Curriculum Night

Curriculum Night

September 24, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. 

Arrive early at 6:00 p.m. to visit the PTA tables in the front hall where you can:

• Sign up for the school directory through MySchoolAnywhere.com. It is essential to be in the directory if you want to set up playdates, contact other parents, coordinate transportation to various events, etc.!

• Buy Bagley T-shirts for $10 (cash or check). This will be the last chance to buy T-shirts before the Jogathon!

• Visit the Free Money table to learn about ways to raise money for Bagley. For example, buy a PCC scrip card for $20 to earn free money each time you shop at PCC (it works like a gift card that you can re-load with money). Another way is to designate Bagley PTA as your nonprofit of choice when shopping on Amazon.com. Extra funds earned help provide the education that our students deserve. The PTA Fundraising Calendar tells more about how to help earn money for our school.

At 6:30 parents will gather in the cafeteria to hear a brief overview of the school curriculum. 

At 6:45, parents will go to their child's classroom to hear more about what they are learning from their teacher. This is for adults only (babies in arms are okay). Child care is not available.

Ice cream social - June 10

Welcome, new Bagley Bees!

The Daniel Bagley PTA will be hosting an ice cream social for new Fall 2015 incoming students.

Come join us for an ice cream treat, an opportunity to meet school leaders, and a chance to view some of the classrooms.

New Student Ice Cream Social
Wednesday, June 10
6-7 pm

Signs will be provided to direct you and volunteers will be available to answer questions.

Don't forget to follow this blog and school's PTA website for ongoing updates about summer playground playdates and other events.

The next new family playdates will be:

• Sunday, July 12, 2pm
• Sunday, August 9, 2pm
• Sunday, August 30, 2pm

Tonight is Curriculum night (adults only)

September 18, 6:30-8:00

Please join us in the Bagley Cafeteria at 6:30 to hear a brief overview of the school curriculum.

At 6:45, parents will go to your child's classroom to hear more about what your child is learning from his or her teacher.

Please note that this is an adult-only event, so you'll need to get a sitter.

Thanks!

Bagley T-Shirts! Thursday night!

Hello DB Families,

Hope everyone is adjusting nicely to the new school year.

We will have our Bagley Youth T for sale from 6 to 6:30 on Thursday night. Please bring 10.00 cash or check made to DBPTA if you would like one. Sizes and colors will be our most popular only. We will do a special order at the end of October if you do not find what you need.

Bagley shirts are a great way to show school pride. Buy one for the jogathon, spirit day or just to represent.

Bee Proud!

Art Walk, Book Fair and Food Donations, Oh My!

Tomorrow, Thursday May 22, is a big day at Bagley! If you play your cards right, you can participate in not 1, but 3 great events - the Art Walk, the Book Fair and collecting food for Greenwood Food bank.

Coming to Art Walk?   Please consider bringing a grocery bag of non-perishable food for the Greenwood Food Bank!  They are gearing up for the summer months when school is not in session and more children go hungry. 

In the past two years, Art Walk has collected 1,461 pounds of food for the Greenwood Food Bank:  509 pounds last year, and a whopping 952 pounds in 2012.  Let's beat our 2012 record, and aim for collecting 1,000 pounds of food for hungry kids!

Some ideas for what to put in your bag:

• peanut butter and other nut butters
• jelly
• honey
• canned tuna
• mixed nuts packages
• trail mix
• 100% juice boxes
• single serving applesauce
• single serving instant oatmeal
• pudding cups
• soups and stews
• beef sticks and turkey jerky
• granola bars
• 100% fruit rolls
• small cans of fruit
• cup of noodles
• cereal
• crackers
• raisin boxes and other dried fruits
• small cans of pork & beans
• pretzels
• shelf-stable cow's milk, soy milk, or rice milk

Any donation is greatly appreciated, and will help feed hungry kids in our community this summer!

Cynthia Cantrill is the new Program Supervisor a the Greenwood Food Bank.  She will be on hand to thank you for your donation and answer questions about the food bank's operations.  You can also find out about Daniel Bagley's summer partnership with the food bank.  Did you know that Bagley volunteers harvest organic produce from the school garden throughout the summer and donate it to the Greenwood Food Bank?  Stay tuned for more information on how you can be involved in the school garden's summer watering and harvesting program!

Thanks for helping!

Looking for something to do on Thursday mornings, even with younger siblings?

Are you looking for a way to help the PTA, meet the Bagley community and spend some time on Thursday morning with younger siblings welcome?

We have a fantastic opportunity for two parents to help coordinate a super easy and fun job that includes chatting with other parents who drop in to say hello and includes training by former Clip 'n Chat volunteers!

Here's the official blurb:

 

Clip ‘n Chat Coordinators ( 2 position s available)

Do you enjoy hanging out with other parents in a space where younger siblings can play while you get work done?  Do you like to read Kid Mail before it comes home?  We have the job for you!  We are looking for 2 parents who can coordinate Clip ‘n Chat every Thursday, 9:15-10:30am.  Parents copy the Buzz and other Kid Mail and do special projects for teachers, In a parent and kid-friendly environment! 

We would love your help, and need someone to volunteer ASAP

Please contact Susan Palmer susanwant@hotmail.com 206-779-3756 to learn more. 

Ice Cream Social - June 5

Welcome NEW Bees!!

 Daniel Bagley PTA will be hosting an ice cream social for new Fall 2014 incoming students.

Come join us for an ice cream treat, an opportunity to meet school leaders, and a chance to view some of the classrooms.  

New Student Ice Cream Social

Wednesday June 5

6-7pm

Signs will be provided to direct you, and volunteers will be available to answer questions.

Don't forget to follow this blog and school Web site for ongoing updates about summer playground play dates and other events.

http://www.bagleykindergarten.blogspot.com

http://danielbagley.com/

New Kindergarten tours - dates & times

New student tours are finally here!   PTA members, school staff, and Bagley families will show you around and give you the inside scoop.

Just show up to Bagley on the day that works best for your schedule (no kids, please - babes in arms are OK). and follow the signs and volunteers' directions to the lunchroom:

Tues., Jan. 29, 2013, 10-11 a.m.

Thur., Feb. 7, 2013, 10-11 a.m. <-- this date includes additional information on special education at Bagley

Mon., Feb. 11, 2013, 10-11 a.m.

Tues., Feb. 19, 2013, 6-7 p.m.

No RSVP required. Pass it on!

Get involved right from the start of the year - kids, too

Bagley could use some helpers to kick off the school year with a few easy activities. It's a great way to meet other parents and get into the swing of things. From our fearless PTA co-presidents:

Hi DBE families,

We're recruiting help in making the start of the school year successful. A short amount of time by a few of you will make all the difference. Here are a few of the opportunities:

Thursday, August 23: Back to School Packets: Join a few parents for an hour or two to collate the August mailer to our families. You'll get the inside scoop on the August Buzz and time to socialize with other parents. Children are welcome. We'll meet in the cafeteria at 10 a.m. 

Tuesday, August 28: First Day Packets: In preparation for the first day, our fabulous secretary, Randi Olson, needs help collating the packets that go home with families on the first day of school. Again, this is a great time to socialize with other parents. Children are welcome. We'll meet in the cafeteria at 10 a.m. 

Wednesday, September 5: First Morning of School and Welcome Coffee:

All School Welcome Back Party September 15, 11-2

Welcome Back to School Party, Saturday September 15, 11-2

 

Celebrate the new school year, enjoy our beautiful learning garden and playground, and spend some quality time mingling with other Daniel Bagley students and families!

 

"Chef in the Garden" kids' cooking demonstrations, games, chalk art, music, apples, and veggie planting in the Bagley garden.

Save the date!

How to get connected to Bagley

For your reading pleasure, here's an updated re-post from last year.

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The PTA & Daniel Bagley staff communicate with parents using several different methods, and the fastest is by email - join the vlist to stay up-to-date.

The vlist is an email forum for Daniel Bagley parents that is sponsored by the PTA. It’s an easy way to stay connected and keep informed of what’s happening in and around Daniel Bagley. Join via: www.danielbagley.com/happening_vlist.htm.

Other means of communication you'll see:

Important dates (Greenwood parade, playdates, PTA, activities)

Several important date reminders from our PTA co-presidents, Kari Cantey & Alison Rice (also check the PTA calendar - or add to your iCal).

To stay in the loop, register for the Daniel Bagley families email list, aka the 'vlist', at http://www.danielbagley.com/happening_vlist.htm.

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Greenwood parade: Wednesday, July 25 

- Bagley Bees walk in the parade every year!  Meet in the parking at 95th & Greenwood (by the Salvation Army) at 5:30 - start marching at 6:00pm.  Wear Bagley shirts, or black & yellow, and bring your bikes, scooters, wagons, strollers (for siblings), and helmets.  Meet your new schoolmates... and the Seafair pirates

Kindergarten play dates: every Sunday in August at 3:00pm and one evening August 29, 5:30-7:00 p.m.

- meet your new classmates at these casual meetups on the Bagley playground

Free Money contest, Jogathon, and more

Since people are still reading this, I thought I'd make a quick plug for the Free Money contest (since I'm organizing it) and Jogathon (which is in a few weeks).

But first, PLEASE fill out the new student survey!  We want to know how to improve orientation next year!  
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBjeEpvdEkybHFHR2p5azBlNmlOR1E6MQ

So, the Bagley PTA raises $95,000/year for classroom support in the form of staff salary subsidies and supplies - see previous post - and an EASY way to do it is through Free Money programs.

All you have to do is remember to save your receipts, or register your Safeway/Fred Meyer/QFC card, send in old juice pouches, etc., and Daniel Bagley receives donations.  Easy!  Free!  No selling or soliciting by parents!  All our programs are listed on the website.

For the contest, ending October 7, save your Greenwood Market and Ballard Market receipts, BoxTops for Education, and Labels for Education, register your Safeway card with eScrip, and your Safeway and Fred Meyer/QFC card with eLabelsForEducation.com.   Details were sent out in kidmail last week.   Win a $25 gift card - one for top earner and one random draw.   More prizes throughout the year, including classroom prizes, so keep saving even after the contest ends.

Also, the jogathon is coming up quickly!  September 30! Ask friends and relatives and colleagues and neighbors, or just plan to make this one of your main donations to the PTA, if you have the giving capacity right now.  The goal is to raise $100/kid in the Jogathon.

Over the course of the year, $95,000 raised works out to about $250/kid (although clearly this is an average - whatever families can afford is much appreciated).  You can help with fundraising through Jogathon or springtime auction donations, Chinook Book and Wreath sales, buying scrip, and the myriad Free Money opportunities (which are, I repeat, FREE).  Decide what works best for your family!

Kidmail Thursday!

Thursday is kidmail day.  Check backpacks tonight for a broad assortment of goodies (or tomorrow, if there are technical glitches or time management issues!).  Today's will be especially loaded because it's the first one of the year.  Look for a Baby Buzz mini-newsletter - you can opt out of hard copies for the Baby Buzz, and you really should to save lots of time and paper and money, but everyone is getting paper versions this first time, jogathon information, Free Money contest details, art news from Ms. McNeer, and lots more.

Parent volunteers spend a few hours every Thursday morning photocopying, stapling and sorting the kidmail.  If you want to stop by clip 'n' chat to help out, drop by the first portable between 9:30-11:30 on Thursday mornings.  Little kids welcome, too!

You survived the first day of school! Now what?

The kids have found their desks and lockers, have made best friends after just one day, heard the *actual tune* to the Bagley song, and have partied on the playground.  So, what should you do next?

Daily:

• Check backpacks for kidmail (the forms you got today need to go back to your teacher with your student by Monday - wade through 'em, figure out what you really need to return, and muddle through the whole privacy opt-out form)

Why you really should join the PTA, and some of those other forms you need to complete

Amidst the stack of papers you received with your teacher assignment letter last week, you will notice a goldenrod colored page that says 'Join the PTA!' on one side, with a Family Information Form on the other.

Even if you don't plan to join the PTA (and you should), please complete this form!  It will ensure that your contact information is included in this year's family directory.  Other benefits of this form:

The Jogathon! Friday, September 30, 10:30am at Lower Woodland track

You have heard about the Jogathon by now.  So, what is it all about?

The first thing you have to understand is that Mr. Millsap, Daniel Bagley's Health & Fitness teacher, is like a rock star to the kids, who demonstrate enthusiastic adulation for him.  You'll hear regular comments such as "Mr. Millsap says..." or "Mr. Millsap is funnier than you, dad" or "Mr. Millsap can run 10 miles in one minute".

Anyways, Mr. Millsap is the driving force behind the annual Jogathon, this year held on the morning of Friday September 30, at the Lower Woodland track (since our playground will not be fully available).

How can I help to make our school even better?

Especially in the wake of BIG budget cuts, there is a tremendous need for community support in order to ensure the successful education of our kids.  Our school relies on parents to fill any needs not funded by SPS, to keep Daniel Bagley top-ranked in the state.

Some of the ways we can help include:

• Joining the PTA
• Donating/fundraising/collecting receipts to fund all the PTA-supported programs (previously discussed)
• Stocking up the classrooms with supplies that otherwise would be paid for out of the teachers' wallets or PTA funds
• Communicating regularly with the teachers about your child's progress, or any concerns
• Helping your student to learn at home
• Volunteering in the classroom
• Coming on field trips as a chaperone
• Joining one of the many PTA committees to create a vibrant, healthy Bagley community

The Bagley Buzz!

Hot off the presses, a new edition of the Bagley Buzz is here!  Our school's newsletter is issued mostly-weekly, with a super-sized 'Big Buzz' once a month, this year prepared by Heather (thanks, Heather!).

Most of us get the Buzz by email (you should get on the vlist to make this happen), but if you opt-in for hard copies, you'll receive them in kid mail.  I *think* Big Buzz is hard copy for everyone anyways.

Anyhoo... since I have no idea how to post a PDF on Blogger, I have uploaded it to my googledocs, so if you want to find it, try viewing it here.  It will not automatically open in a new window, since I don't know how to do that, either.  Maybe the link will work.  If not, someone should tell me and I'll come up with Plan B.

What is a typical schedule? How much recess do they get? What happens when it rains? What is curriculum night?

Rest assured, your kindergartener will be exhausted after school, for at least the first few months.

Approximate Daily Schedule

A typical day looks something like this (times rather approximate - you'll get specific info from your teacher):

• 9:00-9:25  arrive at the playground, run around like a maniac, play soccer, climb on equipment
• 9:25-9:30  line up in class line at first bell and go inside by second bell
• 9:30-11:00  class time + mid-morning snack
• 11:00 recess
• 11:15-12:00  class time
• 12:00  lunch for 15 minutes + 15 minutes of recess (see previous post on the 'eat lunch in 5 minutes to get more recess' issue)
•  12:15-2:00  class time
•  2:00  recess
•  2:15-3:35  class time
•  3:35  end-of-school bell 

...so, quite a lot of outdoor playtime.