Tag Archives: School

BVSD Open Enrollment Deadline Is Almost Here

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Open Enrollment. These two words bring strong emotions to the parents of Boulder. For some who chose to enroll their kids in their neighborhood school, open enrollment in the Boulder Valley School District [BVSD] is not a big deal. Phew! For the 40% of Boulder families who do open enroll our children it can be stressful.

So what is open enrollment in BVSD? Any child can go to any school based on availability by entering their child into the lottery system called, Open Enrollment. All families in BVSD can look at all schools to see which one seems to meet their child[ren]’s needs best. There are many choices [charter schools, focus schools, and neighborhood schools] and each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. But ultimately many Boulderites choose to open enroll their children in an attempt to try and find the best fit. For more details on open enrollment click here.

BVSD Open Enrollment Dates:

November 7, 2016 through January 9, 2017

Finding the BVSD school that is the right fit – School Tours:

All BVSD schools offer school tours during the open enrollment process. To tour a school you need to go during their scheduled school tours. To find open enrollment school tours dates/times – BVSD Open Enrollment Tours

There are two main types of BVSD schools:

Neighborhood Schools: These are the schools that are designated for your neighborhood. Your child can always get into these schools if you live within the boundaries. You DO NOT need to open enroll to these schools if you are in the neighborhood, but you CAN if you want your child to go to the school, but you are NOT in the designated boundary.

Focus/Charter Schools: These are open enrollment schools that serve ALL of BVSD. There are NO designated neighborhood boundaries for Focus and Charter schools. You MUST open enroll to these schools. 

To help you visualize the open enrollment process here is the BVDS open enrollment flow chart [the one they have up is from last year, so the dates are incorrect, but the content is good otherwise]:

screen-shot-2017-01-04-at-12-37-13-pm

Preschools: For Boulder Families with younger children there are a few schools that have open enrollment options for preschool, such as Community Montessori. For these schools, open enrolling at preschool age is the best way to secure a slot for your child. So even if your child is too young for elementary schools, taking a look at the open enrollment process can be really helpful.

Other Open Enrollment Considerations: Likewise, the award winning Peak to Peak Charter School has open enrollment policies that favor those who have applied many times. They are all a bit different, so it is best to do your research!

Open enrollment happens for a limited time. You MUST apply to open enroll your child by January 9, 2017 to get into the lottery. To get an open enrollment application head to the BVSD website. Good luck to everyone open enrolling a child this year!

I am always happy to answer questions from my personal experience with kids in #BVSD and the Open Enrollment process. Email me at amanda@boulderfamilies.com

BVSD Open Enrollment Time Is Just Around the Corner

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Open Enrollment. These two words bring strong emotions to the parents of Boulder. For some who chose to enroll their kids in their neighborhood school, open enrollment in the Boulder Valley School District [BVSD] is not a big deal. Phew! For the 40% of us who do open enroll our children it can be stressful.

So what is open enrollment in BVSD? Any child can go to any school based on availability by entering their child into the lottery system called, Open Enrollment. All families in BVSD can look at all schools to see which one seems to meet their child[ren]’s needs best. There are many choices [charter schools, focus schools, and neighborhood schools] and each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. But ultimately many Boulderites choose to open enroll their children in an attempt to try and find the best fit. For more details on open enrollment click here.

BVSD Open Enrollment Dates:

December 1, 2014 through January 16, 2015

Finding the BVSD school that is the right fit – School Tours:

All BVSD schools offer school tours during the open enrollment process. To tour a school you need to go during their scheduled school tours. To find open enrollment school tours dates/times – BVSD Open Enrollment Tours

There are two main types of BVSD schools:

Neighborhood Schools: These are the schools that are designated for your neighborhood. Your child can always get into these schools if you live within the boundaries. You DO NOT need to open enroll to these schools if you are in the neighborhood, but you CAN if you want your child to go to the school, but you are NOT in the designated boundary.

Focus/Charter Schools: These are open enrollment schools that serve ALL of BVSD. There are NO designated neighborhood boundaries for Focus and Charter schools. You MUST open enroll to these schools. 

To help you visualize the open enrollment process here is the BVDS open enrollment flow chart [the one they have up is from last year, so the dates are incorrect, but the content is good otherwise]:

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 2.13.08 PM

For Boulder Families with younger children there are a few schools that have open enrollment options for preschool, such as Community Montessori. For these schools, open enrolling at preschool age is the best way to secure a slot for your child. So even if your child is too young for elementary schools, taking a look at the open enrollment process can be really helpful. Likewise, the award winning Peak to Peak Charter School has open enrollment policies that favor those who have applied many times. They are all a bit different, so it is best to do your research!

Open enrollment happens for a limited time. You MUST apply to open enroll your child between December 1, 2013 and January 16, 2014 to get into the lottery. To get an open enrollment application head to the BVSD website. Good luck to everyone open enrolling a child this year!

Reminder–BVSD Open Enrollment Ends January 17th

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Open Enrollment. These two words bring strong emotions to the parents of Boulder. For some who chose to enroll their kids in their neighborhood school, open enrollment in the Boulder Valley School District [BVSD] is not a big deal. Phew! For the 40% of us who do open enroll our children it can be stressful.

So what is open enrollment in BVSD? Any child can go to any school based on availability by entering their child into the lottery system called, Open Enrollment. All families in BVSD can look at all schools to see which one seems to meet their child[ren]’s needs best. There are many choices [charter schools, focus schools, and neighborhood schools] and each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. But ultimately many Boulderites choose to open enroll their children in an attempt to try and find the best fit. For more details on open enrollment click here.

There are two main types of BVSD schools:

1. Neighborhood Schools: These are the schools that are designated for your neighborhood. Your child can always get into these schools if you live within the boundaries. You DO NOT need to open enroll to these schools if you are in the neighborhood, but you CAN if you want your child to go to the school, but you are not in the designated boundary.

2. Focus/Charter Schools: These are open enrollment schools that serve ALL of BVSD. There are NO designated neighborhood boundaries for Focus and Charter schools. You MUST open enroll to these schools. 

To help you visualize the open enrollment process here is the BVDS open enrollment flow chart:

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 2.13.08 PM

For Boulder Families with younger children there are a few schools that have open enrollment options for preschool, such as Community Montessori. For these schools, open enrolling at preschool age is the best way to secure a slot for your child. So even if your child is too young for elementary schools, taking a look at the open enrollment process can be really helpful. Likewise, the award winning Peak to Peak Charter School has open enrollment policies that favor those who have applied many times. They are all a bit different, so best to do your research!

Open enrollment happens for a limited time. You MUST apply to open enroll your child between December 2, 2013 and January 17, 2014. To get an open enrollment application head to the BVSD website. Good luck to everyone open enrolling a child this year!

BVSD Open Enrollment Time Is Here!

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Open Enrollment. These two words bring strong emotions to the parents of Boulder. For some who chose to enroll their kids in their neighborhood school, open enrollment in the Boulder Valley School District [BVSD] is not a big deal. Phew! For the 40% of us who do open enroll our children it can be stressful.

So what is open enrollment in BVSD? Any child can go to any school based on availability by entering their child into the lottery system called, Open Enrollment. All families in BVSD can look at all schools to see which one seems to meet their child[ren]’s needs best. There are many choices [charter schools, focus schools, and neighborhood schools] and each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. But ultimately many Boulderites choose to open enroll their children in an attempt to try and find the best fit. For more details on open enrollment click here.

There are two main types of BVSD schools:

1. Neighborhood Schools: These are the schools that are designated for your neighborhood. Your child can always get into these schools if you live within the boundaries. You DO NOT need to open enroll to these schools if you are in the neighborhood, but you CAN if you want your child to go to the school, but you are not in the designated boundary.

2. Focus/Charter Schools: These are open enrollment schools that serve ALL of BVSD. There are NO designated neighborhood boundaries for Focus and Charter schools. You MUST open enroll to these schools. 

To help you visualize the open enrollment process here is the BVDS open enrollment flow chart:

Screen Shot 2013-12-02 at 2.13.08 PM

For Boulder Families with younger children there are a few schools that have open enrollment options for preschool, such as Community Montessori. For these schools, open enrolling at preschool age is the best way to secure a slot for your child. So even if your child is too young for elementary schools, taking a look at the open enrollment process can be really helpful. Likewise, the award winning Peak to Peak Charter School has open enrollment policies that favor those who have applied many times. They are all a bit different, so best to do your research!

Open enrollment happens for a limited time. You MUST apply to open enroll your child between December 2, 2013 and January 17, 2014. To get an open enrollment application head to the BVSD website. Good luck to everyone open enrolling a child this year!

Infinite Campus: Check Out The Mobile App!

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Screen Shot 2013-08-28 at 2.34.22 PMIf you have a child in BVSD [Boulder Valley School District] then you probably know about Infinite Campus. I will say that I never used it until my son went into middle school. Now it is clear that I NEED access to Infinite Campus. Like it sounds, Infinite Campus, allows you to be a helicopter parent to your children. Otherwise known as supporting them through their many classes and seemingly endless assignments. I guess I sound a little critical. I guess I am a little critical. My 11 year old has just jumped in head first into being a young adult. Ahhh, Middle School!

Anyhow, if you want to be able to support, track, encourage your child, then getting on Infinite Campus is important. It’s the main way teachers communicate with parents. You can log on to Infinite Campus via you computer or now via a new App. Here’s how:

Infinite Campus on your Computer:

  1. Go to the BVSD website.
  2. Click on the Infinite Campus Student/Parent Portal button. It’s the one on the bottom left of the screen shot below. Or the middle left of your page when you get on the website.
  3. Log in. You will need to know your access info. If you don’t have that access code yet, you need to talk with your child’s school. If you have kids at more than one school you can still just talk with one school as it is for the whole family.

Screen Shot 2013-08-29 at 1.14.05 PM

Infinite Campus on your Smart Phone: Woohoo!!!

  1. Follow ALL steps above to log on, on your computer the first time.
  2. Once you are able to log on and create a Username and Password, then you can do the fun part–get the App.
  3. Go to your mobile device and search for “Infinite Campus”. Download the FREE App. App Store or Google Play work.
  4. Put in your District ID: BVSDCO & your Username & Password. Now you are in!

Last night at my son’s middle school’s back to school event I was able to see exactly which classes he had, his schedule on a day-to-day basis, his teacher’s names and email addresses. It was handy. As I watched so many parents walking around with scraps of paper showing where their child’s classes, I was excited to have found this mobile app!

Are there mobile apps you would recommend for parents?

BVSD Open Enrollment Time Is Here!

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Open Enrollment. These two words bring strong emotions to the parents of Boulder. For some who chose to enroll their kids in their neighborhood school, open enrollment in the Boulder Valley School District [BVSD] is not a big deal. Phew! For the 40% of us who do open enroll our children it can be stressful.

So what is open enrollment in BVSD? Any child can go to any school based on availability by entering their child into the lottery system called, Open Enrollment. All families in BVSD can look at all schools to see which one seems to meet their child[ren]’s needs best. There are many choices [charter schools, focus schools, and neighborhood schools] and each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. But ultimately many of us choose to open enroll our children to try and find the best fit. For more details on open enrollment click here.

There are two main types of BVSD schools:

1. Neighborhood Schools: These are the schools that are designated for your neighborhood. Your child can always get into these schools if you live within the boundaries. You DO NOT need to open enroll to these schools if you are in the neighborhood, but you CAN if you want your child to go to the school, but you are not in the designated boundary.

2. Focus/Charter Schools: These are open enrollment schools that serve ALL of BVSD. There are NO designated neighborhood boundaries for Focus and Charter schools. You MUST open enroll to these schools. 

To help you visualize the open enrollment process here is the BVDS open enrollment flow chart:

For Boulder Families with younger children there are a few schools that have open enrollment options for preschool, such as Community Montessori. For these schools, open enrolling at preschool age is the best way to secure a slot for your child. So even if your child is too young for elementary schools, taking a look at the open enrollment process can be really helpful.

Open enrollment happens for a limited time. You MUST apply to open enroll your child between November 26, 2012 and January 18, 2013. For more details on the dates click here. To get an open enrollment application head to the BVSD website starting November 26, 2012. Good luck to everyone open enrolling a child this year!

Boulder School Kids: Cool Days Off School Programs

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If you have school age kids you know that though school has started our kids are often out. There are professional days, conference exchange days, holidays–you name it. In fact we have only had one full week at this point. Sometimes these days off school even sneaks up on you. If you are a working parent, have something scheduled on those days, or your child just wants an opportunity to do something new, then you may be looking for something educational and fun for them. Here are some suggestions:

Factory Made: Offers creative programs for kids ages 7 to 17 on days when they are not in
 school.

YMCA: The Y offers an amazing variety of sports and general programs. They offer a sliding scale for most programs so everyone can take part.

CU Science Discovery: They offer classes in a wide variety of science related topics. Their offerings change so check back to see what fits best for your child.

Life Long Learning: They offer classes for kids and teens in a large variety of topics.

Square State Skate: These are fun skateboarding programs run by two educators. They know how to bring together education, technique and fun all wrapped up together. The programs are full days and reasonably priced.