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August 21, 2026
Dear Winkelman Families,
What a wonderful first few days of the 2026–2027 school year! It has been so exciting to welcome our Wildcats back and see them reconnecting with friends, settling into their classrooms, and learning the routines that will set them up for a successful year.
This week has focused on building relationships, establishing routines, and creating a strong foundation for the year ahead. Students have also been learning and practicing our R.O.A.R.S. expectations: Responsible, Ownership, Achievement, Respect, and School Spirit throughout classrooms and common areas of the school.
As we continue settling in, thank you for your patience and partnership, especially during arrival and dismissal. Each day, our routines are becoming more familiar and things are running more smoothly.
As a reminder, school begins promptly at 8:05 a.m. Students arriving after 8:05 must be signed in by a parent or guardian in the office. Arriving on time helps students feel settled and ready to begin their day.
Thank you for helping us have such a positive start! We are excited for all that our Wildcats will learn and accomplish together this year.
Please take a moment to review the important dates, reminders, and new information below.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Samantha Eiseman, Principal
Megan Breyer, Assistant Principal
Erin Kranz, Assistant Principal
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 Important Dates
- MAP Testing (1st - 5th Grade) Monday, August 31st - Thursday, September 3
- Picture Day: Wednesday, September 2nd
- Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 3rd, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
- No School - Labor Day: Monday, September 7th
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 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!
Please review the updated guidelines below, effective Monday, August 24th. Thank you for your understanding and partnership!
 See below for details.
 Changes to Lunch Drop-Off
Beginning Monday, August 24th, 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.
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 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.
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Information Worth Repeating
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Arrival Procedures
Students are expected to be in their classrooms and ready to begin the day by 8:05 AM.
Students who arrive after 8:05 AM are considered tardy. If your child arrives after 8:05 AM, a parent or guardian must walk them into the front office and sign them in. Please do not drop off a tardy student outside the building.
Car Line Drop-Off: We encourage families to use the car line each morning. Students may enter the building through Door I or Door J. Using both doors helps keep the car line moving efficiently.
Walker Drop-Off: Parents should park in the front parking lot and walk their child to Door J. For safety, please do not drop students off in the front parking lot and allow them to walk to the building on their own.
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Dismissal Procedures
Students are dismissed from their classrooms at 2:40 PM.
Please make sure your child’s teacher knows how your child will be going home each day. If there is a change to your child’s dismissal plan, please notify the homeroom teacher and/or front office by 2:00 PM.
IMPORTANT: The front parking lot is closed from 2:00–2:50 PM to allow for bus dismissal.
Walker Pick-Up: Parents should park in the north parking lot and walk to the blacktop/playground area to pick up their child. Do not park along the sidewalk on the northside of the building by Doors B & C. This is designated for specialized transportation and students who require handicap parking spaces.
Car Line Pick-Up: Parents should enter the car line on the south side of the building. Please pull all the way forward when directed so we can keep the car line moving safely and efficiently.
Bus Riders: Students riding the bus will exit through the front of the building and be guided to their assigned buses. Students will scan their bus tag when entering and exiting the bus. Parents can track their child’s bus using My Ride K-12.
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Lunch and Breakfast at District 31
Quest Food Management Services provides breakfast and lunch service for District 31.
MySchoolQuest
MySchoolQuest is an online resource for families to stay connected with the school’s dining program, offering a simple, mobile-friendly experience where you can quickly find school menus, review nutrition and allergen information, and share questions or feedback with your school’s food service team. Visit www.myschoolquest.com and search the District or school name to get started. MySchoolQuest is also available as an app on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
The cost of a regular school lunch, including milk, is $5.20. If a student brings their lunch and would like to purchase milk, the cost is $0.55 per carton.
Students will need to have cash or credit on their Quest account through the Meal Time app to purchase food. Learn more about how to set up Meal Time here. If a family needs financial assistance, please reach out to Sarah Alfirevic in the district office at salfirevic@district31.net.
Winkelman will have two hot options - one meat and one veggie, and a few cold options.
Field will always have hot options like burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc. that will rotate. We will not have everything every day, but will have hot and cold options daily in addition to main entrees.
Menus will be available on our website beginning next week.
Field and Winkelman will again have the fresh fruit and veggie bar.
For more information about Quest and the food service program, please click on the flyers below or contact Food Service Director Holly Kraus at holly@questfms.com.
English Flyer
Spanish Flyer
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Family Handbook
The Family Handbook provides parents/guardians and students with important information regarding District policies and school procedures. The handbook describes school policy, practices, rules, and regulations, and summarizes the Board policies governing the District.
In addition to the family handbook, we have additional handbooks related to safety and student services. We invite you to review all handbooks here.
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