Hello, awesome Walker families!!

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying a lovely summer!!  It’s hard to believe that school starts for students in a little over three weeks (on W 08.13.25)!!

If we haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet, I am Summer Thompson, the Principal at Walker!!  I am so excited to welcome you to our Walker family, and I am counting down the days until all of our kiddos join (or rejoin!) us in the building!!  I wanted to share a few bits of information that will hopefully help you know what to expect as we all prepare for the upcoming school year.

Once the school year begins, I will send out a weekly family update every Sunday evening (with the exception of when we are on a break) via ParentSquare.  As some of our newly-registered families may not yet be linked up with ParentSquare, please be sure to pass this message along to any Walker family who did not receive it.  Future updates will include our Walker student handbook, arrival/dismissal procedures, the school events calendar, and more!!

As always, please reach out to me at any point if you have any questions about next year or if you, your child, or your family needs anything!!

Below are a few items to get you started:

1. Important Walker contacts - Navigating a new school can be overwhelming, Walker is double the size of most of our elementary schools, and you may not yet know any of our Walker staff.  To assist you in knowing where to direct your questions, concerns, etc., I wanted to share with you some  important contacts at Walker.  If you’re not sure to whom you should reach out, please connect with me and I’m happy to route your inquiry to the best person to help you!!

2.  Re-register your child ASAP - Please be sure to re-register your child as soon as you are able.  Transportation is in the process of routing students based on the information in PowerSchool, so this is of utmost importance, especially if you moved over the summer and/or if your child was in the Walk Zone for their elementary school but now needs a bus to get to/from Walker.  To re-register your child, If you already have a SchoolMint account, just log in at https://ccs.schoolmint.com/logon (password reset is available if needed). If you didn't create an account last year, you'll need the ID # (available by calling Walker). If you need full instructions for re-registering your child, please visit charlottesvilleschools.org/registration. I anticipate detailed instructions coming out from the school division soon, but this can at least get you started!

3.  Class schedules / teacher assignments - Class schedules / teacher assignments have been finalized and will be sent out via ParentSquare on either F 08.08.25 or M 08.11.25 (sorry, still waiting to hear a final date from the division - stay tuned!).  Class schedules will also be available in PowerSchool at that same time.  While we will not be mailing out class schedules this year, we will have copies available for pick-up at the Meet + Greets, as well as another copy for students on the first day of school.  Our schedule change request procedures are articulated here - please note that schedule changes are made for educational purposes, not for social preferences.  In general, a student’s schedule will not be changed within the first ten days of school in order to give them time to acclimate to their new classes, teachers, and peers.  (Please note that Walker’s timeline and procedures may differ from those at CMS and CHS.)

4.  Family Meet + Greets - We will have two Family Meet + Greet sessions this year - M 08.11.25 from 3pm-6pm and T 08.12.25 from 12pm-3pm!!  This is a drop-in event during which your family and your child have the opportunity to meet their teachers, ask any questions that you have, learn about the daily schedule, see the classroom spaces, move between our three buildings, and just generally get acclimated to the new school year!!

6.  No before-school care at Walker - Please note that Walker does not offer before-school care for students.  Our doors open for students at 8:05am, and students should not be dropped off to our campus prior to that time.

7.  Free breakfast/lunch - Due to a designation by the state, all CCS students, regardless of income level, will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch this year!!

8.  Walker PTO - A great way to stay involved and support the Walker school community is via our PTO which is a joint PTO for Walker and Charlottesville Middle School (formerly Buford). The PTO raises money to help cover the costs of school events like the Spring Fling and Field Day as well as teacher grants and staff appreciation. Stay tuned for ways you can donate money and time and more this school year. Note they are currently transitioning from the "Walker Buford United PTO" to the "Charlottesville Middle School PTO" that includes Walker this year (our last year!). For now you can follow them on Instagram or Facebook . You should also receive Parent Square messages from the PTO starting in August. Email them directly at info@wbupto.org to get more involved.

Please give all of your kids a hug and hello from me!!  I can’t wait to see them all in a few weeks!!

Much love,

Summer Thompson

Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS AT WALKER M 08.11.25, 3:00pm-6:00pm - Family Meet + Greets (drop-in event) T 08.12.25, 12:00pm-3:00pm - Family Meet + Greets (drop-in event) W 08.13.25 - First day of school!!