Our Wildcats had a great first week of school. We started out the first day with a back to school assembly and learned about respecting ourselves, each other, and our school. We had great week of fun and learning with friends. We are so proud of how hard they have worked. New friendships were started and old friends reconnected. We can't wait to see what this year holds for our Wildcats. Thank you for sharing your children with us, and for being our partner in education! Their future looks so bright!

Thank you for your partnership,

Mrs. Lynn Ryan, Principal, lryan@sdale.org

Mrs. Carrie Farris, Assistant Principal, cfarris@sdale.org

Walker Elementary has received the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant program for the upcoming school year. 21st CCLC supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment during non-school hours for children. This grant was written to serve students in 2nd through 5th grade. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children. We are calling our program Roar and will be on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school. More information as well as the link to sign up can be found below. We have space for 100 students so space is limited.

To join KKids, please fill out and return the KKids form by September 2nd. More information and forms to join can be picked up across our counselor's office.

1. For the safety of students and staff, all doors, including the front door, will remain locked at all times. Only students will be allowed in the building, unless prior arrangements have been made.

2. Students cannot be picked on the front porch after school.

3. When students are picked up or dropped off in the car rider line, adults must remain inside the vehicle. Please be considerate of others and have your child ready to exit the car immediately upon arrival in the morning.

4. Per Arkansas state law, there is NO cell phone use or smoking on school premises.

5. There is no left turn during pickup and drop-off. Please see traffic sign at the Walker entrance/exit that states this. Crossing over traffic trying to turn into Walker could cause an accident. Thank you for your attention to this.

6. Car tags MUST be displayed from the rearview mirror. Please do not place on dashboard, as car callers cannot see the tag. You must have a car tag to pick up students. If you do not have your tag, you will need to park in the parking lot and wait until the line is through, take your ID to the front door, and purchase a new tag for $2.00.

7. Visitors conducting school business must check in at the front office door.

If you are waiting in our car line, your vehicle can not block any driveways and streets. It was reported to us that vehicles waiting in the Walker car line were blocking driveways and streets. Please do not do this when you are waiting in the car line. Also, make sure to leave space in front of the Walker driveway to allow our buses to exit Walker.

Arkansas Code 27-51-1302 states that no person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic-control device, in any of the following places: in front of a public or private driveway and streets. Click on the image to read Arkansas Code 27-51-1302.

Please see the two pages below for general information about Walker Elementary. A paper pamphlet will come home the first week of school.

If you need an interpreter our ESL office available 8 am - 4 pm. Ms. Gaby is also able to answer questions in Spanish at Walker from 7:30-4:00. We have a school program for parents to learn English while also learning how to support their child's learning needs. Please see the information below to join our Springdale Family Literacy Program. Our Springdale Family Literacy Program will start the year online. If you or someone you know is looking for classes in English, check out the information linked at the bottom of this newsletter.

I will begin my classroom lessons next week with fourth and fifth grade students. We really want to put an emphasis on safety this year from the beginning. Students will be given the opportunity to learn about what to do when they hear threatening language and physical contact with another student.

This is an excerpt from our handbook which states our goal of a safe environment for all students.

The Springdale Board of Education has a responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the District’s students and employees. To help maintain a safe

environment conducive to high student achievement, the Board establishes policies necessary to regulate student behavior to promote an orderly school environment

that is respectful of the rights of others and ensures the uniform enforcement of student discipline. Students are responsible for their conduct that occurs:

● At any time on the school grounds;

● Off school grounds at a school sponsored function, activity, or event; and

● Going to and from school or a school activity.

Arisa Health / Ozark Guidance Counseling (OGC) has partnered with us to provide school counseling services for students and families. If you would like to get your child into these services you can either call our school counselor, Mrs. Erin Waterman or call the service provider directly and ask to schedule an intake appointment. If you call directly, remember to say that your child attends Walker Elementary in Springdale. OGC (479) 750-2020

School Hours

Our school office hours will continue to be from 7:00 am - 4:30 pm. Our school day will start at 7:45 am every day. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays students will be dismissed at 3:10 pm. On Wednesdays, students will be dismissed at 1:50 pm to allow staff time to meet in teams. More information about this change can be found below including an informational video.

Arrival Procedures

All students in kindergarten through fifth grade will need to be in their classes ready to learn by 7:45. All students will need to unload from the passenger's side of the car (no exceptions). This ensures that we do not have children walking in the area where cars drive. Please have your child unbuckled with their backpack on and ready to hop out of the car when you stop Adults may not get out of the car during our drop-off. Parents can not park and walk their child to the crosswalk unless they are a pre-k parent who needs to sign your child in.

Arrival and Dismissal

Students may be dropped off between 7:15 and 7:44. Students are tardy if not in class at 7:45 am. Students who are tardy will need to be checked in by a parent using our online form. Dismissal of students begins at 3:10 pm. If you do not have your car tag hanging from your mirror, you will need to pick up your child in the office and show your ID.

Walkers will be walked to the crosswalk and helped across the street. Duty staff do not walk students any further than our campus. Car riders must be picked up by 3:20 or you will need to make arrangements with our ASP program for child care.

Attendance

We are so excited to serve your child and family as we learn together each day. We need your at school every day in order to ensure learning for all. Please communicate with us if your child has to miss school. It’s Arkansas state law for your child to attend school.

Springdale elementary students will be released early on Wednesdays at 1:50 pm. so that teachers have collaborative team meetings. This time will allow all district teachers to be part of a Professional Learning Community. The communities will provide educators with time to work together to focus on student achievement and data that shows which students are progressing academically and which may need additional support.

The Springdale School district created a great video that explains collaborative team meetings.

To watch this video, go to https://www.sdale.org/page/early-out

If you need child care on Wednesdays, the After School Program will provide extended child care for elementary and middle school students who are enrolled in the program on Wednesdays at no additional cost to families.

Walker Elementary has a Facebook page for the school, EAST, KKids, and PTA. Like all these pages to keep up with the latest school information. Click on the links below to get to each page. Then click on the like button to follow our pages. Once you like our pages, you will see our posts in your Facebook newsfeed.

Instagram Account: Walker_Elementary_School

Email: lryan@sdale.org
Website: http://walker.sdale.org/
Location: 1701 S 40th St, Springdale, AR 72762, USA
Phone: (479)750-8874
Twitter: @WalkerWildcats1