B.F. Day Dayette

Last week I shared with third grade families that the district has decided to continue to fund us for two third grade classes. I want to thank the community for the outpouring of support you've shared with teachers. I should have included the mathematical formula that is followed to make decisions about staffing adjustments.

To determine the number of teachers for schools, the central office team makes their decision by adding up all of kindergarten through third grade students, and then they divide that by a number - which I'm guessing is 26, the high end of class size limits. The answer is the number of classroom teachers we are staffed with for those grades. Based on that formula, we come in at something close to 7.7, which SPS rounds up to eight teachers, which is what we have. Forth and fifth grades staffing is decided separately, and uses a similar formula.

As I shared at the PTSA board meeting, before school started, I met with my Director, Dr. Mercer, and Directors from Curriculum and Instruction and Operations before school started. We were told we could have a split grade class, but even then the superintendent expects every student to receive grade level instruction. Mathematically, that can't happen in a split grade classroom - there are not enough instructional minutes in the day for one teacher to teach two grade levels of content.

The solution that was offered was to have splits on paper, and then push students into same grade classes for academic content. In that situation students experience a much higher number of transitions – which is quite challenging for many students, community building is harder, and the teachers don’t receive additional compensation for doing the work that comes with larger class sizes.

I met with the third and fourth grade teachers, and considering our options, together we decided to have large class sizes and be able to build strong learning communities and allow for the teachers to be compensated for their work. The teachers and I feel confident that we can do a great job even with these larger classes, and that the supports provided by Ms. Jill and tutors will allow teachers to differentiate in core content areas.

Last week I shared this formula with our PTSA board, and added that the superintendent plays by the rule book in this area. I don't anticipate he's going to change his mind. It's not that anyone wants such large class sizes, it's that we are in a major budget shortfall and one of the ways he is trying to address that is by playing by the rules in our bargaining agreements.

I'm sure you have lots of questions and with that in mind, yesterday I shared with third grade families and invitation to meet with me next week to talk more about this situation.

As a last note here, and part of what I hope can be an ongoing dialogue, the extra supports we have to offer our students come from your generous funding through our PTSA. Washington State's funding formula for schools falls short, especially in the city. Our PTSA has a legislative arm through the Advocacy committee, and I encourage you to organize with them for appropriate funding for our public schools.

10/18: PTSA Beautify BF Day Fall Work Party 10:00-1:00

10/25: PTSA Fall Fest October 25th-2-4 BF Day Blacktop

11/5: Bring Your Parent to School Night

11/23-25 Parent Teacher Conferences

11/26-27 Thanksgiving Break

Hooray for recess! The kindergarten and first grade teachers have been working with me to meet the criteria for more recess, and it's happening! The recess waiver has been submitted and I'm confident it will be approved. These students will have more movement and outdoor time in the schedule and we'll still meet our instructional goals.

Our PTSA Garden Club has been busy tending the garden and scheduling classes to do science in the beauty and mystery of things growing! Here's a note from the team about how they are engaging students of all ages.

We are welcoming Fall right now in our school learning garden!

You might see giant sunflowers dropping their petals and seeds starting to take shape in the centers, alongside a tunnel of raspberries!

Over the course of the next week, students from each class are visiting the garden to learn about garden etiquette, practicing the BF Day way, and planting garlic bulbs to observe over the winter into spring. You can ask your child how and where they planted garlic with their class!

A reminder: if you're tempted by a sweet, ripe red raspberry, have your child ask a grownup and pick ONE! Please leave some for others and remember that this is a learning garden for our entire school.

Our special education partners at the central office are often very complimentary of our special education programs at B.F. Day. This month they share special recognition for Extended Resource Teacher, Brianna Thurston. Here's their shout-out!

"The NW Team would like to recognize the exceptional work done by Extended Resource teacher Bri Thurston at BF Day. Bri supports a caseload of students with diverse needs and has been working towards a systems approach to help all of them make progress. She has designed highly individualized instructional materials and schedules to balance her students’ needs. She is always open to trying new things, partnering with central office special education staff, and creatively meeting students where they are at. It is a pleasure to watch Bri’s students learn and grow year after year and I am appreciative of her creativity, adaptability, and care for students and families. Thank you, Ms. Thurston, we appreciate you!"

We appreciate you, too, Ms. Thurston!

Superintendent Shuldiner is hosting several family sessions in the coming months. The next one is at Robert Eagle Staff on 10/27 from 6:30-8:00. Find out more, and see the full list of dates and locations here: https://www.seattleschools.org/news/superintendent-community-engagement-meetings-return-this-fall/

A new emergency hub is coming to our neighborhood. You can learn more about the B.F. Day Emergency Hub at the Grand Opening event Saturday, October 10th at the B.F. Day Playfield (Upper Uppers) from 11:00-1:00.

PTSA General Assembly Meeting

Thursday, October 22nd, 6-7:30pm PT, BF Day Library or Google Meet: Please join us for our first BF Day PTSA General Assembly Meeting of the school year! Everyone in our community is welcome, whether or not you are a PTSA member. This will be a hybrid meeting: You can join online via GoogleMeet or in-person at the BF Day Library. See you there!

PTSA Updates

For even more information check out the full Newsletter! for more news about events and updates from the Advocacy Committee.

September 25, 2026: https://app.smore.com/n/q4am3

September 18, 2026: https://app.smore.com/n/n05xr1

September 11, 2026: https://app.smore.com/n/tfm36

September 4, 2026: https://app.smore.com/n/xjgdqh

August 28, 2026: https://app.smore.com/n/392tn

August 21, 2026: https://app.smore.com/n/485dr