B.F. Day Dayette

Greetings Families!

It's been a great week at B.F. Day. We are nearing the end of our construction project and kindergarteners are having fun and making friends at our Kick-Off event. It's so nice to have kids in the building!

The first day of school is quickly approaching. Students in first through fifth grades will start school on Wednesday, September 2nd! I'll send another message out next Friday with back-to-school logistics and reminders. Today, I want to make sure you know about our upcoming socials, update you on a few changes in which teachers are teaching which grades, provide important dates for your calendar, and I'll also share with you a few pictures of the construction project from inside the building.

· 8/27: Pre-School Social on the playground 4:00-5:00

· 8/29: Kindergarten Playdate 10:00-11:00

· 8/31: K-5 Social on the playground 4:00-5:00

· 9/2: First day of school for 1st-5th,

· 9/2 – 9/4: Family meetings for Pre-K and K

· 9/5: Kindergarten playdate, 10:00-11:00

9/7: NO SCHOOL in observance of Labor Day

· 9/8: First day of school for Pre-K and K

9/13: Family Picnic 4:30-6:30 on the upper uppers

Do you have a student in our pre-school program? Please join us on the upper playground, nearest the north parking lot for an hour of playtime with other families and pre-k kiddos! Our pre-school team will be there and we're looking forward to welcoming new-comers and welcoming back returning families and students. As a reminder, please do not bring pets onto campus per SPS policy.

We're excited to welcome our kindergarten through fifth grade families back to campus on Monday, August 31st for our annual back to school social. Class lists will posted at 4:00. If you haven't attended this event before, here's what to expect. The playground will closed right up until 4:00, that allows our PTSA to get some tables set up, and our school team to get the lists posted. At 4:00 we'll unlock the gates, and invite families on the playground, and we'll direct you to where the lists are posted. After you learn your child's classroom assignments, please enjoy time socializing and playing on the playground. The Lydig construction team has been working hard to make sure there's lots of room for you to play and hang out. Teachers and I will be there to connect with and we all look forward to seeing you! If you're family isn't able to make it the social, don't worry. Teachers will send out their welcome letters on the 31st as well.

The first day of class for our youngest learners is September 8th, the Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday. Information about arrival will be sent next week.

At our Kindergarten Kick-off I shared the good news that our kindergarten is growing. We've outpaced what the demographers projected for us back in February and currently have 51 incoming kindergarten students. I want to assure our families that we are prepared for bigger than anticipated classes. The class sizes, approximately 25 students in each class, are within the limits that teachers have bargained, and our teachers have experience and skill in teaching and providing a great kindergarten year with these higher numbers. Additionally, there are often support staff in classrooms to help, and our PTSA has funded outside tutors which will be available to our classes with larger groups. Right now, our enrollment is holding steady, but if we were to continue to grow, there are processes with the state and the district that the teachers and I would engage in to address the situation. That we are growing is something to celebrate, and I am confident each student will receive the attention they need to grow socially and academically this year.

Mark your calendars that there is no school and B.F. Day will be closed on Monday, September 8th, in observance of Labor Day. School normally starts after Labor Day, so if this strange, you're not wrong.

Do you love to watch kids laugh and play? Are you great at helping kids problem solve? Can you open fussy lunch containers? We're hiring lunch and recess supervisors to work Monday-Friday for two hours a day, from 10:30-12:30. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our lunch/recess team, please write me directly at kmeckert@seattleschools.org.

At B.F. Day, instead of asking families to bring in supplies, we ask for monetary donations to buy the supplies at the school level. and at a discount, ensuring students have exactly what they need. We request payments for your student's supplies for the 2026-2027school year on a sliding scale of $40-$60 per student. Please be sure to identify your student(s) when making the payment by entering their name(s) in the available fields. It is okay to pay for multiple students on the same purchase to avoid multiple service fees. Please note all students on the same “name” option.

Click this link to donate now: https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/20262027-Back-to-School-Supply-Drive/SeEY8JF School supplies donations are different from the PTSA Direct Drive, which happens later in the year and supports B.F. Day in a variety of ways that support teaching, learning and student enrichment activities.

Because Seattle Public Schools is transitioning software platforms for a lot of our business systems, this round of the drive will end on September 8th. After the transition is complete, we'll open round two with a new link to the new system. We are only asking you to donate once per child. Thanks for your continued support!

I'm excited to share our grade level teachers for the 26-27 school year. I've received a lot of emails expressing interest and curiosity around this topic. (My apologies for not being able to respond to them all individually.) Please know that our instructional teams know your children well as learners and work thoughtfully to create classroom communities that support the needs of all students. Because of the care and planning that goes into this process, which includes awareness of social and academic strengths and needs, friendship groups, and more, we will not be able to accommodate requests for specific teachers or classroom changes.

Kindergarten: Ms. Ferrel and Ms. Mathan

1st grade: Ms. Steel and Ms.Oklander

2nd grade: Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Sidhu

3rd grade: Ms. Sawyer and Ms. Noreng

3rd/4th split grade : Ms.Tetrick

4th grade: Ms. Strand

5th grade: Ms. Riepe for math and science; Ms. Hogue for ELA and SS

Class lists will be shared by email and at our back to school social on Monday, August 31st at 4:00.

If you're student will be taking the bus to or from school any days of the week, this information is for you. The SPS Transportation office will write you directly with your child's route information, including the bus number and pick-up/drop-off locations. Please share this information with your child's teacher, along with the daily plan for pick-up. Writing your bus information on your child's back-pack is very helpful. We have two buses that go to Boys and Girls club, and the bus number matters for a smooth transition at the end of the day. Contact SPS Transportation directly if you haven’t received information by August 28 or need to request an after‑school stop such as Boys & Girls Club. You can find more information on their web page: https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/transportation/

Construction continues around the building. The windows have all successfully been replaced and the construction team is working through the final details of this huge project. The first part of scaffolding came down today. The scaffolding will be entirely removed by 9/3, the second day of school.

The PTSA website has lots of helpful information about fun events and ways to get involved at school. Explore their site here: https://bfdayptsa.org/

B.F. Day is not allowed to share your contact information with the PTSA. Each year you need to re-sign up to get their newsletter, and updates from classroom parents. You can sign up to receive PTSA communications at the bottom of their home page.

Our PTSA has put together a handy one-pager with lots of helpful information to get your school year off to a great start! (Updated 8/22/26 to correct the link to school pay.)