A Message from Superintendent Greg Baker
Dear staff, students, families and community,
I hope it was a great first day of school for our students in grades 1-12.
Here are a few photos from today.
The beginning of the school year is the chance to start anew or catch up right where you left off in the spring.
Speaking of catching up, we had our all-staff kick-off event yesterday at Bellingham High, where we .
For many years, our district has been a state leader in expanding access for early childhood programs. In 2011-12, Ϻ was one of the first districts in the state to offer free, full-time kindergarten, using local levy funds. Now, the state provides funding for all-day kindergarten; all districts in our state offer kindergarten and many also offer transitional K for four-year-olds, which we pioneered and call Promise K.
The students who graduated in June 2024 are our district’s first graduating class to start with us as full-time kindergartners. It is moving to hear their current and past selves’ thoughts and reflections on their 13 years with our staff and in our schools. I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch, no matter where you or your child are in your education journey!
Early childhood education continues to be an important priority for us because of its powerful long-term return for our students and community. It’s also one of our key strategies in The Bellingham Promise.
We look forward to seeing our kindergarten, Promise K and preschool students next Tuesday, Sept. 3, including those going to our early learning center at the new District Office.
As always, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher, principal or me if you have any questions.
Greg Baker
Reply to: greg.baker@bellinghamschools.org