Bagley Kindergarten FAQs

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

2012-02-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-02-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Since Seattle Public Schools has shifted to a geographic-based model with the New Student Assignment Plan, most schools will not conduct a daytime school tour.

However, most schools will host an evening open house, which is a great opportunity for prospective families and students to visit the school, meet with teachers and the principal and ask questions.

For information on school open houses, please visit the individual school websites at http://bit.ly/SPSschooldirectory

Registration with Seattle Public Schools

2012-01-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

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 application period for option schools/programs is short! Open Enrollment is from February 27 - March 9 ONLY!
All the forms are on the SPS website. I'd recommend submitting the application in person at the SPS HQ in SODO, or at one of the in-person open registration sessions they usually offer at local libraries (although, I haven't heard anything about those yet this year).

FUN FACT: If they are offered, the special community open enrollment sessions are quick and convenient. Last year at the Ballard Library registration, it took me only 3 minutes to register my kindergartener with SPS, apply for Montessori for her, and apply for Montessori for my 1st grader.

FUN FACT: This year, we have THREE Montessori classrooms (well, K/1 split) and only TWO Contemporary (again, K/1 split). So, the odds were BETTER for Montessori K, with families as far down at #17 on the waitlist receiving admission offers in September 2011. It all depends on the number of kids in the 'hood.

FUN FACT: The waitlist is active through September 30, and there are a LOT of offers made in the first two weeks of school, while everyone is making decisions (lots of people holding onto spots while they hedge their bets, or not updating SPS until the last minute).

To summarize by program/school:

To get into the Bagley Contemporary Kindergarten program

If you are in the Bagley attendance area and have registered your student, you will automatically be assigned to the Contemporary Kindergarten program.
If you are in the Bagley attendance area and have not yet registered your student, you can do this any time, although it is nice to get it organized now, so the teachers can assess #s for next year, and waitlisted families get more information. You will automatically be assigned the Contemporary K program. Registration: e-mail, mail, or in person. Forms on the SPS website.
If you are NOT in the Bagley attendance area, you must apply for 'Bagley Contemporary K' on the School Choice Form during Open Enrollment February 27 - March 9. If you haven't registered your student with SPS, you will do that then as part of the School Choice registration process. I'd recommend applying in person.

Tie-breakers for non-attendance area contemporary K are 1) Sibling and 2) Lottery.

To get into the Bagley Montessori Kindergarten program

If you are in the Bagley attendance area and have registered your student, you must apply for 'Bagley Montessori K' on the school choice form during Open Enrollment February 27 - March 9. I'd recommend applying in person.
If you are in the Bagley attendance area and have not yet registered your student, you will have to do that either before or during the Open Enrollment period. There is no real advantage for doing it early at this point, as long as you have all the required documentation ready. You must apply for 'Bagley Montessori K' on the school choice form during the Open Enrollment period February 27 - March 9. I'd recommend applying in person.
If you are NOT in the Bagley attendance area, you must apply for 'Bagley Montessori K' on the School Choice Form during Open Enrollment February 27 - March 9. If you haven't registered your student with SPS, you will do that then as part of the School Choice registration process. I'd recommend applying in person.

Tie-breakers for Montessori K are 1) Attendance Area and 2) Lottery. Non-attendance area siblings of current Montessori students might have better odds with the Contemporary K program (depends on the number of contemporary classrooms next year).

To get into the Bagley Special Education/IEP program

If I find out I will post it here - there is registration and contact information on the SPS website. Same open enrollment period as noted elsewhere.

To get into a different school

If you are in the Bagley attendance area and have registered your student, you must apply for other programs on the school choice form during Open Enrollment February 27 - March 9. I'd recommend applying in person.
If you are in the Bagley attendance area and have not yet registered your student, you will have to do that either before or during the Open Enrollment period. There is no real advantage for doing it early at this point, as long as you have all the required documentation ready. You must apply for other programs on the school choice form during the Open Enrollment period February 27 - March 9. I'd recommend applying in person.
If you are applying to an advanced level program, there are additional testing and documentation requirements. Check the SPS website NOW to avoid missing deadlines.

Tie-breakers for non-attendance area contemporary K anywhere are 1) Sibling and 2) Lottery.

Tie-breakers for Spectrum programs are 1) Service Area and 2) Lottery.

If you just miss the cut-off age (5 by August 31) but want to start in September

Application for early admission (Sept/Oct birthdays only) are due in April (date TBD), and are available here.

So, register... then wait. You will get a confirmation for your attendance area school pretty quickly, and a status update for your position on the waitlist (if applicable).

You will be able to track your choice school/program waitlist status online starting in ~May - more to come on that!

Have a great year!

2011-10-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

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

Rainy day procedures

2011-09-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

If it's really raining, go straight to the classroom after 9. If it's only sort of raining, take a look at the playground - if kids are out there, it's a regular drop-off.

Pickup is outside the front, rain or shine. Bring your umbrella. (Although, I have cheated, and snuck in to stand beside the front doors in the past, but that was when I had my preschooler with me and didn't want her to get too wet and cranky)

More on recess issues: http://bagleykindergarten.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-is-typical-schedule-how-much.html

Chocolate milk in the cafeteria

2011-09-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Some of you might remember the post from August, where I talked about snacks and lunch, and how my kindergartener son ran up a $5 chocolate milk tab last year, in September, before we realized what was going on.

Well, yesterday my kindergartener daughter from *this* year informed us as we were walking home from school: "I didn't eat anything from my lunch box today, except the chocolate milk I got at the cafeteria. You don't need money! Just type in your number - the cook will look that up for you". Sigh.

So, history does repeat itself.

I suggested that I could come in to have lunch with the kids - ostensibly to hang out, but actually a reconnaissance mission - but that suggestion was met with shock and horror by both of them... so we just have to hope that the chocolate milk tab isn't increased any further!

p.s. I thought the K-1s were now having recess before lunch, but my son absolutely denies that. So, who knows? Maybe I'll remember to ask next time I'm at school.

Random activities and events afoot

2011-09-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

If you haven't added the Daniel Bagley google calendar to yours, now is a good time. There is a lot happening.

First, notice that MAP testing for kindergarteners and new-to-SPS kids is happening in the fall to establish a baseline. The rest of the school will wait until January. Testing period #2 will be in May or thereabouts.

Second, if you are wondering about APP/Spectrum/ALO programs because your child could be a genius, then MAP scores plus a discussion with your teacher (at or before parent-teacher meetings in November) will be the determinant for school options next year. But, we'd love to keep you in the Bagley community!

Third, that's a good segue into: jot down your thoughts about what you'd like to see at Bagley, and drop it into the 'mission/vision' box in the lobby (or in kidmail). Excelling in science? Accommodating all neighborhood children's needs, right up through APP? Fewer mixed grade classes? More focus on dance, music and drama? Etc. There are only ~250 families at the school, so every voice counts.

Events!

After school classes - you'll get an email sometime in the next week telling you whether you got in. Classes start in October. Remember to pack a small extra snack for the 5 minutes they'll get before Lego/art/science/yoga/etc. Let Boys & Girls Club know, if you're expecting them to pick up your child afterwards.
Greenfield work parties - ongoing. Kids welcome to come along while planting of trees and shrubs goes on. Saturdays and Sundays.
Early dismissal next Wednesday! - 1:35pm. Talk to your childcare provider if you haven't already (or, if it's you, remind yourself to come up with some clever activity, and a way to deal with preschooler naps)
Jogathon - if you can, come to this! Next friday. It is amazing to see how much your kiddo can do when there is excitement and peer pressure. Parent volunteers needed for punching lap cards, water station, etc. Kristin will contact you.
Walk to School Day - Wednesday October 5 - meet up with a group (route maps coming soon, or check bagleywalkingschoolbus.blogspot.com). Prizes for all walkers/bussers/bikers.
Last day to enter Free Money Contest - Friday October 7. Get your Greenwood/Ballard Market receipts, Boxtops, and Labels for Education in by then (kidmail, or box by front door).
Next PTA meeting - Tuesday October 11. More fun and information. Good way to meet the people who are doing stuff at the school.
Day off - NOT Columbus Day, but the Friday afterwards. Friday October 14. Plan accordingly!

More later...

p.s. Fill in the new student survey, link in previous post, thank you! I need to know your thoughts in order to improve in the future.

New Student Orientation - your feedback requested!

2011-09-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

We need your help to improve future orientation programs for new students. Please take two minutes to fill out this survey. The link should take you right there (I tried to embed it directly into the blogpost but the formatting went all weird).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBjeEpvdEkybHFHR2p5azBlNmlOR1E6MQ

Thank you!

p.s. I'll be signing off for a while, unless anyone has specific questions for me. Work, kids and volunteer activities are starting to pile up :) Thanks for reading, it's been fun...

PTA meeting overview. What fun!

2011-09-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Fun times at the PTA meeting last night! Here are the snippets:

Four large raccoons ran right past the front door as we were leaving (that is the most important, hence the first bullet). Cool! Or not, depending on your perspective.
Most of this will be in the Buzz on Thursdays, but not all in one place.
389 kids at Bagley right now, and a few more about to start. There will be more trickling in over the year as people move into the district.
Erika noted that there will be only two MAP testing periods this year, in January & May. Some weirdness there for kids who want to test into APP programs and need the proof of high MAP scores to qualify.
What do you want to see at Bagley? Send in that 'mission and vision' statement via Kidmail, or email. Yeah, you. You're a parent therefore you are now the community. And there aren't too many of us, so every voice counts.
Harvest Hootenanny is going to be big and fun! Don't miss it! Party, dance, food, 'haunted' street in the gym... October 29. Stay up late. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for lots of stuff. Talk to Danielle S.
Jogathon is next Friday September 30!! It will be at lower Woodland track, and there will be a tight turnaround, so warn your kids that there will be no dilly-dallying at school that morning. Line up, go in, dump backpacks, go potty, get on bus. VOLUNTEERS maybe still needed. Ask Kristin M. Turn in money and form in one batch after everything is collected.
Treasurer report - we're doing well. Erin R explained how it works, our final budget from last year, and our YTD for 11/12. There were a few questions about FREE MONEY - check the boxes/brochure racks by the front door, or the Bagley website, or the list I just sent out to the vlist, or the Buzz for more info on the myriad programs in which we participate. List is still not 100% complete but I'm getting there. It will be nice to finally have everything itemized in one place. Collect your receipts and BoxTops, and buy scrip!
Family Directory - sign up soon, otherwise other parents will not be able to get in touch with you. Proofs going out next week so you can check whether you're in. Oh, and join the PTA! We're getting there - Chris P said that around 300 of 400 kids are set up, and 200 of 300 families have joined the PTA already. Or something like that.
BLT actually stands for Building Leadership Team, a collaboration between principal, staff and parents to ensure top-notch education. They are the ones (for example) who decided upon the addition of a computer/technology class to the curriculum. Looking into a Math or Science night of some kind as a new project. Ask Chris Potter if you have questions, or drop by a meeting, held 8-9am one Thursday morning each month.
Fundraising Party - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to help with the annual fundraising party/auction/event! This year on st. Patrick's Day (March 17) in Green Lake at a new facility, organized by the fun-loving and incredibly well-organized events guru team of Laura T and Wendy S. Work starts now.
Special Education PTA. Kate O has information about this group, working towards serving the needs of special education kids in Seattle. Contact her if interested in more info.
Green Field Project rocks! Thank you Farhad & team. Fun times at the grand opening. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for work parties on Saturdays and Sunday. check the google calendar for times.
Vocal music teacher - Sandy Sonko, who is incredibly wonderfully amazing, is our new vocal music teacher! There will even be an off-site performance planned for the end of the year. She is so fabulous. Sign up your kids for one of her school break camps (Seattle's Littlest Performers). You will not regret it, and your kiddos will beg for more. I think the vocal music position is 'adjunct' or 'visiting' or some such.
Walk to School Day & Walking School Bus - WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5 - meet up with other Bagley families to walk together to school, as part of an international celebration! We (Brooke and Lexy) are working to get some goodies to give to all walkers, and we're hoping kids are so excited that they will want to walk regularly, as part of the Walking School Bus. Details coming soon, when I have time to get some 'marketing collateral' put together. So.... busy....
Chinook Books - buy Chinook Books to support the school! They will be offered at various school-wide events. Pick up some for friends, too. We get about 1/2 the price donated back to Bagley. Cool.
Next meetings are Oct 11 and Nov 8. You can reserve free childcare in advance.

Free Money contest, Jogathon, and more

2011-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

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!

Your questions, answered!

2011-09-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

One of the kindergarten parents emailed me with SIX questions (thank you!), so I thought I'd post for all to see. Please excuse any weird formatting. I'm not even going to bother to try to fix it.

Scrip: Can we pay for scrip with a credit card?

The PTA isn't totally set up for electronic payments yet (looking into smartphone payments such as Square, but no action at this time), and the old-school credit card swiper is pretty cumbersome, so in-person scrip must be purchased cash or check only.
However, Brooke, PTA volunteer and mom of a Bagley Bee *and* two preschoolers, is hard at work setting up an online purchase program through our scrip provider, and you will be able to pay using direct debit. Either your cards will be mailed to you, or you can get an online gift certificate code (depends on retailer, I think). More news on that very soon.

Visitor Check-in: What exactly is the Check-in policy for the school? It says All Visitors, but every time I've entered and signed in, there seem to be only a few parents signing in ahead of me, yet lots more in the building. Monday Morning Meetings (MMMs) and the Principal coffee for example.

The visitor check-in policy has been a bit loosey-goosey in the past, but this year they are trying to crack down. ANY parent visiting for ANY school day reason should sign in at the front office and get a visitor badge. This includes lunch with your student, principal coffee, MMMs, and volunteering in the classroom.

So - if you're at school during the day, make sure you sign in. It keeps our students safe!

Privacy/class lists: We opted out of the directory before reading that perhaps that is the only way to get a list of parents/names/kids that are in your own classroom. Is there a separate class list available to get to know parents and kids in your own class?

--> If you are talking about the PTA directory: The directory is really the only mechanism through which all Daniel Bagley families communicate. Teachers will have their own parent contact info but will not distribute. Even if you opted out, you can backtrack and opt back in at any level - there will be forms at Curriculum Night, or you can email Dan Cory or Chris Potter with your info. For example, you might not want to post your address publicly, BUT it would be very helpful to have your email and cell phone numbers listed.

I would say that around 90% of families listed all their info including addresses last year. It's only distributed in hard copy to Bagley families, and everyone involved is extremely safety conscious. Also, you do not have to be a PTA member to be in the directory (although it is ultra-hip to be a PTA member)

--> If you are talking about the form that came home in that big packet, the FERPA one: yeah, I totally opted out too. That sounded creepy to me. I don't want my kid's info released to random telemarketers.

Volunteering in class: Is this something that parents do and/or how is it usually done?

At Curriculum Night, you'll get the chance to sign up for classroom-related volunteer activities beyond just snack provisioning. If you are interested in helping out in the classroom, talk to your teacher about opportunities.

Usually teachers aim to keep parents out of the classroom for the first 6-8 weeks, so the students can adjust to school life without parental 'interference'.

Class Snacks: I signed up for a few weeks but have no idea what to bring and/or how to get it to the classroom/teacher?

Last year we had an official snack list, which was based on avoiding foods that could trigger serious allergies (anaphylactic). Haven't seen this yet, so maybe it is being revised on a class-by-class basis. The teacher or a snack coordinator/parent volunteer will contact you the week before to remind you, and they might have a list.

Usually I bring enough for 26 kids each day of one non-sugary, non-oily grain (no cheese or peanut oil or sesame seeds or tree nuts or anything like that) plus one fruit or veggie (no mango or strawberries or anything else commonly allergenic). I try to include some gluten-free crackers or rice cakes too, and keeping crackers/pretzels in boxes with ingredient lists is helpful. I think some teachers are okay with cheese sticks or yogurt tubes, but it depends on the class and the kids. Vegan is probably a safer bet.

You can bring several days' worth of supplies at a time, or send each day's snack individually if the fruit is super fresh. Package it up and have your kid take it to class in the morning to give to his/her teacher. Send stuff that isn't goopy or messy.

The snacks my son brought this week:

* 'trail mix' of cheerios, banana chips and raisins;

* 'trail mix' of gluten-free corn chex, dried cranberries and golden raisins; *

* pretzels and carrot sticks;

* rice cakes, rice crackers and fresh plums from our garden;

* wheat thins, gluten-free pretzels, grapes cut into bunches of 4-5, and golden raspberries that are in season and on sale.

One time I made mini-bagels with sunbutter and organic strawberry jam but that was way too OCD. We also had a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes last year, and those were actually a big hit - several students tried them for the very first time and liked them!

Testing - MAP etc.: Are there resources beyond trying google searches?

I'm stumped on this one. There are all sorts of political issues here. We'll find out the scoop at Curriculum Night. Rumor has it that we are only testing twice a year, as opposed to the three times we went through this in its pilot phase last year. It takes away a lot of teaching time, but my son loved it, and I found MAP scores useful.

Takeaways from Curriculum Night

2011-09-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone feels a lot more informed after Curriculum Night. We didn't really touch on MAP testing, but it sounds like that - and more - is on the agenda for next week's PTA meeting (Tuesday September 20, 6-8pm, limited spots for childcare available by emailing Mary Lamb).

Our class gets to bring whatever snacks we want when it's our turn to bring them in, yay! Our teacher decided that it was getting too complicated to work around all the different allergies, so highly allergic kids will bring their own. I think this is a smart decision and takes away stress from the teacher.

Hey, I found out that the K-1s *are* getting recess before lunch, which explains why my 1st grader has been eating everything (my kindergartener hasn't quite figured it out yet, so she is exhausted, cranky and starving every day at pickup. Fabulous).

Any questions about any of the info from your teachers or in yesterday's kidmail? Let me know!

--Lexy

Kidmail Thursday!

2011-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

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!

Curriculum Night is THIS Thursday night!

2011-09-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Curriculum Night, THIS Thursday from 6:30-8 in the lunchroom & your classroom, is a chance to learn about the lesson plans going forward including topics and focus areas, briefly discuss any issues you might have, and to set up your parent-teacher conference time in November. Curriculum Night is hosted by the principal and teachers.

Kids are NOT allowed. There is no childcare provided (unlike PTA meetings, where there is free childcare - though not sure about toddler-aged kids). Get a babysitter for Curriculum Night. It is probably a good idea to have both parents/primary caregivers attend this one so you get the full picture, and can split up to chat with multiple teachers if necessary.

Come and find out what's going on! What is writers' workshop and reading workshop? What is the computers class all about? Will we have a bike unit in Health & Fitness this year? When is the first computerized/standardized MAP testing session? Etc.

Also, you'll be able to buy scrip, Chinook books, and t-shirts, and sign up for the PTA & school directory. :)

Monday Morning Meetings

2011-09-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

I might have forgotten to post this previously, BUT all parents are welcome to attend Monday Morning Meetings, right after school starts every Monday morning in the lunchroom, ~9:35-9:50.

Parents need to stand at the sides and the back of the room so all the kids can sit on the floor. Then you'll have a chance to watch any class performances (not at the first one, probably), listen to the principal address the kids, hear any announcements, and see if your kid knows the words to the Pledge of Allegiance and the Bagley school song.

This week, there is a meet-the-principal coffee at 10:15, so stick around to say hi!

Where do we go from here?

2011-09-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

The kids are in school, we're learning the routines, and everyone is adjusting to the new schedules.

I see that I'm still getting about 50 hits a day on this blog, so it seems like people are still seeking guidance/information... but to be honest, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to post now that we're finally in school.

I'm happy to keep posting for another few weeks, but only if you, loyal readers/parents of kindergarteners, provide me with some suggestions. What is concerning you? What are your questions? What information is not otherwise readily available to you?

Please email me (lexyrelph at gmail dot com) with any comments or questions - or use the form at the bottom of the sidebar, which sometimes works.

Thanks!
--Lexy
(Alex, Ms. Messom's 1st & Isabelle, Ms. Richards' K)

What is my kid doing all day?

2011-09-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

Your student is probably giving you little hints about their day, but what are they really doing?

The first week or two, there is a lot of time spent learning the routines, and classmates' names. Academics will be slowly introduced into the mix, and you'll learn more about the classroom plans at curriculum night next Thursday.

A generalized schedule was outlined in a previous post: http://bagleykindergarten.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-is-typical-schedule-how-much.html

In addition to the 3 Rs, the classes each have art 2x/week, health & fitness 2x/week, technology (computers) 1x/week, and library 1x/week. Generally these alternate, e.g. art M/W, H&F T/Th, Tech F, or something similar.

p.s. In order to get actual information, ask very specific questions, like: "Who did you sit beside at lunch?" or "What book did your teacher read today?" or "Was there free choice time today, and what did you choose?". Otherwise, you'll get answers like "nothing" or "no-one", which aren't very illuminating.

You survived the first day of school! Now what?

2011-09-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

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)
Check backpacks for lunchboxes. If missing, look through the lost and found near the lunchroom. There is already an assortment of kidstuff there.
Check lunchboxes to see what your kid actually ate.

Soon (this week):

Book a babysitter for Curriculum Night, Thursday September 15. This is where you'll find out about your student's daily schedule and the upcoming class topics and field trip plans
Join the PTA and/or submit your family information (form + $20 -> return by kidmail)
Submit the PTA volunteering form to get involved with keeping our school great! (return by kidmail)
Bring in your school supplies and a change of clothes that will be stored in your student's locker
Sign up for the vlist (parent email list) to receive all the important Bagley news as it happens
Make sure you have a payment plan for kindergarten tuition ($237/month)
Bring prescription medicine to school nurse

At special events, like Curriculum Night:

Get your student a t-shirt
Buy a Chinook Book to support the PTA
Purchase pre-paid scrip cards for places you already shop (Starbucks, Amazon, Home Depot, Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer, and hundreds more), and a portion of each card is donated to the PTA Look for online scrip purchasing very soon.

In the near future:

Plan to attend the Greenfield Grand Opening on Saturday September 17.
Come to the first PTA meeting, on Tuesday September 20.
Start planning for the first early dismissal: Wednesday September 28.
Collect donations for the Jogathon (Friday September 30 at Lower Woodland track)
Save your Boxtops, Label for Education and Greenwood & Ballard Market receipts to submit to the Free Money program. Kick-off contest deadline: October 7, but collections continue all year.
Talk to your teacher about volunteering in the classroom.

Other stuff:

Register for the Source, where your student's general information will be stored - attendance, library books, computerized test scores, etc.)
Check out the Hive, Mr. Millsap's Health and Fitness website. It has the class schedules posted now, and will provide info about upcoming lesson plans. Will there be a bicycle unit this year? We'll have to ask Mr. Millsap.
Talk to your class PTA liaison about setting up a classroom social gathering for parents or the whole family.
Understand the sick kid procedure (call the front office 252-5110, or email Randi & Sari & your teacher)

Also, I'll be sending out a new family survey in a few weeks, asking for your opinions and suggestions about orientation activities at Bagley. All feedback is welcome!

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, or I have missed anything, please email me or attempt to use the form in the sidebar.

Welcome to Daniel Bagley Elementary! We are glad you are here.

The big ol' dirt pile in the playground

2011-09-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were outside at Welcome Night tonight, you probably noticed a large, unfenced pile of dirt right in the middle of the playground. Around mid-afternoon today, some clever contractor apparently decided that fencing off the grassy area was sufficient.

But, since this is the real world, and we are dealing with elementary school children, we know that a dirt pile is like a magnet to clean little children.

The Bagley admin folk didn't have enough 'caution' tape to rope the entire area off at the last minute. But, there are plans in the works for tomorrow - more caution tape, large orange safety cones, and recess monitors patrolling the area.

This weekend's greenfield work party will hopefully be tackling Dirt Mountain, but until then, be forewarned that there is a high probability of kindergartener dirtiness.

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

2011-09-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Welcome Night is tomorrow (Tuesday September 6)

2011-09-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2011-09-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

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:

allows your student to appear in the yearbook
enables you to opt-out of hard copies of the baby Buzz weekly newsletters (you'll still get a hard copy of the big monthly Buzz), and receive it by email instead. Save a tree or two, and reduce the PTA's costs!
can sign you up for the vlist, if you haven't already done that

... but most importantly, this is a great chance to join the Daniel Bagley PTA. Note that the membership dues go primarily to the regional PTA organization, and high membership gives our school a stronger voice. The PTA relies on parents' involvement to create our strong school community. This is a big part of the reason for Daniel Bagley's top ranking in the state!

The PTA fundraises over $95,000 each year to supplement our students' education by funding extracurricular programs, school supplies, and staff salaries (details: http://www.danielbagley.com/pta_fundraising.htm).

**You can bring your PTA Family Information Form & membership dues to Welcome Night**

In addition to the PTA form, you've likely been perusing the various letters and Bagley Buzz that came in the mailing. Definitely try to read through everything, although it seems overwhelming. It will make sense soon.

The medical forms are to be completed and returned, if you haven't already done so. I know that I mailed in my daughter's blue health form a month or two ago with the immunization form, so no need to repeat that. The pink medication authorization form is only required if your child takes medicine during the school day. Medicine is kept in the nurse's office, and she will administer it as well (unless you authorize self-medication). You need your health care provider to sign off on this pink form.

Two more days until school starts!

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

2011-09-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

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).
This is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year ($35,000 raised last year), so all children are strongly encouraged to participate. And they will have a great time! With lots of parent volunteers and cheering, the kids run as far as they can in an hour, and collect pledges to support their efforts. Start asking your colleagues, neighbors and family members for donations soon.

You can start getting your kid excited about it, and see if you can free up that morning to volunteer - Mr. Millsap (and Kristin, the PTA coordinator this year) will need lots and lots of help.

Tip: Do NOT underestimate the ability of a kindergartener to run a long, long way at this, especially if the weather is good - my 5.5 year old ran 4 miles last year in an hour (something like 50 laps of the playground - so that $1/lap pledge really paid off for him!).

Here's the scoop from the danielbagley.com website:

September 30: Annual Jogathon

Calling all Bagley Bees to this year's Daniel Bagley Jogathon! Scheduled for Friday, September 30th at 10:30am at Lower Woodland Track (due to the fences that will surround our new grass soccer field). Last year our students collectively ran 9,359 laps--approximately 1,144 miles all in 50 minutes and raised over $35,000. Our goal is to raise at least $35,000 again this year. Money raised through the Jogathon supports art, music, health and fitness, the library, classroom tutors, family fun nights and a whole lot more. To volunteer for this event, please contact Kristin Metcalf

Is there a Daniel Bagley school song?

2011-09-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Why, yes, yes there is. You'll see the lyrics on the back of the Daniel Bagley t-shirts (which, incidentally, will be for sale for cheap! at Welcome Night and the first day of school, as well as other opportune times throughout the year). I couldn't find the lyrics written down on the website, though.

Is the melody written down anywhere? I don't think so, but there is a rumour of a recording lying around somewhere. Meanwhile, we can deduce an approximation of the tune from the kids singing it at Monday Morning Meetings.

Forthwith, the lyrics (which your kindergarteners will have memorized after only a few weeks of school):

Cooperation, responsibility
Respect for everybody,
That's the key!
To the Bagley way,
We walk it every day.
We aim to please -
We're the Bagley Bees... zzzzz

We listen to each other
And to the teachers at school.
We work as hard as we can
And follow the Golden Rule.
That's the Bagley way,
We walk it every day.
We aim to please -
We're the Bagley Bees... zzzzz

--------------------

Six more days till school starts!

Recess time!

2011-08-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

(Refer to earlier post on a typical day's schedule for more on recess)

Generally, the recess periods are staggered so that the younger grades (K/1/2) are outside at a different time than the older grades (2/3/4/5). Of course, with the overlap of mixed grade class compositions, this doesn't always work out perfectly; for example, does the 1/2 class go outside with the K/1 group, or the older group? Hmmm... Anyways, the point is that there won't be any unnecessary trampling of 5 & 6 year olds whenever the students are set free from the confines of the classroom.

Unless it's really raining (not just misting a little), recess will be outside. Plan clothing appropriately. If it is pouring, there will be indoor recess inside the classroom. Generally this is free choice time.

Want to see what your kid is up to at recess? You're welcome to join him/her for lunch any day (sign in and get a visitor badge from the office first), and then tag along for some playground fun. There are trees, soccer balls, climbing structures, and -soon- a nice grass field.

The deal with mixed grade classes and Montessori

2011-08-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

(Original post 8/26/2011; updated with some new information 8/30/2011)

You will have noticed by now that all the classes at Daniel Bagley are mixed grade (K-1, 1-2, 2-3, or 4-5). I understand that this is common practice in Montessori programs to accommodate a range of ages and skill levels; our school's Contemporary program has mirrored this. I'm not sure whether it is for consistency, or flexibility with maintaining class sizes, or ensuring equivalent learning opportunities, or best practices, or a combination.

Rationale notwithstanding, I was concerned about the possibility of my two kids, who are a year apart (one starting K, one starting 1st), being assigned to the same classroom. That would not be a good situation for anyone. However, I have been assured that every attempt is made to place siblings in separate classrooms.

One mixed grade question I was asked but forgot to answer earlier:
Q -Will my child have the same teacher two years in a row, or will the teacher change every year?
A -The intention of the mixed grade system is for continuity over multiple years, so generally the student will stay with the same teacher (and classmates in their cohort) for both years. However, parents can request changes. Also, there are sometimes other issues that affect the class composition from year-to-year, such as a big influx of new kindergarteners. For example, last year (but not happening in 2011/2012) there was a K-only 'overflow' class in the contemporary program, and this year, those students are being divided into two K-1 classes and a 1-2 class, so only a third will stay with their teachers and buddies from last year.

So, what is the Montessori program all about, and how did it get started? Well, from a school doc I found online:

"At Daniel Bagley, the school's enrollment was in a "death spiral," as School Board Director Sherry Carr describes the situation in 1999. The school was seriously under-enrolled and threatened with closure, and the parents decided to create a Montessori program, which had been credited with revitalizing Graham Hill Elementary, which adopted a Montessori program in the early 1990s. "If you build it, they will come" was the parents' feeling about Montessori, according to Director Carr, formally a Daniel Bagley parent and now a Seattle School Board director. "It became to clear to all of us the value of Montessori. It served a need not being served in public school system," she says.

Carr recalls that interest was high in the Montessori program (which was paired with traditional classes) from the get-go, but the first three years saw slow enrollment -- it took time to build up because there was community skepticism to overcome about the school itself, not the new Montessori program. Now there is a long waiting list."

Introducing Montessori allowed Daniel Bagley to stay open (thankfully - now our area enrollment is crazy high). But what is Montessori all about? It's a different approach to education which has more of a child-directed focus than the traditional model. Bagley's official blurb: http://www.danielbagley.com/montessori.htm. You should ask Bagley Montessori parents for their experiences to get the real scoop.

Generally, Daniel Bagley operates pretty seamlessly, so there is no apparent separation of kids based on the programs they are in. It's one big school community working together to provide the best education possible.

Have a question? Check the archives!

2011-08-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm noticing a lot of activity on the blog as we approach the beginning of the school year, so I suspect there are quite a few first-time readers visiting the site. I never imagined we'd be getting 100 hits a day. Crazy! Many thanks to all you wonderful Daniel Bagley families for checking it out.

If you have a specific question, take a look at previous posts (there are only about 30 of them, so you can scan the titles easily), but if the answer isn't there, PLEASE email me and I will post something as quickly as possible.

--Lexy
(mom to Alex - 1st grader, and Isabelle - kindergartener)

p.s. Look for teacher assignment letters in the mail any day now!

p.p.s. New family social at Welcome Night (Tuesday September 6) - come & hang out at the playground and front lawn any time between 5:30-6:30. Bring a blanket and a picnic and meet the other families in your class (and school). Meet-the-teachers starts at 6:30.

p.p.s. First day of school next Wednesday September 7 - bell #1 is at 9:25am (when the kids line up in their class lines on the playground). Bring your camera for first day pictures and stick around for the annual all-school flag ceremony immediately afterwards.

Field trips and other extracurricular events

2011-08-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yup, there are field trips in kindergarten, about one per semester. Usually parent chaperones are requested (if you are unsaddled with a younger sibling), and usually there is school bus transportation. Field trips are often held in conjunction with other classes.

Last year, our kindergarten class went to a pumpkin farm, a puppet show at MOHAI, and Discovery Park. Your teacher will probably ask for feedback on preferences.

In addition, there are all kind of other special activities that will arise during the year, such as:

* Field Day (in June on a school day afternoon - fun & games at the Greenlake playfield)
* Jogathon (Friday September 30 this year - offsite location due to playground construction - Lower Woodland track)
* Walk to school day on Wednesday October 5
* Bike to School day (and last year we had a two-week bike unit in Health & Fitness)
* Magic shows, etc., on the stage in the lunchroom
* Greenfield/garden parties and opening celebrations
* Family fun nights of various kinds
* Art shows
* Teacher appreciation week
* Monday Morning Meetings, where classes take turns preparing some kind of presentation (speeches, play, song, etc.)... parents are always welcome to attend MMM, and ask your child's teacher about helping with preparation for the class performance.

Most of this will be posted on the vlist, on the googlecalendar, or in the Buzz. The fun never stops at Daniel Bagley!

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

2011-08-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

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:

Waitlist - as of middle of last week, there is movement on the waitlist, especially in Montessori. If you are on the waitlist, you might want to check your student's status online AND your email (to see if there is a message from SPS). Also, if you think that there is something amiss, call them first thing on Monday morning to check the situation. Be a squeaky wheel. As of August 26, the waiting list shows:

K contemporary - 8 kids
K Montessori - 17
1st contemporary - 4
1st Montessori - 6

School Supplies - all families are requested to donate a selection of school supplies to the general fund. This consists of $20 for kindergarteners (cash or check to 'Daniel Bagley Elementary') plus a few items of stuff like kleenex or post-its or whiteboard markers. Check the list below - and on the main danielbagley.com page - to see what you should bring. Bring in your supplies during the first week of school, or on Welcome Night, and you can give them to your child's teacher (they don't keep a list of who has brought stuff in or anything formal like that).

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.

You should also bring a change of clothes in a gallon ziploc, labelled, that your student can leave in his/her locker for 'accidents'.

Students should have a full-size backpack, lunchbox and water bottle as well.

Which Teacher Do We Have? - if you are not on the waitlist, your class assignment will be mailed out to you on Monday August 29. It's possible there is a bit of backlog between SPS and the Daniel Bagley admin staff, especially with so many people moving off of the waitlist in the last couple of days, so if you feel like you've been assigned to a teacher in the wrong program per the letter you receive, or don't get one by Wednesday, please be polite and patient with our wonderful admin staff, Randi & Sari & Ms. Ayer (252.5110). Perhaps it was prepared and sealed before your reassignment at head office.

When Do We Meet Our Teacher? - Welcome Night, Tuesday September 6 for kindergarteners (& I think new first graders, since the classes are K-1 anyways). Unfortunately, upper grade teachers will not be present due to the small number of new older kids.

When Can We Check Out the Bagley Playground? Is There Another Playground Meetup? - come early on Welcome Night (5:30-6:30), bring a picnic, grab a nametag (you'll know your teacher by then, so we will try to color code these), connect with parents in your class, and check out the playground. Fingers crossed that it will be open by then. Meet-the-Teachers starts at 6:30.

After-School Programs - besides Boys & Girls Club, which is childcare, the PTA offers a selection of cool after-school classes for kids in all grades. These are usually advertised on the vlist, via kidmail and in the Buzz newsletter in the second or third week of school, and classes will start at the end of September or early October. Typically these are an hour long, once a week, for 9-10 weeks, and cost about $100 for the semester. A new batch is offered in the winter, and again in the spring.

There is a wide range of terrific offerings, including yoga, dance, ultimate frisbee, science, lego, mythology, ancient civilizations, art, music, world cultures, soccer, knitting, etc., although not all are offered for kindergarteners. Take a look at last spring's classes as an example.

Notes:

The Boys & Girls Club will not collect children from after-school classes (or at least they said they wouldn't, last year) so working parents will have to either arrange a 4:30 pickup from the program, or ask another trustworthy and helpful parent with a kid in that activity to collect your child, and walk them 15 yards across to Boys & Girls Club portable, and deposit them there. Maybe we could find some volunteer parents to do this regularly for a batch of kids, if they are going to be at the class pickup anyways.
Tuition scholarships are available; request these through the coordinators.
Chess club and before-school spanish are offered separately, and won't start until October, so watch the vlist, kidmail and the Buzz for more info.
There are a few extracurricular teams, too - last year, a few of us were involved in coaching the Bagley Bees ultimate frisbee team, which competed against other Seattle schools on the weekends in the spring. Depends on parent interest.

Making the transition to Kindergarten

2011-08-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Granted, I don't really know much about this (my kids usually tell me to 'go away' as soon as they get to camp/soccer/gymnastics/school because they're fiercely independent), but some children have a harder time transitioning to full day kindergarten. There might be clinging and tears for a day or two, or it might continue for weeks, depending on the child.

There are tons of web resources and books out there, but a good (and important) strategy is probably to talk to your teacher to find out how she prefers to approach the situation. It's not like she hasn't gone through it before with hundreds of other five year olds. She'll know how to smooth the transition with minimal disruption to other students.

Some schools ease in, with half-days the first week... but not at Daniel Bagley. You will, however, be able to escort your child directly to the classroom at drop-off, and come right to the classroom door at pick-up, during that first week.

Getting the school year routine down takes a bit of practice, and be prepared to adjust. The ultimate goal is reducing stress for parents, kids, and teachers. And, a little bit of distraction (fun times at the playground, new buddies) can be very helpful.

A great way to make it easier: come to playdates and the Welcome Night social, so your child can familiarize himself with the school, and meet the other kids. Then it will not be so scary and unknown.

That's all I've got about this - just be prepared! Your always happy-go-lucky kid might be in total panic mode once he sees the 400 other kids, most of whom will seem like giants. Or, maybe he'll be excited and oblivious, all at the same time.

Good luck!

Kindergarten/New Family Playdate this Saturday, 10:30am, Greenwood Park

2011-08-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our second and final K/new family playdate will be this Saturday, 10:30-12, at Greenwood Park (87th and Fremont, a few blocks east of Safeway). Look for the yellow balloons & grab a nametag.

Our principal Ms. Ayer will be there again to answer your questions, and there will be lots of other Bagley families, both veterans and rookies, so it will be a good chance to connect while your kiddos run amok.

It's supposed to be sunny & hot again, so bring your hats, water, and sunscreen, and a couple of us will donate sufficient quantities of Otter Pops to aid any Bees in need of cooling off. I'll plan to bring a cooler if you have anything you'd like to store with the Otter Pops (e.g. cold drinks, picnic lunch...)

We had 20-25 families there last weekend, most of whom came before 11am. Hope to see you there on Saturday!

Computerized testing, report cards, and more

2011-08-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wondering about how your child's progress is monitored, assessed and evaluated?

Well, the teachers have all sorts of ongoing systems and strategies, and you can find out more at Curriculum Night on September 15, where you'll have kid-free time to talk to the teacher about this stuff, and at Parent-Teacher Conferences just before Thanksgiving (either the three days before t-giving, or if you take that week as vacation, you'll schedule an evening time somewhere around then).

Here are a few:

Computerized MAP testing (Measures of Academic Progress)

Computer-based adaptive reading and math assessment, last year given in fall, winter and spring, but this year maybe only twice... can't remember the final decision on this but I remember it as a topic at PTA meetings.
Non-readers use headphones. Yup, kindergarteners take the test, too.
Allows parents and teachers to see student's progress from one period to the next, compare to national averages on a percentile-type basis, and identify need for additional class material, etc.
Hugely contentious in its inaugural first year, for the standardized testing component, the computer usage, the extra work for teachers, and the amount of time it takes for students/staff/volunteers, so it will be great fun to see the politics of how things pan out in 2011-2012. My kid *loved* the MAP tests and personally, I liked seeing that his test scores increased over the year (quantifies actual learning, to me), but I understand the myriad parental and staff concerns.
It's supposed to be used as another helpful teaching tool, rather than a numerically comparative test, BUT it is used as the basis for entry into the AP (Advanced Placement) programs, like Lowell... last year students had to score 85%+ to even be considered for AP testing. There are probably workarounds, and it might have changed this year, but I don't know - wasn't something we had on our radar.
Possibly useful link: http://www.nwea.org/products-services/computer-based-adaptive-assessments/map%C2%AE-primary-grades

Report Cards

Report cards are prepared and sent home in kidmail three times a year - the first time will be right before the Thanksgiving parent-teacher conferences, so you can review together.
Shows progress in reading, writing, math, art, gym, social skills, science, etc. Most items are measured on a scale of 'above standard', 'at standard', or 'still working on it'. Generally pretty comprehensive.
Although there are no set parent-teacher conferences after the November ones, you can always schedule a time to chat with your teacher.
I feel like there is a lot of detail in these assessments

Ongoing reading and writing assessments

Last year, our student had weekly or biweekly reading reviews with the teacher. Each week, the students brought home a book appropriate to their reading level based on these reviews. The books had been given an alphabetical label for difficulty (A=easiest), so you'd see your child moving from A at the start of the year, through maybe K by the end. Different for every kid, of course.
Ask your teacher about reading and writing workshops, and science journals.

One last thing - if your kindergartener isn't reading at all yet, that's normal. If your kindergartener is reading chapter books without pictures already, that's normal too. Mixed grade classes are better able to adapt to a wide range of abilities, and allows matching of experienced readers/writers with newer reader/writers.

Understanding the wait list

2011-08-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

***Update August 27 2011 - there is movement on the Montessori list, so there is hope... Look for an email from SPS noting that you have been offered a spot (check your spam folder)***

Being in limbo is not easy, and based on discussions at this morning's playground meetup, there are quite a few of us in this position!

(Great to see so many families out to play in the sunshine at Greenwood Park this morning, BTW - another one next Saturday morning, 10:30-12 - cross your fingers for more summer weather!)

Right now, many Seattle families are still making decisions about their fall school choices, and sometimes students will not withdraw from Bagley until the last minute, when they accept a spot at another school, and open up a spot for someone from the wait list.

There will be a lot of movement in the first few weeks of September as the class sizes become solidified and kids move around (through their choices; as far as I know, the school will not unilaterally move anyone after the initial teacher assignment). Wait list acceptance is happening at other schools too, so students sometimes leave Bagley to go elsewhere partway through that first month.

Last year, people as far down as 7 or 8 on the wait list were offered a position, but it was not until the third week of school. A mid- to late-September transfer could be disruptive for your child. We were offered a Montessori spot for our kindergartener last year around September 25, but turned it down because our son had already made good friends, had a terrific teacher in contemporary K, and was happy. Now we're on the wait list again for 1st grade, and are aware that we might have to make a decision to jump mid-September if an opening arises.

This process also works the other way - I know several families who haven't gotten around to registering yet because they know they are guaranteed a spot in their local school anyways. They will be bumped ahead of any out-of-area waitlisters.

Some good links:

The summary wait list by school: go here and click 'waiting list numbers by school' to see an up-to-date tally of the number of kids on the waiting list by school, grade, and program (e.g. contemporary vs montessori). Right now there are 8 kids on the K contemporary wait list, 1 kid on the IEP (special education) wait list, and 20 kids on the K montessori wait list.

To check your student's wait list status in real time, click here and enter his/her student ID and birthdate. Updated each Friday.

As I remember, and maybe this is on the website somewhere, wait lists were active until September 30, and then erased until the next year. If selected, SPS will call and ask you to make a snap decision about taking the spot so that they can move down the wait list immediately to the next person if necessary.

Hope this helps.

How can I help to make our school even better?

2011-08-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

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

You can talk to your teacher about opportunities to improve the classroom experience. Last year, our teacher had a form at Welcome Night for identifying class-related volunteer activities that would fit our experience and schedules.

There are regular calls for volunteers to assist with computerized testing, school tours, or other all-school activities.

For general volunteering, there will be a sign-up list at Welcome Night, in mailings, and in kid mail. The PTA needs you! A bunch of the activities can be done at home, so there are ways for working parents to get involved, too. Some of the PTA volunteer roles needed this year (condensed from the website):

Artsonia - Upload student art onto a central website.
Art Walk - Annual student art show in May/June.
Bee Green Committee - Work with students/staff to make Bagley greener.
Book Fair - Events to raise funds for the school library.
Classroom Liaison - Be the PTA liaison person for your child’s individual classroom.
Clip n’ Chat - Join other parents to assemble the weekly "kid mail." Thursdays, 9:20-11:20am.
Event Assistance – Help with hosting or baking for small events such as Principal's Coffee or training days.
Family Fun Nights - Plan social activities.
Finance/Budget – Assist the Co-Treasurers with budget planning, tracking or auditing.
Free Money Program - Count receipts and sell scrip.
Giving Campaign/Raffle/Auction - Help with our largest annual fundraising event in February/March.
Grounds Maintenance - Keep the school’s ground looking clean and fresh all year.
Jogathon - Assist Mr. Millsap with this all-school event on Friday, October 1st, or before.
Kindergarten Tours - Serve as tour guide during the open enrollment period in Feb/March.
Nurse Assistance - Occasional vision/hearing screening and/or head lice screening.
Outdoor Classroom & Learning Garden - Work with students in the outdoor classroom garden.
Reflections Art Program - Assist committee showcasing student artwork in Nov/Dec.
Science Kit Volunteers - Inventory classroom science kits.
Teacher Appreciation - Assist with this annual May event honoring our teachers/staff.
Wreath Sales - Sales in November/December.
Writing/Editing - - Bagley Buzz newsletter and/or other PTA publications.
Yearbook Photographers - Take photos at school events.

Other PTA volunteer committees/programs include: After School Class Coordinator, Bee Green Committee, Before School Spanish Classes, Building Leadership Team (with staff), Buzz editor, Chinook Book sales, Family Directory/PTA Membership, Garden Committee, Green Field, Greenwood Parade, Inclusion Program Liaison, Instrumental Music Liaison, Legislative Liaison, Parents' Night Out, Reader Board Coordinator, T-Shirt Sales, v-list admin, Volunteer Coordinators, Walking School Bus, Webmaster, Wreath Sales, and Yearbook... and probably a few others.

See? Volunteers really are critical.

The first PTA meeting will be Tuesday September 20, 6:30-8, probably in the lunchroom. This is a great chance to get an idea of how the school works behind the scenes, and to meet some of the shakers and movers who provide so much support to the staff and students at Daniel Bagley. Stop by and see how you can help!

Reminder: kindergarten playdate #1 tomorrow!

2011-08-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hope to see you on Saturday, 10:30-12, at Greenwood Park!

Our principal Ms. Ayer will try to be there, and there will be lots of other Bagley families (both veterans and rookies), so it will be a good chance to connect while your kiddos run amok.

Look for the yellow balloons (hmmm, might even get helium if I have time) & grab a nametag.

p.s. All families, new to Bagley or not, are invited to attend!

The Bagley Buzz!

2011-08-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Lots and lots of terrific info in this issue of the Big Buzz: letters from the Principal and PTA president, calendar of upcoming activities, how to get involved, when you can buy Bagley t-shirts, info about all sorts of terrific extracurriculars, the list of teachers by grade***, and more.

***BTW the next school mailing goes out ~August 29, so you'll find out your teacher assignments later that week.

Daniel Bagley Greenfield Project

2011-08-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

So, you are probably asking why the playground is fenced off, with backhoes and excavators and dump trucks parked all over it. Why, it's for the new Bagley Greenfield and playground!

From the Greenfield committee before school ended: "This is what we can expect to come back to in the fall":

10,000 square feet of grass field
Over 5,000 square feet of new planting bed
Painted running track
Beautiful finish line bricks
Existing asphalt chipped & sealed
New timber wall
Wall ball post
Tether ball post (3)
Painted US map - volunteer work party next week
Four square (6) and Round four square (2) - volunteer work party next week

The good news: It's a big upgrade from the old asphalt-only playground. The parent-volunteer-run-committee raised $125,000+ last year through grants and donations to make it a better place, which is pretty cool, given the state of the economy.

The bad news: The grass playfield part will be seeded soon, and then will be fenced off for the entire year to let the grass grow - otherwise it will be trampled into a soggy mess, and have to be redone again next year.

The I-don't-know-news: It is supposed to be finished before the first day of school. It didn't look like much was happening when I was there yesterday, and there is only access to the small play structure at the bottom of the picture (below) right now, but apparently the project is on track per this e-mail to the vlist from Farhad, one of the Greenfield organizers, on August 14:

"Construction for the Bagley Green Field project is well underway and we are still anticipating completion September 2^nd."

***UPDATE 8/17/11*** GF Committee says it is on track, or even ahead of schedule, and everything will be open for the kids by the first day of school except for the grass-seeded portion. Woohoo!

I would direct you to the webpage or the Facebook group, but the info is kind of old (e.g. talks about pervious pavement, which was way out of the budget). Here's their nice little graphic to give you an idea of what to expect - there is probably something more recent, but this will be close. Top is north.

Grand opening party for Greenfield & Bagley Garden: Saturday September 17, 1-4pm
****UPDATE 8/20/2011 from Farhad, via the vList:"Construction for the Bagley Green Field Project continues….the status so far:

This week:

Field and new paving areas are graded
Irrigation being installed

Next week:

Irrigation to be completed
Topsoil and seeding to be installed
Paving to be installed

As for the field, we are going with the seed option as opposed to sod. The reason for this is that the asphalt portion of the project will cost a bit more than estimated. Also, we just found out that the school district has a rule that we must keep the field area barricaded off for 6 months.

Volunteers, we have the work party schedule out! Please choose the date(s) that works for you as we’ll be counting on your support. If you cannot remember whether you committed hours or not, please send me an email and I can let you know. The work plan for our first work party on Sept 10^th will focus on installing the engraved bricks.

GFP work party dates:

Sept 10 (10am-12pm) – Brick installationSept 17 (1pm-5pm) Green Field Project Grand Opening and Garden Grand Re-Opening CelebrationSept 24 (10am-12pm), Sept 25 (1pm-3pm),

Oct 8 (10am-12pm), Oct 9 (1pm-3pm),

Oct 15 (10am-12pm), Oct 16 (1pm-3pm),

Oct 22 (10am-12pm), Oct 23 (1pm-3pm),

If additional hours are needed to meet the grant requirements:

Nov 5 (10am-12pm), Nov 6 (1pm-3pm)"

Planning for sick kids, early dismissals, and days and days and days off

2011-08-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

Working parents, be forewarned: you should get your backup plans in place now. There are early dismissals/PD days planned every other week, and lots of week-long breaks during the year. At times, it seems like the kids are out of school more than they are in it.

Let's take a look at some of the reasons your students will not be at regularly scheduled school, and you can plan around them. A handy calendar is at the end of this post.

Sick Days
You will be either be pleased or horrified to learn that head lice is a reason to stay home from school until it is treated properly, and lice is icky, so you should regularly check at home. There are occasional lice checks at school, too, by willing PTA volunteers. SPS lice policy here. Eeee, my skin is crawling just thinking about this. Ewww.

Vomiting twice or more the previous day, high fever, pink eye, or generally feeling horrible are all reasons to stay home. More stay-at-home-worthy symptoms listed here.

Bagley has a terrific onsite nurse to patch up anything that arises while at school (and, as an aside, to administer prescription medication), and you'll be contacted if necessary. Elementary school is almost as much of a germ factory as preschool, so be prepared for sick days.

Early dismissal days
Approximately once a month on a Wednesday, there will be a 2-hour early dismissal (so, pickup at 1:35 instead of 3:35). The teachers use this time for training and to get stuff done.

Random days off
Also approximately once a month, there will be a day off for staff professional development, or 'day off between semesters' (yes, really) or a one-day holiday. These can sneak up on you so get 'em on the calendar.

Weeks off
Plan those vacations now! Two weeks off at Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Years; one week off in February for Mid-Winter Break; one week off in April for Spring break; and, if it's the same as last year, Thanksgiving week off as well. That would be a total of FIVE WEEKS OFF between September and June. Yep.

Theoretically, Thanksgiving week is for parent/teacher interviews, but there were no classes for those three days last year, which was a big surprise to me when I found out in early November, and immediately panicked about having my children at home for an entire week without any planned activities. Luckily I didn't have to work or go to grad school that week, so childcare wasn't an issue for me.

I don't actually know if that is what is happening with Thanksgiving week this year - but I will be sure to ask Ms. Ayer at the kindergarten playdate this weekend! Or perhaps a current PTA board member would be able to enlighten us? ** UPDATE 8/16/11 from DBE staff - 'probably the same as last year but TBD in the next few weeks' **

School Year Calendar
This has mostly been posted on the Bagley google calendar, which you can download to your iCal or google calendar: http://www.danielbagley.com/happening_calendar.htm

Summary:
Wednesday September 7 - first day of school
Wednesday September 28 - 2-hour early dismissal
Friday October 14 - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday October 26 - 2-hour early dismissal
Friday November 11 - (Veterans' Day) NO SCHOOL
Monday November 21 - Wednesday November 23 - (NO SCHOOL - tentative - parent/teacher conferences instead)
Thursday November 24 - Friday November 25 - (Thanksgiving) NO SCHOOL
Monday December 19 - Monday January 2 - (Christmas holiday) NO SCHOOL
Tuesday January 3 - first day of school after break
Monday January 16 - (MLK Day) NO SCHOOL
Friday January 27 - (day between semesters) NO SCHOOL
Wednesday February 1 - 2-hour early dismissal
Monday February 20 - Friday February 24 - (mid-winter break) NO SCHOOL
Wednesday March 7 - 2-hour early dismissal
Friday March 16 - NO SCHOOL
Monday April 16 - Friday April 20 - (spring break) NO SCHOOL
Wednesday May 16 - 2-hour early dismissal
Monday May 28 - (Memorial Day) NO SCHOOL
Wednesday June 20 - Last day of school

Hmmm, 'school' is a funny word when you look at it too long, isn't it?

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

2011-08-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Classroom learning includes reading, writing, math, science, social studies, learning to play nicely with each other, circle time, free-choice activities, etc. Your teacher will give you some info at Welcome Night (September 6), and more info at Curriculum Night (September 15).

In addition to regular in-class time, there are a variety of other activities including:

Health & Fitness: 2x/week, 35 minutes each (www.gobeehive.com)
Art: 2x/week, 35 minutes each
Music: 1x/week (only if funded or volunteers are available)
Computers/Technology: 1x/week, 35 minutes (projected)
Monday Morning Meetings: 1x/week first thing on Monday, all-school, in the lunchroom
Field trips
Special assemblies

Rainy Day Recess

Rainy day recess occurs as a last resort when it is really way, way, way too wet to be outside, so pack boots and coats (LABELED! There will be contributions to the Lost & Found!) as appropriate.

If it is uber-rainy, kids go straight to their classroom after drop-off. If it is still rainy at recess, they will stay in the classroom. Be extra nice to teachers on those days.

Even if it is pouring, pickup is outside the front doors at 3:35. Bring your umbrellas.

Lockers

Every kid has his or her very own locker outside the classroom, so there is a place for backpacks, extra changes of clothing, and raingear. Do check it occasionally to avoid nasty surprises at the end of the year.

Curriculum Night, Welcome Night, PTA Meetings and more...

The first few weeks of school are a tad hectic. Here are a few of the activities (connect to the google calendar to stay updated: http://www.danielbagley.com/happening_calendar.htm).

Welcome Night, the evening before school (September 6), gives families a chance to make some friends at the playground social, meet their teacher, see their desk, locker and classroom, familiarize themselves with the school, and get some guidance from the PTA. It's a bit of a whirlwind; not much chance to delve into specifics about academics.

First Day Coffee & Flag Ceremony (September 7), 9:30am - usher your kid into his or her classroom (you're allowed to escort them to the classroom door on Day #1), then stick around to meet other parents and participate in the all-school first-day flag ceremony!

Curriculum Night, September 15 this year, is an opportunity to find out more about the school's academic focus, your child's daily schedule, learning topics, field trips, evaluation including MAP testing, and so on. PTA volunteers will be there to offer wisdom (and Bagley t-shirts and scrip cards), and to inform you of the many extracurricular activities we have at Bagley. **Parents only, but limited childcare is provided.

PTA Meeting #1 is September 20 at 6pm (they are monthly, on Tuesdays). This is the best way to find out what is happening at Bagley now, or planned for the future. A lot of the stuff that happens at school is championed by parents, and this is where you'll find out about it. p.s. Volunteers wanted! There will be plenty of opportunities to sign up for as much or as little time as you can contribute.

The scoop on fundraising, and how to make it mostly painless

2011-08-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

If you are about to have your first experience in the Seattle Public School system, you are on the cusp of discovering the importance of the PTA. Especially in a time of big budget cuts, parent volunteers and donors are essential to creating an enriched school environment.

At Daniel Bagley, we're darned lucky to have fabulous teachers, staff, parents, and PTA, who contribute their own time towards our great community. But we also need to raise money ($95,000 this year) to cover costs not funded by the school district, such as:

$52,500 in staff subsidies (K-1 classroom tutors, nurse salary, math and reading specialists, and special education)

$7,950 in classroom teaching supplies

$7,750 for the “Visiting Artists” program (vocal music and drama)

$5,000 for field trips

$3,300 for supplies to the art room, gymnasium and library

$1,950 for reading supplies

$1,750 for an Emergency Fund for families in crisis

... and more.

(FYI: 2011/2012 DBE PTA budget is here)

The bulk of this is raised through the all-school Jogathon (Friday September 30, 2011) & major fundraising campaign in early spring, but I want to talk about FREE MONEY programs, which we're hoping will earn us close to $10,000, basically through just keeping grocery receipts and box tops, registering Safeway club cards online, and buying prepaid scrip cards.

So, no selling gift wrap or tulip bulbs or chocolate bars to your neighbors or office colleagues. That's good, right?

The higher the participation in Free Money programs, the more we'll earn, and the less we will have to collect through donations to meet our goals. That's good, too, right?

Caveat: I'm the Free Money Program volunteer this year, so let's consider this a PSA. The fundraising webpage isn't quite updated for the new school year, but here is the gist, so you will understand future announcements in the Buzz or in kidmail (and so you can start saving your receipts & boxtops for the contest this fall).

Year-round Free Money opportunities, starting now:

Keep all your Greenwood Market and Ballard Market receipts.
Clip all the little pink Boxtops from participating grocery products (e.g. Cheerios, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, and many more).
Clip all the Labels for Education from Campbell's soup labels and other products (e.g. Goldfish crackers, Post cereals, V-8, and more).
When you shop online, click through a portal such as eScrip or eBoxtops, that will direct you to the retailer and credit Daniel Bagley with a percentage of the purchase. Between the two programs, there are thousands of retailers, including Amazon, REI, Target, Shutterfly... it's just one extra step.

Year-round Free Money opportunities, starting soon:

Buy prepaid scrip cards from Brooke, our scrip seller this year. Don't worry, she'll announce when they're available. If you plan to shop at Amazon (or Amazon Fresh), QFC, PCC, Gap, REI, or many others, buy yourself gift cards in advance, and the retailers will give a percentage - up to 14% for some of them! - back to Daniel Bagley.

Do it once, then you're done:

Register your Safeway card # at eScrip.com for year-round cash-back to Bagley, and shop there right now, while there is a 10% back-to-school promotion.
Register your Safeway, QFC, Albertons and Fred Meyer cards at elabelsforeducation.com

It's all Easy and Free, and every little bit makes our school even better.

New Bagley parents: what are your concerns?

2011-08-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Seriously, let me know! What interests you? I'm trying to remember what it was like to be a kindergarten parent last summer, and then jotting down ideas as they occur to me. If there is something that you don't understand, please use the form at the side, or just email: lexyrelph at gmail dot com.

Meanwhile, best ways to get connected before school starts:

Join the vlist, the Bagley family listserve: http://www.danielbagley.com/happening_vlist.htm
New Family/Kindergarten Playdates at Greenwood Park:
87th and Fremont Ave. Saturdays August 20 and 27 from 10:30-12.
New Family/Kindergarten Welcome Night:
Tuesday, September 6, 5:30 pm. BYO picnic social in the playground. At 6:30 pm, meet your teachers, principal and PTA.

Details on all of these were previously posted - look for the links on the sidebar.

Topics I might try to address include:

volunteering/getting involved with the PTA and at the school
more about the greenfield project
where to buy cool Bagley t-shirts, and scrip cards
how you can help fundraise without having to ask anyone for money, sell anything, or shell out cash ('Free Money'!)
afterschool programs and extracurricular activities
how to help your child adjust to kindergarten; what is MAP testing?
how to deal with the incredible frequency of early dismissals and days off, and whether we will get thanksgiving week off again this year
help me fill out my forms; and
what does the PTA actually do?

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

2011-08-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

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. Parents are asked to supervise homework as needed, read with their child, and then comment on/sign the homework packet before handing it in.

My son really liked homework and wanted extra math problem sheets, so we usually had an extra page. A few times, we didn't get it done because life got in the way, or our usually-a-homework fan really wasn't in the mood that week. Wasn't a problem.

Don't forget about the library! Once a week, the class goes upstairs to the library, and can take out several books, due the following week on your class' library day. The number of books the student may borrow increases with reliable returns... I think we were up to six by the end of the year. Leave extra space in the backpack on library days, because six large, hardcover books can take up a lot of room, and weigh your kindergartener down rather effectively.

Luckily, the Source lists your child's library borrowings, so you can occasionally scan under his bed or the couch cushions to find any missing ones.

There are computers in the library, and by September, half of the library will become a 'technical classroom/computer lab' this year. The kids are going to learn media literacy one day per week, specific details TBD. We will see how this plays out in the new year...

How do I get to school?

2011-08-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

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.
On really rainy days, the kids should go straight into their classrooms, but otherwise, they will always put their backpack in their class line (*ask your teacher for your line location on Welcome Night, and look for her on the first morning*), then play until they have to line up at first bell, at 9:25.

Bus: if you are in the bus-eligible zone, fill in the paperwork and get it to SPS ASAP. Schedules are listed on the SPS website. At the end of the school day, bused students are collected and safely escorted to their bus (so they get on the correct one) by a Bagley staff member. It is very organized.

Car: drop-offs can be drive-by in the morning via the parking lot, where the kids can go straight into the playground, as long as there is supervision. or, you can park in the lot and walk your child in. The entrance to the parking lot is generally mayhem, and traffic is bad on 80th, so be patient and watch for kids. **there could be issues with drop-offs due to the greenfield part of the playground being blocked off all year while the grass grows, so kids will likely have to go through the gates closer to the gym...TBD**

Car pickups will require you to park and walk to the front of the school. The front is a school bus zone only, and the streets get busy, so you will have to park a block or two away or in the parking lot. Be nice to neighbors and don't idle that engine.

Bike: go for it, but be safe! There are bike racks near the garden, and I suspect that some people leave their bikes in the covered play courts. Bike to School month is in May. Also, there was a H&F segment on bike safety (and learning to ride) last September and October in conjunction with Cascade Bike Club. Mr. Millsap will give us the scoop on this.

Walk: tons of people walk! It is free, healthy, and Eco-friendly. New this year: super-safe Walking School Bus routes, where you can bring your kids to a designated Walking Bus stop, and volunteer parents will escort them to school (you are welcome to come too, of course). This will be starting one day per week in September, and growing with interest. Watch for more info in the Buzz and the vlist, and a coming-soon website with route and safety information. Walk To School Day is October 5th; put it on your calendar now!

New family social before Welcome Night, Sept. 6, 5:30-6:30

2011-08-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Pack a picnic for dinner, bring a picnic blanket, and join your fellow Bagley kindergarten families on the Bagley front lawn and playground, right before Welcome Night! You will have a chance to talk to the other parents in your child's class (you won't know your teacher assignment in time for the other playdates) and your new Bee will relish the opportunity to give the play structures a test drive, while meeting their classmates.

PTA reps will be there to answer questions, and we'll have Popsicles for the kids as an extra treat towards the end. Get a sneak peek at the soon-to-be Greenfield!

Once the Welcome Night agenda kicks off at 6:30, there won't be much time for chit-chat, so this is a great way to connect with other parents (think: future carpools and playdates) before school starts. At Welcome Night, you will meet your teacher, the principal and the PTA, tour the main areas of the school, and recieve valuable information, all before the evening program closes at 7:15.

P.S. We don't really have a backup rain option, so keep your fingers crossed for sun...

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

2011-08-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

***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.

We had to replenish the stock of quite a few of these items in our classroom last year, so Costco was happy with us.

------------------

In terms of other items, you will definitely need:

completed forms for the PTA, your teacher, Bagley, SPS (if you haven't already submitted them by the first day)
a full size back pack (big enough to fit a 9x12 folder for homework, kidmail, report cards, library books, etc.). If you're worried about it being too heavy for your 5 year old, there are neato rolling ones like little suitcases available.
a reusable lunchbox/lunchbag
a water bottle to keep in the classroom
a full change of clothes in a ziploc, labeled with a permanent marker, that the student will keep in his/her locker for 'accidents' (our family went through three changes of these in the first semester)... so if your kiddo comes home wearing different clothes than he went to school wearing, be sure to track down those cast-offs before they begin to decompose in a bag or locker.
NOT crocs. Mr. Millsap has a no-crocs policy for Health & Fitness, and running shoes are safer in the playground anyways. Flip-flops or strappy sandals won't cut it either.

Most important tip of the day: LABEL EVERYTHING. The Bagley lost and found is unbelievably huge and is donated in its entirety to a worthy cause fairly regularly. Kids are capable of forgetting pretty much anything, especially on the playground at recess.

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

2011-08-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

****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"

Original post:

This year's enrollment numbers are still being finalized (and we won't find out classroom assignments for a few weeks), but here's some info I remember from last year. *People who actually have numbers should feel free to comment or correct me.*

There were around 375 kids, approximately half in the contemporary program, and half in Montessori.

Approximately 75 kindergarteners were divided into six classes: 3 Montessori combined K/1st grade classes, 2 Contemporary K/1 classes, and one K-only. Most classes had 24-26 students; the K-only class began the year with 19 students but had 23 by year end (it was the overflow).

My understanding is that there will only be K/1 combined classes this year, no K-only. Class sizes will depend on enrollment numbers, but can be expected to be in the 24-26 range.

All other classes were combined (e.g. 2/3 and 4/5), and the Montessori program also offered 1st/2nd/3rd combined classes, but I don't know if that is continuing. Class sizes for the higher grades could be up to 28 students.

So, one teacher, 25 wild & crazy five and six year olds? Um, yes, there are instructional assistants and various aides, whose salaries are partly paid for by the PTA, so please help us to maintain the teachers' sanity by supporting the PTA, and if you have the time, volunteer in the classroom.

Full Day vs. Half Day Kindergarten

2011-08-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

You will have noticed by now that the Seattle Public School District is charging you $237/month for kindergarten. They have already asked us to submit payment information for the upcoming year (which is an improvement over last year's process).

You will also have noticed that if you opt for half-day kindergarten, there is no fee.

So, if half-day kindergarten a realistic option?

Theoretically it sounds good (heck, I did half-day kindergarten and I survived, although that was eons ago). In reality, I don't think there were ANY half-day kindergarteners last year, out of ~75 K students. Our class had all the fun stuff, like Health&Fitness, Art, and Library, in the afternoons, so morning-only students would have missed all that, in addition to birthday celebrations and afternoon recess.

But, half-day kindergarten is offered as an option through SPS, and if you think you'd like to try it, talk to our principal, Ms. Ayer.

All the pertinent information about full day kindergarten, including SPS' rationale for recommending full-day, how to apply for half-day, and tuition payment, is nicely summarized by SPS here.

And the Pay for K link is here. Sign up now to save yourself administrative pain down the road...

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

2011-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

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.

* Students will then be led outside by their teachers to the same spot at the front of Bagley every day (even in rain) for pick-up.

* On the first few days, you may come inside to collect your kindergartener right from their classroom.

* Parking on the side streets is busy, busy, busy at pick-up - be aware of school buses, cars and kids! Please be respectful of our neighbors.

Lunch

* K/1st grade lunch starts at 11:55, and is usually only ~15 minutes long. Recess is immediately afterwards, and the kids will often take only a bite or two before packing up and raising their hands, so they can be dismissed to get outside and play.

* Tips and tidbits:

Pack easy-to-eat lunches that will provide energy in just a few bites... slow-to-eat foods like salads might not be such a great idea.
Expect lunch boxes to come home almost full and students to come home starving. Sometimes just a couple of lunch items are better than lots of options, so they can actually eat without thinking about what to choose.
Lunches are available for purchase, but the lines can be long, so the actual time available for eating could be reduced to ~5 minutes. (Menus and online prepayment available at: http://district.seattleschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=189119)
Tell your kindergartener in advance that the cafeteria items are not free! My 5 year old ran up a $5 chocolate milk tab during the first week of school last year before I found out. I don't think they allow purchases on credit after that first week.
There are no food restrictions in the lunchroom at Bagley, but there is a 'peanut-free table'. If your child has allergies, make sure they are aware.
You are welcome to join your child for lunch any day, as long as you sign in and get a visitor badge from the office.

* Each class has assigned tables, and lunch boxes are brought to & from the lunchroom.

* Bagley Bees recycle and compost, and reusable containers are encouraged.

* There is a lost and found for misplaced water bottles, lunch boxes, etc. in the main hall, and you'll be reminded to check it regularly.

Snacks

* Teachers serve healthy snacks mid-morning (I think all classes do this - current Bees, correct me if I'm wrong).

* Parents provide the snacks - you'll sign up for a week or two at the beginning of the year.

* A list of approved, healthy, mostly allergy-free food items will be mailed to you before the beginning of the year.

* Different snacks for birthday celebrations are probably OK - your teacher will give you the scoop on how birthdays work in his or her classroom!

Boys & Girls Club - before/after-school care

Daniel Bagley is privileged to have on-site childcare through Boys & Girls Club! They will drop-off and pick-up your children, and offer childcare on early dismissal and professional development days, which are truly numerous. (Really, check the calendar.)

I'm not sure about the waiting list, so you'll want to contact them soon. More info at: http://www.danielbagley.com/programs_before.htm. **UPDATE as of 8/16/11 there is still space for a few more kids**

(I'll post something about the after school classes soon - these are a variety of PTA-organized extracurricular activities offered each semester)

Who is my child's teacher?

2011-07-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

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.***

Staying in touch with Bagley happenings

2011-07-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

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:

mailings from the Seattle School Board
the Buzz - weekly Bagley newsletters (http://www.danielbagley.com/happening.htm)
kid mail - information from the principal, teachers and the PTA sent home in your child's backpack
Daniel Bagley's website (http://www.danielbagley.com/)
The Bagley google calendar (http://www.danielbagley.com/happening_calendar.htm) - you can add it to your gcal
SPS website (http://www.seattleschools.org/) - procedures, waitlist, school year calendar including early dismissals, professional development days, holidays, etc.
The Source (https://source.seattleschools.org/pub/login/index.html) - your child's school records will be available here once you register
Bulletin boards by the front doors
Emails from your class parent liaison
The reader board at the corner of 80th & Stone Ave N

You can also email the PTA officers with questions; their addresses are at http://www.danielbagley.com/pta.htm

Don't forget to join the PTA and support our fantastic community! You will receive membership information just before school starts. We have reached 100 percent PTA membership for the past four years, meaning that we have had at least as many adult members of the PTA as there are students in the school. Thanks to our incredible, tireless PTA and parent volunteers, Daniel Bagley is able to offer an enhanced educational experience through programs such as classroom tutors (aides), vocal music, health and fitness, art, family fun nights, and much more. This is even more important now, in light of the recent budget cuts.

New Family Playdates - August 20 & 27, 10:30-12, Greenwood Park

2011-07-29T23:14:00.001-07:00

Daniel Bagley Playground Play Dates!

On Saturdays August 20 and August 27, the Daniel Bagley PTA will be hosting get-togethers at Greenwood Park (602 N 87th St.) from 10:30 am–noon.

(Normally we would host these play dates at Daniel Bagley, but during the summer of 2011, our playground will be closed for a major renovation. For more information about this exciting project, visit www.danielbagley.com/green-field-project.htm. Not to worry, the playground will be re-opened in time for the 2011–12 school year.)

These play dates will give your incoming Bagley Bee a chance to meet some other children who will be entering the school. There will be a PTA representative and/or a current Daniel Bagley kindergarten parent hosting each Saturday morning, who will be happy to answer your questions.

Look for yellow balloons to spot a Bagley Bee parent.