Walker Elementary School

Dear Walker Elementary Staff and Families, I hope this message finds you well as you enjoy your summer vacation. As you may be aware, the district began the search process to identify an interim principal to fill the role following the approval of a one-year unpaid sabbatical of Principal Tiffany Burns for the 2024-25 school year. We are pleased to announce that after a thorough process that included teachers, classified staff, and parents, we have selected our interim principal for Walker Elementary School. Please join us in welcoming J’me Strowbridge as our Interim Principal for the 2024-25 school year. J’me has been an employee with the Ashland School District since 2021. During her time in the district, she has served as a Physical Education Teacher, Ashland Education Association Representative, Recess and Campus Coordinator, and Interim Administrator at Walker Elementary School. Ms. Strowbridge first entered the educational field as a teacher in 2009. She comes highly recommended and we are confident that she will make our community and principal proud as she carries on the traditions of excellence. J’me Strowbridge will officially begin her new role as interim principal at Walker Elementary on August 1, 2024. She has already been working to ensure a smooth transition. Additionally, J’me is excited for the opportunity to engage with staff, parents, and students to ensure a smooth start to the school year. J’me is incredibly excited about the opportunity to serve alongside the educators at Walker and serve this great community as a proud Walker Wolf. Please join us in extending a huge congratulations to J’me Strowbridge. We are excited about the contributions she will make to our school, alongside our incredible staff, and look forward to the positive impact this team will have on our students' education and well-being. Your partner in Education, Joseph Hattrick, EdD Superintendent

The Parade of Scholars earlier this month was wonderful. We love this sweet tradition. Many congratulations & much love to our Ashland grads! 💙🐺🎓💫

Check out the article by Ashland.news highlighting our new summer lunch program. Free meals are now available for all children ages 1-18 at Walker and Bellview elementary schools, Monday through Thursday until August 8th. The piece explores how recent eligibility changes made this possible after years of ineligibility. Please click to read more about this exciting initiative and its impact on our community. https://ashland.news/no-free-lunch-actually-if-youre-up-to-18-years-old-you-can-get-one-this-summer-in-ashland/

Check out our latest Howler that is full of family-friendly and screen-free local events and activities to keep you entertained! https://secure.smore.com/n/n0pg1-walker-howler

Free summer meals will be served at Walker Elementary School and Bellview Elementary School June 17th - August 8th , Monday through Thursday 11am to 12:30 pm . All children age 1-18 will eat free regardless of enrollment.

🌟 Shout-out to Tiffany Burns, our Proud Principal at Walker Elementary! 🌟 Thank you, Principal Burns, for your incredible leadership since 2015 and your unwavering commitment to education at all levels—from Alaska to Mexico, and now at Walker. Since starting as an administrator in Ashland in 2012, you have dedicated your career to making the world a better place through education. Your passion for working with children shines every day, inspiring both students and staff. We are so grateful for your guidance and loving care!

🎉 Walker Elementary’ s Spirit Wear Arrival Alert! 🎉 Elevate your family's wardrobe with our newly arrived Spirit Wear! Whether it's for field trips, school events, or just showing off that Walker pride every day, we've got you covered with stylish t-shirts and hoodies for all ages. 📅 Orders must be in by Tuesday, April 9th, no later than 4:30 PM. 👕 Youth t-shirt sample sizes are available in the office for sizing certainty. 🗓️ Pick up your items starting Tuesday, April 30th, courtesy of our PTO team. For a swift and secure transaction, the preferred method is through our online store, where credit cards are readily accepted. We understand the need for flexibility; thus, we will accept cash and Venmo for in-person tee purchases, aiming to make Walker Wear accessible for every family. To explore the styles and secure your Spirit Wear, click below: https://www.cognitoforms.com/WalkerElementaryPTO/WalkerSpiritWearOrderForm Let's show our school spirit in style! 💙🐾

PREVIEW NEW ONLINE CURRICULUM FOR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) HERE: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/page/sel-curriculum-adoption The State of Oregon has launched its Transformative SEL Framework and Standards, a pioneering initiative aimed at fostering holistic development in students and educators alike. This comprehensive approach centers around the belief that learning is inherently a social and emotional process, deeply intertwined with the development of healthy identities, empathy, supportive relationships, and responsible decision-making. To align with the state framework, Ashland is preparing to adopt new K-12 curriculum tools. These will be online tools designed to be used in age-appropriate ways at each grade level from Kindergarten through high school graduation. Visit the site in the next 30 days to preview the online tools, read more about top choice WAYFINDER, and register your comments.

🎒 Embark on the Educational Journey: Ashland Schools Kindergarten Registration Now Open for Fall 2024! 🌈 Ashland Public Schools is excited to announce the opening of kindergarten registration for the upcoming school year! We're dedicated to providing an engaging, comprehensive, and inclusive educational foundation for every child. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Join Our Kindergarten Orientation Webinar Save the Date! 📅 Wednesday, April 3rd at 6:00 PM Dive into what makes our kindergarten program a nurturing and formative experience. This webinar is your opportunity to ask questions, and prepare for this significant milestone in your child's life. See link below or scan QR code in image for zoom link. 📌 Click the link to register your kindergartner today and for more information about our orientation session: ashland.k12.or.us/kinder We're eager to welcome you and your kindergartner to the Ashland Schools family, where every student's potential is cherished and nurtured. 🌟

Join us for this incredible documentary on Wednesday, 3/20 at 5:30 at Walker!

We are delighted to share the success of our very first Ukrainian Student Union (USU) meeting, which took place on Tuesday at Walker Elementary School. It was a joyous occasion, marking the beginning of a special journey for our students. The USU is a safe space for students to connect, share their identities, and feel seen and heard. We were so pleased to see the enthusiastic participation and the smiles on the faces of our students as they engaged in various activities. A special thank you to Walker parent, Olha Dubova, for her dedication as the facilitator, and to Ms. Julie for coordinating the event and ensuring everything ran smoothly. We look forward to the continued growth of the USU and the positive impact it will have on our community. Thank you to all the families who support this initiative. Your involvement is crucial in building a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our students. Stay tuned for more updates on the USU and other affinity groups at Walker Elementary School.

The YMCA partnered with Walker School to teach mini basketball clinics to our students! We love our local YMCA! 💙🐺💙

Walker Wolves went to college last Friday! We had a blast at the Southern Oregon University Women’s Basketball game! 🏀 Our choir rocked the national anthem accompanied by the SOU band! Some of our 5th graders were invited to compete in a relay event at halftime! We had so much fun cheering for our Raiders and they won! 💙🐺💙 #HowlWalkerWolves #GoRaiders!

What an amazing experience for our 5th grade Walker Wolves in the BSU at the Black Youth Leadership Summit at Southern Oregon University last Thursday! Joined by students from across Jackson & Josephine counties, we learned together, set individual goals, and strengthened our community connections. 💙🐺💙

📢 Attention Walker Families! 🍎📚 We rely on your generous support to enhance the Walker experience for every student. Our goal is to collect a $20 classroom donation from each family, but we appreciate any amount you can give. Every contribution counts! Funds raised through classroom donations directly impact our school community by: 🎤 Hosting engaging school assemblies with exciting guests and speakers 📚 Enriching each class's activities and resources budget 📖 Providing every student with a memorable Walker yearbook Here's how you can contribute: 1️⃣ Bring payment in a sealed and labeled envelope to the Walker office. 2️⃣ Send cash or a check to your student's classroom. 3️⃣ Conveniently donate online using this link: https://ps.ashland.k12.or.us Your support makes a significant difference in enhancing our school. Thank you for being part of the Walker Community!

📚 Don't miss out on our student-led conferences happening this week! Conferences are a fantastic opportunity to learn about your child's progress and connect with their teacher. 📝 Sign up with your child's teacher today for available slots on February 28, 29, and March 1. Let's work together to ensure your child's success! 💙🐺 💙

We held our school OBOB tournament last Wednesday! We had 46 participants who competed in a total of 19 battles to determine our School Champion! Congratulations to the Wings of Fire for coming out on top of a competitive field! 5th graders Marley Winzig, Lilly Choi, Nenji Barrey, Zoe Washburn, and Jocelyn Bucy will go on to represent Walker at the OBOB Regional Tournament on March 9th. We are incredibly proud of all of our students who worked so hard throughout OBOB season this year. OBOB is a voluntary reading comprehension and enrichment program for 3rd-5th graders where the students read from a curated list of sixteen titles. They form teams and compete in a gameshow like format answering questions about all of the books. OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase comprehension and academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students. Congratulations and Good Luck to the Wings of Fire at Regionals! We are looking for family volunteers to coach teams next year. If you are interested in participating or just have questions about the program, please contact Ms. Julie at julie.odagrantham@ashland.k12.or.us.

We had such a great time playing, learning, and connecting as a Walker School Community at our Title I Family Science Night at ScienceWorks last week. Big thanks to ScienceWorks for the use of their awesome museum & to Northwest Pizza for delivering the best pizza and jojos in town! 💙🐺💙

Our Walker School Wolf Pack Leaders, counselor, & principal presented to the Ashland School Board this month. Our students did a fantastic job sharing how they help younger students, resolve conflicts, build belonging, and act as leaders in our school community. We know that when we provide leadership opportunities in the younger grades, we help create leaders for life! 💙🐺💙

Walker School's BSU organized & presented a beautiful and powerful assembly in honor of Black History Month. We were honored to hear a moving story from Dr. Geneva Craig, a local Civil Rights legend & activist. We learned about impactful Black Americans, listened to a touching song, & shared the stage with the BSU from Ashland Middle School. Happy Black History Month! Black History is our history. 💙🐺💙