.m. Dismissal
Thurs. May 13 NO SCHOOL
Fri. May 14 (*) Progress Report #4 (6th/7th/8th)
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Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) established guidelines which outline that students aged 13 -19 (those that turn 13 during the season are included) who wish to participate in school sponsored athletics must participate in weekly COVID-19 testing (rapid antigen testing). This includes all students, whether learning virtually or in-person, who wish to participate in sports.
At this time, MDHHS states that failure or refusal to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing will disqualify the student from participation in school sponsored athletics. Testing is offered at no cost to the student-athlete.
In accordance with MDHHS guidance, all students ages 13 - 19 years of age, who wish to participate in school sponsored athletics are required to test once a week and must complete the Bloomfield Hills Schools Consent, Registration and Code of Conduct form.
Testing Details:
- Test Details: The rapid antigen test is not a PCR test. If a student has tested positive (PCR) for COVID-19 in the last 90 days, a note from a physician indicating that test result will exempt the student from testing (please send to: JCi...@bloomfield.org). At this time, there is no exemption from testing if a student is vaccinated against COVID-19. If a student tests positive during the rapid test, they will be sent home and asked to follow up with a PCR test by their healthcare provider.
- Safety Measures: Rapid testing does not change the requirement for masks to be worn during sports that cannot maintain 6ft of distance
- Testing Times: All three middle schools will have their own separate testing time on Saturdays at the Bloomfield Hills High School (April 17, 24 & May 1, 8, 15). This will reduce disruption to school days at the middle schools.
- East Hills Middle School: 8:30am
- West Hills Middle School: 9:00am
- Bloomfield Hills Middle School: 9:30am
- Makeup Testing: In order to reduce the risk of transmission, only one makeup day per week will be held at Bloomfield Hills High School prior to the start of the school day at 7am on April 19 & May 3, 10, 17.
Testing Steps:
- Fill out the Bloomfield Hills Schools Consent, Registration and Code of Conduct form.
- Review testing dates and times to ensure prompt arrival at Bloomfield Hills High School
- Saturdays, April 17, 24; May 1, 8, 15
- East Hills Middle School: 8:30 a.m.
- West Hills Middle School: 9 a.m.
- Bloomfield Hills Middle School: 9:30 a.m.
- Attend testing by entering the high school through the Athletic Entrance, into the main gym through the north doors, and proceeding to Station 1.
Station 1: Check In
Students will check in at station 1 and will receive their testing card packet. Students will proceed to Station 2.
Station 2: Card ID
The testing packet will be identified with the students name and time of arrival. In addition, the reagent fluid will be added to the testing card and students will proceed to Station 3.
Station 3: Testing
Students will hand the card to COVID Test administrator. At that point, the testing administrator will swab one nostril 6 times, swab the other nostril 6 times and then insert swab into the testing card for completion of the test.
Dismissal:
The student will be dismissed immediately after completion of the test. In the event of a positive test, a BHS employee will contact the family with further instructions. Oakland County Health Department will also be notified of positive tests.
Attend a makeup date if you missed the Saturday testing by following Steps 1-3 on April 19; May 3, 10, 17 at 7:00 am at Bloomfield Hills High School.
Resources:
Please direct any questions to John Ciecko, JCi...@bloomfield.org.
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This upcoming week, we will be starting the scheduling process for next year. Students in fifth grade, sixth grade, and seventh grade will receive course selection information. Along with the course selection, you will want to consult our Bloomfield Hills Schools Middle School Course Description Book for more information about our course offerings. With all the shifts this school year, we decided to delay the fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade course selection process until after spring break. Be looking for an emailed link this upcoming week for the digital course selection sheets!
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IB Learner Profile of the Month: Balanced
This April, we are focused on “the importance of BALANCING different aspects of our lives ~
intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others.” ~IBO
Learner Profile Trait Focus for April: Balanced
As an IB Learner, I am Balanced. I work to stay organized, use my time wisely, and be healthy. With this learner profile attribute, I show commitment towards my learning and show self-discipline and responsibility.
I understand the importance of balancing different aspects of my life-intellectual, physical, and emotional to achieve well-being for myself and others. I recognize my interdependence with other people and with the world in which I live.
Parent Resources:
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Video on the Learner Profile: Balanced
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How to Introduce Mindfulness to our Children: A blog with some great activities, videos and books on teaching our kids the importance of mindfulness and ways to practice it at home to increase school/life balance and reduce stress
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Finding the Balance with After-School Activities
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Eat, Play, Grow website for healthy balanced nutrition and physical activities for kids.
Balance is the key to everything. What we do, think, say, eat, feel, they all require awareness, and through awareness we can grow.
~Koi Fresco
We appreciate your efforts at home to help support the Learner Profile Traits each month!
MYP learners strive to be:
Inquirers Open-Minded
Knowledgeable Caring
Thinkers Risk-takers
Communicators Balanced
Principled Reflective
Social Emotional Learning
Throughout Bloomfield Hills School we have placed a great emphasis on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for our students and staff. The resource for our SEL curriculum development is based on CASEL’s Core Competencies which allow for design opportunities where adults can connect, heal, and build capacity to support students and each other.
April SEL Lessons & Resources - Self-Care
Throughout the month of April we focus on Self-Care and Social Awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. As we process the current pandemic and racial injustices, self-awareness is critical to identifying and processing our complex emotions when things are uncertain and socially turbulent, reflecting on our strengths; understanding our cultural, racial, and social identities; and examining our implicit biases.
Click HERE for additional resources related to Self-Care.
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Dear Elementary and Middle school Families,
Now that your children have the opportunity to attend full day school, the food service department will be transitioning to serving FREE meals to be eaten at school for in-person learning. We will only be sending bags home on prescheduled ½ day sessions moving forward, when students don’t have the opportunity to eat in school. All meals will continue to be FREE until the end of the 2020‐21 school year! Starting Tuesday, March 23, 2021, students will be offered meals during their scheduled lunch period at school to be eaten in the area designated for them by the school they attend. Each meal will be individually wrapped and then boxed.
The middle school lunch menu for April 2021 can be found here.
Besides the lunch meal, we are also providing shelf stable breakfast grains, fruits and a juice during the lunch period, which can be eaten at school or taken home at the end of the day for breakfast the next morning. A milk and extra fruit and/or vegetable will be offered with both lunch and breakfast. Up to two milks and two extra fruits/veggies can be taken with the meal box for FREE. All produce without a peel will be washed, pre-‐wrapped and ready to eat.
Because of the change to the service model at the elementary and middles school levels and speed in which we are attempting to deliver meals, we have chosen to go with a “cold lunch” menu for the Month of April and the three service days left in March to make sure the process of getting food to the children and transitioning them to a safe place to eat is as efficient as possible. We hope the items we’ve chosen are ones your child will enjoy. Please note that the breakfast items that will be served with lunch are on the side panel of the menu and every breakfast will include a juice box.
If you wish to have FREE meals for your child to cook at home for the weekends, we can provide them during our curbside distribution at Bloomfield Hills High school from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Please preorder by calling (248)341-‐5671 if you are interested in weekend only bags.
For the families that have virtual students and need curbside meals for the entire week, as we’ve been providing all year, no preorders are required. Monday curbside bags will have 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches and Thursday bags will have 4 breakfasts and 4 lunches to take home and prepare. The curbside distribution at the High school will continue as we’ve been doing all year, except it will start an hour later starting Monday, March 22. Distribution times are Mondays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.. We will not be doing meal distribution during Spring Break.
Please see the middle school lunch menu for the meals we will be offering in-school starting next week. March 23, 24 and 25 will be the same as the April 6, 7 and 8 menu to make this transition as smooth as possible. All meals will continue to be FREE for all students during the 2020-‐21 school year.
For further information concerning our food service program such as menus, free and reduced applications and food modification forms for children with allergies, visit www.bloomfield.org/departments/lunch .
Please make sure to apply for or update your free or reduced lunch application as well. This information is important to have for other programs in our district and will go into effect for food service once the current program ends. Applications can be done on-‐line or paper applications can be scanned and emailed to foodse...@bloomfield.org or faxed to (248)341-‐5697.
Sincerely, Marianne Romsek
Food Service Director
Bloomfield Hills schools/Aramark
248.341.5671
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PTO Fundraising Opportunities
Box Tops for Education Goes Digital
PTO Membership
Please join and support the PTO: Like you, the WHMS PTO is experiencing the social, emotional, physical, and financial impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. We will continue to support our staff, build community, and help fund clubs and activities--all of which make WHMS such an amazing school. But, as a result of the pandemic, many of our traditional PTO events and activities for at least the fall of 2020 will need to be canceled or postponed. Given this reality and our hope to provide spring events and to continue to support our students and staff, we still need YOU to join our PTO.
PTO INFO: It’s easy to get and stay in the loop all year around by...
WHMS Spirit Wear Sale
We are so excited to announce all-new WH spirit wear!! Brand new designs to chose from! T’s, pajama pants, masks and more!!! Buy some cute gear and support WH at the same time! Merchandise can be ordered from the link below and picked up at Perfect Trading. Click HERE to check it out.
Happy Shopping!!!
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In an effort to simplify the daily prescreen form, the option to report a student absence electronically using the form has been removed. Families should report a student absence due to illness or appointments directly to the school's attendance line.
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National Assistant Principals Week is April 5–9, 2021!
Bloomfield Hills High School has three Associate Principals: Jessica Lupone, Cathy McDonald, and David Reed-Nordwall.
Bloomfield Hills Middle School’s interim AP is David Baker; East Hills Middle School’s AP is Angie Konzen; and West Hills Middle School’s AP is Melissa Palmeri.
These dedicated administrators help and support our students and staff on a daily basis, building positive culture, and assisting with all the details that make our schools run smoothly.
Take a moment to thank your school’s Associate Principal this week!
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The Spring Girls Golf Clinic is designed specifically for 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students interested in playing high school competitive golf. The attendees will learn:
- Fundamentals of the game
- Golf course management
- Long and short game drills and basics
- Putting drills and basics
- Rules of the game
If interested, please contact Coach Brendan Harrington via email at (harring...@yahoo.com) or phone at 248-941-8091.*
Dates: 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20
Cost: $10 per session (attend as many as you’d like. Pay cash per week)
When/where: 3:45-4:45 at Carl’s Golfland
Who: Middle School girls, grades 5-8
- Returning varsity golfers will assist Coach Harrington
Includes: learn the basics of the game, meeting other golfers, BHHS Golf swag (for those who attend at least FOUR of the sessions)
*Please RSVP to Coach Harrington by April 13 for planning purposes.
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What's Happening at Other Schools
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