Rickard Elementary School

We had so much fun making our Gustavo the Shy Ghost paintings! We used oil pastels and watercolor paint to create our designs after reading the book! The kids loved it!

Congratulations to our October Rickard Rockstars! Today, we had our monthly assembly and highlighted some of our Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students! These students have been working hard in and out of their classrooms all year and we are so excited that we got to recognize them today! They are truly rockstars! We are so proud of all of our Rickard Roadrunners! Keep up the good work!

Some of the fun stuff happening around Rickard this week! Have a great weekend!

One of our parents of two of our students was able to make some homemade bookmarks for us to give away. A couple classes were able to pick out their favorite homemade bookmarks and were excited to get to use them. Thank you so much for your generous gift for our students!

Ms. Bjornson and her 3rd class did a little flashlight reading as a class reward for their hard work! It was a huge success and the students loved doing it!

Ms. Michelson and Mrs. Mock did a joint lesson about Dot Day this past week during their counselor lesson! Students read the book "The Dot" and used their creativity to make their own mark on their work. Students used water colors, oil pastels, and bingo dabbers to create different designs so we could hang them up as a school mural in the hallway!

📅 Important District Calendar Reminders
As we finish September and head into October, here are a few important dates to keep on your calendar!

📌 Please note: Elementary Family-Teacher Conferences have been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 20 and Tuesday, October 27. No other changes have been made to the District calendar.

🏫 Family-Teacher Conferences

WHS - 5:00–7:00 PM
• Thursday, September 24
• Tuesday, September 29

WMSCC - 5:00–7:00 PM
• Tuesday, September 29
• Thursday, October 1

Elementary Schools - 4:00 - 7:00 PM
• Tuesday, October 20
• Tuesday, October 27

📣 Watch for information directly from your student’s school with additional conference details, including how conferences will be held and any sign-up information.

⏰ Early Dismissal
Wednesday, September 30: Students dismissed at 12:00 PM for Staff Professional Development.
🚫 No after-school childcare on this day

🍂 Fall Break - No School
Thursday, October 22 & Friday, October 23

📅 View the full (updated) District calendar at WillistonSchools.org/calendar

Students in library were able to check out some books this week and learn about our Makerspace activities and coding program we use on our computers!

Mrs. Peterson and her class participated in some flashlight reading this past week! Have a great weekend Rickard Roadrunners!

Having fun in the warm sunshine! Have a great weekend Rickard Roadrunners!

📅 Mark Your Calendars! Back-to-School Open Houses Are Scheduled.

We know it's a little early, but we wanted to share this information now so you can plan ahead. Our Back-to-School Open Houses are a great opportunity to meet teachers, see classrooms, and get ready for a successful school year. 🌟

🏫 Williston High School
Monday, August 17
5:30 - 7:30 PM
* Includes Freshman Orientation

🏫 Williston Middle School Central Campus
Tuesday, August 18
5:30 - 7:30 PM

🏫 Elementary Schools
Wednesday, August 19
4:00 - 6:00 PM
* Drop off school supplies

📣 Sloulin Families: You'll also have an additional opportunity to tour the new school and meet the staff during the Ribbon Cutting & Open House on Tuesday, August 12. The Ribbon Cutting begins at 3:30 PM, with the Open House immediately following until 6:30 PM.

🔗 Visit www.WillistonSchools.org/backtoschool
for back-to-school information, including school supply lists, bell schedule, sports info, and more

🏫 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2026-2027
Grades 1-12: Thursday, August 20
Kindergarten: Tuesday, August 25

2026-2027 School Calendar:
📄 PDF: https://aptg.co/fkHcZP
🖼️ Image: https://aptg.co/lHFqsK

🎃 October Calendar
Fall Break & Parent-Teacher Conferences

Oct 2 & 7 - WHS Parent-Teacher Conferences
Oct 16 & 17 - NO SCHOOL for Fall Break
Oct 21 & 30 - WMSCC Parent-Teacher Conferences
Oct 23 & 28 - Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences

WillistonSchools.org/calendar

Back to School Open House Schedule

Williston High School
(Open House & Freshman Orientation)
Thursday, August 14
5:30 – 7:30 PM
- Includes Freshman Orientation and opportunities to meet teachers, locate classrooms, and ask questions.

WMS Central Campus
Thursday, August 14
Grades 5 & 7: 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Grades 6 & 8: 4:30 – 5:30 PM
- Students will tour the building, meet teachers, and get ready for the new year.

Elementary Schools
Monday, August 18
4:30 – 6:30 PM
- Families can meet teachers, drop off supplies, and visit classrooms.

View More Back to School Information: willistonschools.org/backtoschool

Help Our Schools Soar! 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 ✈️ Consider running for the WBSD7 School Board in the June election. 🗳 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟳 (at 4 PM)! 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝘂𝗻? ✅ U.S. Citizen & North Dakota Resident ✅ At least 18 years old on Election Day ✅ Resident of WBSD7 for at least 30 days before the election 📍 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 & 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆: WillistonSchools.org/Election #WBSD7 #SchoolBoardElection #LeadTheWay #HelpOurSchoolsSoar

📢 We are seeking your input on the proposed 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗽 (𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧) and key transition details and considerations as we work to shape the future of our school district. www.WillistonSchools.org/boundaries-survey 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 We’ve launched a new Boundary Setting landing page where you can find all the details. Visit the page at www.WillistonSchools.org/boundary-setting. 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 Your voice matters! Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on the draft boundary map and transition plans by completing the Revised Boundary Map (DRAFT) Survey. www.willistonschools.org/boundaries-survey 🔸Survey Open through February 26, 2025 Your feedback will help us create a boundary plan that reflects the needs and priorities of our district and community.

𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥! Boundary-Setting Community Meeting Join us on 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟵 at 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠 in Williston High School Commons (Doors 𝟭 & 𝟵)! *NOTE: This meeting was initially promoted as the "final community meeting" for boundary-setting. However, district administration changed this plan, and additional community meetings on this topic will be scheduled at the elementary schools in the coming months. 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘆: District Administration 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿: RSP & Associates Visit our 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 for: 🔸More 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🔸𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 to related documents 🔸Details on submitting 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 www.WillistonSchools.org/community-meetings #wbsd7 #boundarysetting

𝗩𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗔𝗬 - 𝗗𝗘𝗖 𝟭𝟵 Due to the current winter weather conditions and the "No Travel Advised" road status from the DOT, today, Thursday, December 19, will be a Virtual Learning Day. ❄️No in-person school for students and staff today. ❄️All practices, games, and other school-related activities are canceled for today. ❄️No after-school childcare will be available. Teachers will utilize either ParentSquare or Google Classroom to communicate student assignments and expectations. Williston High School 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 - Friday, December 20 If an in-person final is required, the schedule will be as follows: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝟱: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝟲: 9:05 AM - 10:05 AM 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝟳: 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM 𝗤: How will students know if they have an in-person final? 𝗔: Look for an email with instructions from your teacher. 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘: Students should only report to school during their scheduled final exam times on Friday. If a student does not have a final, they do not need to attend. ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆; staff will work remotely. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗔𝗤𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆, 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗹, 𝗼𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁: www.WillistonSchools.org/winter-weather Questions? communications@willistonschools.org 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 & 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: weather.gov travel.dot.nd.gov