Words of Windom September 25

What an incredible evening we had at Windom’s Welcome Back Night! Thank you to all of our families who joined us for such a warm and joyful start to the school year. The hallways were filled with smiles, laughter, and excitement as students proudly showed off their classrooms, met their teachers, and connected with friends old and new.

Events like this remind us of the strong sense of community that makes Windom so special. We are deeply grateful for the partnership we share with our families, and for the positive energy you brought to this celebration. Thank you for helping us kick off the year in such a meaningful way—we’re looking forward to the amazing learning, growth, and fun ahead!

For the safety of all students and staff, our school parking lots will remain closed to vehicles arriving for dismissal pick-up until 2:45 p.m.

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 2:45, 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, new for the 25-26 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.

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

The Orchard Park Special Education Parent Teacher Student Association (SEPTSA) would like to share their upcoming meeting schedule. If you are a parent who is interested in learning more please click this link for more information: opseptsa.org.

The final meeting of the school year will be held on June 12, 2025. All meetings are at 6:30 pm at District Office, 2240 Southwestern Blvd, or can be joined virtually. Below is a list of the 25-26 meeting schedule:

9/17/2025

10/22/2025

11/19/2025

12/17/2025

1/21/2026

2/25/2026

3/18/2026

4/22/2026

5/20/2026

6/17/2026

In accordance with the District's Wellness Policy 5661 that was adopted in August, which states:

Parents will be encouraged to send in healthy treats from approved district safe snack lists for classroom celebrations. District safe snack lists will be reviewed and maintained annually, inclusive of the safety of students and staff with food allergies and dietary restrictions such as diabetes and food intolerances. For the purpose of inclusive classroom events and celebrations, the district will encourage decisions which “exclude the food, not the child”.

The District has created a list of allergy safe snacks for families to reference when sending in special treats for their child. Please see the attachment below for more information on the safe snack list.

• September 3rd - 1st Day of School!!!
• September 9th - Board of Education Meeting 7:00 PM, OPMS
• September 18th - Early Release 11:30 AM
• September 22nd - September 26th - Spirit Week (see details below)
• September 27th - Homecoming Parade 10:00 AM, OPMS (see details below)
• September 27th - Homecoming Carnival 10:30 AM, OPHS Baker Road Lot (see details below)

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

Please see the list below for this years PTO meeting dates. All PTO meetings will start at 7:00 PM in the Windom Library:

It is essential that anyone who feels they may be eligible for free and reduced meals to fill out the 2025-2026 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.