WILLIAM A. WALTON
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
“Where
Eagles
Learn To
Soar”
From the Principal:
Dear Parents,
We hope everyone has enjoyed this school year! The Faculty and Staff at Walton want to
wish everyone a very happy and safe summer. Over the summer, please encourage your
child to continue to read. The Prince George County Public Library has a wonderful summer
reading program. Don’t forget to keep practices those math facts as well!
We would like to thank all of our parents for all of your help and support to make this
school year so successful. We look forward to seeing everyone in the fall!
Sincerely,
Sharon Kushma
Robin Germanos
NEWS FROM PRE-K
I can't believe this school year is over! What a fast year! I want to thank you for all of your help and
support this past year. Please continue to work with your child over the summer. Read and work
on the correct letter formations. Your child should know the alphabet, beginning and ending
sounds, rhyming words and know the color and number words. Continue to work on cutting and
coloring within the lines. Your child should be well prepared for Kindergarten! We have worked
hard this year and you should be proud of all the accomplishments! Have a safe and fun summer!
Susan Partin
News From Kindergarten:
First Grade here we come!!! The Kindergarten classes have had tons of fun this school year.
We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast luncheon in our school cafeteria, Kite day, and a visit to the
Richmond Metro Zoo. We learned about fire safety with a visit from Prince George County fire
department. We also had an awesome time learning how to use tools to build a flower pot from our
friends at the Colonial Heights Home Depot. We learned about making cupcakes and how
important our math skills are to help us with baking treat. Kindergarten also enjoyed a visit from
Scaly Adventures, were they were able to see snakes and lizards. We are so lucky to have such
amazing community support to enrich our school curriculum. We are also so thankful to have such
involved families that help made this school year a success.
The end of the school year is always an exciting time for Kindergarten. We were busy
learning all of the entertaining songs for our end of the year singing program. The program was a
huge success and we loved the big bad wolf song. We hope all of you enjoyed the show. In the last
quarter of the school year we were able to celebrate our hard work with fun activities like Family
Math Night and Field Day!
We had a big focus on sight words this year to help our Kindergarteners become better readers.
During the summer months don’t forget to visit your local library to enrich the love all of our
students found through learning how to read this year. It's hard to believe the school year is over,
but they are all reading and ready for first grade.
Thank you so much for your love and support this school year.
Walton’s Kindergarten Team
News from first grade
Our first graders worked very hard on many skills this year. They soared in reading
lots of sight words and phrases. Students read lots of fiction and nonfiction stories
throughout the year. They learned all sorts of comprehension strategies. They are
ready for second grade reading. Many students explored the wonderful world of
AR. We are proud of our student’s reading and language arts accomplishments
throughout the year. Continue to read over the summer!
In math students were introduced to Otter Creek Rocket Math. Students studied
and learned so many math addition and subtraction facts. Not only did students
add and subtract, they graphed, explored patterns, measurement, weight,
fractions, and so much more.
In Social Studies and Science students learned about maps, being good citizens,
presidents, important people in history, animals, and so much more. They are
wonderful little explorers.
We had an awesome year in first grade. Our students are ready and equipped to
explore new skills and adventures next year. We would like to thank our first
grade parents for your support all year. Your students could have not succeeded
without you! Have a wonderful summer!
News From SECOND Grade:
The Fourth Nine Weeks of Second Grade has flown by with the many activities the
students have completed. The students had fun making graphs, determining the
probability of something occurring, and reviewing math facts. They also learned about a
plant’s life cycle and plant products. Making habitat projects in class added to the fun this
nine weeks. Learning how Virginia’s government is run and the diversity of cultures, not
only in Virginia, but in the United States, peaked the students’ interests, too. Reading
nonfiction books helped enhance students’ knowledge on topics of their choice and
interests. The school year ended with a well-deserved break and some fun on Field Day.
The Second Grade Teachers hope the students and their families have an enjoyable
and safe summer. Along with relaxing, please have your child review math facts and read
fiction and nonfiction books so when September rolls around, s/he will be prepared to start
the new school year off ahead of the game. Thank you for a great school year!
News from third grade
Third graders have been busy this nine weeks wrapping up the school year. We had an enjoyable
trip to the Science Museum of Virginia in May where we saw an IMAX film about pandas and the
efforts to save them from extinction in China.
Students have been hard at work finishing objectives in all subjects and then reviewing for the SOL
tests in reading and math. We did our best on the test and now we are ready to move on to the
challenges of fourth grade.
Field Day was a total blast with group games, blow up
games, and carnival games enjoyed by all. Popsicles were
the perfect cool ending to our experience.
Keep reading over the summer and don’t forget to practice those multiplication facts so you can
keep them fresh in your mind for next year.
Have a great summer!
From Fourth Grade:
The fourth Nine weeks has been a busy and exciting time for fourth grade. We began with
Spring Break, which allowed us to “recharge” our batteries for the last phase of this year’s
journey. When we returned we jumped right into learning all of our objectives for the
remainder of the year. In addition, we began reviewing for the upcoming SOL tests in
Language Arts and Math. Fourth graders worked hard and diligently ensuring that they
were well prepared for the tests. They were eager to show what they have learned
throughout the year. Students worked hard during the SOL tests, remembering to use all
of the skills and strategies taught during the year. They were rewarded with a
kickball/snow cone celebration. In addition, we enjoyed field day, a picnic, signing
yearbooks, and gearing up for our next journey in fifth grade.
News From Fifth Grade:
Walton’s Fifth Grade students have wrapped up the last
nine weeks with their usual excellence! As the 4th quarter
began, we had our field trip to Washington, D.C., where we
visited several Smithsonian museums and monuments.
Our trip was amazing, and the entire Fifth Grade enjoyed it
immensely. Math and Science Day was also a blast with
four different presentations to enjoy. We are grateful to our
presenters for taking the time out of their busy schedules
to share with us.
All of the Fifth Grade teachers have been amazed at the
level of dedication the students have put forth on the SOL
review. The hard work the students put in definitely paid
off on our SOL tests!
As our Walton “seniors” move on to JEJ Moore, we hope
you know just how much we have enjoyed teaching you.
We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
News From resource:
The music program at Walton is thriving this year, with many different events showcasing the
talents of our students. Mrs. Smith is very proud of the progress students have made as musicians!
The Walton Eagle Choir participated in various events this Spring, such as Family Math
Night with the third grade students, and in concert with Brittany Marie Warthan at the JEJ Moore
Athletic Field. The choir members were so excited to have the chance to sing with a local country
star!
PAAS Vocal students Abbey Buetow, Angelica Hanscom, Demond Middleton, and Trinity
Raines were honored to participate in the All-Virginia Elementary Chorus event in March, and also
performed small group songs at the Brittany Marie Show!
Kindergarten eagles rocked the house at their Kindergarten program on June 3rd! They
have learned so many songs already, and have so much growing left to do in first grade! See you
next year!
First and Second grade students have been busy practicing reading rhythms, and playing
instruments correctly. We have also sung several songs from Ireland and learned about Irish
culture.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade students have also been busy reading and playing music on
recorders, xylophones, and other instruments in the classroom. We even experimented with writing
our own rhythms as a class, and then combining the songs and the rhythms together! We have had
a great year in music. Watch us continue to soar next year!
Library News
We have had an exciting year in the Walton library! Our students have been avid readers.
We have read and tested on over 34,000 books this school year and we have earned just as many
points in the Accelerated Reader program. We celebrated our accomplishments for the year with
grade level pizza parties under the school pavilion’s on Friday, June 5.
We held two assemblies with the librarians from the Appomattox Regional Library who
shared their summer reading program with us. We are going to try and be the first elementary
school in the county to win the trophy for having the most participants in their summer reading
program.
Our new books are arriving for processing this summer. Students can look forward to
reading them upon their return. In the meantime, enjoy your summer vacation and keep reading!
A Day of Math and Science
Math and Science Day at Walton Elementary was a big event this year, ranging from a beekeeper
to explosions from high school volunteers. Students enjoyed 30 minute presentations from
experts in fields with an exciting conclusion! Presenters provided real life examples of how math
and science can be incorporated into the everyday lives and careers. High school volunteers
came and wowed the fifth grade with chemical reactions. Second graders had the opportunity to
learn about a beekeeper and how to safely keep a beehive without getting hurt. At the end of the
day, the Scaly Adventures crew came to entertain and amaze the students with snakes, iguanas,
and the small family that hosts the show. Some lucky students were able to help participate in
some demonstrations, even holding a snake! As students exited the cafeteria, they were able to
pet two different snakes and an iguana. For all students, the day was an adventure and gave them
different career options for those that have a passion for math and science.
Spirit Pride
Ms. Jonna Williams at Walton Elementary has helped create a new way to love the Eagles. The
Eagles have new spirit wear to demonstrate their love for the school. With options as vast from
grey short sleeve shirts to tie-dye wear, she has given students the opportunity to become spirited
as a whole. The opportunity also doubles as a fundraiser for the school, as it helps raise funds for
things such as technology opportunities. The shirts will also be sold at school functions to allow
parents to buy them on the premises rather than chancing the money being lost between home
and school. As the t-shirts start appearing around campus, the pride in the Walton Elementary
Eagles will be contagious and hopefully will catch through all grades. The designs are different
for every shirt, as well as the colors being different. The options include grey, pink, tie-dye, and
long or short sleeve. With this kind of variety, students are sure to have a love of Walton
Elementary.
Candy Bar Fundraiser
Cherrydale has struck again! The successful winter fundraiser transferred into a springtime
fundraiser selling different types of chocolate bars. The varieties included regular, crispy,
almond, and caramel and had a cost of $1.00. The bars were sold after lunch in classrooms and
were taken home by students a box at a time, with each box containing 48 candy bars. The
students also had an incentive to sell as many boxes as possible. The possibilities started as a DJ
party for each student that sold a single box, moved up to a VIP pass to the party, a pizza pass,
and ended with the student who sold the most boxes have the opportunity to win a type of
gaming system! The enthusiasm was evident at the assembly and it only extended as sales
boomed for the first few weeks of the contest. Our top seller was Joshua Height!
Teacher of the year for Prince George County!
Congratulations to Kathryn Milton who was selected as Prince George
County’s Teacher of the year. We are so proud of you!
Congratulations to Robin Stewart who was selected as Walton’s Support Staff
of the Year. We are so proud of you!
Field Day 2015 was such a success thanks to the wonderful volunteer soldiers
from Ft. Lee. Words cannot express how much your help and support was
appreciated by all of us at Walton!