SPS News including Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment starts the week after next week's Mid-Winter break and runs two weeks thru March 7th.  All forms must be returned either in person or online to Seattle Public Schools by 4 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2014.  Here's the info from SPS.   Also the Enrollment FAQs have many answers to questions.  (Oddly, the district's Facebook page has nothing about this.) 

But, to keep in mind:

• the district isn't open next week so no, you can't call and ask questions
• the enrollment form is not available so you can't look at one and review it so that you are ready to go when you go in to enroll
• this is two weeks and that's a lot of kids to enroll.  I would encourage you to go early - in date and time of day). 

I did write to Tracy Libros, head of Enrollment, two weeks ago to ask about why application forms could not be reviewed and why the enrollment window seems so short but I never received a reply.

Looks like Superintendent Banda is to have some Town Hall meetings on the Strategic Plan.  I find this odd given that the Board has already approved it.  But it could be a golden opportunity to ask other burning questions about what is going on in your region.  (And yay, those small group discussions that we all love so much are part of these meetings.)

Seattle Public Schools will host five community meetings to share information on the District’s five-year Strategic Plan, with tailored comments, topics and data from each of the five educational regions. These meetings are designed to engage families, students, staff and community members in ideas to ensure academic success for every one of our students. There will also be time for participants to ask questions of the Superintendent and District leadership.
The community meetings will be held:

• 6:30-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 10
Southeast region, at South Shore K-8, 4800 S. Henderson St.
• 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13
 Northeast region, at Nathan Hale High School, 10750 30th Ave. N.E.
• 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, March 20
Central region, at Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave.
• 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, March 27
Northwest region, at Ballard High School, 1418 N.W. 65th St.
• 6:30-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 31
West Seattle region, at Roxhill Elementary, 9430 30th Ave. S.W.

Interpreters in Spanish, Somali, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog will be available at each meeting. In addition, supervised children’s’ activities and light refreshments will be provided.

Each meeting will include a joint presentation by Superintendent José Banda and the Executive Director of Schools for that region. Families, staff and community members will be invited to participate in small group discussions about the Strategic Plan on how to ensure the District meets its goal of ensuring every student graduates prepared for college, career and life.

To submit topics you’d like to see presented in your region, please email us at publicaffairs@seattleschools.org with the subject line “town hall meeting topic” by Feb. 27.

To learn more about the District’s Strategic Plan please, visit: http://bit.ly/1eS5btR