May 21, 2020

Messages from Dr. Kasmarick

Lady Bird Johnson said, where flowers bloom so does hope.  I am grateful for all the signs of spring that each new week brings and I am filled with hope by how well our community members have adjusted to new normals!  Of course, "normal" continues to evolve, requiring our flexibility, optimism, and resilience more than ever before.

We are so proud of our students for "sticking with it" during virtual learning.  Only 14 school days to go!  We will celebrate everyone's hard work with a virtual Field/Camp Day on Wednesday, June 10.  In lieu of lessons that day, students will be offered camp-and-field themed choices for how to have fun at home.  We hope that this will be a way for siblings and families to celebrate together.   

Enrollment & Registration for the 2020-2021 School Year

• Students who are currently enrolled at Richards do not need to re-enroll for the upcoming year, however each family participates in the annual registration process in August. More information to come this summer.

• If, for any reason, your student(s) will not be returning to Richards for the upcoming year, please email Stephanie Haupt at stephanie.haupt@wfbschools as soon as possible.

• If you know of any students who are eligible for 4-year old kindergarten (4 years old by September 1 and residing in our attendance area), please encourage them to contact us if they haven't already.

• 5K-5th grade new student enrollment is also in progress. Please visit our website for enrollment forms or email Stephanie Haupt at stephanie.haupt@wfbschools for more information.

Winkie’s School Tools: This is an optional service provided to families, allowing you to pre-order the majority of school supplies for the fall. School Tools orders placed now will be available for pick up in August. Completed orders can be mailed to or dropped off at Winkie’s, or placed by calling the store directly. Please note that School Tools orders are non-refundable and that the order deadline has been extended through June 1. Contact information is included on the order forms below.

From the PTO 

The Fun Lunch program is one of Richards PTO’s largest and most popular fundraisers. It gives parents a break from making lunch for their kids, and the money raised allows the PTO to provide extracurricular programming for our students as well as financial support for the school. Thank you for participating in this year’s Fun Lunch Program. Because our in-person school year was cut short in mid-March, what happens to the money you paid for Spring Fun Lunch?

You have two options: DONATION or REFUND.

DONATION: You can donate the cost of the 6 missed Fun Lunches to the Richards PTO. The money will be spent supporting the needs of our school and our teachers. Several fundraising initiatives were cancelled this school year as part of the school closure, and we are still unsure of how next school year will look and both will negatively impact the PTO’s budget. Donating your Fun Lunch money will help offset these losses. Your financial support makes PTO programming possible and we are grateful for your generosity. If you choose to donate you do not need to take any additional steps.

REFUND: If you would like to receive a refund for the 6 missed Fun Lunch dates, a refund will be issued in the form of a check for $4.25 per Fun Lunch per child. This is the amount the PTO would have paid to California Pizza Kitchen to purchase the 6 lunches ($4.25 to CPK + $1.50 to PTO= $5.75 total cost of one Fun Lunch). The total amount of your refund will depend on how many children you have in your family who participated in the program and the number of Fun Lunch dates they were signed up for. The max refund per child is $25.50. Families of 5th graders will be automatically refunded the cost of their 5th grader’s Fun Lunches. This applies to 5th graders only, you will need to request a refund for the other students in your family.

To see the number of Spring Fun Lunches your child/children signed up for, login to your Membership Toolkit Account (richardspto.membershiptoolkit.com) and select Previous Orders under My Account in the main menu.

TO RECEIVE YOUR REFUND, YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING BY JUNE 3rd:

• Visit richardspto.org/fun-lunch-refund or go to richardspto.org and click on Fun Lunch Refund Form in the main menu.
• Complete and submit the form. Please include the names of all the children in your family you are requesting a refund for.

THE DEADLINE TO REQUEST A FUN LUNCH REFUND IS JUNE 3rd.

Checks will be issued beginning in June. Thank you for being patient with us. Questions? Email richardsptowfb@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of the Richards PTO during this difficult time.

District Announcements 

Dear Families,

As the country and the world respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19), we are all feeling a range of emotions. It is important now more than ever to attend to the social and emotional needs of ourselves and others during this time. 

The School District of Whitefish Bay School Psychologists assembled social/emotional/mental health resources related to COVID-19 that may offer support to your family.   Please find the resources below.   Our district COVID-19 webpage has additional resources to help support you during this time.  If you find you need more assistance addressing the social/emotional/mental health needs of your child (children), please contact your school psychologist.

• Inside SEL Resources for Parents, Educators & School Communities Related to COVID-19 

This website is a warehouse of over 35 links, including best documentaries to watch as a family, apps to help kids stay focused, and student and family well-being resources, etc. 

• Dr. Sam Purdy - Richards Elementary - sam.purdy@wfbschools.com
• Lisa Bartolone - Cumberland Elementary - lisa.bartolone@wfbschools.com
• Annie Blair - WFB Middle School - annie.blair@wfbschools.com
• Ali Gorlewski - WFB High School - alison.gorlewski@wfbschools.com
• Dr. Stacy Gahan - Director of Special Education & Pupil Services - stacy.gahan@wfbschools.com

School Board Meeting: May 27th, 2020: The community is welcome to view and participate, per the agenda, in our Board Meetings virtually. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Safer at Home Order, the Governor's Emergency Order #5, and our commitment to social distancing, public viewing and participation in this meeting will occur virtually per the access code provided in the meeting agenda.   

The community is welcome to view 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. 

• Annual Meeting dates located under featured tab/documents

• Agendas located under featured or meeting tabs

WFB HS Senior Grad Grams: It’s that time of year again - Grad Grams!  Our seniors have really had a lot taken away from them this year but we can try and make up for that by selling and making more Grad Grams than ever before. If you know a Senior or even several, please consider giving them a Grad Gram. You can order them using our attached form or you can pick them up at one of the two pick up/drop off sites.  Either way, our graduates love reading their Grad Grams.  Many keep their booklets as keepsakes.

Thank you for your help in getting the word out and for helping us reach as many people as possible. Our Seniors deserve a memorable send off!