Winding Oaks Elementary School

🍎☀️ FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS! ☀️🍎

Marion County Public Schools is proud to offer the 2026 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), providing FREE meals for all children age 18 and under throughout the summer. No registration, paperwork, or summer school enrollment is required!

📍 Meals will be available at:
✅ 31 MCPS school sites
✅ 14 community/off-site locations
✅ 10 rural locations offering convenient take-home meal kits

Last summer, more than 90,000 meals were served, and MCPS anticipates providing approximately 142,000 meals this year, including over 52,000 meals through meal kit distributions.

📅 Most school sites will operate Monday–Thursday from June through late July. School locations are generally closed on Fridays and July 2. Several community sites offer meals Monday–Friday, and select rural locations provide 3-day or 7-day meal kits for families.

🥪 3-Day Meal Kit Distribution Sites include:
Belleview High, Belleview Middle, Dunnellon Elementary, Fessenden Elementary, Fort McCoy K-8, Liberty Middle, North Marion Middle, Ocala Springs Elementary, Ross Prairie Elementary, West Port High, and Winding Oaks.

📦 7-Day Meal Kit Distribution Sites include:
Anthony Elementary, Cross Roads Coffee House, Dunnellon Little League Complex, East Marion Elementary, Hammett Bowen Elementary, Ocala Regional Sportsplex, Reddick-Collier Elementary, Romeo Elementary, St. Mark's Greek Orthodox Church, and Weirsdale Presbyterian Church.

Families can find the closest meal location and serving times by visiting:
🔗 www.summerbreakspot.org/find-location/

Help us spread the word so every child in Marion County has access to nutritious meals all summer long! 🍎🥪💙Marion County Public Schools

Find a Site – Summer BreakSpot Food Service Program

🎉THAT’S A WRAP, WOES FAMILIES! 📚

We officially survived the 2025-2026 school year… and somehow everyone made it to the finish line with (mostly) matching shoes, backpacks, and sanity intact! 😅👏

What a year it has been- filled with learning, laughter, spirit days, field trips, ClassDojo notifications 😉, celebrations, Derby Dollar Depot Days,memories, and LOTS of messages from our Family Engagement Liaison. 😂

A HUGE thank you to our amazing students for bringing the energy every single day, our incredible teachers and staff for giving their hearts to our kiddos, and our wonderful families for your support, patience, volunteering, donations, and teamwork all year long. ❤️

🎉Yesterday, our 5th graders had an unforgettable day filled with friends, dancing, talking, food, music, games, the glow room, tons of laughter, and the perfect ending- an ice cream party courtesy of Culver's!🍦🎶✨

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our incredible volunteers who helped make it such a success! We truly could not have done it without their support, donations, time, and helping hands. ❤️

A very special THANK YOU goes out to The Mendez Family (whose son attends WOES), owners of Ocala 360 & Beyond LLC and The Bounce House Kings LLC, for generously donating the AWESOME 360 Photo Booth for yesterday’s event! 📸🎥 The students absolutely LOVED it! https://bouncehousekings.com

A GREAT BIG thank you to Scott & Maurice from Scott Cameron - State Farm Agent www.scottjcameron.com for treating our WOES staff to a delicious breakfast from Eggs Up Grill www.eggsupgrill.com this morning! 🍳🥓☕ Like a good neighbor, Scott Cameron State Farm was definitely there and has been a proud sponsor & supporter of WOES since day 1 ! 🤍

We also want to give a BIG special shoutout to Build-a-Bouquet, WOES’ newest sponsor and supporter! 💐🌿 Thank you for the beautiful plants, gift certificates, and goodies that will be raffled off to our staff later today, along with additional goodies shared from our amazing community partners. Your generosity and support of WOES is truly appreciated, and we are so excited to have you as part of our WOES family! 💙💚 www.buildabouquetocala.com

💙WOES loves supporting local businesses, and we are beyond thankful for ALL of our amazing community partners who helped make our very first year at WOES extra special! 🎉 Your kindness, support, and partnership mean so much to our school community! ❤️

Now it’s officially time for summer break!!!!!! ☀️🍉⛱️

Parents… the countdown is over. The snacks are now your responsibility again. The “Mommmm, I’m bored!” season begins shortly. 😎😂

To our students: have the BEST summer ever! Sleep in, read, swim, read, play outside, read, make memories, read a good book 😉, and enjoy every minute of being a kid.

And parents…
🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Tag… you’re it! 🤣

See you all next school year for more fun, memories, excitement, and probably way too many school notifications once again! 💙🤍💚

❤️As we wrap up another wonderful week at Winding Oaks, we want to take a moment to thank our incredible teachers and staff for all they do each and every day for our students. This week, we celebrated Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week, and our hearts are full from the outpouring of kindness and support from our community! 🐎🌳

🍎Here’s a quick recap of the fun and appreciation shared throughout the week:

🎨 Monday – Creativity & Chemistry!
We kicked off the week with colorful “make-and-take” arts & crafts activities and fun custom drink mixes in the mailroom! Staff enjoyed creative concoctions with playful names like the 🚌 “Yellow School Bus” and 💙 “Monday Blues,” making the day extra sweet, refreshing, and full of smiles!

🥪 Tuesday – Publix Sub Lunch!
Our amazing staff was treated to “grab-and-go” Publix lunches that included a fresh sub or wrap, chips, and a drink. It was a meaningful way to help our staff enjoy a relaxing and delicious lunch during a very busy week.

🍨 Tuesday – Sweet Treats from Ocala’s Best! We were treated with an amazing assortment of cookies, cakes, and ice cream courtesy of Ocala’s Best! These delicious treats added an extra layer of fun and appreciation to the week and were enjoyed throughout the day (and week!). We are so thankful for the generosity and support shown to our WOES family! www.OcalaAfterSchool.com Ocala's Best After School and Summer Camp- Southwest

🍩 Wednesday – Dunkin Donuts Morning Treats! The mailroom was filled with sweet treats and smiles as staff enjoyed donuts and coffee to start their day. We truly “donut” know what we would do without them!

🤗 Wednesday – Snack Surprise from College Road Baptist Church! A heartfelt thank you to College Road Baptist Church for their incredibly generous donation of snacks for our staff. From breakfast bars and pastries to chips, crackers, and candy, your thoughtful variety of treats brought so much joy throughout the day. We are truly grateful for their continued kindness and support of our school community- it made a big difference and was deeply appreciated by all! www.collegeroad.org College Road Baptist Church

😋 Thursday – Lunch & Snacks Celebration! Thank you to Miller’s Ale House for an incredible donated lunch. The Cajun chicken pasta and fresh salads were a huge hit, with staff raving about how delicious and satisfying the meal was. It was a wonderful midweek boost of energy and appreciation that was truly enjoyed by all. www.Millersalehouse.com

🍿Meadowbrook Church stopped by and provided our entire staff tasty bags of kettle corn from Giggles Gourmet Popcorn! www.Mbocala.com www.GigglesPopcorn.com

🚗Our entire WOES staff was gifted a voucher for a FREE Ultimate Experience car wash (valued at $25) courtesy of RaceWash Car Wash in Marion County! 🚗 www.racewash.com Racewash Car Wash

🍕 Friday – Milano’s Lunch! We ended the week with another delicious staff lunch donated from Milano’s Italian Grille and lots of appreciation for the hard work and dedication our staff shows every single day. www.MilanoToGo.com

🍨 Friday – Sweet Treat Finale!
We wrapped up Staff Appreciation Week with delicious frozen custard and toppings courtesy of Manny and his amazing team at Culver’s! Staff members enjoyed creating their own sweet treats with a variety of fun toppings, making for the perfect ending to an incredible week of appreciation. www.culvers.com Culver's

✨In our mailboxes we also found some fun surprises- including Ferrero Rocher® chocolates, generously donated by Gateway Hope Ministries!

💙WOES Families- Your kindness and generosity made Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week incredibly special for our WOES team! We are so thankful to the families who sent in snacks, Krispy Kreme donuts, gift baskets, flowers, handwritten notes, colored pictures, and many other thoughtful surprises for our teachers and staff. Every gesture—big or small—served as a heartfelt reminder of how loved and appreciated our team is by the WOES community. Your encouragement, support, and thoughtfulness truly brightened our week and touched so many hearts. 🐎🌳

💚Thank you for supporting Winding Oaks Elementary and the incredible people who help make our school such a special place to learn, grow, and thrive.

🌸 Happy Mother’s Day Weekend to all of our amazing WOES moms, grandmothers, aunts, guardians, and all the incredible women who help raise and love our students each day! 💖

💙We also want to recognize the dads and father figures who sometimes play double duty- filling both roles with endless love, strength, patience, and support.

🌟At WOES, we know that behind every successful student is someone cheering them on, helping with homework, packing lunches, drying tears, celebrating victories, and giving unconditional encouragement.

🌼Just like flowers need sunshine and water to grow, children bloom best with the love and support of caring adults in their lives. Thank you for helping our little Thoroughbreds learn, grow, and shine brighter every day! 🐴

💐We hope your weekend is filled with love, laughter, hugs, and lots of well-deserved appreciation. Happy Mother’s Day Weekend from all of us at WOES!

Happy Principal Appreciation Day! 🎉

Today we’re celebrating the heart and leader of our school- Ms. Crawford! 💙 She is truly the best, and we are so lucky to have her guiding our students, supporting our staff, and uplifting our entire school community every single day.

Thank you, Ms. Crawford, for your dedication, compassion, and the positive energy you bring to everything you do. Because of you, our school is a place where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired to succeed.

We appreciate you more than words can say- today and every day! 👏✨

A little magic in every hallway starts with a great principal ✨

Thank you for the early mornings, the late nights, and the endless care you give to students and staff. You make a difference in ways big and small, every single day.

Happy National Principal Appreciation Day!

Ocala businesses- this is your chance to get noticed! 👀

Our WOES Fence Banner Program offers prime advertising space right along busy SW 49th Avenue Road- one of the fastest-growing and most traveled areas in our community. With constant daily traffic from families, staff, and local commuters, your business will be seen! 🚗✨

It’s a great way to promote your brand while also supporting our school and students 🙌

📩 Interested? Or know of a business that would love to advertise with us? Reach out here via Messenger or contact us today for more information- we’d love to partner with you!

Businesses that join now (and mention this ad!!) will have their banner displayed for the remainder of this school year, throughout the summer months (yes- we will be hosting summer school here on our campus!), and all of next school year through May 2027. That means you’re paying for just 9 months of advertising, but receiving a full year of visibility in front of our families, staff, and community members. It’s a cost-effective way to market your business while directly investing in local education. Secure your spot today and enjoy extended exposure for your brand!

💜 Tomorrow, April 15th we celebrate Purple Up! Day as part of the Month of the Military Child! 💜 This special day honors the strength, resilience, and sacrifices of our military-connected students.

We invite everyone to wear purple- a color that represents all branches of the military- to show our support and appreciation. The military chose this color with the reasoning that purple combines each branch's colors into one, since the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard all use shades of blue, the Army uses green and the Marines use red. Let’s come together as a school community to recognize and celebrate our amazing military families!

✨ Fun Fact: MCPS's Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary School was the very first school in Marion County to earn the Florida Purple Star of Distinction designation- thanks to the hard work and dedication of Ms. Crawford and Ms. Bevers while they were at HBE! 🤩WOES will be applying for this distinction in the near future as we continue to support and celebrate our military families! 💜

Happy Assistant Principal Week to an amazing leader, Mrs. Pietryka! 🎉

Thank you for your dedication, support, and the countless ways you make a difference in our school every single day. Your leadership, kindness, and commitment to students and staff do not go unnoticed- we are so grateful for all that you do!

Wishing you a week filled with appreciation and recognition- you truly deserve it! 💙📚

🍕 Support Our School & Save on Pizza!

We’re excited to share a great opportunity to support Winding Oaks Elementary School while enjoying some delicious savings from Domino’s!

With the Slice the Price Card, you’ll get:
✅ Buy one large pizza, get one FREE ! Yes if your purchase 10 you get 10 free!!
✅ Use it multiple times through 12/31/26 😍
✅ Huge savings for you and your family
✅ With over 2,700+ participating stores across 42 states, this card basically travels better than we do 😄✈️ That means you can sell to Grandma in New York, your cousin in Texas, your college bestie in Alabama, or that one family member who orders pizza every Friday like it’s a personality trait 🍕😂
✅ A simple way to give back to our school!

Every card purchased helps raise funds that go directly toward supporting students, teachers, and programs at Winding Oaks Elementary. It’s a win-win- great food and a great cause!

👉 Grab your card here: https://store.dominos.cards/53745
Thank you for supporting our school and making a difference in our community!

💚🤍💙

Help us raise $2,500! — Winding Oaks Elementary School Please help Winding Oaks Elementary School! We need help raising money towards our brand new school! Your support is greatly appreciated!