A Attendance
If your child is sick and needs to stay home from school or if you need to report an absence, call or email the school Health Room first thing in the morning: (414) 962-6810, richards.healthroom@wfbschools.com. Be sure to include your name, your child's name, your child's teacher, and a reason for the absence. Please also email your child’s classroom teacher.
The Health Room is staffed by our Health Aides, Sandy Strye and Kristen Pavlik. If your child is injured at school or doesn't feel well, Sandy and Kristen are there to help!
B BuzzBook
The Buzz Book is the online student directory for the school and is managed by the PTO via Membership Toolkit (MTK). Access to the Buzz Book is included in your annual PTO Membership dues. All families are encouraged to create a MTK account regardless of whether or not they decide to join the PTO (you will need an account to order Fun Lunch, ice cream cards and get emails from your designated Room Parent, etc…). For more information about the Buzz Book, visit https://richardspto.membershiptoolkit.com.
C Concerts
Music and The Arts are celebrated at Richards. Grade Level Concerts, Spring Sing, Band and Orchestra concerts happen throughout the school year, put on by the Encore/Specials teaching departments. The Spring Sing takes place at the end of May. All 4K-5th grade students and their families and guests bring a picnic-style lunch and enjoy the (hopefully) beautiful weather!
D Dogs
Dogs are not allowed on school district grounds. If you have your pet with you during school pick-up or drop-off, please remain on the sidewalk, near the street. This is for everyone's safety.
E Early Pick-Up + Early Dismissal Days
If you know in advance you will be picking your child up early from school, please contact the Health Room and your child's teacher. They will coordinate to make sure your child is in the Main Office waiting for you at the designated time. When you pick your child up, there is a sign-out sheet in the front office you will need to fill out.
On designated Early Release days, 4K students do NOT have school. For 5K-5th grade, school runs from 7:50am-11:30am on Early Dismissal days.
F Family Newsletter
On Mondays, Stephanie Haupt, the Richards Administrative Assistant, sends an email with a link to the online Family Newsletter. Richards Family News includes a message from the Richards Principal, Mr. Chad Nelson and Richards Associate Principal, Ms. Katie Petersen, as well as important information and upcoming events. Make sure to read the Family Newsletter, as it's a great way to stay on top of everything that is going on at school!
Richards is making an effort to go as paperless as possible, but your child may have an orange folder sent home including items like completed classwork, permission slips, etc. The orange folders are sent home more frequently in lower grades.
G Great Hall
The Great Hall is the all-purpose event space at Richards. It's used as a
lunchroom, assembly hall, concert venue and for other events. The Great Hall is located on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Belle Ave, nearest to the Blue Playground.
H Handicapped/Accessible Parking
We have Richards Tigers who need the limited number of accessible parking spots surrounding the school. There are a total of 5 designated parking spots on Belle Ave (east of Santa Monica Blvd) and they are only to be used by our students, staff, and visitors who need them. Please be courteous and follow all parking signs near and around Richards.
I Inclement Weather
Administrative determination of inclement weather conditions is based upon temperature and wind chill (zero degrees and below) as well as precipitation. If "Inclement Weather" signs are posted on the doors of the school, students may enter the building at 7:45am (5K - 5th Grade) and 7:50am (4K), rather than line up outside. Inclement Recess is determined as weather conditions are monitored.
J Junior Kindergarten/K4/4K
Junior Kindergarten, K4, and 4K all mean the same thing and are used interchangeably! The same goes for Senior Kindergarten, K5 and 5K.
K 4K Basics
Class times for AM/PM 4K classes differ from 5K-5th grade:
AM 4K School Time: 7:55am-10:55am
PM 4K School Time: 11:55am-2:55pm
5K-5th School Time: 7:50am-3:00pm, (7:50-11:30am on Early Dismissal days)
4K students line up at the main entrance (Door 1) of Richards at the start of the school day. At the end of the school day, 4K students are then dismissed from Door 1. 4K students must be picked up from school by a parent or designated caregiver.
Note: Because 4K is only half day, 4K does not participate in all school events (ie: Lunch, Fun Lunch or Ice Cream Days). Also, 4K does not have school on Early Dismissal days.
L Late to School
If your child arrives late to school, make sure they enter through the Main Entrance (Door 1) into the Main Office where they will be sent to the Health Room for a Late Pass. If you know your child is going to be late (or absent), call or email the Health Room and their teacher to let them know.
M Mascot
Our mascot's name is Spirit! Spirit is a tiger who shows up to assemblies and school events every once in a while. If your child is afraid of gigantic pretend animals, please let their teacher know.
N Newcomers
Richards Elementary and the PTO are dedicated to helping families new to our school. We want to help families find and connect with everything they need! Email: RichardsPTOWFB@gmail.com with any questions or contact Stephanie Haupt and Chris von Paumgartten in the Main Office at (414) 963-3951. Stephanie and Chris are our fabulous administrative assistants and are very helpful!
O Oops! Forgotten Items and Office Drop-Offs
To avoid disrupting classroom learning time, please note that we prioritize dropping off essential items to students.
Essential Items: Glasses, Medication, Lunch, Instruments
Non-Essential Items: Water bottles (fountains available), Homework, Shoes/Winter Gear (extras available in Health Room), Toys
Anything your child needs for school and forgot at home should be brought to the Main Office. Let Stephanie Haupt or Chris von Paumgartten, the Richards Administrative Assistants, know your child's name and classroom teacher and they will coordinate delivery. The Richards Staff wants to partner with families to build growing student independence and parents/guardians are encouraged to work with students on leaving home with everything they need for the day!
P PTO
The Richards PTO is responsible for extracurricular programming at Richards including running the Room Parent program, hosting Book Fairs, arranging Fun Lunch and organizing Service Projects. Additionally, the PTO provides financial support for field trips, special projects, classroom equipment and supplies. If you are interested in volunteering for any of our committees, please email RichardsPTOWFB@gmail.com
One of the best parts of the PTO is that we don't ask you to fundraise on our behalf! Instead, we ask for Direct Donations. You can donate during Donation Drives or at any time throughout the year. If you haven't joined the PTO already, consider doing so today! Email RichardsPTOWFB@gmail.com to help you get started!
Q Questions?
Need more information...
PTO Email: RichardsPTOWFB@gmail.com
PTO Facebook: @RichardsPTO
PTO Instagram: @RichardsPTO_WFB
Membership Toolkit: richardspto.membershiptoolkit.com
Richards School Website: wfbschools.com/schools/richards
Whitefish Bay School District Website: https://www.wfbschools.com/
Richards Main Office: (414) 963-3951
Richards Health Room: (414) 962-6810, richards.healthroom@wfbschools.com
R Room Parents
Room Parents are volunteers who help their child's teacher with a variety of tasks throughout the school year. Room Parents are an integral piece at Richards as they are the liaison between the teachers and parents/guardians. Each classroom has 1-2 Room Parents. Room Parent responsibilities vary by teacher, but may include:
- Maintaining a Class List in Membership ToolKit (MTK)
- Recruiting chaperones for field trips and classroom activities
- Collecting funds and organizing Teacher Gifts throughout the year
- Sending email communications to classroom families from the teacher or from the PTO via MTK
The PTO also has a Room Parent designated for our Specials/Encore teachers. Please contact RichardsPTOWFB@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more about becoming a Room Parent.
S School Security
Richards takes the safety and security of our students and staff seriously. Throughout the school year, students and staff participate in safety drills, including fire drills, tornado drills, and secure building/lockdown drills, to help everyone understand what to do in an emergency.
During the school day, all exterior doors remain locked, and access to the building is limited to the Main Entrance. Our staff works closely with students to create a safe, welcoming environment where all students feel a sense of belonging.
T Tasty Treats and Fun Lunch
Fun Lunch is a fundraiser organized by the PTO. For approximately two Fridays per month, parents have the opportunity to purchase lunch for their children to eat during lunchtime. For the last several years, lunch has been ordered from California Pizza Kitchen. All Fun Lunch orders must be placed in advance online through your Membership ToolKit (MTK) account.
For all non-Fun Lunch days, 5K-5th grade students must bring lunch from home. There is no hot lunch served at Richards.
Ice cream days also happen once a month. Purchase an ice cream card at the beginning of the school year (also through MTK), or bring $1 on designated days. Fun Lunch and ice cream days are for 5K-5th grade students only as 4K students do not eat lunch at school.
U Unless You're on the List...
For student safety, 4K and 5K students are released only to approved adults or as coordinated through the Main Office. If someone new will be picking up your child from school, please be sure you add them to your child's list of approved people for pick-up. This should be done through the Main Office AND with your child's teacher. Anyone who is not picking up your child on a regular basis should bring a photo ID with them to pick-up.
V Visitors and Volunteers
Visitors
All visitors must check in at the Main Office with a government-issued photo ID before entering the building during the school day. Visitors will receive a Visitor Badge that must remain visible while in the building.
Volunteers
We are grateful for the many family and community members who support Richards students and staff. To help ensure a safe environment for all students, individuals interested in volunteering must complete the District's volunteer approval process before volunteering at school. This process includes required forms and a background check. Once approved, volunteers must follow all school safety procedures, including checking in at the Main Office upon arrival.
W Wrap-Around Care
The Connects Before & After School Care program offers on-site childcare to families with children in 4K-5th grade. For more information about the program, visit this LINK.
X Crossing Guards
It is especially important to pay attention to the directions of our Crossing Guards. The intersections around Richards are very busy at the beginning and at the end of the school day. Our Crossing Guards do a wonderful job of keeping traffic moving and keeping pedestrians safe! Crossing Guards are located at the following intersections:
Silver Spring Dr/Marlborough Dr/Lake Dr (Winkie's)
Lake View Ave/Santa Monica Blvd
Lake View Ave/Shoreland Ave (St. Monica's parking lot)
Day Ave/Santa Monica Blvd
Day Ave/Lake Dr
Belle Ave/Santa Monica Blvd
Y You Should Like, Follow + Bookmark Us!
The PTO tries its best to keep families informed with school and community updates. An easy way to stay up-to-date would be to like, follow, and bookmark the Richards PTO accounts:
Instagram: @RichardsPTO_WFB
Facebook: @RichardsPTO
Website: richardspto.org
Membership Toolkit (MTK): richardspto.membershiptoolkit.com
Z Zones
In the morning before school, each grade is assigned to a "zone." This is where they should line up when arriving to school:
4K: Door 1 (the Main Entrance to Richards)
5K: Doors 2 & 3 (near the Great Hall and Blue Playground)
1st: Door 11 (front of the school, closest to Red Playground)
2nd: Door 8 (back of the school, next to the Staff Parking Lot)
3rd: Door 7 (back of the school, center door)
4th: Door 8 (back of the school, next to the Staff Parking Lot)
5th: Door 6 (back of the school, center door)
Students are typically dismissed from the same doors they enter in the morning. School begins at 7:50am and ends at 3:00pm for 5K-5th grade. On Early Dismissal days, 4K does not have school. 5K-5th grade attends school from 7:50-11:30am on Early Dismissal days.
Questions? Contact Us:
RichardsPTOWFB@gmail.com
