Harold E. Winkler Middle School, An IB World School
We are a community committed to growing and learning together.
October 19, 2025
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Hello, Winkler Families!
We had a fantastic week full of connection, celebration, and learning! Our students kicked off Start with Hello Week by building new friendships and fostering a stronger sense of community throughout the school. The Fall Festival was a huge success on Friday night! Thanks to everyone who attended and helped create such a fun and festive atmosphere. On top of that, classrooms were buzzing with engaging lessons and meaningful learning.
We're looking forward to another great week ahead!
With Winkler Pride,
Rebecca Phillips
October 20th- PTSO Meeting (All Are Welcome In-Person or Virtually) @ 7:00pm
October 21st- Winkler Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A (Afton Ridge) | 5-8pm
October 23rd-31st- Red Ribbon Week
October 24th- Honor Roll Celebration
October 31st- Club Day
November 4th- No School for Students (Teacher Workday)
November 11th- No School for Students or Staff (Veteran's Day Holiday)
November 13th- Picture Make-Up Day
November 14th- Club Day & Q2 Progress Reports
November 26th-28th- Thanksgiving Break
Winkler Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A- PTSO will be hosting this month's Winkler Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A at Afton Ridge this Tuesday, October 21st, from 5-8pm. Please be sure to mention that you're with Winkler as 10% of the proceeds come back to helping our school! Whether you're dining in or picking up in the drive-thru, we hope to see you there!
Q1 Report Cards- Quarter 1 flew by, and it's time for report cards! While report cards will not be printed and sent home, Q1 grades will be final in Infinite Campus Parent Portal this Wednesday, October 22nd. Please be sure to check your student's grades for each class and reach out to teachers with questions.
Student Benchmark Reports- Students will be bringing home benchmark reports from their beginning-of-year assessments in Reading and Math. 8th Grade students will also have a Science assessment report. Please review these assessment scores with your child and reach out to teachers with any questions.
CCS Academic Calendar Update- Cabarrus County Schools has adjusted the 2025-26 academic calendar for traditional schools to conclude one day earlier in an effort to avoid resource conflicts during CCS graduation ceremonies on the NASCAR race weekend in Concord.
The last day of school for traditional school students has been moved one day earlier to Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The original last day of school was Thursday, May 21, 2026. Adjusting the calendar will allow traditional high school graduations to occur on Wednesday, May 20, Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22nd, and avoid the originally scheduled Saturday graduation date.
There is no change to the Early College calendar.
For a complete listing of 2025-26 CCS academic calendars, please visit the CCS district calendar webpage.
We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and understanding as we make this adjustment.
Program Choice Application Window- Program Choice is the opportunity for families to choose an instructional style or theme that is a best fit for their student. Program Choice in Cabarrus County Schools allows parents to apply for a program of interest while still maintaining enrollment in our local public school system. School assignment is determined by the students' address.
Program Choice serves three purposes in Cabarrus County:
To improve academic achievement by providing challenging curriculum
To provide parents with program options to select the most appropriate delivery method for their child(ren)
To promote and maintain diversity in our schools
Each program is centered on a theme or adheres to a specific program of study. The application process is open to any student who lives within the Cabarrus County School District and meets the criteria for entrance.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications for the 26-27 school year will be open from Wednesday, October 15, 2025 to Sunday, December 14, 2025. Parent notification of placement will occur in the online family dashboard the week of February 2, 2026. Parents will have until Monday, February 16, 2026 to make a decision and accept a seat in their online dashboard. Any seats not accepted within this window will be forfeited to waitlisted students.
Timeline for Application Process:
Wednesday, October 15th- Applications open in Scribble.s
September - December - Program Open Houses held at each Program Choice Magnet school.
Sunday, December 14th- Applications close at midnight.
Monday, February 2nd (by the end of business day) - Parent notification of placement will occur in the online family dashboard
PLACEMENT PROCESS
Demand for CCS Program Choice currently exceeds seat availability. A randomized lottery is used to select students for placement. Notifications of placement are sent in February to the families of all applicants. Students who are not admitted at the end of the application period shall be placed on a waiting list in the order determined by the randomized lottery. Students shall be admitted from the waiting list as space becomes available, up to the first student school day in the order he/she appears on the waiting list.
For more information, please email programchoice@cabarrus.k12.nc.us.
Red Ribbon Week | October 23-31- Did you know? Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Red Ribbon Week® (October 23-31), the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the nation, is your opportunity to get the ongoing conversation started. This year’s theme is Life Is A Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free.™ Visit www.redribbon.org to learn more about Red Ribbon Week® and get tips for talking to your kids about drugs. The life you save may be that of your own child or a dear friend.
Student Supply Fee- As a reminder, all students are asked to pay a $30 Supply Fee at the start of each school year. Payments may be made online using K12 Payment Center or by check made to Winkler Middle School.
Free/Reduced Lunch Information- LINQ Connect is open for families to begin applying for free or reduced meals. This family portal can be used to: complete free & reduced meals applications, add funds to student accounts, and view menus.
As a reminder, Free/Reduced Lunch applications must be filled out and submitted every year. Should you need help accessing or completing this form, please reach out to the front office.
Please note that applications for free meals must be completed on the website rather than the app.
A link to a printable PDF of the free & reduced application in English and Spanish is available on the SNP website. You may also request a printed application from the front office.
You may also visit the School Nutrition Program website for more information.
All CCS middle and high schools have transitioned to GoFan as the preferred online ticket vendor for all athletic events. Fans are encouraged to visit the GoFan website and create an account. You may also consider downloading the GoFan app on your mobile device.
If you will be attending any Home game this week, please plan to park in the main parking lot, not the bus parking lot. We may still be working through afternoon dismissal processes and appreciate your patience with parking. Please plan to wait at your car until 4:15pm or after buses and car-riders have cleared. Tickets can be purchased on GoFan and will be checked prior to entrance into the game.
Students are able to attend all Home games. All school rules and expectations apply during after school events. Please note, in order to attend after school events, students should not have an outstanding cafeteria balance. Students must be picked up within 30 minutes of the game ending. Students not picked up within 30 minutes will lose the opportunity to stay for after school events for the remainder of the athletic season.
NEW District Athletic Events Policy for Elementary and Middle School Students- Elementary and middle school students will not be allowed to enter high school athletic events without a supervising adult. If an unaccompanied student arrives, their parent/guardian will be contacted to pick them up. Elementary and middle school students must be supervised at all times throughout the event.
Please visit the Winkler Athletics webpage for updates throughout the year. More information will also be sent through Parent Square. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Davis, WInkler's new Athletic Director, at Dean.Davis@cabarrus.k12.nc.us.
What is PTSO?- PTSO is a school-based group that includes parents, teachers, and students working together to support the school community.
Winkler's PTSO President: Jenn Brazee | 704-798-0018 | jennbrazee@gmail.com
PTSO Meeting Information
Next Meeting: Monday, October 20th | 7:00pm
All parents are welcome to attend in-person or virtually
Virtual Link: October 20th PTSO MEETING LINK
A Message From Our IB Coordinator, Andrea Kiser:
IB stands for International Baccalaureate and is a framework for the way in which we teach the NC standards in our school. Winkler is an MYP school, which means we follow the Middle Years Programme of IB. Throughout the year, I will highlight IB-related things happening in our school and classrooms. For now, view the video below to learn more about the IB program.
Please reach out to Andrea Kiser at Andrea.Kiser@cabarrus.k12.nc.us with any questions regarding IB.
Ways to stay connected:
Facebook: Harold E. Winkler Middle School
Instagram: haroldwinklerms
X: @haroldwinklerms
Parent Square
Winkler Webpage
Positivity Project: This year, Cabarrus County Schools will continue implementing the social-emotional learning program called Positivity Project. All students in grades K - 12 will be focusing on one skill each week.
“The mission of the Positivity Project is to empower America’s youth to build positive relationships by understanding, appreciating, and exemplifying the character strengths in us all.”
Click HERE to access the Positivity Project website.
This Week's P2 Topic: Red Ribbon Week
Rebecca Phillips, Principal | School Leadership Team, PTSO | Rebecca.Phillips@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Benjamin Pitts, 6th Grade Assistant Principal | School Safety| Benjamin.Pitts@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Lynnette Antwi, 7th Grade Assistant Principal | Student Scheduling | Lynnette.Antwi@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Mary Ann Mundt, 8th Grade Assistant Principal | Transportation, Facilities | Mary.Mundt@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Allysea Thompson, Principal Intern | Allysea.Thompson@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Penny Shealy, Data Manager | Updated Student Information & Address Changes| Penelope.Shealy@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Rina Rodriguez, Registrar | New Student Registration, Student Transfer | Rina.Rodriguez@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Kristin Lynch, 6th Grade Counselor | Student Services Inquires, 504 Inquiries | Kristin.Lynch@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Hannah Caleffie, 7th Grade Counselor | Student Services Inquires, 504 Inquiries | Hannah.Caleffie@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Christine Bevan, 8th Grade Counselor | Student Services Inquires, 504 Inquiries | Christine.Bevan@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Jerome Davis, Athletic Director | Athletics, Sports Participation Criteria | Dean.Davis@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Andrea Kiser, IB Coordinator | IB, Program Choice, Student Clubs | Andrea.Kiser@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Amy Corriher, Instructional Technology Facilitator | Technology, Chromebook Questions | Amy.Corriher@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Madison Liddle, EC Lead | IEP Inquires or Questions | Madison.Liddle@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Yamile Uceda, ML Teacher | ML Plan or Class Information | Yamile.Uceda@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Nonya Chesney, ML Teacher | ML Plan or Class Information | Nonya.Chesney@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Anne-Marie Sarvis, School Social Worker | School Social Work Inquires, Attendance Letters/Conferences | AnneMarie.Sarvis@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Stephanie Cauble, School Nurse | Medical Inquires, Student Medicine | Stephanie.Cauble@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
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