EDMONDS, Wash., September 3, 2021 — Class is in session for kindergartners and preschoolers at Edmonds School District’s new school called “Woodway Center.” The school is home to children who live in the Sherwood and Westgate boundaries and will facilitate Kindergarten, Developmental Kindergarten, Developmental Preschool, and ECEAP classes.
According to Woodway Center’s website, the school day will begin at 9:20 a.m. and end at 3:50 p.m. with Kindergarten “Early Release” at 12 pm. For preschoolers, the morning class will begin at 9:20 and end at 12:05 pm with the evening class going from 1:05 to 3:50 pm. The local YMCA will also be offering before and after school programs for Woodway Center students.
Woodway Center came about as a solution to the overcrowding at Sherwood and Westgate elementary schools. Back in February 2021, ESD’s Capacity Advisory Committee voted to recommend a new facility to the district in order to address the overcrowding issue. The district moved forward with the recommendation and just six months later, Woodway Center opened its doors.
Darcy Becker, Early Learning Programs Manager, is Woodway’s Supervisor. With excitement in her voice, Becker shares her vision for the school’s first year in a YouTube video embedded in the school’s “About” page. “The very beginning of the year will really be about being a classroom team, and being a group of kids who care about one another,” she says. “And how we create a community here at Woodway that will help our students be successful for the rest of their school career.”
A day at Woodway includes lunch, recess, P.E., Music, and, of course, classes. As Becker explains, “it will be similar to being a kindergartener anywhere in the Edmonds School District, but it’ll just be more special because all of the adults who work here really want to work with kindergarteners!”
Another key benefit of Woodway, as noted on ESD’s website, is the large concentration of same-aged students. “Woodway Center will provide a larger group of similar aged peers than the traditional kindergarten-6th grade campuses,” the site states, “and allow staff to focus on the academic and social emotional skills of children at similar levels.”
The new school is in the same building where “Former Woodway Elementary School” used to be — located in the southwest part of Edmonds. With new layers of paint and freshly cleaned carpets, Woodway is ready to house young minds.
Author: Bo John Brusco
