K-2 After school care at the Phinney neighborhood center

Hello!  I was contacted by the YMCA regarding this new program. Here is the info they sent me!

"The YMCA is offering afterschool care at the Phinney Neighborhood Center beginning in the fall. It is being offered for students at the new North Seattle French School at the PNC but is open to children from all local schools. One unique feature of the program is that it is for Kindergarten through 2^nd grade only, so it’s customized towards the younger age group of the elementary spectrum, and will have a very low child to instructor ratio.

 The Y will also provide transportation from nearby schools (including Bagley)

 You can sign up for the YMCA PNC Program here or you can contact Andy McClenahan at the YMCA atamcclenahan@seattleymca.org or call 524-1400 to sign up/ask questions."

First day is tomorrow!

Don't forget to pack an extra change of clothes in a ziploc (stays in the locker all year), lunch, a water bottle, all those forms, and the items from your school supplies list.

The first bell is at 9:25, but get there early - it will be pandemonium on the playground with all the extra parents milling around. Find your classroom line, leave the backpack there, and play until the bell... then kids have to come back and line up to go inside.  Usually, kindergarten parents can go inside on the first day to help with locker finding and so on.  Don't forget to take photos (it's tricky with all the activity).

The annual flag raising ceremony will be around 9:45/10 at the front of the school, so stick around for that.


Pickup is at 3:30/3:35 in front of the school.  Only K-1 classes are picked up at the front of the school so it won't be hard to find them; usually they are on the lawn approximately in front of their classroom.  Children must wait for parents and teachers to make eye contact before leaving the class group, so try to enforce that right from the start.

Congratulations!  You've made it!

Next year's bell times for pick-up and drop-off

SPS released official start and end times for all Seattle schools today.

Bagley's will be unchanged next year:  first bell/line up by class in playground at 9:25, second bell/start time at 9:30.  End of school bell at 3:35.

More info here.

Minimal changes to start times/transportation plans

There has been a lot of backlash over the last week against the SPS proposal to change school start times for potential cost savings due to school bus schedules.  Due to general parent outrage for various reasons, this proposal has been abandoned.

Bagley's school times in 2011/2012 were: 9:30 start (be there for first bell at 9:25), 3:35 end.  We'll probably be somewhere close to this again in 2012/2013.

More from SPS website here.

First day of school is tomorrow! How it works...

It's hard to believe, but our babies will be starting kindergarten tomorrow!

Bring your cameras and kleenex, put his/her lunch and water bottle into the brand new backpack, bring your school supplies & $20 (give to your teacher at some point this week), and arrive at the playground well before the first bell at 9:25.  There, you will locate your class line - usually the teachers are out early on the first day to orient the kids - and students can put their backpacks in the line before running off to play.  At 9:25, they run back to their line, which is always in the same place, all year, and they'll go into the school with their teacher in an orderly fashion so they can start class at 9:30.

Parents are welcome to come inside with the class on the first day for photo ops and send-off, but you should consider bringing your camera to welcome night for a photo at your child's desk.  It'll be chaotic tomorrow morning.

Parking will be CRAZY on the first day, so walk if you can, and if there are no spots in the parking lot, please find street parking that is legal and doesn't block the neighbors' driveways.

After drop-off, no need to run off to work right away - come to the lunchroom to have coffee, buy t-shirts, chat to other parents, join the PTA, etc. (bring your checkbook, just in case).  At ~10, there will be the annual all-school flag raising ceremony on the front lawn.

Pick-up will be at 3:35 on the front lawn, rain or shine.  Walk if you can, or be a friendly-to-neighbors driver/parker.  Teachers will bring the students out to the front lawn for parent or caregiver collection (same general lawn spot all year, in all weather).  During the first week, you might be allowed to come to the classroom door for pickup, but this is teacher dependent.  Expect the potential for your child's class to emerge from the doors later than 3:35 due to the complexity of coordinating an entire class of five and six year olds as they are learning a new routine.

Welcome to Daniel Bagley!

p.s. If your child is taking the school bus, staff and/or parent volunteers will make sure they are collected and escorted directly to the correct bus after school.  It's all very safe and organized.

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.  

How do I get to school?

I'm glad you asked!

Bagley students come by car, school bus, bike, and foot. SPS has new guidelines for which students are eligible for bus service this year based on location (more effects of big budget cuts), so we can expect to see a shift towards more cars, bikes and walkers.

No matter what modes of transportation you will be using,note that the playground is supervised starting around 20-25 minutes before the first bell, so you can leave kids at school just after 9.

Drop-off, Pick-up, Lunch, Snacks, Boys & Girls Club

You received a 'what to expect your first week of school' letter in your June mailing from Bagley. Here's a summary of how key parts of the school days work:

Drop-off

* School starts at 9:30; students line up in their class line up (in the playground behind Bagley) by the 9:25 bell.

* Typically, your child will find their line, drop their backpack, and play until the 9:25 bell.

* On the first day, you may come into the school with your child to see them off (ask your teacher where their line will be - it is the same place all year), and then stay for coffee with other parents and the all-school first day flag raising ceremony.

* Car drop-offs can be done in the parking lot, or you can walk or bike to school. There are bike racks in the playground near the garden.

Pick-up

* School ends at 3:35.