Back to School

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome back to a new school year at Dr. Shirley J. Williamson Elementary! As we embark on this exciting journey together, I am thrilled to introduce our ‘space inspired’ theme for the year: "Infinite Learning, Endless Possibilities."

This theme reflects our commitment to fostering a love of learning and encouraging each student to explore their unique potential. Our dedicated staff is prepared to provide a nurturing environment where every child can thrive and achieve their best.

I hope that everyone had a restful and safe summer. Despite the inclement weather and unpredictable storms our community remained strong. It is important that we all remain steadfast to our commitment to doing what is best for students. There will be a few adjustments to some of our operations and activities this year. Our goal is to maintain a safe and structured learning environment for all of our lions. We need your support to make all things work for the good of our campus. Listed are some things we want to communicate to our SJW community:

• All students who will be car-riders must have a car-rider number tag. The new/current year tag must be visibly displayed on the rearview mirror or dashboard of the vehicle during after school pick-up. (Old car rider tags are no longer valid)

• Only district school buses, daycare vans and cars with a Lion’s Lane tag will be permitted to enter the bus ramp for student arrival and dismissal.

• The Staff Parking Lot can not be used for student drop off or pick-up.

• All students who will be considered ‘walkers’ during dismissal will be met at the stop sign at Burleson Bend Dr. or at the bridge, near the entrance of the gated community on Southwood Trace Ln. Walkers will exit the building at 3:30pm.

• Parents will come to eat lunch with their student(s) on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month. (A schedule of dates will be provided.) An online registration form will also be required. Due to space limitations, we ask that only one parent/guardian come and no other children be brought in.

• The campus will not receive food delivered to students by food delivery companies, including, but not limited to Uber Eats, DoorDash, or GrubHub. Food delivered for students will be returned to the food delivery person/company. We strongly discourage parents from bringing outside lunches to school. We cannot guaranty that the food will get to the student, as we do not have staff to deliver lunches during the school day.

• Most campus events and activities this year will require an online registration, made prior to the event. Only parents or persons with legal guardianship may complete the registration forms. Many campus events may limit the number of guests per student.

• No school aged children will be permitted to attend campus events/activities that occur during the school day.

• Only clear and mesh backpacks for students. Campus visitors must follow the district guidelines for appropriately sized, clear purses/handbags.

• As soon as you have a chance, register your ID with the front office.

Let's work together to make this year a memorable one, filled with growth, discovery, and success.

Warmest regards,

Kimberly Wells

Principal, Dr. Shirley J. Williamson Elementary

Kimberley Wells, Principal

Dwane Hughes, Assistant Principal

Eboni Santos, Digital Learning & Assessment Specialist

PK- 5th Grade

7:35 AM -3:15 PM

PK3 AM

7:35 am -11:20 am

PK3 PM

11:30 am -3:15 pm

Tardy Bell

7:35 AM

*Parents must walk the student in.

Dismissal

3:15 PM

D. Hughes- Asst. Principal

N. Harris- Counselor

M. Abner- 1st Grade

A. Trevino- 2nd Grade

N. Bradley- 4th Grade

R. Kerl- 5th Grade

L. Manuel- Lifeskills

M. Villanueva- Science Lab

J. Burnett- Paraprofessional

F. Aviles- Paraprofessional

P. Butler- Paraprofessional

C. Williams- Paraprofessional

The front office remains locked at all times. Please ring the doorbell on the right side of the door under the camera. Please wait patiently to be buzzed into the office. If you are scheduled for a meeting/and or appointment, you will be checked in with your ID through our Raptor System and issued a visitor's badge. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Galena Park ISD continues to provide healthy meals each day at no charge for every student enrolled in GPISD schools. The Student Nutrition department offers breakfast service in the cafeteria, and on Grab-N-Go Carts, which are located in the hallways for students to grab breakfast on their way to class.

Download the Schoolcafe mobile app today! The Schoolcafe app provides you with quick access to your child's school lunch menu and the ability to add money to their school meal accounts.

Fridays are Spirit Days or College Day. Students are encouraged to wear a spirit shirt or a college/university shirt.

The deadline to order a spirit shirt is August 30, 2024.

Stay tuned for other special days when students can dress up!

Parents will not be allowed to walk up and pick up a student from the door at dismissal. Early pick up ends at 2:30 PM daily. We ask for patience as this is the first month of school and students will be learning new car tag numbers.

Bus Riders

Please check your bus route number on the Galena Park ISD transportation site. School personnel is not responsible for assign a student a bus route. Please communicate with the office by 2:30 pm if the students need a transportation change.

Walkers

Walkers will begin exiting the building at 3:30 PM. We have designated specific pick-up areas to streamline the process and ensure that students are safe as they leave school grounds:

**New Forest Parkway:** Students dismissed on New Forest Parkway will meet at the stop sign on the corner of New Forest Parkway and Burleson Bend.

**Southwood Trace Lane:** Students dismissed on Southwood Trace Lane will meet at the bridge on Southwood Trace Lane.

Car Riders

Morning Drop Off-

We ask that students be dropped off along the circle ramp to ensure the safety of all students.

Afternoon Pick Up-

All car riders need a current tag with a school assigned number for dismissal. An ID check is required if you do not have car tag at the time of pick up. Cars without the current school issued tag will be required to park in the visitor's parking lot and wait until after 3:35. Siblings will have the same car tag number if living in the same home. Practice car tag numbers with students. This will speed up the process.

Students should not be dropped off or picked up in the staff parking lot. This is for your safety. All parents must remain in their car and utilized the designated areas to safely drop- off and pick-up students. Thank you in advance for complying with our procedures. These procedures are in place to keep our students safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the office.

Hearing & Vision

Hearing and Vision screening for 5th graders starts this month (August). Please make sure your child(ren) wear their eye glasses every day and clean their ears.

Medication

If your child needs to take medication at school, please go to my school web page at SJW and print the forms or call me at (832) 386-4000. ALL MEDICATION MUST BE KEPT IN THE CLINIC AND HAVE A DOCTORS ORDER. THIS INCLUDES OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDS.

Extra Clothes

Please keep a set of clothes in your child’s backpack in case of wetting, mud, paint or food accidents.

Thank you,

Nurse Williams, RN

We know celebrating a birthday is very special, and we welcome you to send store bought cupcakes or goodie bags with your child or drop them off to the front office staff before 2:00 pm. The teacher will pass out the treats after 2 pm to the students in the class. Please get with the teacher about the number of students in the class. No balloons or other food (pizza, etc.) can be brought in or ordered.