A Note From Our Principal, Dr. Tamára McAllister
Welcome to a new school year! For those of you not familiar with me, my name is Tamára McAllister and I am the principal of Douglas Elementary. I am so very proud to be a Bulldog! Thanks to our wonderful staff, students and community we were designated an A+ school by the Arizona Educational Foundation and I know this is going to be another A+ school year.
I had the opportunity to meet many of you during our Parent Orientation nights. It was wonderful to have parents back on campus, in person for our orientation nights! Our staff was excited to see the number of parents that attended and we thank you for your show of support. We at 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 new teachers who recently joined our Bulldog team: Ms. Jennifer Russell, Kindergarten teacher; Mrs. Eliana Anderson, 1st grade teacher; Ms. Jessica Roberts, 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Hanne Andersen, 4th grade teacher, Mr. Troy Morgan, 5th grade teacher, Ms. Cora Varas-Nelson, 5th grade teacher, Ms. Katrina Bley, Music teacher and Mrs. Alicia Carter, Resource teacher.
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 1st at 2:30 in the Media Center. Our meetings will last approximately one hour. Childcare and Spanish translations will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Drop Off and Pick Up of Students: Please remember that if you want to stay in your car to drop off/pick up your child, you must use the back alley drop off/pick up zone. Parents are not allowed to pull up to the front curb of the school to drop off or pick up. If you are in the front of the school, you must park your car, exit your vehicle and walk your student in to campus. This is true even if you are running late in the morning! We do not want students walking across the parking lot unattended by an adult, as we are concerned for their safety. 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. As our entire student body has resumed in-person learning, we have noticed an increased need for reminders regarding proper behavior on our school campus, especially in regards to keeping our hands to ourselves! Please remind your child that it is important to use words, not hands, to solve disputes and that it is never okay to push or hit. We appreciate your assistance in helping our students safely adjust to being back in classrooms, in the lunchroom and on our playgrounds.
Like us on Facebook: We have a Douglas Facebook page that is primarily utilized to update parents on important upcoming events and to highlight what awesome things our students are doing. Please take a moment to go to our school website and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find a link to our Facebook page then “like” us to receive updates!
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.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tamára McAllister, Principal