It’s back to school time. Here are a few notes from schools around neighborhood:

• The first day of school for Seattle Public Schools is September 7.
• A proposal to redraw the Stevens Elementary boundary to stop at Madison was quickly withdrawn earlier this year. For now.
• Garfield High sports stars should expect to take real Spanish classes this year after last school year’s Athletic Director firing.
• Rudy’s gave free back to school haircuts at the Yesler Community Center September 1:

  Photo via Rudy’s facebook page.

• Lowell Elementary will start the year without it’s usual Accelerated Progress Program, which has been moved to Lincoln Elementary in Wallingford. For neighborhood families with APP-enrolled kids, the change is likely to cause headache. But others, such as Jennifer Brown of the Lowell PTA, say the change could be “an opportunity for Lowell to thrive and grow as a neighborhood school.”
• Seattle Public Schools has created a new three-tiered transportation system for schools. From the district’s FAQ:

Operationally we are moving from a two (2) to a three (3) tiered bus routing system. This means that some buses will drive three (3) routes in the AM and PM instead of just two (2).

A new Transportation Zone system means that an estimated 3,600 elementary students, who received bus transportation in the 2010‐2011 school year, have residences outside of the new transportation zones. These students will be accommodated as follows:

•    Students who live within a half of a mile from the Transportation Zone boundary can walk to a bus stop within the zone. Seats will be allocated on a space‐available basis.

•    Community stops will be created so students can catch a yellow bus near an attendance area school and take it to another school.

•    Students who are no longer eligible for transportation will receive a guaranteed assignment to their attendance area school, if requested.

You can find the transportation zone maps for your school at the SPS Transportation website. You can also check online to see if a school bus is running late. Note: All buses will be running late on purpose for the first two weeks as part of an effort to check kids in as they embark and disembark to ensure they are on the right bus.

Have any other neighborhood back to school news or tips to share? Leave them in the comments.