Weekly Winkelman Principal Message 8/28/26

August 28, 2026

Dear Winkelman Families,

We had another successful week at Winkelman! Our students are settling in, getting into the groove with classroom routines and expectations, and becoming more comfortable each day. Most importantly, our classrooms are full of energy, excitement, and learning! It has been wonderful to see our students engaged, building relationships, and starting the year strong.

Next week will be a busy one! Students will be taking the NWEA MAP assessment throughout the week. A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a few positive words of encouragement go a long way in helping students feel ready and confident on testing days. We encourage students to simply do their best and show us what they know!

 Wednesday is Picture Day!

 Thursday is Curriculum Night at Winkelman! We look forward to welcoming families into the building and giving you an opportunity to learn more about your child’s classroom and the year ahead.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. We are off to such a strong start, and I’m excited for all that’s ahead for our Wildcats!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Samantha Eiseman, Principal
Megan Breyer, Assistant Principal
Erin Kranz, Assistant Principal

 Important Dates

• MAP Testing (1st - 5th Grade) Monday, August 31st - Thursday, August 27th
• Picture Day: Wednesday, September 2nd
• Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 3rd, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
• No School - Labor Day: Monday, September 7th

 Dismissal Plan Changes  

If there is a change to your child’s regular dismissal plan, please make sure the change is communicated to both your child’s classroom teacher and the school office.

Including the office helps ensure we have the correct information even if your child has a substitute teacher, a plan changes later in the day, or a teacher has not had an opportunity to see an email before dismissal.

Our goal is always to make sure every student gets where they need to be safely at the end of the day, and communicating dismissal changes to both the teacher and office helps us do that.

Thank you for helping us keep dismissal safe, organized, and smooth for everyone!

Pets on School Property 

We love our furry friends!  However, for the safety and well-being of all students, families, staff, and pets, we ask that you please do not bring pets onto school property during arrival and dismissal.

These are busy times with many children, adults, cars, and buses moving through the area. The increased activity can be overwhelming or unpredictable for animals and may create safety concerns for both pets and people.

Thank you for helping us keep arrival and dismissal safe and comfortable for everyone! 

4th/5th Grade Author Visit

Dan Santat will be visiting Winkelman on September 24th. He will be giving a presentation to 4th and 5th grade students on his graphic novel series, A Fishboy Named Sashimi. Dan has written and illustrated over 100 books for children and has won both the National Book Award and the Caldecott Medal. Students can purchase signed copies of his books from the Book Stall in Winnetka at this link. Purchasing books is optional. Purchased books will be delivered to students at Winkleman the day of the event. If you have questions about the visit please email Katie Ryan at kryan@district31.net. 

Information Worth Repeating 

 A Note on Drop-Off Procedures

As our school community continues to grow, we're updating our procedures for lunches and forgotten items dropped off during the school day. These changes will help us:

 Limit interruptions to student learning
 Build student responsibility and independence
 Allow staff to remain focused on supporting students throughout the school day

 Reduce traffic in our busy main office so office staff can stay focused on supporting students, families, and the needs of the school throughout the day.

We know forgotten items happen! Our goal is to create a process that keeps the school day running smoothly while also giving students opportunities to develop responsibility and independence - important life skills! 

 Changes to Lunch Drop-Off 

All lunches—whether packed from home or delivered from a restaurant - must be dropped off in the vestibule before 11:00 a.m. You no longer need to enter the office. 

 Before 11:00 a.m.: Look for the cart labeled “Lunches” in the vestibule and place your child’s lunch on the cart. Your child’s name and grade must be clearly written on the lunch so we can make sure it gets to the right student.

 At 11:00 a.m. sharp: The lunch cart will be wheeled to the lunchroom. This will happen at 11:00 a.m. regardless of your child’s scheduled lunch period.

 After 11:00 a.m.: Any lunch arriving after the cart has been moved will not be able to be delivered to your child, so please plan accordingly.

 Restaurant & Delivery Orders: This procedure also applies to DoorDash, Uber Eats, and all other restaurant or delivery services. Please schedule deliveries with enough time to arrive before 11:00 a.m. and include your child’s name and grade on the order.

We understand that unexpected situations happen; however, with the number of students we serve and the activity in our main office throughout the day, we are unable to make exceptions to the 11:00 a.m. cutoff or individually deliver lunches to students.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we work to keep this process organized, minimize disruptions, and ensure our staff can remain focused on supporting students throughout the school day.

 Forgotten Item Drop-Off 

For forgotten items such as clothing, Chromebooks, snacks, water bottles, shoes, and similar belongings, please leave them on the designated “Forgotten Items” cart/table in the vestibule. You no longer need to enter the office. 

 Drop-Off Location: All forgotten items should be left in the vestibule. Parents should not enter the main office to drop off items, as the vestibule is our designated drop-off location.

 Label Everything: Please clearly label all items with your child’s name and grade so we can make sure they get to the correct student.

 Two Delivery Times: Forgotten items will be distributed to students twice each day only. Please plan for some time between when an item is dropped off and when your child receives it.

 Why the change? Our main office is a high-traffic area, and our staff needs to remain focused on supporting students, families, and the needs of the school throughout the day. We do not have the capacity to deliver individual items to classrooms each time something arrives.

Because items are distributed at designated times, we are unable to make exceptions or provide individual deliveries outside of this schedule.

Thank you for respecting this process and helping us keep our office running smoothly while our staff remains focused on supporting students throughout the school day.