The Walker Connection

Dear Walker Families,

As we settle in to routines, we have noticed some pain points in regards to dismissal. The congestion on Crenshaw Road presents a safety issue that needs to be addressed. The change being made applies primarily to walkers, bikes, scooters, and students being picked up by golf cart.

Beginning on Monday, August 31, students in this "walker" group will be dismissed from the playground gate at the corner of Cove Crossing and Bearing. Making this change ensures that wheels have a low traffic street to safely ride bikes, scooters, and golf carts on, gets them off the sidewalks, and directs them away from the traffic on Crenshaw. It also provides students with a wider area to travel, reducing the risk of accidental collisions of bicycles, walkers, etc. A sidewalk behind the neighborhood does connect with the sidewalk along Crenshaw for foot traffic to use.

Transportation Changes - WE NEED YOUR HELP! The front office receives a large number of transportation changes each day. It is important to remember that any transportation change increases the likelihood of a mistake being made during dismissal. Please call the front office as early as possible and only make changes when it is absolutely necessary. NEW! Beginning on 8/31, all transportation changes must be communicated to the front office by 2:00 p.m. and will not be accepted after that time except in the case of an emergency.

Be sure to read more about next week. Walker Wake-Up begins on Monday, it's homecoming week, and we will have our bi-annual safety drills on Monday as well. All the details for this and more can be found in this special edition of The Walker Connection.

Your Proud Principal,

Shana Gaines

We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience during the first week of school as everyone gets in the rhythm of new routines and procedures. Each day, dismissal gets a little bit shorter! To further increase efficiency, please remember that the school parking lot has two pathways available for arrival and dismissal.

Families who live on the side of the neighborhood closest to the school are strongly encouraged to circumvent some of the traffic on Crenshaw Dr. by utilizing Grotto Dr. or Gully Grove Dr. from the Waterscape neighborhood to access White Rock Dr. Take White Rock Dr. to Crenshaw Drive. This will take you just South of Paula Walker Elementary to enter the front drive. This will help prevent traffic from backing up along one side of Crenshaw Road and keep traffic moving efficiently.

Morning Arrival:

• Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria between 7:00 and 7:30.
• Students are in classrooms beginning at 7:30. The tardy bell rings at 7:40.
• Bikers and walkers enter through the main entrance.
• You may walk your student to class on the first day of school ONLY. Beginning on day two, a welcoming Walker staff member will assist students with finding their place.

If you are new to Walker, the following video is a helpful visual for arrival and dismissal car line procedures.

We are thrilled to launch Walker Wake Up!, a brand-new way for students to kick off their school day with choice, fun, and hands-on activities before classes begin!

Starting Monday, August 31st, students can arrive in the morning, stop by the Wake Up Main Station outside the Music Room, and grab a station stick to join one of our exciting morning options. Available Stations Include Legos, Recess, Games, Drawing, STEM, Ukulele, Library, and the principal's leadership cohort

How Morning Routines Work:

• Pick a Stick First: Upon arrival, students head to the main station outside the Music Room to select their activity. Note: Each station has a limited number of sticks available each morning, so choices are first-come, first-served!

• Breakfast Needs: If your student needs breakfast, they will grab their stick and eat BEFORE heading to their chosen station.

• No Breakfast Needed: Students who have already eaten can head straight to their station stick destination.

• Alternative Option: If a student prefers not to participate in a station, they will simply head to their assigned table in the cafeteria to sit quietly until class begins.

We can’t wait to see our students engage, build, create, and energize their minds every morning during Walker Wake Up!

Dear Walker Elementary Families:

Your child's safety on campus is the district's utmost concern. We will remain vigilant in providing a safe school environment conducive to teaching and learning. As part of keeping our campuses safe, Royse City ISD, in cooperation with local police departments, will hold regular secure, hold, and lockdown drills at Walker Elementary to better inform our students and staff on how to react to threats.

On Monday, August 31, we will hold these safety drills. You will see a larger police and security presence on campus that day. Please do not be alarmed.

If you have any questions, please call the main office at 972-635-5014.

We appreciate your continued support in making Walker Elementary and Royse City ISD a safe place to learn and work.

Sincerely,

Shana Gaines, Principal

Paula Walker Elementary

In the interest of simplifying things for parents who have students on multiple campuses, we are adopting a districtwide approach to dress up days for homecoming week and Red Ribbon week. Official graphics from the district are coming, but I wanted you to have this information now so you can plan ahead.

Red Ribbon Week Info: October 26-30

A shared district graphic is coming soon!
School dress code must be followed at all times.

• Monday: Be a hero, stay drug-free! (Superhero Day)

• Tuesday: Stronger Together (Twin Day)

• Wednesday: Team Up Against Drugs (Jersey/Sports Tee Day)

• Thursday: Red-Y to Live Drug Free (Wear Red)

• Friday: Boot Out Drugs (Western Day)

As we kick off the year, please review two important updates regarding our cafeteria routines:

• No Third-Party Food Deliveries: To maintain campus security and prevent instructional and operational disruptions, food deliveries from services like DoorDash, UberEats, or Grubhub will not be accepted for students. Any orders delivered to the front office will be turned away. If your student forgets their lunch, they may pick up a standard meal in the cafeteria or receive a delivered lunch dropped off directly by a parent/guardian.

• Parent Lunch Visits Resume Soon: We love hosting family visitors! Parent lunch visits will officially begin on Monday, September 14th. This initial window gives our students time to master cafeteria routines, bond with peers, and adjust to their daily schedules.

• Lunch schedule adjustments: With changes to instructional minutes, we tried a new lunch schedule and have determined we need to make some minor adjustments. The updated lunch schedule is included below and begins Monday, August 24th.

The Royse City Golden Debs are hosting their 2026 Jr. Golden Debs Fall Mini Clinic on Saturday, September 19th at Bobby Summers Middle School!

Clinic Date & Time: Saturday, September 19th, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Clinic Location: Bobby Summers Middle School Gym
Performance Date: Friday, September 25th at 7:00 PM (Varsity Football Halftime at RCISD Stadium)
Eligibility: Open to all skill levels!
Link to Sign Up: Mini Clinic

Participants will learn dance technique and halftime choreography to perform alongside the Debs on the field.

Registration Note: Spots are limited due to field spacing and fill up fast. Interested families should register early to secure their spot.

Birthdays are special milestones, and we enjoy helping our students feel celebrated while also ensuring we maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all students.

If you are planning to send a special treat for your child’s class, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

🎂 Store-Bought Only:
For the safety of all students, especially those with food allergies, all birthday treats must be store-bought and in their original, unopened packaging. This allows us to review ingredient labels and identify potential allergens.

🚫 No Peanuts or Tree Nuts:
Please avoid sending treats that contain peanuts or tree nuts, including products with “may contain nuts” warnings.

🍪 Individually Wrapped Preferred:
Individually wrapped items are greatly appreciated as they make distribution easier and help minimize contact.

🏠 No Homemade Treats:
Unfortunately, homemade treats cannot be accepted due to allergy and safety concerns.

⭐ Non-Food Celebrations:
Consider non-food birthday treats such as pencils, erasers, stickers, bookmarks, or small books. These are wonderful ways to celebrate while allowing all students to participate.

🎈 No Balloons:
To ensure the safety and comfort of all students, balloons are not permitted on campus for birthday celebrations. Balloons can create distractions, safety concerns, and may impact students with allergies or sensitivities.

📅 Communicate with the Teacher:
Please coordinate with your child’s teacher at least 24–48 hours in advance if you plan to bring birthday treats. This allows teachers time to plan for the celebration and ensure it fits smoothly into the classroom schedule.

Thank you for helping us make birthday celebrations fun and safe for everyone!

All campus volunteers must complete a background check for the 2026-2027 school year. Please take a moment to complete the online form linked below.

📚✨ PTO MEETING DATES ARE HERE! ✨📚

Good morning, Walker families! 💜💛

First, a big THANK YOU for your patience while we worked to get this information out to everyone. We know school calendars fill up approximately 37 seconds after the first bell rings 😂, so we’re excited to finally give you the dates to save!

📅 September 2026 – May 2027

PTO meetings will be held on the 2nd Monday of each month.

⭐ Our next meeting:

Monday, September 14

📍 Paula Walker Elementary — Room D210

Whether you’ve been involved with PTO before, recently joined, or you’re just curious about what we do, we’d love to have you! 💜 There’s no pressure to volunteer for everything, attend every event, or somehow magically acquire 12 extra hours in your week. 😉 Come when you can, get involved where it works for you, and help us make this a great year for our Walker students and staff!

🙋‍♀️ Interested in joining the PTO?

We’ll drop the membership link in the comments below!

Thank you again to our Walker families for your patience, support, and enthusiasm as we get the year rolling. 💛

🌱✨ Let’s have a great year, Walker family! #LetsSupportEachOther #paulawalkerelementary #walkerstrong #rootedandrising27

9/10 - Back to School Night 5:00-6:30

9/1-9/4 - RCHS HOCO Week

9/7 - Labor Day Holiday

9/11 - Patriot Day/First Responders Day

9/14 - Picture Day

9/14-9/18 - Celebrate Freedom Week

9/15-10/15 - Hispanic Heritage Month

9/15 - International Dot Day

9/16 - All-Pro Dads

9/21-9/22 - Student Holiday

9/25 - American Indian Heritage Day, Grandfriends Night 4:30-6:00