Words of Windom October 26

Hello Windom Families,

What a wonderful start to the school year! It has been so exciting to see our students settling into routines, building relationships, and bringing their energy and enthusiasm into our classrooms each day. Thank you to our families for your continued partnership and support as we work together to make this a successful year for every student.

We also had a fantastic turnout for Homecoming! It was wonderful to see so many Windom families and students come out to celebrate and show their Windom spirit. Events like these are such a great reminder of the strong sense of community we have here at Windom. A huge thank you to our PTO for supporting our Windom float!

Behind the scenes, there has been a great deal of work happening to support student learning as well. Our universal screeners have been completed, and AIS services are officially up and running. Our teachers and support staff are using this information to better understand student needs and provide targeted instruction and intervention.

This year, we are also excited to expand the role of our building administrators in WIN (What I Need) Time. Mrs. Fitzgerald and I will each participate as intervention providers throughout the year, working directly with students during rotating grade-level cycles. Our goal is to be active participants in the instructional work happening across our building and to support students with targeted instruction based on their individual learning needs. A more detailed letter about our Administrative WIN involvement is included below.

We are also excited to share information about a new opportunity for our students with Officer B through our SHINE Lunch & Learn initiative. Each month, Officer B will join students during lunch to share a short lesson or message connected to our Character Education and Health & Wellness themes. We are looking forward to using this time to build positive relationships, reinforce important life skills, and help our students see that learning and character development happen in many different settings throughout the school day. More information about Lunch & Learn can be found below.

Halloween Reminders: We’re looking forward to a fun, safe, and inclusive Halloween celebration on Friday, October 30th! Students may wear costumes to school, but costumes should be school-appropriate, allow students to participate comfortably in the school day, and may not include weapons, full masks, face paint, or violent/gory elements. Classroom celebrations will vary, so please watch for communication from your child’s teacher regarding activities and treats. If sending a treat, please check with your child’s teacher or nurse first; only approved, pre-packaged, individually wrapped items may be shared. Thank you for helping us make Halloween a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone!

Thank you for helping us get the year off to such a great start. We are grateful for the continued partnership between our school and our families, and we are excited for all that is ahead!

Keep Shining, Windom! ✨

Theresa Glowacki

What a fun Homecoming celebration at Windom! A huge thank you to our high school football players and cheerleaders for stopping by and bringing so much energy and excitement to our students. We also want to give a special shout out to our incredible PTO for all of the time, creativity, and hard work that went into creating our amazing Homecoming float. We are so grateful for the Windom community spirit that made the celebration so special!

Click photo to access form.

For the safety of all students and staff, our school parking lots will remain closed to vehicles arriving for dismissal pick-up until 2:55 PM.

Keeping the lots clear during the school day allows emergency vehicles to access our buildings quickly if needed and helps us maintain a safe, and orderly environment for everyone.

If vehicles begin lining up on surrounding roads before 2:55 PM, the Orchard Park Police Department will assist with traffic management.

We appreciate your cooperation and support in keeping our school campuses safe and accessible.

• At both arrival and dismissal, cars should enter the Windom parking lot from the Brompton Ave. side of Sheldon. Making a left into the parking lot.

• Do not enter from the Abbott Rd. side as this entry is designated for our buses

• Busses will unload and load in our front loop, please do not park or cut through the bus loop.

• See the maps below for traffic patterns at arrival and dismissal. Pick up and drop off are the same procedures for the 26-27 school year.

• Stay in your car. Staff will do our best to assist students getting out of and into cars.

• Have your children ready to exit/enter the vehicle on the curb side of the car.

• Be mindful of our neighbors and do not block driveways.

• Be sure to follow staff directions, posted speed limits, and use turn signals entering and exiting school traffic.

• At dismissal, yield to OP school buses.

• At dismissal, when in the student loading zone, stay as far to the right as possible to allow for fully loaded vehicles to exit. Please do not exit your vehicle.

• You may be asked to pull forward and to the side if there is delay in dismissing your child.

• If you need to buckle your child in we ask that you pull up and over to the right, near the grass, before getting out of your car to buckle them in.

• October 6, 2026 - Destination Imagination Open House 7:00 PM, OPMS (See details below)
• October 8, 2026 - Picture Day! (See details below)
• October 12, 2026 - Indigenous People Day: NO SCHOOL
• October 13, 2026 - Board of Education Meeting 7:00 PM, OPMS
• October 16, 2026 - Trunk of Treat 5:30 PM, Front Loop
• October 30, 2026 - Kindergarten Song Fest 2:30 PM, Cafe

Visit https://vando.imagequix.com/S9SRC9J and enter the school Online Code 31174F2627 to order online. (The preorder site closes 48 hours after the last picture day.)

Please see below for the monthly meeting minutes.

Looking for new Windom apparel??? Please see the link below to purchase all of your Windom gear!

It is essential that anyone who feels they may be eligible for free and reduced meals to fill out the 2026-2027 Free and Reduced lunch application that is available above. Procedures are in place to protect the privacy of students participating in the free and reduced program. Receiving Free and Reduced meals does not solely benefit the student receiving the meal, it also benefits the district community; depending on the amount of need within our district, we will receive/be eligible for additional funding. Completed applications should be sent to J. Schwarz at 4040 Baker Road, Orchard Park, NY 14127.

If you need an application printed and sent to you, please call Jody Schwarz at (716) 209-6244.