Teacher assignments and classroom configurations

We know that new families have a lot of questions leading up to the first day of school. Please let us know if we can help answer any of those burning questions! Send us an email or leave a comment.

Many people want to know who their child's teacher will be. Note that teacher assignments are not finalized until a few weeks before school starts. You will receive a letter by mail with your classroom assignment about a week before classes start. 

For those families on the waitlist, changes are made continuously, right through the end of September. You could be offered a spot in your first choice program a few weeks after school has begun. Check your student's status at Seattle Schools Student Assignment and/or Waitlist Status.

Ms. Ayer, the principal at Daniel Bagley, recently announced some planning updates for the upcoming school year. Enrollment has increased by 25 students, predominantly in the Contemporary program. The enrollment numbers shift constantly, so the following classroom configurations are subject to change.

Contemporary:

• Kindergarten: Ms. Stone
• Kindergarten: Ms. Steele
• First: Ms. Tamura
• First: Ms. Sams (Ms. Beisel will be teaching 1.5 days for Ms. Sams while she completes her administrative internship)
• Second: Ms. Filep
• Second/Third: Ms. Scordas
• Third: Ms. Adriance
• Fourth/Fifth: Ms. Outhouse
• Fourth/Fifth: Ms. Manley

Montessori:

• Kindergarten: Ms. Richards
• Kindergarten/First: Ms. Norton
• First/Second/Third: Ms. Messom
• First/Second/Third: Ms. Green (Ms. Beisel will be teaching 1 day for Ms. Green)
• First/Second/Third: TBD
• Second/Third: Ms. Forselius
• Fourth/Fifth: Ms. Manley
• Fourth/Fifth: TBD
• Fourth/Fifth: Mr. Vonderlage

To stay connected to the Bagley community, be sure to sign up for the Daniel Bagley Families Email List (most people call it the "V-List"): http://vlists.net/mailman/listinfo/daniel-bagley-families.

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!

Welcome Letters - please read them before school starts!

School is approaching.

Welcome letters are posted.

For anyone having trouble accessing the letter from Ms. Steele, click here

The other letters are here

Enjoy!

T-Shirts for Sale Thursday night at Curriculum Night

Hi DB families,

 

School shirts in kid sizes will be for sale from 6-6:30 tomorrow before curriculum night begins.

This is also a great time to explore the PTA welcome tables and get questions answered, so come early if you can.

Shirts are 10.00. Cash or check to DBPTA are accepted.

 

Bagley Bees love wearing school shirts to the jogathon. Tomorrow is our last sale before that event. 

Don't miss out!!

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/

Reminder: playdates and welcome night

Two more playground meetups are scheduled:  this Sunday, August 26 at 3pm, and next Wednesday, August 29 at 5:30pm.

Also, meet your teacher and find your desk at Welcome Night, next Thursday, August 30, 6-7:15pm.

Waitlist updates, Welcome Night, Curriculum Night

Waitlist
There doesn't appear to have been much movement yet on the waitlist, based on today's updated report, which indicates the following stats for kindergarten:
Contemporary - 9
Montessori - 20
Inclusion - 3

But, don't lose hope!  Classroom assignments haven't been confirmed yet, and there is a lot of movement toward the end of August, right through the first week of school.

Welcome Night
You will receive your classroom/teacher assignment in the mail before welcome night which will be on August 30th at 6pm (confirmed start time!).  New students and their parents are invited to meet their teachers and classmates, find their desk and locker, and get acquainted with Bagley.  Expect to be at school for about an hour.

Curriculum Night
You will get curriculum-related information at the aptly named 'curriculum night', on Tuesday, September 18 (time TBD; 6:30ish is a reasonable estimate).  

Upcoming playdates and orientation events

Missed the ice cream social?  Plan to attend some of the other orientation activities that will be happening throughout summer:

Playground meet-ups - meet new schoolmates


New students and their families are encouraged to come out to these casual playdates (no school access or planned programming) on the Daniel Bagley playground on the following Sundays at 3pm:

* Sunday July 1, 3pm
* Sunday August 5, 3pm
* Sunday August 12, 3pm
* Sunday August 19, 3pm
* Sunday August 26, 3pm


...and a weeknight right-before-school-starts one on:
* Wednesday August 29, 5:30pm (may be a picnic and some PTA/staff representation - TBD)

Welcome night - meet your teacher/tour the school

Right before school starts in September - usually the night before - new students are invited to meet their teachers, tour the school, find their classroom/locker/desk, and generally orient themselves.

Still not registered for kindergarten? + some notes about next year

If you are in the attendance area, your child will be automatically be given a spot at Bagley, regardless of when you register.

However, if you aren't registered, you will miss communication from the PTA, Daniel Bagley and Seattle Public Schools.  By registering early, you can help Ms. Ayer and the staff plan classroom assignments, and provide some insight to the hopeful families on the waitlist.

All the registration details are on the SPS website.

p.s. This year, we have three K/1 Montessori & two K/1 Contemporary classes.  Possibly the same for next year. TBD.
p.p.s.  The new double-wide trailer that will be installed over the summer will NOT be a K-1 classroom next year.  Hopefully not a classroom at all...

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)

Welcome Night is tomorrow (Tuesday September 6)

Looking forward to seeing the New Families at Welcome Night tomorrow, at Daniel Bagley!

Come at 5:30 with a picnic (and blanket) to socialize with the parents from your child's class - since you now now your teacher! - and let your Bagley Bee explore the playground equipment... it looks like the construction fences will be down, mostly.  

At 6:30, come to the front doors of the school (on the front lawn) to be greeted by the principal, Ms. Ayer, then find your child's classroom, meet your teacher and explore the building.  I *think* it will be just the K-1 teachers in attendance, but I'm not sure - call the office to check if you're with an older new student.

• Feel free to bring your PTA & medical forms as well as school supplies to Welcome Night, so you don't have to burden your student with them later on in the week.   The PTA volunteers will take your membership form; the rest of the items go directly to your teacher.

• Also, Bagley t-shirts will be on sale!  Helpfully, the words to the school song are on the back of the shirts, so consider the t-shirts to be teaching tools.

Bit and bites from this morning's playdate (waitlist, teachers, after-school classes, etc.)

Thank you to all the families who came out to our New Family playdates!  It was wonderful to see all the new (and older) students making friends over the last two weekends.  We estimate that there were about 25 families who came out today, and about 25 last weekend as well.  That's a pretty good representation of the new Bees.

Here are a few thoughts on some of the items that came up this morning:

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.  

Is there homework in kindergarten? How does the Bagley library work?

Homework is teacher-specific.  Some teachers assign homework to kindergarteners, and some don't.  If you have strong feelings one way or the other, talk to your teacher.

Last year, our son did receive a homework folder at the beginning of the week, which was to be completed and handed in by Friday.  This consisted of a few activity pages (e.g. draw a line from the word to the picture, connect-the-dots, draw pictures of things in your house that are square and label them) and a book appropriate to the student's reading level.  

What does my child need for school? SUPPLIES INFO POSTED!

***BRAND NEW SUPPLIES LIST INFO AS OF AUGUST 4 2011:

*Now posted on the main page at danielbagley.com*

From Ms. Ayer: "Each teacher on the K/1 team will take care of purchasing the bulk of the student/classroom supplies necessary to begin the school year. Over the years we have found this to be the most cost effective way to buy our materials. It is also nice for the students to begin the year with the exact same supplies, in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts and hurt feelings. These items will vary slightly for each teacher, but they consist of things such as: pencils, pencil grips, erasers, glue sticks, markers, name tags, binders, folders, tissue boxes, post-its, etc. The cost will be $20 per child. We will collect $20 cash or checks: payable to Daniel Bagley Elementary, during the first 2 weeks of school. If you can give extra for our scholarship fund, terrific! If you will need a scholarship, no problem… just ask!"

K/1 families: Please send the following items for collection in the first week if your last name begins with:

A-H: 2 boxes of tissues, wet wipes, one 24 pack of Crayola brand colored pencils and sandwich sized Ziploc bags

I-N: 2 packs of white board markers, and 1 pack of Pink Pearl erasers

M-Z: 1 bottle of hand sanitizer, band-aids, 1 1/2” X 2” Post-its, gallon-sized freezer weight Ziplocs.

How big are the classes, and are they all mixed grade?

****UPDATE #2: last year's data from Dan is posted in the comments - shows # kids per grade****
****UPDATE: actual info for 2011-2012 from Erin is posted below and in the comments. ****

"Great information! The class sizes are spot on.
Here's some additional information based on the Principal's update at our last PTA meeting.
All classrooms will be multi-grade this year. The Contemporary program will have K/1, 1/2, 2/3, and 4/5 classes. The Montessori program will be K/1, 2/3, and 4/5.
The district projected our enrollment to be a little over 400 and our average enrollment last year was 389.
The class configurations in the Contemporary program are subject to change if summer enrollment numbers shift significantly from projections. The Montessori program is less likely to change since it is an opt-in program and Montessori teachers are more difficult to hire.
Hope this helps and welcome to Bagley!
Erin Reid, PTA Co-Treasurer"

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.

Who is my child's teacher?

Teacher assignments are made a few weeks before school, and you will receive a snail mail letter with your classroom assignment about a week before classes start. You'll meet your teacher at Welcome Night on Tuesday, September 6, 6:30pm at Bagley (come a little earlier so you can actually socialize with other parents from your kid's classroom, & so your kids can run amok on the playground - no time for that at Welcome Night).

If you are on the waitlist, note that changes are made continuously, right through the end of September. You could be offered a spot in your first choice program a few weeks after school has begun. Check your student's waitlist status at seattleschools.org using the link in the right sidebar.

***UPDATE 8/16/11 - next school mailing will be sent out on August 29 (or earlier), so we'll find out our teacher assignments later that week.***