Richards Family News
October 28, 2024
Dear Richards Families,
At Richards School, we believe that a strong sense of community is vital to the well-being and success of every student. Our Caring School Community (CSC) curriculum includes All-School Meetings that bring together students, staff, and teachers for shared learning and celebration. These gatherings help students connect, develop social-emotional skills, and practice leadership in a supportive environment.
During these meetings, we celebrate achievements, amplify student voices, and reinforce our Richards Way of being Safe, Kind, and Responsible. Our recent All-School Meeting showcased students leading discussions on playground problem-solving, demonstrating strategies like "Talk it Out" and "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to resolve conflicts peacefully. We’re proud of their initiative and excited to see these strategies in action!
All-School Meetings foster empathy, belonging, and a sense of community—skills that extend beyond the classroom. We encourage you to talk with your child about their experiences and growth as members of our caring school community. Together, we can nurture an environment where every student feels seen, heard, and valued.
Veteran’s Day: On Veteran's Day, November 11th, we are honored to host a veteran educator speaker at this monthly school meeting. Their presentation will align with our November theme of gratitude. To ensure a focused and meaningful presentation, we will not be hosting additional guests this year.
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held this week on October 30th and 31st as follows.
5K - 5th Grade In-Person Conferences (increased based on feedback)
10/30 from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
10/31 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
5K - 5th Grade Virtual Conferences
10/31 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
- After you sign up, your child’s teacher will email you the conference link.
4K Conferences
Kubicki:
10/30 from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm, Virtual and 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm, In-Person
10/31 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, In-Person and 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Virtual
Petri:
10/30 from 8:00 am - 11:00 am, Virtual and 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm, In-Person
10/31 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, In-Person
Our staff places high value on the time set aside for conferences and we request that all conferences be scheduled during the designated conference window. If a virtual conference is not workable, a conference scheduled on either date can take place by phone.
Staff prepare extensively for conferences, and this is the time allocated for conferences when teachers are not teaching. Teachers are not allowed to schedule conferences outside of this window. If your child’s teacher has any concerns and you are not able to attend during these times, they will send an email with a summary.
Two household parents/guardians sometimes request separate conferences. This is often problematic as the dialogue, discussion, and conclusions in each conference may vary. Therefore, parents/guardians are asked to attend one conference together and to sign up accordingly.
Upcoming No School Dates
Wednesday, October 30: Early Dismissal at 11:30am for 5K - 5th Grade, No School for 4K
Thursday, October 31: No School 4K - 5th Grade
Friday, November 1: No School 4K - 5th Grade
The 2024-2025 School Year Calendar can be viewed here: LINK
Family Math Night - Shared Resources: Thank you to all who attended Family Math Night on October 21st and 22nd. During these events, students and family members engaged in game play focused on fact fluency.
Here are the resources we used:
● Google Slides of the presentation
● Family Letters from IM - letters sent out by teacher before a new unit
● Summary letters of key concepts at each grade level
● Games for Fluency Practice at Home by Grade - activities and resources from family night
Please note the games are built in stages and the goal is fluency. If it is too easy or challenging you can adjust a stage up or down. Think about making game play a weekly activity. Similar to how we ask students to read for a bit of time each night, added practice in playing Math Games can support fact fluency skills at home. Playing Sorry, Trouble, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Top It (previously called War in the form of addition, subtraction or multiplication practice),Monopoly etc are always options for turning math facts and skills into family time at home!
Should you have any questions, please reach out to Matthew Skinner at Cumberland Elementary (matthew.Skinner@wfbschools.com) or Susan Jones at Richards Elementary (susan.jones@wfbschools.com).
Picture Retake Day: Student Picture Retake Day will be held after school on Thursday, November 7th from 3:15-5:15pm in the Gym. Please note that students should be accompanied by an adult and that no appointment is needed. Enter at Door 1 (front, center door off of Santa Monica Blvd.), turn right to the Gym. Our photographer will also be taking first time photos for those students who missed picture day in September. Questions? Email Allison at richards.yearbook@gmail.com.
Interested in viewing your child(ren)'s school photos? Visit https://www.vipis.com/
Click on “View and Order Photos”, type in “Richards Elementary School” under “Start by Searching for Your School or Organization.” Click “View now” on the box “School Portraits - Grades 3K-12”. Scroll down and complete the search fields and click on “Search” to submit. A student ID number will be required (which can be found under the Student Info Tab on Family Access). Select your image for yearbook/composite, and purchase portraits. All orders will be delivered to your home. If you need further assistance, contact VIP at support@vipis.com.
Snacks and Lunches: We are able to help students at times opening containers and different types of snacks. However, this should not be the norm as with a classroom or lunchroom full of students, we are limited in our ability to help in this way. Please practice with your child and have them demonstrate the ability to independently pack lunch or snack on their own. This could be a fun activity at home over the weekend packing lunch for the day to see how independent your child is with their lunch. If they do struggle, please look to adjust the packaging to something they are able to open (ziploc bags work well). We are also unable to peel oranges for students so please peel if necessary and put into a bag they can open.
Richards Lost and Found: The Lost and Found has grown by leaps and bounds this fall. Please encourage your child(ren) to check the tables in the main lobby before Friday, November 8. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity after that date. Please label your child(ren)'s items. This helps us locate the owner when items land in the Lost & Found. Thank you!
Student Safety: We cannot say it enough times that the safety of our children is in your hands before and after school. Please always drive and park safely, especially at entry and dismissal times. Drop off your children on the curb side. Students should always use the crosswalks when crossing the street. Watch for bicyclists and walkers. Dogs are not allowed on District property so please keep dogs on the parkway or across the street. Thank you ahead of time for your understanding of the many steps we take to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Morning Bell: You may have noticed our morning bell rings at 7:49 am, and not 7:50 am. After receiving feedback from last year, we made this change. This is a bell to give students and staff a one minute warning to line up and be ready for entrance into the building at 7:50 am. Thank you.
Elementary Switch Days: There are many no student days on Mondays and Fridays throughout the year. To provide every student with a balanced experience of Library, Art, Music (including Band and Orchestra), Physical Education, and Spanish instruction throughout the school year, we introduced a "days equalized" calendar.
Tuesday, 11/26, will be treated as a Friday. The reason this is important is specific to students who need to bring an instrument or wear appropriate footwear for physical education. We will give you notice before each switch day throughout the school year.
A Message from the Richards Health Room
Student Illness:
FEVER: A child may have a fever in the evening, then be without a fever the next morning. If sent to school, the fever may return later in the school day. The Whitefish Bay School District's policy states to exclude a child from school with a temperature of 100.4 or greater. Please keep your child home until fever-free for 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medication.
VOMIT: The 24 hour rule also pertains to students who vomit due to illness.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: Students are excluded from school with communicable diseases including: Pertussis, Hand Foot and Mouth. This is not an all inclusive list. As these impact other students, please contact the Health Room for awareness or with questions.
PERSISTENT COUGH, COUGHING SPELLS, VOMITING, EXHAUSTION, DIARRHEA: These are all reasons to keep a child home. If these signs and symptoms (S&S) continue, medical evaluation is appropriate.
SORE THROAT: Irritation of the throat can be caused by persistent coughing, post-nasal drainage (drainage down the back of the throat from sinus and nasal passages due to a cold, allergies, or sinus infections), or throat infections such as Streptococcus bacteria (Strept Throat). Medical evaluation is important to rule out Strept infections.
ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATION THERAPY: Medication Antibiotic Therapy is sometimes prescribed by the child's physician to treat bacterial infections. If antibiotics are prescribed the child must be on them for 24 hours before returning to school.
Reminder to Families: Families play a key role in the prevention and management of head lice, including examining their children’s hair and beginning immediate treatment if lice is detected. To prevent the spread of lice, families should regularly check their students for lice, particularly if they suspect contact with someone who has lice. If lice is found, please notify the school health room as soon as possible. It is also encouraged that families contact others who have been in close contact with the person.
In accordance with District protocol regarding cases of lice, if multiple students in one building are found to have lice, families of students in the impacted grade level(s) will be notified.
Should your student be found to have lice or any communicable disease, please notify your school’s health room as soon as possible to assist in mitigating spread.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community healthy!
Richards Health Room: 414-962-6810
District Nurse: 414-962-6648
Health Room Information: The Richards Health Room oversees daily attendance. All absences, including students arriving to school late or leaving before the end of the school day should be reported to the Clinic at: richards.healthroom@wfbschools.com or 414-962-6810.
Incoming 2025-26 4-Year Old Kindergarten (4K) Visits
Whitefish Bay resident families of students who turn four on or before September 1, 2025 are invited to a 4K Overview at Richards Elementary School on Friday, December 6, 2024 at either 8:40 am or 1:30 pm.
This event, hosted by Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Petersen, will include a welcome from our 4K Teachers, a short story with our Library Media Specialist and time for Q & A. Please join us! RSVP via this link. Please contact the Richards Office (414-963-3951) with any questions.
Be on the lookout for a donation drive form from the Richards PTO in your child’s folder. All the money the PTO raises goes directly back to Richards. To donate you can return the form in an envelope to school with cash or a check enclosed! You can also donate by visiting the MTK website or stopping by the front office.
Volunteers Needed! The PTO could not run without the help of volunteers. If you are interested in becoming more involved with the school and PTO, the following committees are in need of volunteers:
- Sporting Events
- Lego Club
- Family Engagement/ Family Movie Night
For more information please email the PTO at richardsptowfb@gmail.com or visit the PTO website.
Fun Lunch Friday & Late Order(s)
Our next Fun Lunch is scheduled for Friday, November 8.
If you missed the deadline for the MTK order, you can still place orders for future fun lunches. All late fun lunch orders must be placed via email to Jacob Ruck at jacob.wruck@gmail.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Fun Lunch chairs:
Janaki Shah - janaki.y.shah@gmail.com
Kelly Moore - kellybrookemoore@gmail.com
Reminder — Pretzel Sale Going on Now!
Richards Elementary PTO is selling pretzels from Milwaukee Pretzel Co. — owned by a local Richards family!
Place your orders and pay on Membership Toolkit now through Monday, 10/28. Click on ‘Richards PTO Store’ to place orders. Milwaukee Pretzel Co. has challenged us to beat our total sales from last year. If we can do it, they’ll give us 75% of the sales from this fundraiser (instead of 50%)!!
Pretzel order pick up is on Thursday, 11/21 from 3-6pm at the main entrance of Richards Elementary. Enter through the front doors by the office. You MUST be able to pick up this day or have someone pick up your order. Pretzels must be consumed or frozen the same day. Any orders not picked up will be donated.
Pretzels are the perfect item to take to your Thanksgiving celebrations, as a gift to the host, or have pretzels as a treat after Thanksgiving! Pretzels can be frozen for up to 6 months — perfect to have on hand for an afterschool snack, movie night, or while watching a game!
Please consider selling to family, friends, and neighbors. Collect payment from them and submit the orders on your Membership Toolkit account. You can then pick up the pretzel orders and deliver them on Thursday, 11/21.
Questions? Please reach out to Kristin George - kristincerbins@hotmail.com
Thank you for supporting Richards Elementary PTO!
Green Team: Richards Fall Clean-Up, Nov. 9th from 12-2pm.
Bring your rakes, leaf blowers and tarps, and join us for the Richards Fall Clean-up. We will be focusing on raking the front grounds of the school and cleaning out the butterfly gardens for winter. Rain date will be Nov. 10 from 12-2pm. All children volunteers must be supervised by an adult. Please see the sign-up link below or email Emily Bandsma with questions: ecbandsma@gmail.com
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4DA8A723A0FCC43-52527967-richards
FIRST LEGO League Explore: This year's FIRST LEGO League Explore challenge is SUBMERGED, which will inspire students to use their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Teams will meet for approximately 12 weeks beginning as early as mid-November, culminating in an optional spring expo where students can showcase their creations.
FLL Explore is open to Richards students in grades 2-4. As space is limited and a minimum of two volunteer coaches are needed per team, preference will be given to students whose parent(s)/guardian(s) are able to coach. Teams will be formed based on the availability of students and coaches. Cost is approximately $50/student. If the cost presents a financial hardship for participants, please reach out to Stephanie in the Richards office.
Registration ends October 28th! No experience or STEM background is needed as long as you share an enthusiasm for LEGOs. Sign up here: Richards FIRST LEGO League Explore Registration Form
A special thank you goes out to Mathnasium & the WFB Civic Foundation for their generous donations this season, which will support upgrading and expanding this popular program!
From the Cultural Arts PTO Committee
The Cultural Arts Committee is in the beginning stages of planning a Cultural Night at Richards on Thursday, February 27th! This event will feature the different cultures represented at Richards through our families and will give students the opportunity to learn about different cultures from one another. This event will be coordinated by the Cultural Arts committee, but its success depends on family participation. If your family would possibly be interested in participating in this event by hosting an information table, running a cultural game, or something else related to your personal culture, please click on this link and complete the short survey by Wednesday, Oct. 30. If you have any questions please contact Katie Cizauskas at ktcizauskas@gmail.com.
Dine Out Fundraiser at Daily Dose Whitefish Bay on 10/31!
Mark your calendar for Thursday, 10/31 and join us for a Halloween Day off of school Dine Out fundraiser at Daily Dose Whitefish Bay! Stop in to grab a smoothie, juice, or other delicious treat between 7am-2pm and Daily Dose Whitefish Bay will donate 20% of the proceeds to the Richards PTO. Please mention the Richards PTO fundraiser.
Questions? Email Kristin George - kristincerbins@hotmail.com
Dine Out at Panera Bread on 11/5!
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, November 5th and join us for a Richards Dine Out fundraiser at Panera Bread in Glendale! Dine in or pick up dinner between 4-8pm and Panera Bread in Glendale (5595 N Port Washington Rd) will donate 25% of the proceeds to the Richards PTO. If ordering online, on the app, or in the in-store kiosk please use code: FUND4U. If placing your order in person or over the phone, please make sure to mention the Richards PTO fundraiser.
Questions? Email Kristin George - kristincerbins@hotmail.com
Scholastic Book Fair
A huge thank you to all who came to the Scholastic Book Fair. Because of you, we raised almost $4,000 for the Richards PTO and donated over 200 Wish Books back to the classrooms! Thank you for your continued support for this event!
We could not have run the book fair without the help of our volunteers, Allison Feix, Janaki Shah, Jennifer Aiken, Toni Polsean, Jill Fink, Liz Bradshaw, Sam Peterka, Erica Trower, Katie Woods, Kristin Lane, Christie Schroeder, Dee Leung, Betsy Wittman, and Mike Schwartz. Thank you for volunteering your time to this event.
We look forward to seeing you at our one-day Scholastic Book Fair in the spring!
Kelly Moore and Elizabeth Schwartz
Scholastic Book Fair Co-Chairs
Are You Interested in Making a Difference?
Join the steering committee for the 20th Anniversary Hunger Task Force Food Drive and Dinner!
The HTF Dinner is a proud tradition for our 3rd grade class for nearly two decades, this service project empowers students to learn about and combat hunger in our community. We need your help with planning and logistics to make this the BEST YEAR YET!
Committee Meeting Dates:
First Meeting: Dec 10, 2024, 6-7:30 PM
Second Meeting: Jan 14, 2025, 6-7:30 PM
🗓️ Event Details:
Food Drive: February 10 - March 7, 2025
Benefit Dinner: March 6, 2025
Ready to Make a Difference?
Contact: Maxine Webb mywebb08@gmail.com or Lynn Raines lynnraines318@icloud.com
*Although the HTF Food Drive and Dinner is hosted by the 3rd grade, we welcome parent volunteers from any grade.*
Student Attendance FAQ
The linked document includes answers to frequently asked questions related to student attendance, excused and unexcused absences, make-up work, and more. Please carefully review the linked information. 2024-25 Student Attendance FAQ
School Board Meeting Takeaways: Curious about what is discussed at School Board Meetings? Linked below, you'll find key takeaways from the most recent School Board Meeting. Additional information can be found on the Board of Education website.
October 23 Board Meeting Takeaways
Next School Board Meeting: Wednesday, November 13 at 7:00pm, at Whitefish Bay High School Auditorium. Click here to view the 2024-2025 School Board Meeting dates.
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.
WFB Public Education Foundation Annual Pledge
The WFB Public Education Foundation’s 2024 Annual Fall Pledge Drive kicked off on October 9th! The Foundation provides immediate support to Whitefish Bay Schools and helps fund innovative educational projects, continuing teacher education, student scholarships and provides emergency funding.
Your donations are vital to the District’s long-term growth and success. With your support, we can help ensure continued academic, artistic and athletic excellence.
The campaign takes place October 9 – December 31. Show your support for our students and our schools by donating at www.educatethebay.com TODAY!
