Welcome to the Wildcat Family

🐾Welcome back to a new school year at Will-Moore! I hope you can enjoy the summer and fill it with memories, rest and fun! I'm looking forward to the 2026-2027 school year with excitement and opportunities for our students and school community.

Whether you are a returning family or new to the Wildcats we have some new updates for this school year. First day of school is right around the corner on August 20th. Our new start time is 8:00 am and our day ends at 2:30 pm. At Will-Moore, we are committed to academic excellence, fostering a positive and inclusive environment, and supporting every student in reaching their fullest potential.

This year, we’ll continue to build on our traditions while embracing new opportunities for growth, collaboration, and innovation. Our dedicated teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare engaging lessons, meaningful activities, and a supportive learning environment that challenges and inspires.

As partners in your child’s education, we want you to know how much we value your involvement and support. We warmly invite you to participate in school activities and events throughout the year. Additionally, we encourage you to consider joining our PTO, which meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 6:00–7:00 PM at Will-Moore Elementary (childcare provided).

We’re excited to kick off the year with our Open House on Monday, August 17th from 5-6 pm. Please see the details below. I look forward to seeing you there and here's to a fantastic year ahead!

I look forward to seeing the hallways full of energy and enthusiasm once again. Let’s make this year one of our best yet - full of learning, achievement, and school spirit.

Together, we’re going to make this a fantastic year. Go Wildcats! 🐾

💙ALL students K-5 Open House will be 5:00-6:00 PM💙

All families are welcome to meet & greet their teacher, bring supplies or get supplies, tour the school and their classroom and end by joining on the playground for a hotdog, chips and fun together!

EVERY FAMILY SHOULD JOIN US FOR HOTDOGS, CHIPS AND FUN TOGETHER ON THE PLAYGROUND!

🐾💙🐾

WILDCAT T-SHIRTS & MERCHANDISE WILL BE FOR SALE AT THE SCHOOL DURING OPEN HOUSE🐾💙🐾

Class placements will be ready on Friday, August 7th after 5 pm. Parents will get more information regarding our new platform, Infinite Campus, to see all academic information. You should recieve an email/text on August 7th.

First day of school is August 20th.

See the attached 26-27 school calendar to begin planning for the upcoming school year.

🐾Our school doors open at 7:15 a.m. Please do not drop students off before this time, as there is no supervision available and the door is not open/unlocked. All students must enter through the front door (Door 1). Breakfast is served daily in the classroom free for all students. (starts right away at 8:00 am)

🐾Any students arriving before 7:57 (recess bell) will have the option to join game club, walking/running club, art club, library, gym/recess time. The bell to stop clubs/recess will ring at 7:57 and class begins at 8:00 am. Students arriving after 8:00 am will be counted tardy.

🐾School dismisses at 2:30 p.m., and all students should leave promptly at that time, as there is no supervision after school. To ensure the safety of all students, please make arrangements for your child to be picked up on time or enrolled in an afterschool program. We appreciate your cooperation!

Our office hours are 7:15 a.m.– 3:15 p.m. each day.

The Wildcat secretary, Kristi Griffin is excited to greet both familiar and new faces as we begin another wonderful school year!

The front office is your stop for attendance, information, support, scheduling meetings with an administrator, seeing the school resource officer, a helping hand, or seeing the nurse - Kristi is here to assist you with anything from attendance and student check-ins and outs to general information about school events and procedures.

Kristi works with Mrs. Vallejo and all our staff. She can connect you to our counselor, teachers, social workers and help students in need of supplies.

Here are a few helpful reminders as we begin the new school year:

• Office Hours: 7:15 am - 3:15pm

• Main Office Phone: 701-323-4270

• Absence Reporting: Please call 701-323-4270 prior to your students' absence to report it. Parents do not need to come inside to sign students in or out, but students must check in and out at the office if arriving late or leaving early. Calls and doctor notes are accepted up to two weeks from the date of the absence.

If the phone goes to voicemail, our secretary is on the other line or busy, please leave a message or email: willmoore_secretary@bismarckschools.org

We understand the beginning of the year can feel a bit overwhelming—please don’t hesitate to call, email, or stop by if you have any questions or need support. We’re here to make things easier for you and your student!

Our Nurse Dana Splonskowski is in our building only 14 hours a week. When she is not present our secretary will handle medications and medical paperwork. Nurse Dana is available to see students during her office hours for any illness, injury, chronic health condition etc.

Contact Info:

• dana_splonskowski@bismarckschools.org
• 701-323-4270

Office hours:

• TBD with her other schools

To Return to School After Illness Your Child Must:

• Be without vomiting for 24 hours

• Be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications

• Feel well enough to participate in the usual school day

Immunization requirements:

• As a reminder all immunization paperwork needs to be in before October 1, 2026.Immunization records can be emailed or dropped off in the main office.

• School Immunization Requirements

Medications:

• Under most circumstances, medications should be dispensed before or after school, and under parent or medical supervision.If you would like staff to administer or have your student self-administer any medication while on school property, a new medication authorization must be completed each fall.Please complete the medication authorization form and return to the school nurse.

• Medication Authorization

Chronic Health Conditions:

• If your student has a health condition that requires staff to know any plan of action, including asthma, allergies, migraines, diabetes, seizures, etc., please complete the appropriate health plan and return to the school nurse.If you have any questions or need help completing a health plan, please contact Nurse Dana.

• Health Plan Information

All Will-Moore students eat breakfast and lunch for FREE!

Adult meals: Lunch - $4.60

Families are welcome to join their student(s) for lunch on an occasional basis. The cost of an adult meal is noted above. If you plan to visit, please contact the office (not your child’s classroom teacher) by 8:30 a.m. on the day of your visit so we can make proper arrangements. Payment for your meal must be made in cash (exact amount is appreciated) or by check.

At Will-Moore Elementary all our students will be able to eat both breakfast and lunch FREE this 2026-2027 school year. Breakfast is served in the classroom starting at 8:00 am. The breakfast and lunch menus are available on the district webpage HERE.

BPS will continue to utilize Stopfinder, an easy-to-use app that gives you instant access to your student’s bus schedule and updates!

✅ View schedules

✅ Receive push notifications for changes to bus times and routes

✅ Create GeoAlerts that notify you when buses arrive or depart from key locations

✅ Invite caregivers or family members

✅ Message the transportation office

✅Supports multiple languages

Download the app now from the App Store or Google Play. If you have not already used Stopfinder, watch for your invitation email on August 7th. It will go to the primary email on file in the school system. This invitation is required to use the app.

Learn more 👉 stopfinder.com/parents

Did You Know...

Missing just 1 or 2 days a month makes it hard for students to:

• Gain and retain reading and math skills

• Build meaningful relationships

• Develop life and work habits

• Feel positively about school and themselves

What you can do...

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
• Use the school calendar in your family planning
• Talk about and celebrate school everyday
• Keep up to date with school communication
• Create a routine for practice and learning at home

Start the school year off right!

• Generate excitement by doing a countdown until the 1st day of school.

• Attend open house with your child to meet teachers and classmates.

• Read the school handbook for health and safety procedures.

• Ask for resources to continue learning at home when needed.

• Have a backup plan for getting to school such as family members, neighbors or another parent.

• If your child seems anxious about school talk to your teacher, doctor or other parents for advice.

Bismarck Public Schools has transitioned from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus as part of a statewide change initiated by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

Families may now access the Infinite Campus Parent and Student Portals. The portal will eventually provide access to student information such as attendance, grades, schedules, classroom assignments, and more.

Please note that the transition is still underway, and not all information will be available immediately.

Elementary classroom assignments will be available for all families in the portal by August 7.

Accessing the Parent Portal

Visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal:

https://bismarcknd.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/bismarck.jsp

You may also download the Campus Parent app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. When prompted, select:

• State: North Dakota
• District: Bismarck 1

Returning BPS PowerSchool Users

If you previously had a BPS PowerSchool parent account:

1. Enter the personal email address associated with your PowerSchool account.
2. Click forgot password to generate a password reset email
3. If you do not receive a password reset email, then proceed to the steps below for new users.

Parent Account Settings

We encourage you to update your contact preferences.

• Click on the user icon in the top right > Settings > Contact Preferences or update household information at top left > More > Address Information
• Contact information is at the top, messaging preferences are at the bottom.

Need Assistance?

If you have difficulty accessing or creating your Infinite Campus account, please call the school 701-323-4270 for assistance.

We appreciate your patience as we continue the transition to Infinite Campus.

Our STUDENT & PARENT HANDBOOK is now available. (district update coming soon!) If your family would prefer a printed copy, please contact the school office, and we will be happy to provide one.

As a reminder, Bismarck Public Schools’ cell phone policy is in place to support a focused and distraction-free learning environment. All student cell phones, smartwatches, and similar devices must be turned off or silenced and kept in backpacks or lockers throughout the entire school day—from arrival until dismissal, including lunch and recess. If students need to contact home during the day, they may use a school phone with staff assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain an environment where students can stay engaged and ready to learn!

North Dakota state law mandates "bell-to-bell" cell phone restrictions in K-12 public schools. This law requires phones to be inaccessible during instruction times. Bismarck Public Schools is committed to enforcing this requirement while providing safe and effective learning environments for all students. Exceptions may be allowed as part of a formally approved 504 plan for medical purposes.

BPS Cell Phone Information

Please see District Policy FFI for detailed information about the district's approach to electronic communication devices.

Smartwatches with connectivity (i.e., capable of texting, calling, or internet use) are not allowed during the school day under the new law.

The Bismarck Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
Stacey Geiger, Human Resource Director/Title IX Coordinator/Section 504 Coordinator
128 Soo Line Drive, Bismarck, ND 58501
Telephone number is (701) 323-4071
504 Child Find Notice:
Pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the District has a duty to identify, refer, evaluate and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities. For information regarding parent/guardian and student rights, or for answers to any questions you might have about identification, evaluation and placement into Section 504 programs, please contact Stacey Geiger, Section 504 Coordinator, at 701-323-4070.
IDEA Annual Notification of Child Find:
All children with disabilities residing within the boundaries of Bismarck Public Schools that need special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated through the child find process regardless of the severity of their disability. This includes children with disabilities attending private schools. Anyone who suspects a student between the ages of 3 and 21 may have a disability should contact Danica Nelson, Bismarck Public Schools Special Education Director, at 701-323-4029.