ARLINGTON — The first day of school is a month away and the remaining weeks of summer include rallies, fairs and orientations to get students and parents ready.
Most local schools are scheduled to be back in session after Labor Day weekend. School starts in Arlington and Darrington on Sept. 9. The Lakewood School District, which serves students in parts of Arlington, Marysville and Stanwood, resumes classes Sept. 8. Everett still is negotiating its start date, but aiming for Sept. 9.
All school offices in Arlington open Aug. 19 for registration and questions, district spokeswoman Andrea Conley said. Eagle Days at Arlington High School are when teens get their student ID cards, set up lunch accounts and have their pictures taken. Seniors come in Aug. 26 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., juniors from 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. and sophomores on Aug. 27 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Link Crew leaders, a group of older student volunteers who help introduce new students to Arlington High School, plan to work with freshmen from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 8 and parents can attend a meeting from 8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
Arlington’s middle schools host welcome events Sept. 3, the elementary schools have Back to School Night on Sept. 8 and Weston High School has a student orientation Sept. 9.
“We are gearing up and will be ready for every child, every hour, every day,” Conley said in an email.
Students and families from Arlington, Darrington and Lakewood also can stop by an annual community Back2School Rally at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 at President’s Elementary School, 505 East 3rd St. Hundreds of backpacks filled with donated supplies are given out each year to students in need. There also are free immunizations, information booths and family activities.
A new event this year at Cascade Valley Hospital could be another big draw for students and parents.
The first Arlington Kids’ Back-to-School Health Expo is planned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, in the hospital’s north parking lot, 330 S. Stillaguamish Ave. The expo includes free dental checks and health exams, health and safety tips and free immunizations that can be immediately entered into Arlington schools’ database, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Egger said.
A blood drive and school supply drive are part of the event. Donated school supplies go to students from low-income families in Arlington and Darrington.
A bouncy house and obstacle course offer fun for kids and a visit from Seahawks mascot Blitz should be exciting for all ages, Egger said. After donating school supplies, people can get their photo taken with Blitz.
Past fairs at the hospital — focused on general health or women’s health — have drawn more than 1,000 people.
“This is our first kids-focused health expo,” Egger said. “We’re hoping to provide all of those services and resources kids need to get back to school.”
More information about the health expo is online at www.cascadevalley.org
District websites have other back-to-school details. Supply lists and bus routes for Arlington are available online at www.asd.wednet.edu. Lakewood’s can be found at www.lwsd.wednet.edu and Darrington’s at www.dsd.k12.wa.us.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com
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