A Note From Our Principal
Welcome to a new school year! My name is Tamára McAllister and I am the principal of Walter Douglas Elementary. I am so very proud to be a Bulldog! Thanks to our outstanding staff, students and community we were designated an A+ school by the Arizona Educational Foundation in 2017 and I know this is going to be another fantastic year.
I had the opportunity to meet many of you during our Parent Orientation nights. What a wonderful turnout! Our staff was excited to see the number of parents that attended and we thank you for your show of support. We at Walter Douglas know educating your child is a team effort and that we can’t do it without you! Let’s work together to make this a successful year for your child.
Parental Involvement: As we begin the new school year, it is important to make you aware of school goals and what you can do to help assist your child in being successful. Please work with your child to;
· Read at least 20 minutes each night (make sure to include non-fiction text too!)
· Practice and master grade level math facts
· Complete homework
· Be on time to school and prevent absences (School begins at 7:55 a.m. & Dismisses at 2:10 p.m.)
· Take pride in our school and respect others
· Utilize our Parent Portal to monitor student grades and academic progress (Grades 3-6)
College and Career Readiness Standards: We will continue our focus on the state adopted College and Career Readiness standards. There will be an emphasis on reading non-fiction text and writing, writing, writing! Please know that your child will be expected to read and write at complex levels and may need extra support at home to accomplish our rigorous academic goals.
Staffing: I wanted to let you know of some changes: Ms. Jones moved from 1st grade to 3rd and Miss Able became Mrs. Williams over the summer!
PTO: It is our hope to continue our tradition of a strong Parent Teacher Organization! With this in mind, I personally invite you to join the Walter Douglas PTO. Our first meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 5th at 2:30 in room 1. Our meetings will last approximately one hour. Childcare and Spanish translations will be provided. Hope to see you there!
We are Building a New School! Thanks to the generous support of our community, construction will begin during the summer of 2019. Our architectural team, BWS, will be holding a community information meeting on Thursday, September 13th in the MPR at 5:30. They will present preliminary information and ask for your input regarding what you would like to see in our new school. We would love to see you there!
Drop Off and Pick Up of Students: We know that finding a parking space at Walter Douglas can sometimes be a challenge (which will be addressed with our new school construction)! As we start the new school year, we ask that you please be considerate of the red and yellow zones located in various areas around the school. It is not okay to park your car in a red or yellow zone during morning drop off or afternoon pick-up. You may pull into these areas and stay in your vehicle with it running while you wait for your child. It is possible you will be asked to move your car if you are parked in a red or yellow zone. Thank you for your patience and consideration in this matter. Also, please remember that if there is a change to your child’s normal dismissal procedure, we must have a note or a phone call from you. This ensures that your child is going home the way that you want them to.
PAWS: We will be continuing our positive behavior program this year. Students are expected to follow the P.A.W.S. model when they are in school, on the bus and in our community. P.A.W.S stands for: Promptly Prepare, Act Respectfully, Work Hard and Stay Safe.
Emergency Notifications: If you haven’t done so already, please text “YES” to 67587 in order to receive emergency notifications (such as if the school were to go into lockdown).
Like us on Facebook: This is a great way to keep up to date on school events and help celebrate all the great things we have going on here at WD!
Finally, please know that I have an open door policy. If you ever have a question or concerns, feel free to come by and see me. I look forward to working with you and your child this year.
Tamára McAllister
Principal