Welcome Back! August 2026 Newsletter

Posted Date: 07/31/26 (10:48 AM)

Principal's Message

Animated Image of Principal and Students

Welcome Back!

Dear Woodbury Families,

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! I am so excited to see our students and staff as we return to school in a couple of weeks!

This will be my 9th year as the proud principal of Woodbury Elementary, and each year continues to bring new energy, new faces, and new opportunities for learning and growth. Our family had an busy summer break—we spent plenty of time on the baseball and softball fields, got used to having a new student driver in the house, enjoyed time on the lake in Wisconsin, and appreciated a few lazy days at home!

As we kick off another great year, we are excited to focus on our guiding theme: We Grow Together. Much like a community garden, our school thrives when everyone belongs, collaborates, and supports one another. We also know that every plant in a garden blooms on its own timeline. Growth takes patience, nurturing, and daily effort—and every student at Woodbury learns, grows, and blossoms at their own unique pace. Together, we create a supportive environment where every child can thrive.

We are looking forward to seeing our 4th graders continue in their role as our senior leaders this year. I know we can count on them to be strong role models and mentors for our younger students. Whether your child is walking through our doors for the very first time in kindergarten or stepping up into their final year at Woodbury, our focus remains on helping every student build confidence, curiosity, and meaningful friendships.

As we gear up for the first days, we know that “First Day Jitters” can be very real—for both students and parents! Reassure your child that they will see you later and try to say goodbye at the playground gate or door. This helps build their confidence and supports a smoother start to their school day. We have many kind and attentive adults ready to help every child feel comfortable and cared for.

Below you'll find important beginning-of-the-year information to help your family prepare. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, and be sure to follow the Woodbury Facebook page for updates and celebrations throughout the year.

Thank you for your partnership. Here’s to a strong start and a fantastic school year ahead!

With appreciation,

Mrs. Kern

Proud Principal

Teacher assignments posted on Friday, August 7th

Transportation

Attention Bus Riders

Bus drivers will be in contact with parents/guardians prior to the first day of school to go over transportation arrangements. This will include bus pick-up times, bus stop locations, and drop-off times.

Changes in Transportation

When there is a change in your student's transportation, please notify our school office no later than 2:00 pm so we can notify our staff and ensure your child's safe dismissal. If the school does not have notice of a change in transportation, a student will be sent home in their typical fashion.

School Supervision

School supervision of students begins at 7:45. NEW-The bell will ring to line up to enter the building at 7:55 this year.

Late Arrivals & Leaving Early

If your student arrives after the 8:05 bell, you must accompany your student to the front doors of the school and ring the bell to enter our office and sign them in.

If your student needs to leave school before the end of the day, please call the office before 2:00 and email/message your child's teacher. When picking them up, please come to the front doors, and someone in the office will assist you in signing your student out for the day. Your child will be called to the office when you arrive.

Pick Up & Drop Off Procedures

Please review the procedures closely by clicking here. A map is included with traffic flow arrows to assist with navigating the area. Your cooperation helps us keep all students safe and mornings running smoothly.

Important Reminders:

Pull all the way forward to the orange cone when possible on 2nd Street.
Students should exit the car quickly and independently.
There is no parking on 2nd Street. Adults dropping off should not stay parked or stand outside vehicles. Please share this with those who may be supporting you with morning or afternoon transportation.
Please do not drop off in the middle of the street to have students cross through the pickup line. This is unsafe.
If you wish to walk your child to the playground or join them, please park on a nearby street and walk with them

END OF DAY SUPERVISION:

There is supervision for the release of students at the end of each day with several staff on the playground and at the corner of Washington & Third St. for parent pick up and walkers. Kindergarten students are handed off directly to parents/approved adult. If your child is walking or riding a bike/scooter, please discuss safely crossing streets and looking both ways as they walk to your home. Walkers and car riders are released to the playground or out the Washington St. door. Please discuss your transportation plan with your child so that they are aware.

BUSES:

Buses will utilize Third St. for pick up and drop off. If the orange cones are out, then traffic is not allowed to drive down the street. Please be aware that the Sandwich Police Department will monitor and ticket in this zone. It is illegal to pass busses when their sign is out.

Map of School Drop off and Pick Up Routes

Join Our Woodbury Family Directory

We are updating our Woodbury family directory! Last year we created a Family Directory to help foster stronger connections among families in our school community. By completing this form and signing up, you are voluntarily sharing your contact information (such as your name, your child’s name and grade, address, email address, and/or phone number) with other parents and guardians at our school. To protect your privacy, we’ve included options so you can choose exactly what information to share, including whether or not to include your phone number or address.

Please note that the information you provide will be included in a directory that will be shared with all Woodbury families. We hope that this will serve as a great way to support communication for playdates, birthday parties, rideshares, class events, and school-related questions.

Participation is completely optional. By submitting your information, you are giving your permission for it to be shared in this directory.

Please complete the form for each individual student in your household. The form will accept responses until September 1, 2026.

Thank you for helping us build a more connected school community!

District Attendance Policy

The district worked closely with the Regional Office of Education to create an attendance policy that is more aligned with the rest of the county. Our goal is to reduce the number of Chronic Absentee students within the district.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM- a student who misses 10 percent of school days (18) within an academic year with or without a valid excuse. According to school research, these students are at greater risk of educational loss. Students within this category are reported to the state and monitored on the district/school report card.

To achieve this goal, we updated our attendance policy to create systems of support to monitor attendance and support families. The biggest changes are outlined below for families. Additional details can be found in the student handbook for each school.

All excused absences count toward a student's total of 10 days of absence.
After 10 absences, the district will ask for a doctor's note for future absences.
All absences must be reported daily by 10:00 AM
If a student is not reported absent by 10:00 AM the district will begin to identify the student’s location and reason for the absence.
Parents/Guardians will be contacted first.
If no one can be reached, we will contact emergency contacts.
If no one can still be reached, we will contact the district SRO to do a safety check at the student’s home.
Support for student absences will begin at the seventh absence of the school year.

Please help us achieve a positive school outcome through consistent student attendance. This is a significant predictor of student and school success. If someone in your family is unable to attend school for the day, it will be important that you report the absence by 10:00 AM.

Lunch Prices and Free/Reduced Application

The carryover period for students who were receiving free/reduced lunch for the 2025-2026 school year will end on September 24, 2026. If a new 2026-2027 application has not been submitted by that date, your child will automatically be put on paid breakfast and lunch beginning September 25, 2026.

If you would like to fill out an application, please log in to your Infinite Campus parent portal account and click on “More”, then “Meal Benefits”. Once your application has been submitted and reviewed, you will receive an approval/denial letter in the mail via USPS.

Meal Rates for the 26-27 school year are as follows:

Breakfast (K-12) $2.15
Elementary/Middle School Lunch (K-8) $3.90
High School Lunch (9-12) $4.05

Only one application needs to be completed per household. If you recently received notification that you have already been approved for free or reduced meals for the 2026-2027 school year you do not need to complete an application.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jody Kruswicki, Administrative Assistant, 815-786-2187 or jkruswicki@sandwich430.org

Building Security

Our district follows a security protocol for guests and volunteers entering the buildings. This system requires identification from visitors (i.e. state ID, driver’s license, etc.), and all visitors will be photographed. A quick background check will be performed by searching US sex offender databases (with the option to expand this to criminal databases.). The system also links with our student database to provide an extra layer of protection for students with no contact orders.

To help make the start of the school year as smooth as possible, families who plan to volunteer in classrooms, attend classroom celebrations, or chaperone field trips are encouraged to complete this visitor screening during Stop N' Drop or Curriculum Night. Completing the process early will help ensure quick and easy entry into the building for future school events throughout the year.