The Winn Word 8.14.25

Greetings Winn Families!

Happy Friday! Welcome to our 2026-2027 school year! I hope you have been enjoying the summer and get some much needed relaxation with your family. The cover picture this week highlights one of our favorite vacation spots, Copper Harbor! In the picture you see my two "big" girls and our dogs. Emily and her pup, Winnie the Weimaraner, are on the far left. Em is a special education teacher in Mt. Pleasant. On the far right, is my daughter, Elizabeth, and our two pups, Ruth Barker and Penny our therapy dog! Elizabeth is finishing her education this year as an attorney! My husband, Pat, and I love to camp and felt very lucky to have our girls join in for the fun this year!

This is our first issue of "The Winn Word," for the 2026-2027 school year. I publish a newsletter weekly to keep you in the loop of all things Winn. It is always sent via text, email, and published to both Facebook and our Winn Elementary school website. This newsletter helps you know everything that is happening at Winn.

We are so excited to welcome some new staff to Winn this year.

• Ms. Walters is our new kindergarten teacher. Ms. Walters was a "winner" and is so happy to be back home at her elementary school!
• Mr. Vinciguerra will be our new music teacher. He is looking forward to developing our music program and meeting all of our Shepherd elementary students.
• Ms. White and Mrs. Aquilina are joining our paraprofessional staff. They both come with wonderful experiences that are going to help support our students at Winn.

We are thrilled to have your family as part of our school community and are excited to partner with you in your child’s educational journey. Thank you for sharing your child with us; it is a privilege to watch them grow and learn each day.

As always, our doors are open to you. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have. We look forward to a wonderful year of growth, learning, and partnership. Let’s make this school year one of the best yet!

Warm regards,

Laurie Richards
Principal, Winn Elementary

8/18 Winn Elementary Open House

8/20 First Day of School!

9/4 No School

9/7 No School

9/17 Picture Day!

10/2 Picture Retakes

10/15-10/16 Parent Teacher Conferences

We are getting our parking lots and sidewalks redone. We ask for grace as we learn a new drop off and pick up procedure. The good news is once this is complete, our parking lots and sidewalks will be amazing! If you have any concerns/ideas, please reach out to Mrs.Richards directly.

We are so excited to welcome your child to Winn Elementary! This is our second year of trying something new to help us create the best possible learning environment for all of our Kindergarteners.

For the first few days of school, all of our Kindergarten students will be working and learning together. Students will not be assigned to a specific teacher right away. Instead, this will give our Kindergarten teachers, time to get to know each child, observe how students work together, and complete some 1:1 assessments, including NWEA. With this information, we’ll be able to create well-balanced classrooms where every child can thrive.

Important Dates:

Thursday August 20 All students with last names from A-J only attend school ALL DAY.

Friday, August 21 All students with last names from K-Z only attend school ALL DAY.

Monday-Friday August 24th-28th All Kindergarten students attend all day

To celebrate this process, we will be hosting a Kindergarten Sorting Family Event on Friday, August 28th at 1:45. All Kindergarten families are invited to join us for a treat with your student. During the treat, students will take part in a special “sorting activity,” where they will discover which teacher they will have for the school year.

We hope this special event not only makes the classroom placements exciting for students but also provides a wonderful opportunity for families to connect as we begin the year together.

We are noticing several "reds" in the "Peer to Peer" program. If you have questions about the program, please feel free to call!

Click the link below to hear the lastest Tucked in Tuesday book!

May 2026-2027 be filled with joy, growth, and many wonderful moments of learning and laughter. We’re excited to start this journey together and wish you a truly great year ahead!

With appreciation and excitement,
Laurie Richards

Thank you for sharing your child with our family here at Winn. Our motto at Winn is "Everything a Kid Needs." We focus on both academic excellence and creating good humans! I am here to serve you. If you have questions/concerns or need help in any way, please feel free to reach out to me.

Email: lrichards@shepherdschools.net
Location: 418 West Blanchard Road, Shepherd, MI, USA
Phone: (989) 866-2250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winnelementary