NPHS Public Relations Blog

You've chosen your schools and pre-registered, now it's time to go to a family resource center and register. To have the best chance of getting one of your top choices you need to register during the first registration period. For 2007 the first period runs January 5th - February 2nd. It doesn't matter when you go, but don't put it off until too late. If you run into a problem and need an additional vaccination or document you'll want to leave time to go back. BPS requests that you go during a certain week based on the first letter of your last name, but that's not required.

Beore you go you'll need to make sure you have all of the required documentation. Make sure you bring a printout from your pre-registration. This will speed your process quite a bit. You'll also need to bring three proofs of residency. The BPS provides a list of acceptable documents. You'll need an original birth certificate or a passport for your child. Finally, you'll need proof of vaccinations. The BPS "Introducing the Boston Public Schools" brochure lists the required vaccinations on page 3.

Once you have everything together you'll need to go to a family resource center. You can find locations and hours here. Note that you can go to any center, it doesn't matter which zone you live in.

Now all that's left to do is to wait for your assignment letter to arrive in mid-march. Good luck and don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions. Just click my name below.

Want to read even more about the BPS. Here are two more blogs that might interest you. All About BPS is the blog of Chris Horan, Chief Communications Officer of the BPS. It's pretty fluffy, but is a good way to keep up with happenings at the BPS.

The Boston Parents, Boston Schools blog is written by the parents of a child who started K0 at a BPS school in 2006. It chronicles their experiences with the school and their thoughts about the BPS and public education. They don't post frequently, but it's interesting stuff.

Finally, if you're as geeky as I am you might enjoy Boston Public from BPS Chief Information Officer Kim Rice.

Now that you've chosen your schools (if you haven't, read Part I first) it's time to pre-register on line. Pre-registration is optional, but it will save you lots of time when you go to a family resource center to register (more on that in Part III).

To pre-register, go to the BPS pre-registration page. The first time you visit this page you'll need to click the "Create an Account" link. Fill in the required information and click the "Create Account" link at the bottom of the page. An e-mail will be sent to the address you entered and you'll need to click the link in the e-mail to confirm your account.

Once you've done this, you can follow the link to pre-register. You'll need to enter your child's date of birth and the grade he or she will be entering. You'll then be asked to enter your child's name, address, and other information. If you already have a child in a BPS school and would like the child you're registering to attend the same school, be sure to indicate this when asked so that you will receive sibling preference.

You will eventually see a list of schools to which you may apply. Enter a number in the box to the left of each school you wish to apply to. Rank your schools in order of your preference with 1 for your first choice, 2 for your second, etc. The more schools you select the better your chances of getting one of your choices will be.

When you're done, click next. You'll see a summary of the information you provided. Click Submit to confirm the information. You'll then be shown a final screen that you can print and bring with you when you register. Note that even though you will be encouraged to register during a certain week based on your last name that you can actually register any time between January 5th and February 2nd to have the best chance of getting your first choice.

In the third and final part of this series I'll cover gathering up the necessary documents and registering at the family resource center.

 

Children from the Hurley School sang at the South End tree lighting on Saturday, December 2nd. The choir was directed by Stephen Thompson who teaches choral music at the school through a grant from the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Registering for the Boston Public Schools can be a complicated process, but if you know all the ins and outs it's a lot easier. Over the next few weeks I'll go through the necessary steps. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by clicking my name below.

The process is under way now with School Preview Time running through January. You'll actually register by visiting a Family Resource Center between January 5th and February 2nd, 2007. 

The BPS uses a lottery system so you'll need to choose several schools (at least three, but the more the better) and rank them in order of preference. The first thing you'll need to do is to find out which schools you're eligible to apply for.

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On October 23rd the Hurley School opened its new library. The library reflects the hard work of Hurley Staff and Parents along with amazing support from the community. Shelving, desks, and lamps were donated by Ikea. Computers were provided by Verizon. Books were donated by the Shady Hill School and New England Mobile Book Fair. Books were also purchased using a $5,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries.

Attending the event were Mayor Thomas Menino, interm schools superintendent Michael Contompasis, city councillor Mike Ross, and state representative Byron Rushing.

 Some photos from the event:

The Mayor has announced that BU, BC, Harvard, Northeastern, and Tufts will provide $10 million in funds and services to Boston Public Schools over the next five years. Here's the Globe Article.

After a long and sometimes rocky search, Boston's superintendent search committee has recommended Rochester superintendent Manny Rivera as Boston's next superintendent of schools. Rivera comes highly recommended and has had quite a bit of success in Rochester which is a somewhat smaller district than Boston, but has a very similar student population.

Among his many other qualifications, Rivera is an expert in bilingual education which is great news for the Hurley School. For more, read the Globe article about Rivera's hiring, the BPS press release, and a Globe bio.

On September 19th the Broad Foundation (pronounced "brode") announced that The Boston Public Schools have won the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education. The Broad Prize is considered the most prestigious award for urban school districts. The award is given annually to the urban school district that demonstrates "the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps for poor and minority students."

Boston has been a finalist for the award for the last four years and has now won a total of $1 million from the Broad Foundation for college scholarships.

 For more, read the BPS press release or the Boston Globe article about the prize.

School Clips is a newsletter published by the Boston Plan for Excellence. BPE is  a non-profit that works closely with the Boston Public Schools on improving  instruction. The newsletter is a good way to keep up with what's going on at the BPS, especially around school reform. One funny thing about School Clips is that they've fallen several months behind but are determined to catch up. The latest issue, which was sent this month, is dated May 06. You can read School Clips here.