Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to September! We have had an incredible start to the school year, and I am thrilled to see all the excitement and enthusiasm from our students, staff, and families. It has been wonderful watching our school community come together to support our students' learning and growth.

This month, our focus is on building strong routines and fostering a positive learning environment. Teachers are diving into their lessons, and students are engaged in activities that promote critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. We are emphasizing the importance of kindness, respect, and perseverance—values that help create a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for everyone.

I encourage you to stay connected with us throughout the month. Be sure to check your child’s folder daily, read our school communications, and follow us on social media for updates and important information. Your partnership is essential to our success, and we appreciate all the ways you support our school, from attending events to volunteering and encouraging your child's learning at home.

We have some exciting events planned for September, including our Grandparent’s Luncheon, You Matter Day, PTA Meeting, Literacy Night, Father’s Take Your Child to School Day, and a new PTA Fundraiser Zoo-A-Thon (to name a few) where you will have the opportunity to partner and fellowship with us. I hope to see you there!

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 (Old car rider tags are no longer valid)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.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me or your child’s teacher if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas. Together, we can make this a fantastic year of learning and growth for all our students.

Thank you for being such an important part of our school community. Let’s continue to make this year one of the best yet!

Warm regards,

Kimberly B. 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

September 2- Labor Day/No School

September 6- Grandparent's Luncheon

September 9- Parent Lunch

September 10- You Matter Day

September 12- 3rd & 4th Math Campus Assessment

September 13- 5th Math Campus Assessment

September 13- College/Spirit Day

September 16-19- Celebrate Freedom Week

September 19- Father's Take Your Child to School

September 19-PTA Meeting (4:30pm) Family Literacy Night 5:00pm-6:00pm

September 20- Staff Development Day/ No School

September 23- Parent Lunch

September 27- Zoo-A-Thon Fundraiser

September 30-October 4- Custodial Appreciation Week

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.

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.

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.