Our CCS Orchestra team hosted summer orchestra camp for our rising 6th graders for the past two weeks!!  They performed Row, Row, Row Your Boat in a round, and learned that changing one single note turned the entire song from major to minor. (Our CCS Band team also hosted summer band camps, but I didn't get any pictures or videos of those - sorry!!)

It was SO FUN to see so many of our incoming, returning, and former Walker kiddos at Westhaven Community Day on Saturday!!  Special shout-outs go to Spanada and Dominic, two incoming 5th graders, for walking right up and introducing themselves to me!! Pictured from left (so you can recognize your child's future principals!): Dr. Lamont Trotter (Principal, Lugo-McGinnis Academy) Mr. Rodney Jordan (Prinicpal, Charlottesville Middle School) Dr. Justin Malone (Principal, Charlottesville High School) Me (Summer Thompson) Dr. Royal Gurley (CCS Superintendent)

We cannot waaaaaaaait to see all of our kiddos in our neighborhoods on Friday (details below), for Meet + Greets next week (M 08.11.25 and T 08.12.25), and then on our first day of school (W 08.13.25)!!

Here are the updates for this week:

1.  The Walker Welcome Wagon is coming to YOU!! - We are THRILLED to share that we’re coming out to some of our neighborhoods THIS FRIDAY (F 08.08.25)!!  We’ll be coming door-to-door (so please answer when we knock, haha) to say hello and deliver Walker swag, including a Walker t-shirt for our Walker students!!  We will also have popsicles!!  We have two groups coming out at roughly these times:

• 10:15-10:45ish - Prospect/Orangedale, Hearthwood

• 11:00-11:30ish - South First Street, West Haven

• 11:45-12:15ish - Friendship Court, Riverside

We hope to see you and your kids on Friday!!  If you do not live in one of these neighborhoods, please still feel free to join us there during those times to say hello and pick up your Walker swag!  If the Walker Welcome Wagon misses you, never fear - we will give each child their swag during the first week of school.

2.  Important Walker information - Please review the following documents to help orient your family and your child to our procedures at Walker:

• Student + family handbook

• Arrival/dismissal procedures (map)

• Family events calendar

• Important contacts at Walker (shared last week)

3.  Bus transportation - Bus stops/times will be sent out by the school division in the near future, so keep an eye out for those.  Please note that you MUST re-register your child to ensure that they get a seat on the bus if they need it.

5.  Volunteering at Walker - There will be several large-scale opportunities for volunteering at Walker throughout the year, including helping with the School Store, Spring Fling, Field Day, etc.  In order to volunteer in any capacity at Walker, volunteers need to have completed the CCS volunteer training.  This involves watching a roughly 15-minute video and completing the registration form, all of which may be found on the volunteering page on our CCS website (scroll down).  Please note that this training must be completed annually.

6.  Re-register your child ASAP (repeat) - 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!

7.  Class schedules / teacher assignments (repeat with update) - Class schedules / teacher assignments have been finalized and will be sent out via ParentSquare the afternoon of F 08.08.25.  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 differ from those at CMS and CHS.)

8.  Family Meet + Greets (repeat) - 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!!

9.  School supply list (repeat) - This is our list of school supplies.  If you are able to provide these items for your child, awesome!!  If not, NO WORRIES, we will absolutely ensure that every single child has what they need - so please don’t stress about this list!!  The majority of supplies on these lists are communal supplies, so if you’re able to send in any extras, they are always appreciated (and surely put to good use!).  Please register here if you would like assistance with school supplies (complete one form per student) - these supplies may be picked up at our Meet + Greets.

10.  No before-school care at Walker (repeat) - 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.

11.  Walker PTO (repeat) - 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.

12.  Information from community partners - 

• Boy Scouts (K-12th grade) flyer

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!! W 08.13.25 - Boys + Girls Club opens