Richards Family News
October 26, 2026
Dear Richards Families,
As we head into parent-teacher conferences, I want to thank you for the partnership you bring to your child’s learning. These conversations are an important opportunity to reflect on the growth your child has made, celebrate successes, and discuss areas where we can continue to support their learning and development. When school and home work together, we help ensure each child feels supported, challenged, and valued.
Thank you for being such an important part of our Richards community. I hope you enjoy the upcoming long weekend, find some time to relax and reconnect as a family, and have a wonderful rest of October. We look forward to seeing you at conferences!
Parent Teacher Conferences: Conferences are being held this week on Wednesday and Thursday. This is a great opportunity to connect with your child's teacher, discuss their progress, and address any questions or concerns. Strong partnerships between home and school are key to your child's success.
Wednesday, October 28:
- 4K: 8:00am–1:00pm Virtual, 4:00pm–8:00pm In-Person
- 5K–5th: 4:00pm–8:00pm In-Person
Thursday, October 29:
- 4K–5th: 11:00am–3:00pm In-Person, 4:00pm–7:00pm Virtual
Virtual Conferences: Your child(ren)'s teacher will email a google meet link prior to your scheduled conference. Please note that students should not be present (either on camera or nearby in the room) during virtual conferences unless specifically requested by the teacher, or unless steps have been taken to ensure they cannot hear the discussion (such as parents wearing headphones). Children often process feedback differently than intended; a gentle observation about a specific area for growth, like "working on math facts under 10," can easily be interpreted by a child as "my teacher thinks I'm bad at math." Keeping these conversations private helps ensure feedback is received constructively and supports your child's confidence.
Upcoming No School Dates: School is not in session on the following dates.
- October 28 – No school 4K
- October 28 – Early Dismissal 5K – 5th Grade. Dismissal at 11:30am
- October 29 – No School 4K – 5th Grade
- October 30 - No School 4K – 5th Grade
Picture Retake Day: Did your child’s photo not turn out exactly like you had hoped? Retake Day will be held in the Great Hall on Tuesday, November 10 from 3:15-5:00 pm. Students must be accompanied by an adult, no appointment is needed. During the school day, our photographer will also be taking first time photos for those students who missed Picture Day in September.
To view photos, follow the link to the Richards VIP photo page. For best results, please make sure your child's name and student number are entered exactly as it is in your Skyward account. You’ll be able to select your image for the Richards yearbook and place your online order. If you have questions about ordering photos, please contact VIP customer service directly at customer.support@vipis.com or by phone, 262-375-4457.
Meet the Richards Pupil Services Team! Please open this LINK to view the Fall 2026 Welcome and Informational Letter from our Pupil Services Team.
THANK YOU, RICHARDS! WHAT A FUN RUN!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Once again, the Richards community came through and showed up in a big way for the Richards Fun Run! We couldn’t have done it without our amazing students, families, staff members, donors, and volunteers! Your generosity and enthusiasm made this event one to celebrate.
By the Numbers
$71,313 raised for our new playground — far exceeding our $50,000 goal!
The PTO has generously donated an additional $30,000 bringing the grand total to $101,331!!
· 515 registered runners
· 887 generous donors
Thank you for supporting a safer, more accessible playground for all Richards students!
Way to go, Richards!
Our students brought incredible energy to the Fun Run! Here’s a look at the results:
Top Classes
· Mrs. Opelt — K5
· Mrs. Eyers — 3rd Grade
· Mrs. Safer-Fink — 2nd Grade
Top Student Fundraisers
· Brayden, Brooklyn, and Kendrick Semenkovich — over $5,000 each
· Henry Seefeld — $2,500
· August and Otto Quadracci — $1,250 each
· Drew Steiner and Valerie VanOpstall — $1,000 each
Grade-Level Fundraising Totals
· K4: $5,822.30
· K5: $18,306
· 1st Grade: $8,829.97
· 2nd Grade: $13,018.33
· 3rd Grade: $9,662.84
· 4th Grade: $8,883.51
· 5th Grade: $4,126.68
The Fun Run website is closed but if anyone missed out and would like to donate visit the Richards Playground website! https://www.richardsplaygroundwfb.com/
Get ready to get slimed… and shaved!
Our students exceeded the schoolwide fundraising goal, which means Mr. Nelson will get his head shaved! Plus, because K4, K5, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades each surpassed their individual grade-level goals, one randomly selected student from each of those grades will get to slime Mr. Nelson at the November school meeting. We can’t wait!
Playground update
We’ve received some questions about the construction plan and wanted to clarify that the new playground equipment will be an addition to—not a replacement for—our existing playground!
Our current playset, which includes slides, monkey bars, and more, is in good condition and will remain. The new addition will expand the play area while improving accessibility and inclusivity. Phase 1 construction is expected to begin this spring!
The photo below shows how the new equipment will fit alongside our existing playground.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making our first Fun Run such a success. Richards truly showed what we can accomplish when we come together. We can’t wait to see our new playground take shape!
Let’s keep the momentum going — Richards runs, raises, and plays together!
Book Fair: A huge thank you to all who came to the Scholastic Book Fair. Because of you, we donated 163 Wish List Books back to classrooms! AND due to your "rounding up" generosity during checkout, 19 books were purchased for the library and classrooms.
We look forward to sharing the money earned at the Book Fair in November. One of the registers had an error during closing and those reports will need to be extracted by Scholastic technicians. Stay tuned!
We could not have run the book fair without the help of our volunteers: Betsy Wittmann, Jen Biffle, Claire Barber-Stetson, Ellie McCue, Dee Leung, Jen Ryan, Crystal Stair, Allison Brouk, Ann Amormino, Jill Williams, Lynn Raines, Kelly Little, Maria Camera, and Katie Nowak. Thank you for volunteering your time to this event. An additional thank you to Brian Timmerman and Jake Wahl for sharing their space with us and to Webster Boyd and the custodial staff for all of their help with set up. And of course to Stephanie Haupt and Chris von Paumgartten for all of their assistance along the way.
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
FUN LUNCH NEWS
Our next Fun Lunch is Friday, November 6! If you missed the original ordering window, you can still request a late order by this Friday, October 30.
Late orders must be requested at least one week before the scheduled Fun Lunch date by emailing Jacob Wruck at jacob.wruck@gmail.com.
Upcoming Fun Lunch Dates & Late Order Deadlines:
● Friday, November 6 → Order by October 30
● Friday, November 20 → Order by November 13
● Friday, December 4 → Order by November 27
● Friday, December 18 → Order by December 11
● Friday, January 15 → Order by January 8
● Friday, January 29 → Order by January 22
Questions? Please contact our Fun Lunch Chairs:
Janaki Shah – janaki.y.shah@gmail.com
Kelly Moore – kellybrookemoore@gmail.com
FALL CLEAN UP!
It is time for the annual Richard's Campus Fall Clean Up! Come join anytime between 9:00am-11:00am on Sunday, November 8th.
Please sign up to volunteer at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A44ABAD2EABF58-66885791-richards
Any questions please email Alyssa Fourness at: alys.laws@gmail.com
DINE OUT AT DAILY DOSE! This Wednesday, October 28 (Early Release Day)!
Dine in, order online, or pick up between 7am-2pm and Daily Dose (619 E. Silver Spring Dr.) will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Richards PTO. Please mention the Richards PTO Fundraiser when ordering at the cafe.
Questions? Email Sabrina Eder sabrina.d.eder@gmail.com
LOST AND FOUND: Missing a sweatshirt or jacket? Over 100 have landed in the Lost and Found this fall...take a look in the Great Hall during conferences on Oct. 28 and 29. All items lost so far this school year (including those previously stored for donation) will be available to peruse.
Plan ahead for winter by ordering adhesive name tags (they work really well on hats and mittens) from Mabel's Labels; Richards PTO gets 20% back on all purchases (make sure to select Richards Elementary via the "Support a Fundraiser" tab or during checkout).
Questions or need help finding a specific item? Email richardslostandfound@gmail.com
GET INVOLVED AT RICHARDS!
Come to a PTO Meeting
Everyone is welcome at PTO meetings and we would really love to see as many people there as possible. Meetings are held at 7pm on the third Monday of each month in the Great Hall.
Next meeting: Monday, November 16 @ 7pm - we hope to see you there!
Stay connected
Don’t miss out! Follow us to see what’s happening and keep up with the latest PTO news:
● Instagram: @RichardsPTO_WFB
● Facebook: @RichardsPTO
● Membership Toolkit: richardspto.membershiptoolkit.com
If you have any questions, or need help navigating any of the above, please reach out to richardsptowfb@gmail.com. We are ALWAYS happy to help!
Thank you for supporting Richards Elementary PTO!
Have a great week everyone.
The Richards PTO
On Tuesday, November 3, our community will vote on a $90 million facilities referendum for the Whitefish Bay School District.
The proposed referendum was directly shaped by feedback and input we received from the community over the summer following the unsuccessful referendum in April, in which
a $135.6 million ballot measure finished roughly 300 votes short of passing.
More than 2,100 people made their voices heard through the communitywide survey. Specifically, about 86% of respondents said the prior referendum’s total cost and potential tax impact were too high.
The Board of Education ultimately responded with the new $90 million referendum proposal. If approved, the funds will pay for a series of targeted capital improvement projects, including a multi-year plan to rebuild and renovate the century-old Middle School.
📺WATCH: Middle School renovation time-lapse video
Also planned with the referendum funds are critical updates at the High School campus, including the replacement of failing HVAC systems and upgrades to the fire sprinkler and alarm systems.
Fire protection and alarm system updates will also be realized at Cumberland and Richards if the referendum receives support from at least 50% of voters.
Please visit our referendum website at www.wfbreferendum.org to learn more. This online resource features project details, answers to FAQs, a property tax calculator, and voting information.
➤ Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn for updates
JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 2!
Our final referendum information session will be held on Monday, November 2, at Middle School Gym beginning at 6 p.m. This event will feature a presentation by district leaders, a building tour, and a question-and-answer session.
FAQ OF THE WEEK
Question: What is the district’s credit rating, how does it compare statewide, and what impact does this have on future funding?
Answer: The Whitefish Bay School District has one of the highest credit ratings in the state: Aa1 from Moody’s. This rating places Whitefish Bay among the top public school districts in Wisconsin. Currently, only three public school districts have a higher credit rating than Whitefish Bay, with a Moody’s rating of Aaa.
For the district to obtain the highest credit rating, the community would need much more development of commercial and industrial properties.
The difference in interest rate that an organization could receive between an Aaa credit rating and an Aa1 rating is minimal. With a strong rating of Aa1 from Moody’s, the Whitefish Bay School District would be in an ideal position to secure a competitive interest rate if a capital referendum was approved by the community.
Public school districts in Wisconsin will receive a credit rating from one of two agencies: Moody’s or S&P Global. Each agency has its own scale and the factors that determine a rating include resident income, property values, enrollment trends, available fund balance, net cash ratio, the state funding system, long-term liabilities ratio, and fixed-costs ratio.
Have a question of your own? Please use our submission form to share it with district administrators.
Whitefish Bay School Board Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00pm, in the Whitefish Bay High School Library Media Center. Click here to view the 2026-2027 School Board Meeting dates.
October 7, 2026 School Board Meeting Takeaways
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.
Thank You! From Bay Gives Back: Bay Gives Back just wanted to say thank you for promoting and supporting this year's food drive. We broke records and collected over 10,000 pounds of food. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐖𝐅𝐁!
