The Walker Connection

October is a particularly special month at Paula Walker Elementary because Student-Led Conferences are happening all throughout the month!

Unlike traditional parent-teacher conferences, student-led conferences place your child in the driver’s seat of their own learning journey. During these sessions, your child will share their achievements, walk you through their goals, and showcase work they are proud of. Our teachers have been working closely with students to help them reflect on their progress and take pride in their growth.

What to Expect:

• Your Child Leads the Way: Expect to hear directly from your student about what they are learning, where they have grown, and what goals they are reaching for next.

• A Time to Celebrate: This is a dedicated space to celebrate their hard work, effort, and personal growth alongside their teacher.

• Strong Home-School Partnership: You’ll gain clear insights into how we can continue working together to support your child's success.

Your child’s teacher will be reaching out (or has already shared information) regarding scheduling your conference time this month. We encourage every family to participate—our students are so excited to share their accomplishments with you!

We wish all of our Paula Walker families a restful, safe, and rejuvenating Fall Break. Thank you for being such an vital part of our school community!

Learn more about these amazing educators.

Friday, October 2, was custodian appreciation day. We are so lucky to have Mr. Dan making our school sparkle. Thank you, Mr. Dan!

October 30th will be Storybook Character 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. After that, we are happy to welcome parents Monday through Thursday to have lunch with their students.

• 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.

Fall Break is October 12-16. In addition, October 19th is a professional learning day.

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.

10/8 - Wear red for dyslexia

10/12-10/16 - Fall Break

10/19 - Professional Learning for Staff (Student Holiday)

10/20 - 2nd Quarter Begins

10/21 - Unity Day (Wear Orange), All-Pro Dads

10/26-10/30 - Fall Book Fair and Red Ribbon Week

10/29 - 4th Grade Program and Book Fair Night

10/30 - Boo Bash