School Tour Schedule Up

Here's a link to the Enrollment Services page; click "school visits" in the middle for the list.

I didn't crosscheck the entire list but I think all schools are represented. The number of tours per school? These range from a high of 10(!) at Bailey Gatzert to 0 for STEM at Cleveland (you have to schedule an private appointment to tour). The average for each school looks to be about 3.

Important to note:
  • The dates are ALL over the place. Some schools are doing 1 tour in Feb. and then 1 in March. Some have them all in Feb. or all in March.
  • Many K-8s have dates for K-5 and then a different date for 6-8; be sure to check carefully
  • Many schools say you need to reserve a space first. Check to make sure. (I have to wonder if they really would turn someone away but they might.)
  • Some schools say kids can come. (The issue here is that many people who have elementary-aged students might also have toddlers/babies. It can get noisy on a tour if there are a lot of small children.) For elementaries, some even provide childcare. For middle and high schools, students are welcome to join their parents (but do NOT send them alone. This is a general rule at most high schools and as a former high school tour guide, I agree. Unsupervised teens tend to not behave well on tours especially if they get dropped off with friends.)

Comments

seattle said…
Odd. Stem, a brand new school that probably needs MORE tours and open houses than the other schools, has only one tour. No, corection, had ony one tour. It was 1/23. I guess if you missed that you are SOL. Who is in charge of SPS marketing?

And, BTW, Ingraham is having an IB info night, but they don't list it with the tours. It is Feb 10th at 7PM. Just for IB info though.
seattle said…
Also odd. The Ingraham IB info night is not listed under tours or open houses on the district web site. And, it is scheduled for the night before the first regular school tour. So how are families to learn about it? By the time they go on a school tour on 2/11 or 3/4, the IB night will have passed. SOL again?

Perhaps Ingraham assumes that all interested IB families will be able to attend their one open house on 2/3, and they will let them know about IB info night then?
Maureen said…
Wow, South Shore is only offering ONE tour--and it is on Feb 4th! Not acting much like an Option School! Is this their way of keeping their class sizes down? So much for the SE Alt school kids who are being driven out of Orca or TOPS due to lost transportation, South Shore doesn't seem to want them.
Unknown said…
Ingraham's IB Information Night (2/10 @ 6:30) is listed on the Ingraham website. http://ingrahamhigh.org/ Since it's not an open house or a tour, there really isn't a place for it to be included on the Enrollment Department's pages.
Unknown said…
P.S. -- Information about the IB Info Night has also been sent to Salmon Bay, Broadview Thompsen and Whitman, and I assume those schools have passed the information along to their families, and it has been advertised in the Ingraham community too. Feel free to pass it along to other middle schools too, or anywhere else.

There was an IB Info night in the fall that was targeted primarily towards private shcool families, but which many SPS fmailies attended as well, so there's certainly been a good effort to provide many opportunities to families to learn about the program.
reader said…
I didn't think South Shore was an Alt school. I thought it was just a regular school with 17 kids per class and an aide. Yep. No reason to hold tours.
No, South Shore is now an Option school. (They have been a regular ed school but it bounces back and forth which should tell you something.)
Unknown said…
Melissa,

Could you please help publicize the Sand Point Elementary Meet and Greet? Monday February 8, Sand Point Elementary Auditorium, 7-8:30 pm. It's not on the District website/list because it technically is not an "open house," but it's the only opportunity in February for parents to come to Sand Point Elementary and meet the new principal (who has a wonderful reputation, and in-person is engaging, thoughtful, and sharp). SPE is shaping up to be a great option for families looking for a small school led by a proven leader! To see one review of Dan Warren and his leadership, check Reuven Carlyle's blog, http://reuvencarlyle36.com/, the January 12th entry.

Come learn about Sand Point!
Meet and Greet with
Principal Dan Warren
Sand Point Elementary Auditorium
6208 60th Ave NE
Monday Feb. 8
7-8:30 pm
Refreshments will be served

There will be an additional opportunity in March (3/6 9-11 am, children welcome!)
To learn more, please email us at sandpointschoolopening@gmail.com or visit our blog at
sandpointelementary.blogspot.com
Maureen said…
Both of you are right: South Shore is now an "Option" school, but no one has said it will be an "Alternative" school. This means that families in the SE do not have equal access to an Alternative school.
Jennifer said…
I’m not sure what thread this should go under, but.... I am saddened and alarmed at the amount of school that have (or are going to be adding) Pay for K because of all the budget cuts. I find it crazy that anyone should have to pay for public education. I find it sickening that some kids will need to be sent home at lunch because their parents don't make enough or too little money. Now that there is little school choice, how can families be SENT to a school where they have to pay for a full day of kindergarten. With the higher expectations being placed on all grade levels how can we be taking away time in school from some kids? Am I the only one fired up about this?
SolvayGirl said…
Abby G. Not sure how it is at all schools, but I think most have free all-day K for children who qualify for FRL. Thus, it ends up being families on the lower rung of the middle-class who end up having to come up with the funds from their meager budgets or opt for the unenriched half-day.
Maureen said…
Part of what drives me crazy about pay for K is that every school is on its own: families who register for FRL are not required to pay-but the balance has to be made up by the remaining families in the class.

This may not be a big deal for the average north end school with less than 10% FRL rate, but now pay for K is reaching into the middle range of schools: TOPS has had a FRL rate lately of 24%. (and free all day K) This year pay for K was instituted at a rate of $2000 per year (supposedly to cover $40,000 for 0.5 FTE K teacher). Under the historical FRL rate, that price would actually raise $75,0000 (unclear where the 'extra' money raised would go).

Well, this year the K FRL rate is suddenly 40%. The amount raised ($60,000) will still more than cover the K teacher, but now a bunch of kids (and their WASL taking older sibs) are classified as FRL who may not have been before pay for K.*

At our Open House the other night, our principal mentioned that pay for K may be going to the District level. (Perhaps to address this sort of problem?) Has anyone else heard anything about this?

(*Note that I'm not surprised the FRL rate went up this year--the economy is awful. My point is that families that would not have chosen to apply are being driven to sign up because otherwise they would be costing their families $2000. Also, I think it feels like an entry fee to a school--especially for families whose other choices (almost all the south end schools) are free)

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