Casual playdates for new families - (first one March 4, 3pm)

Want to meet other soon-to-be Bagley Bees?   Come on out to an informal playground playdate!

First one is happening: Sunday March 4, 3pm, at the Daniel Bagley playground.  Raindate is the following weekend (Sunday March 11, 3pm).

Questions?  Email Brooke:  brookedoyle at yahoo dot com

Save the date: ice cream social on June 7!

New (and prospective) families are encouraged to join us for an Ice Cream Social on June 7, from 6-7pm in the Daniel Bagley cafeteria.

You'll be able to meet new schoolmates and look around the building.  Note that specific classroom assignments won't be made until later in the summer.

Save the date, and tell your friends!

--Lexy

Kindergarten and New Student Tours

Come Visit Daniel Bagley: Kindergarten and New Student Tours

January 25: 10:00 am to 11:00 am

February 6: 10:00 am to 11:00 am

February 9: 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm

February 28: 10:00 am to 11:00 am

• No reservations required; just show up!
• Meet in the Cafeteria at the beginning of the tour.
• Adults only, please: there will be opportunities for incoming students to see the school and meet other students over the spring and summer.   

• The tour will begin with an introduction from the Principal (Erika Ayer) and our PTA President (Kari Cantey).  Then parent volunteers will guide small groups around to view classrooms and answer questions.
• The evening tour will be basically the same format and there will be representative classrooms open for viewing. 
• Families particularly interested in Special Education services are encouraged to attend the first tour on January 25th.

Enrollment News from SPS

From the SPS Website:


Open enrollment for the 2012-13 school year will take place Feb. 27 through March 9. 

All students will receive an assignment letter right before open enrollment begins. This will tell you your student’s initial assignment for next year, and will also provide information on open enrollment if you want to apply for a different attendance area or option school for next year. 

Information on assignments for the 2012-12 school year is scheduled to be available on the SPS website and automated phone line (206-252-0212) on April 16. Mailed confirmation letters will be sent out the week of April 23.

Registration with Seattle Public Schools

You are probably confused by the SPS website.  We all are.

How to register your kindergartener for the 2012-2013 year.

FUN FACT:  SPS will always have a spot for your child at your 'Attendance Area' school, no matter when you register them, even if it isn't until August 31.  Sure, earlier is better, since they'd like to know whether classes will be oversubscribed earlier than that so that they can work down the waiting list, and it would be a nice thing to do so that waitlisted families can reduce their stress levels.

FUN FACT:  When you are registering your student, you're really just getting them into the SPS system.  They'll be assigned to your neighborhood school by default, pending your acceptance into your 'preferred choice' school or program.

• The Bagley attendance area default is CONTEMPORARY K.
• Montessori applications must be made during the Open Enrollment Period below

FUN FACT:  The 2012 application period for option schools/programs is short! Open Enrollment is from February 27 - March 9 2012 ONLY! 

Have a great year!

OK, I'm really signing off, now.  If you have any random questions, feel free to email me, although I expect you have lots of connections and contacts at this point, so hopefully I'm redundant.

If you are willing and able to volunteer next year for any PTA activities, including kindergarten orientation, we'd be grateful.   Thanks to all who answered the survey; here are some of the summary items I'll be recommending to the 2012 new family orientation coordinator:

• Before summer activities: in addition to kindergarten tours in January & February, add a new kindergartener social in May or June.  Although the families will know they'll be attending Bagley because of the new attendance area qualifications, we'll have to advertise at the orientation, on the website, on local blogs, and by school mail since this will be a new program... that will be the trickiest part.

• Lots of people liked the idea of a family mentoring program.  Could be pretty casual, meet once (at spring new K social?), then correspond by email once you've met in person.  I didn't get too many emails, and I'm guessing that is because I am a faceless blogger in this forum.    Anways, a mentoring program would need someone to get mentors - probably 1st grade families since the experience is fresh, or current Bagley parents who also have an incoming kindergartener so they know the ropes - and arrange some group meetup times.  Maybe this could start as early as the spring social.

• Maybe: regular weekly or biweekly times for playground meetups for all Bagley kids, not just new students.  Historically, fewer activity options have resulted in higher new student attendance at each event, and less work for volunteers, but if this was just a really casual drop-in activity (maybe 'sponsored' by different K-1 classes each time?), it could work.  I'm still iffy.  BUT an early summer playdate to meet up with mentors would be helpful.

• Start collecting new student emails at orientation and set up a new K yahoo group to coordinate and communicate activities such as a regular meetup.  Yes!  Communication is tough, and getting people's email contacts early would be terrific.

• Continue with the blog or set up an FAQ webpage.  We have had 1600 hits since the end of July.  Wowzers!

• Still have two or three new student playground August meetups, but plan for one weekend morning in early- to mid-August, one weekday evening picnic or potluck the week before school starts (by that Thursday, people will know their teachers), and maybe a daytime weekday get-together.  Important: only have a few to avoid diluting attendance and making more work for volunteers, but spread them out and offer different time slots.  Also, be considerate of working parents' schedules.

• Have name tags at all events.  Popsicles on hot days.  

• Make a clever reusable Bagley bee sign, instead of having balloons.  There are a ton of long rulers in the storage room that could be used somehow.

• At the week-before-school event, have big signs for each teacher/class so families can congregate accordingly and meet other families who are in the same class.

• Somehow loop in the Boys and Girls Club to the orientation process.

• Improve communication from the school itself (PTA doesn't have much control over this, but the concerns are noted).  Quite a few people did not receive any mail from the office - although I suspect this is often an issue related to timing of registration?

• n.b.  Some suggestions to have an earlier opportunity to check out the school - right before bedtime the night before school starts isn't ideal.  Moving the teachers' welcome night ain't gonna happen b/c the teachers need to prepare right up until the last minute, so they have requested that night-before timing.  BUT maybe we can come up with some kind of combined spring social/school mini-tour?  Need volunteers to make this all happen, people!

See you 'round DBE,
--Lexy