Walker Wolf Bites
March 18th, 2024
Golden Paw Awards
This week’s Golden Paw Staff awards go to:
Dawn Acuna Newman, Second Grade Teacher and Yeniffer Maytorena, First Grade Teacher
"I nominate Dawn Acuna-Newman. She has such a calming presence, and her students respond well to her teaching. Even through adversity and challenging behaviors, she has a great mindset- she looks to the future and knows that things will get better. Her dedication is admirable. We are lucky to have such a strong and resilient teacher here at Walker.”
“Ms. Maytorena is new to Walker this year and has rocked it! She is always trying to find a way to help her students learn and be the best teacher that she can possibly be. She is a team player and is always willing to learn something new. Way to go Ms. M! We are so glad you returned to Walker as a teacher.”
No School Next Week for the Spring Break
There will be no school next week, March 18th - 22nd. The school office will be closed as well. Classes will resume on Monday, March 25th.
Free Dental Sealants for Second Grade Students
The Arizona Department of Health Services will be coming to Walker to offer free dental sealants for all second grade students. This program is optional for families to participate in. More information about the sealant program and the date this will be offered will be sent to families soon.
Snacks for State Testing
Beginning April 1st, our students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 will be taking the AASA and AzSci state exams. We are asking families to please sign up for snack donations to help support our students while the test. Families can use the link below to sign up for items to donate. We thank you so much for your support of our Walker Wolves.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4CADAB2FABFB6-48203545-state
Registration Updates
We appreciate everyone who has completed the online registration for the upcoming school year. We would like to ask any family who is not returning to please contact Jennifer Lee at jlee@amphi.com or 696-6519, to let her know as soon as possible. If you have not signed up for parent portal or completed you online registration, we ask that you do as soon as possible as this will affect the number of classes were are allocated for the upcoming school year.
State Testing Information
Arizona students in grades 3-5 will participate in a round of computer-based state tests that measure students' knowledge of math, reading, writing, oral fluency and science.
The Arizona Department of Education has hired Pearson to host the platform for computer-based testing. The math, reading, writing and oral fluency tests are called Arizona's Academic Standards Achievement (AASA) tests. The science test, measured in Grades 5, 8 and 11, is called Arizona's Science Assessment (AzSCI). Information about both tests can be found on the Arizona Department of Education's website at: https://www.azed.gov/assessment/aasa and https://www.azed.gov/assessment/sci.
WHO: Grade 3 students will participate in one test unit of oral reading fluency, one test unit of writing, two test units of reading and two test units of math. Grade 4 students will participate in one test unit of writing, two test units of reading, and two test units of math. Grade 5 students will participate in three test units of science, one test unit of writing, two test units of reading and two test units of math.
WHAT: Arizona Department of Education has hired Pearson as the computer-based testing platform. English Language Arts and Math will be assessed within the Arizona's Academic Standards Achievement (AASA) test. In Grade 5, Science will be assessed within Arizona's Science Assessment (AzSCI).
WHEN:
State Testing Schedule
Third Grade
AASA Writing 4/1
AASA Math Part 1 4/8
AASA Math Part 2 4/9
AASA Reading Part 1 4/15
AASA Reading Part 2 4/16
Oral Reading Fluency 4/3 - 4/12 (when students are not testing another area)
Fourth Grade
AASA Writing 4/2
AASA Math Part 1 4/11
AASA Math Part 2 4/12
AASA Reading Part 1 4/18
AASA Reading Part 2 4/19
Fifth Grade
AASA Writing 4/1
AzSci Science 4/4
AASA Math Part 1 4/8
AASA Math Part 2 4/9
AASA Reading Part 1 4/15
AASA Reading Part 2 4/16
WHY: The statewide tests are part of a larger state and local assessment system. Locally selected and administered tests measure a student’s progress throughout the year. The statewide assessments, which set high expectations for students, are summative assessments that measure and evaluate student learning at the end of the school year. Please know that the third grade assessment is a high-stakes measure that determines whether students move on to fourth grade. This is based on a student’s Move on When Reading score.
SAMPLE TEST: There are sample tests and tutorials for AASA and AzSCI posted on ADE's website: https://home.testnav.com
Sample tests for each assessment can be accessed at home using the instructions below:
• For AASA or AzSCI, select "Arizona" then scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Mic Check & Sample Tests"
• For AASA, sample tests are available for each grade level in Math and ELA, including for the Grade 3 Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) test unit.
• For AzSCI, sample tests are available for grades 5, 8, and 11.
All schools and students are required by state and federal law to participate in statewide testing. Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Trimble.Registration for 2024-2025 School Year
Online registration is not open for families. The district is offering help sessions over ZOOM to assist families with the registration process. The sessions will be:
- Monday, February 26th (5:00 – 7:00p.m.) Zoom Link: https://amphi.zoom.us/j/99117002110?pwd=VjNZempxUkVCTWFlNDl5djBzbFZOQT09&from=addon
- Wednesday, February 28th (4:00 – 6:00p.m.) Zoom Link: https://amphi.zoom.us/j/91571330627?pwd=VWJ3WVBCKzFPWFh3RlFuZkRJdEM0Zz09&from=addon
- Wednesday, March 6th (5:00 – 7:00p.m.) Zoom Link: https://amphi.zoom.us/j/94040148562?pwd=VTIrYkt4OVIvQ0QyV2N1cXdzMUVTdz09&from=addon
Parent Square
Next school year the district will be transitioning to the Parent Square program as a communication communication tool for all schools. The program functions in the same way as ClassDOJO and will allow for parents to communicate directly with their child's teacher and other school staff. It also allows for information to be sent to parents via email as well. In addition, the program allows the school to send out mass communications over the app and through phone calls when necessary. While we are still utilizing the ClassDOJO app for the remainder of this school year, the district and school have begun to utilize the program to communicate information out. We are encouraging families to download the app so that you can become comfortable with the program before next year and so you can set your communication preferences.
Parents were sent information from the district on the program in October which included a link to join the program. If you have lost the link or did not receive the email, the Parent Square app can be downloaded and/or accessed at:
https://www.parentsquare.com/signin
Kindergarten Round-Up Dates
- March 13th
- March 27th
- April 3rd
- April 17th
Round-up slots begin at 12:00pm and last till 3:00pm
If you would like to sign up for a kindergarten round-up slot please call the office at 696-6518. Please encourage any family you know with a child who will be 5 by September 1st, 2024 to reach out to the school to sign up for a round-up slot. We are also accepting open enrollment applications for kindergarten and all other grades for the 2024-2025 school year.
Spring Pictures
Spring Pictures will be this Tuesday, March 12th. If you would like your child to have their picture taken that day you will need to sign up and pay prior to picture day using the link below.
https://inter-state-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/2S0i5owwmhVjMb58HyRGl7afy-cP31enj_YgxKLcqg4NTxxaejQF7-e0GcoQzbX4li1svthwgBkH3VMHu3Y6o-rx2m665jNyH6OegTsPowPruOkxHfplVU_xCd-mcS0IrYebJRmoMwnSjtNCSeX7q2xax-HlcWEBvBavgPL6Oy6ol-5LrbSqBVbtwp5Q
Walker PTO February Newsletter
Please see the PTO's February Newsletter below.
Important Reminders
- Please do not exit and leave your car if you are using the car line to drop off or pick up your child.
- Please be sure that you communicate how your child will be going home each day. Please try to keep it as consistent as possible. We also ask that you do not change how a student will be getting home after 1:00pm. This will ensure that it can communicated in time to the classroom teacher.
- If you are picking your child up after school we ask that you have a sign in your car or that you carry a sign with your child's name (first name and last initial), grade, and teacher.
- A reminder that the shoulder along Roller Coaster is not Walker Elementary School property and it is illegal to park in the bike lanes and unsafe to park there. Please utilize the parking spaces within the Walker Elementary School parking lot if you would like to meet your child at the West Gate for dismissal.
This Week
Tuesday -
Wednesday - Early Release at 12:00pm
Thursday -
Friday -
Walker Wolf Pack Award
Kindergarten
Mrs. LaRock's Class
Anaiyah
Jake
Mia
Ryker
Santiago
Mrs. Powers' Class
Avery
Enchandras
Lucas
Madelynn
Naomi
Samuel
Zekiel
First Grade
Ms. Maytorena's Class
Marcos
Maria Rene
William
Ms. Ratliff's Class
Charlotte
Cole
Deziree
Everett
Fiona
Jackson
Jhalyssa
Zulaikha
Second Grade
Mrs. Acuna Newman
Khloe
Tracy
Ms. Bermudez's Class
Ares
Knowledge
Mrs. Miller's Class
Amaya
Anastasia
Elah
Legend
Norah
Ryan
Sonari
Third Grade
Mrs. Williams' Class
Idil
Kaiden
Kyler
Liam
Weston
Fifth Grade
Ms. Flippo's Class
Elana