BPS opens schools for parents to visit

ROSLINDALE - Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant and School Committee Vice Chair Marchelle Raynor met with prospective parents at the Haley Elementary School to tour the school and answer questions about the Boston Public Schools as the parents decide where to enroll their children for September 2005.

The tour was arranged as part of School Preview Time, a program that encourages parents to visit schools during the school day so they can get a full sense of what goes on in the classrooms, meet principals and teachers and learn about the curriculum and after-school programs.

School Preview Time was launched in 2000 in partnership with Countdown to Kindergarten, a citywide collaborative to help families with the transition into Kindergarten. A key component of the program is a partnership which has been formed with more than two dozen local businesses that allow their employees to receive paid time off for visits during the day. In the first year of School Preview Time, Mayor Thomas M. Menino signed an executive order allowing all City employees time off to see schools, joined at that time by employers Fleet Bank (now Bank of America) and UMass-Boston and now by a total of 28 private employers.

Superintendent Payzant encouraged parents to visit schools to find the right fit for their children

"All Boston families registering their child for Kindergarten have the opportunity to choose from more than 20 elementary schools," he said. "I know parents appreciate the chance to visit schools and see them in action before having to make this important decision. Our schools have improved greatly over the last ten years and parents should experience that firsthand when deciding where to enroll their children."

School Committee Vice Chair Raynor thanked the Boston employers for their support in this endeavor.

"On behalf of the School Committee and the BPS, I want to thank the 28 local businesses for joining the Mayor in allowing their employees paid time off to visit schools," she said. "Their participation means that thousands of Boston residents will learn about School Preview Time from their employers and will not lose wages for time off to visit our schools. In addition to supporting our public schools, this is a crucial first step in encouraging parent involvement in their child's education. As a parent and grandparent of students who have attended the BPS, I know how important this involvement is."

The list of employers participating in School Preview Time has tripled in the past two years as more companies, including Comcast and Xerox this year, show their support for the program.

"Comcast is excited to offer its employees the opportunity to visit schools in advance of registration as part of the School Preview Time program," said Timothy Murnane, Director of Government and Community Relations, Comcast. "Through School Preview Time, families are afforded the opportunity to visit schools while they are open and full of activity in order to make the best educational choice for their child. Comcast applauds Mayor Menino and the Boston Public Schools for having the vision to establish such a worthy program."

"Our company is delighted to participate in this program," said Amato De Civita, the Vice President of Sales for New England of Xerox Corporation. "Given the number of Boston residents we employ, we are thrilled to give our parents a chance to get to know the Boston Public Schools better, which will greatly benefit both their families and the school system."

School Preview time runs through January 31 in every elementary school in the BPS. All families with children new to the district or seeking to transfer from one school to another are welcome to visit schools.

The school registration period begins in January.

For more information on the Boston Public Schools, please visit www.bostonpublicschools.org.

For information on the transition into kindergarten or a copy of the School Preview Time visiting schedule for elementary schools, visit www.countdowntokindergarten.org. Parents who would like to visit middle and high schools should contact the school directly to set up an appointment.

List of Employers participating in School Preview Time:

Asian American Bank, Bank of America, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Citizens Financial Group, City of Boston, Comcast, Curry College, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, The Efficacy Institute, Emmanuel College, Harvard School of Public Health, John Hancock Financial Services, MA School of Professional Psychology, Mellon New England, Neighborhood Health Plan, New England Conservatory of Music, New England School of Optometry, Paradigm Properties, Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation, Simmons College, Sovereign Bank, State Street Corporation, Suffolk University, The Urban College of Boston, UMass- Boston, Wheelock College, Xerox Corporation, and YMCA of Greater Boston.