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Hawks Herald Issue 10

Posted Date: 10/12/26 (12:38 PM)
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Hawks Herald

Issue Ten

October 12, 2026
Windy Ridge School

Principal's Message

Windy Ridge Families-
The first quarter has come to an end.  I have learned so much about Windy Ridge from so many of you. I was told that this community is a treasure, and I could not agree more. While our teachers are closing out grades for the first quarter, report cards will not be available until next week.  Tuesday begins the second quarter and it's an opportunity to reset and establish new goals for all students.  
This Tuesday, we will hold our 2nd SAC meeting on campus, and Wednesday we celebrate the culmination of Hispanic Heritage Month. I have seen the hallways transform into museums of information and culture. I hope everyone can come out Wednesday night and see all of the presentations.  

As usual, there is a lot going on at the Ridge this week, please take a look through our entire newsletter.

Leadership Team Contacts

A school staff directory table with columns for Role, First name, Last name, and Email address.
 

Fun Run Rescheduled to Friday, October 16th

A blue and yellow flyer announces the Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks PTA Fun Run, rescheduled to Friday, October 16th.
 

Stakeholder Survey- Please Complete

A colorful school flyer encouraging the community to complete the Fall 2026 Stakeholder Survey.
We are so close to meeting our goal we only need 33 more suverys. Please click on the link button below to complete the survey. It only takes a few minutes. Thank you in advance. 
Stakeholder Survey
 

SAC

A blue and white flyer for a Windy Ridge K-8 SAC meeting on Tuesday, October 13th at 5:30 PM in the Media Center.
Please mark your calendars for our next SAC meeting on October 13th at 5:30pm in the Media Center. 
 

Teach In Information

A promotional poster for the Windy Ridge Teach In on Thursday, November 19th, featuring options to share a career or read a book to students.
Teach In Presenter ADDitions

Teach In- QR Code Added

Please scan the QR code or complete this Google Form  if you would like to present at Teach In. This is a reminder you must also be ADDitions approved. Please email Mr. Ly if you have any questions about being a Teach In presenter. We are excited to have you on campus sharing your careers or reading stories to our Silverhawks.  
 

Upcoming Competition Opportunities

A promotional flyer for the ChessKid-OCPS District Competition detailing event dates, rules, and participation steps.
A colorful flyer announces the Windy Ridge K-8 Spelling Bee for grades 3-8, detailing dates and rules.
 

Student Services

A promotional image for Orange County Public Schools announces the 2027-28 application window opens October 13, featuring a smiling student.

Important Dates for Applications for School Year 2027-2028:

Important Dates for Applications for School Year 2027-2028: 
October 13, 2026 – Fall/Winter Application Opens at 9am 
December 18, 2026 – Fall/Winter Application Closes
January 19, 2027 – Notification to Families of Lottery 1 Results
February 16, 2027 – Notification to Families of Lottery 2 Results
March 10, 2027 – Waitlist Application Opens (9 am EST)
August 24, 2027 – Last Day Seat Offers will be sent. All waitlists are discontinued.

📢 Attention, 5th Grade Families!
Windy Ridge K-8’s Middle School Academy operates on a lottery-based application system. Families interested in securing a seat in our Middle School Academy for the 2027–2028 school year must apply through the OCPS Magnet Schools & Programs application process during the designated application window.

📅 Application Window:
  • Opens: October 13, 2026 at 9am
  • Closes: December 18, 2026
📌 Additional important dates are listed above.

🔗 For more information and to access the application once it becomes available, please visit the OCPS Magnet Schools & Programs website linked below.
OCPS Application Information
 

Discipline

Updates from the Discipline will be added here when needed.
 

Arts

A colorful flyer for Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks Hispanic Heritage Family Night, featuring flags and event details.
A flyer announcing the Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks Winter Orchestra and Band Concerts on December 14 and 15, decorated with musical notes and winter graphics.
A flyer announces winter music concerts for the Silverhawks, featuring orchestra and band performances on December 14th and 15th.
A flyer announcing the Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks Winter Concerts in Spanish for December 14th and 15th.
 

Athletics

A Windy Ridge Silverhawks volleyball team announcement poster featuring rosters for the boys' and girls' 2026 teams.
A sports flyer for the Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks Volleyball 2026 schedule in blue and white, featuring a volleyball and net at the bottom.

Show Your Silverhawk Pride!

  1. We currently have TWO spirit wear shops available!
  2. 🏆 Silverhawk Athletics Gear – Show your school spirit and support our Silverhawk athletes!
  3. ⚽ Silverhawk Soccer Gear – Last chance to shop! Our soccer collection will be closing soon, so grab your favorites before they're gone!
  4. 30% of every purchase goes directly toward supporting Windy Ridge Athletics!

Silverhawk Athletic Gear: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/QP7ZdSG5j7

Soccer Gear Sprint Shop Expires in 3 Days: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/AeZcgyNqGc
A promotional flyer for Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks athletic gear, featuring apparel and a QR code.

Westly's Mile Run Club

Poster announcing Windy Ridge K-8 School's Westly's Mile Run Club, a partnership between American Heart Association and Healthy West Orange.
Join Westly's Mile Runner's Club for the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge.
Form to Join Westly's Mile
Soccer and basketball
A promotional flyer for the Orlando Area Rowing Society featuring four rowers on the water and text inviting new athletes with no experience necessary.
 

Media Center

🎃📚 This Week in the Windy Ridge Library! 📚🎃

It was a pumpkin-filled week in the library as we kicked off our Annual Great Pumpkin Contest! 🎃 This contest is always a favorite among our students, and I have already received some AMAZING entries! I cannot wait to see all the creativity our Silverhawks bring this year. Be sure to check out the contest information below! Our story this week was The Pumpkin Thief by Alice Hemming. 📖 Students absolutely LOVE the series, and these books are always flying off our library shelves! 

🏆BIG NEWS! WINDY RIDGE IS #1! 🏆
This week, I received some exciting news in my weekly district library update! Windy Ridge K-8 ranked #1 in all of OCPS for Sora eBook circulation during September! 🎉📚
I am SO proud of our Silverhawks! Our students are doing amazing things with reading, and their accomplishments deserve to be celebrated and recognized. Whether they are reading physical books from our library or enjoying eBooks through Sora, our students are showing that reading is thriving at Windy Ridge! Way to go, Silverhawks! Keep reading and soaring to success! 💙📚

🐈‍⬛ Exciting Author Visit Opportunity for Grades K–2! 🐈‍⬛
This week, parent consent forms were also sent home with our K–2 students for a special author visit! On Monday, October 19th, from 2:00–2:45 PM, we will welcome award-winning author and illustrator Brandon James Scott to Windy Ridge! He will be visiting several OCPS schools while in town, and we are excited that Windy Ridge is one of his stops! He will share his newest book, The Skeleton and the Cat, a sweet and funny story about a skeleton who loves gardening and unexpectedly forms a friendship with a cat. 
A promotional graphic celebrating Windy Ridge K-8 ranking #1 in OCPS for Sora circulation in September 2026, featuring the school mascot, a golden trophy, and a list of top schools.
A colorful flyer announces an author visit by Brandon James Scott for his book The Skeleton and the Cat on Monday, October 19th at 2:00 PM.
Link to Purchase Book
A colorful school flyer for The Annual Great Pumpkin Contest, featuring a blank pumpkin to decorate and rules for submissions.
 

News from Our PTA

A promotional poster announces that the Silverhawks reached 100% of their fundraising goal, raising $35,273.54.
A colorful promotional poster for fun run prizes featuring a blue hawk mascot and four numbered prize categories.
⭐️ WE HAVE EXCEEDED 100% OF OUR GOAL! ⭐️

We have raised $35,273.54 for Fun Run! This is truly incredible. Kudos to our students for all the hard work they’ve been putting into fundraising, as well as to parents and teachers for supporting their efforts!

Remember: we have a variety of individual rewards up for grabs this year! A $10 donation qualifies a student for a prize (Jeremiah’s coupon), so every dollar counts. We also have some really exciting prizes for our top 3 donor families and top 20 students!

We still have one more week of fundraising ahead. If we can reach $40K by next Friday, we will earn a school-wide Farm Day, where Mr. Kempinger will kiss a pig! It was pre-2020 the last time we met the $40K milestone…we’ve got this, we are SO CLOSE!

Let’s keep up the great work Silverhawks, we’re almost there!


Below are the Fun Run times for students on Friday. Middle School will be on a modified bell schedule for Fun Run. 
A colorful flyer for the 2026 PTA Fun Run featuring the Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks logo, event times for each grade, and running silhouettes.
A colorful flyer for the Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks PTA Fun Run on Friday, October 16th, featuring a schedule and running silhouettes.
This is a reminder that students must turn in a signed parental consent form to particpate in the Fun Run. 
 

Upcoming Clubs

A poster for Windy Ridge Astronomy Club featuring the silhouette of a person looking through a telescope against a starry sky and a large moon.
For more information about Astronomy Club, please email Dr. Strawser at: corydon.strawser@ocps.net. 
A flyer for an FCA Meeting on Friday, October 16th at 8:00 A.M. in Room 559, decorated with autumn leaves and pumpkins.
 

Look Ahead

  • October 12th- Teacher Workday/Student Holiday, National School Lunch Week Begins
  • October 13th- SAC Meeting 5:30pm in Media Center, OCPS Magnet Applications for the 2027-2028 School Year Open, Last Day to Complete Fall Stakeholder Survey  
  • October 15th- Hispanic Heritage Family Night 5:30pm-6:45pm
  • October 16th- PTA Fun Run (Students must have a parental consent form turned in to participate), Modified Bell Schedule for Middle School Students 
  • October 17th- School Choice Expo 9am-12:30pm Lake Buena Vista High School 
  • October 19th- The Skeleton and Cat Author Visit with Brandon James Scott for K-2 (Students must have a parent consent form turned in to attend)
  • October 21st- 50th Day of School, Dress Like the 50s
  • October 22nd- Kindergarten Field Trip to Green Meadows Farm, Report Cards Distrubted 
  • October 23rd- Picture Day Retakes and Make Ups
  • October 24th- SGA D3 Field Trip 
  • October 26th-30th- Red Ribbon Week & Spirit Week 
  • October 26th- Middle School Volleyball Away Game at Lakeview Middle School at 5:30pm 
  • October 28th- Middle School Volleyball Game (Home Game) at Chain of Lakes vs. Robinswood Middle school at 5:00pm 
  • October 30th- PTA Fun Run Prize Day 
A graphic announcement stating NO SCHOOL, TEACHER WORKDAY / STUDENT HOLIDAY, MONDAY, OCTOBER 12.
A promotional graphic for National School Lunch Week, featuring a circus theme with a clown juggling, a milk carton lifting weights, and pizza slice banners.

🍎 Happy National School Lunch Week! 🥛

Step under the big top with us! This year, our school cafeteria is transforming into a vibrant circus where healthy choices are the absolute star of the show. Sponsored nationwide by the School Nutrition Association, National School Lunch Week (NSLW) is a special time to celebrate healthy eating and recognize the hardworking nutrition staff who keep our kitchen running smoothly every day.
Promotional flyer for the Orange County Public Schools School Choice Expo on October 17th at Lake Buena Vista High School.
A vibrant poster celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring Latin American flags, a colorful map, and informational text in English and Spanish.
 

Fall Picture Makeups and Retakes

A promotional flyer for Fall Picture Makeups and Retakes on Friday, October 23rd, at the cafeteria stage.
 

Testing News

More testing news will be shared soon.
 

Silverhawk Birthdays & Appreciation Days

A celebratory poster for "HAPPY OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS!" featuring blue and silver balloons, a hawk mascot, wrapped gifts, and a list of names with birthdates.
A colorful flyer celebrates October School Staff Appreciation Days at Windy Ridge K-8, featuring appreciation days for principals, custodians, coaches, and occupational therapy staff.
 

Upcoming Spirit Days

A promotional flyer for Windy Ridge K-8 Pinktober Wednesdays features pink and blue text, calendar dates, and a pink t-shirt with a silverhawk graphic.
A 1950s-themed poster for the 50th day of school at Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks, featuring retro icons like a jukebox, records, and a poodle skirt.
A colorful flyer for Windy Ridge K-8 Silverhawks' Red Ribbon Week Spirit Week, listing daily themes from Monday, October 26 to Friday, October 30.
 

Socktober Information

A colorful, purple-toned poster promoting a Socktober sock collection drive for local shelters.
 

Soaring Hawks

More Soaring Hawks will be shared soon. 
 
A fall-themed flyer with autumn leaves encourages donating gently used items, featuring a QR code, website, and the OCPS Foundation logo.