Happy July, Winkler Families! 

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer, getting lots of rest, and making lasting memories with friends and family!   

Our vision for Winkler Middle is to be a community committed to growing and learning together. This vision statement drives all of our work. We genuinely want every person associated with our school to be in a constant state of learning and growing. This summer, our teachers have been attending workshops, taking classes, and planning rigorous, engaging instruction for our students. Our custodians have been working tirelessly to ensure our building is organized and looking great, and our administrators have been planning learning opportunities and actively scheduling students into best-fit classes. To say we are excited for what the new school year will bring is an understatement! 

I’m thrilled about the great work that’s happening at Winkler, and we're looking forward to seeing students in August!  

With Winkler Pride,

Rebecca Phillips

• July 15th - New Family Tours (Limited Registration Opportunities, See Info Below)

• August 1st - First Day for STAFF

• August 6th - Open House @ 4:30pm-6:30pm

  • • Students With A-K Last Name: Invited to attend from 4:30-5:30pm

    • Students With L-Z Last Name: Invited to attend from 5:30-6:30pm

• August 11th - First Day of School for STUDENTS

• CCS Academic Calendar: As you begin to prepare for the upcoming school year, please take a moment to download the 2024-25 academic calendar linked below. 

  • 2025-2026 CCS Academic Calendar (10/14/2024)

  • For more information, please visit the 2025-26 district calendars webpage.

• Immunizations: Information on required health assessments and immunizations for students are available through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). The Cabarrus Health Alliance is hosting Community Immunization Clinics throughout the summer.  

• Transportation and Edulog Update:  If your student’s transportation needs have changed for the upcoming 25-26 school year, please contact us as soon as possible. The Edulog bus tracking system is currently disabled while bus routes are created and uploaded for the new school year. Users will receive notification in early August that it has been re-activated and updated with new information for bus riders in the 25-26 school year. Please contact Mary Ann Mundt, Winkler's Assistant Principal, at Mary.Mundt@cabarrus.k12.nc.us with any questions related to school transportation. 

• ParentSquare Information:  ParentSquare will continue to be the primary communication platform used by the district and Winkler to send information to our families.  

If you have not registered your ParentSquare account, you may still do that with the email or phone number where you are receiving messages by going to https://www.parentsquare.com/signin and entering that email or phone number in the "Register" box. Registering your account allows you to interact with the many features of ParentSquare and also allows you to set your notification preferences. Please visit this website for directions on registering your account, setting your notification preferences, and answers to other FAQs: https://cabarrus.k12.nc.us/2555_3

Please make sure to notify us of any phone or email changes. Those must be updated in our student information system in order for the ParentSquare account to update. Please contact Penelope Shealy, Winkler's Data Manager, at Penelope.Shealy@cabarrus.k12.nc.us with updated information or questions you may have.

• Open House- Please save the date for Winkler's Open House event on Wednesday, August 6th from 4:30pm-6:30pm. During this time, new and returning Wolves will be able to pick-up schedules, bus passes, and forms while also having the opportunity to meet teachers and explore the building. We will have multiple information tables set up in the atrium and a food truck for families to enjoy dinner together and socialize with new classmates and friends. 

  • • Students with Last Names A-K = Invited to attend from 4:30-5:30pm

    • Students with Last Names L-Z = Invited to attend from 5:30-6:30pm

• Summer Tours- Our last round of Summer Tours will take place on Tuesday, July 15th. Students that are new to Winkler and have not had an opportunity to visit our building are invited to join us for Summer Tours on Tuesday, July 16th between 2:00pm-4:00pm.  Please sign-up in ParentSquare using the link in this Summer Tours posting. Spots are limited. Please sign up quickly to reserve your summer tour time. 

• Student Information System Change: PowerSchool to Infinite Campus- This summer, Cabarrus County Schools will be switching from the use of PowerSchool to Infinite Campus as our student information system. In Infinite Campus, staff, students, and parents will have access to information including schedules, attendance, grades, and student demographics. More information will be sent out in the coming weeks to parents/families about gaining access to Campus Parent (formerly ParentPortal) for checking student grades. 

Additionally, at this time, please note that all student schedules are still undergoing adjustments and changes - no schedule is final. Students should plan to pick up their schedule at Open House on August 6th.  

• Summer Meal Program- The CCS School Nutrition Program will once again participate in the North Carolina Summer Nutrition Program for Kids. Please see below for important information.

  • • Bus delivery will be Monday - Thursday from June 2nd-July 31st.

    • No ID or registration required!

    • Free, healthy meals for kids and teens 18 and younger!

    • Child must be present to receive meals.

    • Learn more at https://summermeals4nckids.org/

• Free/Reduced Lunch Information- LINQ Connect is opening for families to begin applying for free or reduced meals in July. 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 visit the School Nutrition Program website for more information. 

• Supply Lists- Supply lists have been posted on Winkler social media and are also shared below. Please call the front office with any questions regarding supplies. Please note, all requests for headphones/earbuds are for plug-in headphones/earbuds only. We ask that wireless earbuds/AirPods always remain at home. 

Additionally, as a reminder, all students are asked to pay a $25 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. 

• Fall Sports Opportunities- Three sports are offered during the Fall sports season: Cheerleading, Football, and Softball. All athletes’ parents/guardians will need to register their student athlete on the Dragonfly Platform. This can be found on the Winkler Middle School Athletics webpage. All student athletes must be registered through the DragonFly Platform AND a current physical must be on file before participating in any tryouts or skill development workouts. A sports physical must be conducted and signed by a physician and stamped with the facility that is seeing the child.      

  • • Cheerleading - Cheerleading tryouts for upcoming 7th and 8th grade students will be held on July 9th, 10th, and 11th. All tryout sessions will be from 9-11am in Winkler's aux gym. When arriving for tryouts, please be 15-30 minutes early for checking registration and paperwork. Students are asked to wear school-appropriate athletic-wear, sneakers, and no jewelry. More information has been shared on Winkler's ParentSquare Fall Sports Tryouts post. 

    • Football - Football tryouts for upcoming 7th and 8th grade students will be held on July 30th, July 31st, and August 1st. All tryout sessions will be from 6-8pm. Football will be conducting pre-season skill development workouts on July 7th and July 9th from 6:00pm-7:30pm. Please note, skill development workouts are not required to attend but beneficial for conditioning and skill work. When arriving for both skill development workouts and tryouts, please be 15-30 minutes early for checking registration and paperwork. More information has been shared on Winkler's ParentSquare Fall Sports Tryouts post. 

    • Softball - Softball tryouts for upcoming 7th and 8th grade students will be held on July 30th, July 31st, and August 1st. All tryout sessions will be from 6-8pm. When arriving for tryouts, please be 15-30 minutes early for checking registration and paperwork. More information has been shared on Winkler's ParentSquare Fall Sports Tryouts post. 

• 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. 

• Ways to stay connected:

  • Facebook: Harold E. Winkler Middle School

  • Instagram: haroldwinklerms

  • X: @haroldwinklerms

  • Parent Square

  • Winkler Webpage

• Staff Intros- Be on the lookout for information about our Winkler staff members on our social media accounts in the coming weeks. 

• 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.

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

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.Leslie@cabarrus.k12.nc.us 

Madison Liddle, EC Lead | IEP Inquires or Questions | Madison.Liddle@cabarrus.k12.nc.us 

Anne-Marie Sarvis, School Social Worker | School Social Work Inquires, Attendance Letters/Conferences | AnneMarie.Sarvis@cabarrus.k12.nc.us