May 18, 2023

Messages from Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Petersen 

Dear Richards Families,

Yesterday was eventful at Richards Elementary!

We welcomed our newest 4K students and their families at Spirit’s Soiree. It was an event full of dancing, fun, and laughter. Thank you to the Richards PTO for organizing and running the activity.

As we are welcoming our newest students, we also want to ensure our oldest students in 5th grade continue to have experiences and create memories of Richards as they are nearing the end of their time here. Our 5th Grade students had their Kindness Retreat. This retreat was full of energy and excitement as we empowered our 5th graders with tools to develop empathy and promote kindness throughout the retreat.

Picture and Plaque in Honor of Mitchell Moore: Richards School and the family of Mitchell Moore want to thank you for your love and support. We continue to keep Mitchell in our thoughts and our hearts. A team at Richards has worked with Mitchell's family to carefully consider the best way to honor Mitchell and ensure his memory remains. Mitchell's artwork (seen below) created in art class prior to his passing was chosen to be displayed and will include Mitchell's own quote he wrote in class; "My heart is the best part of me because I can hold you in my heart when you feel sad." We believe this picture and plaque will serve as a fitting tribute to Mitchell. It will be displayed in the Great Hall, to the right of the steps as you walk up to the 5K classrooms. The picture and plaque will be up for families to visit if they choose during the Fine Arts Festival.

Announcements:

Richards Fine Arts Festival will take place next Thursday, May 25th. This event is brought to you by our Encore teachers in Art, Library, Music, Spanish, and Physical Education. All Richards families are invited to fun-filled afternoon of food, art, music, & dance, based on the books by the author Eric Carle. Come for the Lunch on the Lawn, book walk, art show, and school wide music and dance performance! We can’t wait to showcase the amazing talents of our students!  Click here for more details and the schedule of events! 

No School Dates: School is not in session on Monday, May 29. Details regarding the last days of school are listed below.

• Thursday, June 8 – 4K last day of school.
• Friday, June 9 – 5K-5th Grade last day of school. Early dismissal at 11:30am.

2023-2024 School Year Calendar: The 2023-2024 School Year Calendar can be viewed in this LINK. You'll note that Friday, 9/1, Tuesday, 9/5, and Wednesday, 9/6 are designated as “Prep for Success” days for the 2023-24 school year. Please see below for information on 4K Prep for Success Days and on 5K-5th Grade Prep for Success Days.

4K Prep for Success Days Information

5K-5th Grade Prep for Success Days Information

Winkie’s School Tools: Get ready for next school year! Families have the option of purchasing school supplies through Winkie’s, with a percentage of sales donated back to Richards. The 5K-5th Grade and 6th Grade Winkie’s School Tools Order Forms are linked below.  Orders placed this spring will be available for pickup at Winkie’s in August.  Please return your order to Winkie’s or to Richards by June 1. Questions? Contact Winkie’s at 414-964-2130 or Richards at 414-963-3951.

2023-2024 Winkie’s School Tools List 5K – 5th Grade

2023-2024 Winkie's School Tools List - 6th Grade

Announcements (repeat):

All-District Orchestra Concert: The All-District orchestra concert is tonight, Thursday, May 18, 7:00pm at the WFBHS Auditorium. Elementary orchestra students in grades 4 and 5 should arrive at the high school at 6:15pm.

End-of-Year Library Book Return: Please note the following timeline from the Richards Library.  

• May 15-19: Last week to check out library books
• May 26: Final due date for all student library materials 

We appreciate any reminders you can give your children to return books on time. 

K5-5th Grade Belongingness Survey: K5-5th grade students will again take the three-question Belongingness Survey this month. There will be very limited individual student follow up, as the data will primarily be used for comparison with fall data.

From the PTO

Fun Lunch: What a wonderful way to end our week with a Fun Lunch Friday this week!

Room Parent Sign Up Open:  Are you looking to become more involved at Richards next year?  Consider being a Room Parent!  The main responsibilities may include providing communication from the PTO to classroom families via Membership Toolkit, coordinating teacher gifts on behalf of the classroom, and assisting the teacher as needed.  Sign up is available now by clicking here: https://forms.gle/p7LjKVNxSg563EQg8.  Questions?  Contact Abby Williams at acdwilliams@mac.com

Cheers to Picking up Dinner!  Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 24th from 3-8pm and join us for a Richards Dine Out fundraiser at Fresh Fin in Bayshore! Order in store and Fresh Fin will donate 20% of the proceeds to the Richards PTO. Please make sure to mention the Richards PTO fundraiser.

Donuts with Grown-Ups: All students are invited to bring a special grownup to join them for a donut before school on June 2nd starting at 7:15am. Beverages and donuts will be served in the Great Hall; GF and Nut-Free options will be available.

Movie Night at Richards: Richards PTO Family Movie Night returns! Jamie Ludlow of Shorewest Realty will be sponsoring this fantastic event!  We will be showing The Jungle Book on the evening of June 2nd.  Doors will open at 6:15 PM with the movie beginning at 6:45 PM. This is a family event; children must be accompanied by an adult. We look forward to seeing you there!

District Announcements

WFBHS Grad Grams: Who do you know who is graduating from WFBHS this year? Your sitter? Your neighbor? Your favorite Sendik’s bagger? The kids you coached in soccer? Send them each a Grad Gram message! The WFBHS Parent Association is taking orders for Grad Grams through May 29. For $1 each, you can send a quick note that will be bound in a special book for each senior and delivered at graduation practice. Please see the attached flyer to participate in this fun tradition that is a highlight for our WFB seniors.

School Board Meeting: May 24, 2023: The community is welcome to attend School Board meetings to gain a better understanding of School District business and the role of the School Board. The public is also invited to address the Board during the public comment portion as indicated in Board meetings. Meeting agendas are posted within BoardDocs two days preceding each meeting.

• Meeting dates located under featured tab/documents
• Agendas located under featured or meeting tabs

2023-2024 World Language Curriculum Review Committee:  We are seeking parent representatives for the World Language Curriculum Review Committee, beginning in the next fall.  More details and sign up information can be found in this link.