Lion's Roar

Dear Families,

Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful Winter Break filled with rest and quality time with loved ones. As we begin the spring semester, it’s time to gear up for a fast-paced and productive term. This semester is critical as we prepare for district and state assessments, and every day counts in ensuring our students’ success.

One area of concern from the fall semester is attendance. Unfortunately, we fell significantly short of our state, district, and campus attendance goals due to frequent absences and tardiness. When students miss school or arrive late, they fall further behind academically. We need your help to ensure that your child is present and on time every day. Your partnership in this effort is vital, and we love seeing your children grow and thrive when they’re here with us.

Additionally, starting this month, we’re implementing some updates to our campus procedures. Please review these carefully to help us maintain a smooth and safe school environment:

Late pick-up begins at 3:35 PM.

The front office closes at 4:00 PM.

Parents must walk students to the sidewalk when using the visitor parking lot for drop-offs.

Please avoid forming a double-lane in the car rider line.

Parent lunches require registration. Only one parent may attend per student, and students may have lunch with a parent/guardian only on designated days (check the school website for dates).

Items such as lunches, birthday treats, backpacks, projects, and money must be dropped off in the office before 8:00 AM. If a lunch is not dropped off by 8:00 AM, a cafeteria lunch will be provided. Dropping off medication to the nurse will be an exception.

Birthday celebrations: Only store-bought, prepackaged cupcakes, cookies, or healthy snacks and drinks are allowed. Celebrations will take place at the end of the school day.

We also want to thank our amazing parent volunteers who have supported us throughout the year. If you haven’t joined the PTA yet, it’s not too late! We’d love to have you volunteer and help us continue building a stellar school year.

Second nine weeks report cards will be available in Skyward on Friday, January 10th. If you have any questions regarding your student's grades, please contact the teacher for a parent conference.

Be sure to read the entire newsletter, as we have some important information to share with you. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to your child’s education. Together, we can make this semester a great success!

Sincerely,

Kimberly Wells

Principal

Dr. Shirley J. Williamson Elementary

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

Jan. 2-5-

• District Holiday/ No school

Jan. 7-8

• Staff Development Day/ No School

Jan. 9-

• Students Return, 3rd Nine Weeks Begin
• District Choir

• Honor Society
• Step Team Practice
• Dance Team Practice

• Leading Ladies (AM)
• Multimedia Club
• Honor Choir

• Step Team Practice
• Dance Team Practice

Jan. 15-

• National Hat Day
• Honor Choir

• Step Team Practice
• Dance Team Practice
• STEM Club

• Leading Ladies (AM)
• Encounters Field Trip
• Multimedia Club
• District Choir
• Step Team Practice
• Dance Team Practice

Jan. 17-

• Leading Ladies Field Trip

Jan. 20-

• Dr. Martin Luther King Day/ No School

• Leading Ladies (AM)
• Tutorials Begin
• Multimedia Club
• Honor Choir

Jan. 22-

• Dance Team Practice
• Honor Choir

• Leading Ladies (AM)
• District Choir
• Multimedia Club

Jan. 27-30-

• School Choice Week

• 5th Grade Field Trip to Cobb
• Dance Team Practice
• Step Team Practice
• UIL

Jan. 28-

• 2-5 ELAR Campus Assessment
• Leading Ladies (AM)
• Honor Choir
• Multimedia Club
• Dance Team Practice
• Step Team Practice
• UIL

Jan. 29-

• 2-5 Math Campus Assessment
• Honor Choir
• STEM Club
• Dance Team Practice
• Step Team Practice
• UIL

Jan. 30-

• 100th Day of School
• Leading Ladies (AM)
• District Choir
• Multimedia Club
• UIL

Jan. 31-

• Staff Development Day/ No School

Missed a newsletter? Can't remember a particular event date? No problem! You can find past newsletters on our campus website. Stay connected and informed about everything happening at Williamson Elementary.

If you ever have any questions, please contact the front office.

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 cupcakes or goodie bags with your child or drop them off to the front office by 8:00 am. All items must be store-bought and pre-packaged. The teacher will pass out treats after 2 pm to 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.

Click the photo above to access a list of the staff's favorite things.