Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Important Dates for Kindergarten Families

We welcome our incoming kindergartners and their families to Alki Elementary. To get ready for this transition, we have several events and activities planned before school starts in September.

Summer Playground Playdate

Saturday August 26, 2023 (10-11 a.m.) at Alki Playground (Schmitz Park Campus)

This will be an opportunity to meet kindergarten teachers, our Principal; Mason Skeffington and make new connections with potential classmates and families.

Family Connections

Wednesday-Friday September 6, 7, or 8, 2023 at Alki Elementary

You will have the opportunity to set-up a 1:1 family meeting with your classroom teacher. This will be an opportunity to get to know each other and to ask questions ahead of your child’s first day of school. These meetings will happen during the school day. You will sign up for a Family Connection during our all-school Popsicle Social.

All-School Popsicle Social

Thursday August 31, 2023 at Alki Playground (Schmitz Park Campus)

First Day of Kindergarten

Monday September 11, 2023

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Registration

Is your child officially registered for kindergarten?

If yes, great!

If not, go to the SPS enrollment website to complete their registration as soon as possible! Planning is underway for the 2023-24 school year, so getting an accurate count on the number of kindergartners will help us determine the number of kindergarten teachers and classrooms we will need and hopefully avoid having to make any major changes in late summer or early fall e.g. adding a teacher or losing a teacher.

Kindergarten Survey

Pease fill out the following questionnaire to help us determine classroom placements for 2023-24.

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Principal Welcome Letter

Greetings Kindergarten Families, 

Welcome to Alki Elementary!  We are excited to welcome you and your scholar(s) to our school this fall. What an exciting time it is for your family to be embarking on in this next chapter of your lives.  Alki Elementary is a truly unique school community and one that we know your child will thrive in!  We are committed to creating a learning space that is safe, engaging, and fun for all our Alki Seagulls. 

This is an exciting year for you to begin at Alki. For the next two years, our school community will be moving up the hill to the Schmitz Park Elementary Campus while we wait for a brand-new building to be built at our current site. We will open our doors in the Fall of 2023 at 5000 SW Spokane St. We are very excited for you to get connected and join the strong school community that is Alki Elementary.

This feeling of connection begins by building a strong home-to-school partnership.  As we plan for the first days of kindergarten, we want to partner with you to create a smooth transition into start of school in September.  To that, we have a couple opportunities planned to help your child get acquainted with Alki Elementary.  First, we have our Kindergarten Survey which you find attached with this welcome letter.  This is an opportunity to share a bit about your child and their specific interests you see in them at this point in their lives.  We also have included a few questions around readiness for independence.  We ask that you please return this form with the envelope provided by June 30. 

Secondly, I would like to invite you to our Summer Playground Playdate scheduled for Saturday August 26 from 10-11 a.m. on the Alki Playground (Schmitz Park Campus).  This will be an opportunity to meet the kindergarten teachers, myself, and make new connections with potential classmates and families. 

The final opportunity to connect prior to the start of school will come through our Family Connections.  During this time, you will have the opportunity to setup a 1:1 family meeting with your classroom teacher.  This will be an opportunity to get to know each other and to ask questions ahead of your child’s first day of school. These meetings will happen during the school day on Wednesday, September 6th, Thursday the 7th, and Friday the 8th.  You will sign up for a Family Connection during our all-school Popsicle Social on August 31. 

The first day of kindergarten is Monday September 11. 

If you are aware of other students who will be attending Alki but have not yet registered for the fall, please encourage them to do so soon. We have already begun our planning for staffing for fall and this information will be very helpful to us.

Seattle Public Schools Enrollment

I invite you to get connected and stay up to date over the summer with information on our schools website.  We have created a separate landing page for all things Kindergarten and additional information for new-to-Alki families.

In closing, I again want to reiterate how excited our staff is to welcome you to Alki!  In the weeks ahead you can anticipate more communication from Alki as we prepare to launch the 2023-2024 school year.  In the meantime, if there is anything I can do to make this transition easier for you and your family please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

The Alki Elementary school community has passionate teachers, loving families, and incredible kids! 

It is an honor to serve as your principal and I look forward to a great year ahead.  

Sincerely,

Mason Skeffington, Principal