COMMUNITY

Welcome to TOPS

Starting at a new school comes with plenty of questions. We've gathered practical information to help families get oriented, connected, and involved in the TOPS community.

Read the New Family Handbook
View Calendar
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Start here

After school

DHH community

Student life

Resources

GETTING ORIENTED

Start here

Four groupings cover most first-year questions. Details for the deeper topics — schedules, electives, and bus eligibility — are further down the page.

Getting started

School hours & attendance

Important contacts

Drop-off & dismissal

School communications & family portals

Grade-level email groups

How to get involved

Getting around

Transportation area

Bus eligibility

Walk boundary

Transportation vs. geo zone

Transportation map

Student life

Daily & grade-level schedules

Middle school electives

Athletics & PE

Other school-specific information

Stay connected

Grade-level email groups

Community directory

Upcoming events

Newsletter & announcements

AFTER SCHOOL & ENRICHMENT

After the bell

Enrichment classes, onsite care, and athletics are run by separate organizations and by TOPS. Registration and schedules live on their own sites.

ENRICHMENT CLASSES

Young Roots (YoRo)

Young Roots gives TOPS students opportunities to explore new interests, build skills, and have fun after the school day. Its rotating selection of enrichment classes may include art, languages, movement, games, and other creative, hands-on activities.

The Fall 2026 schedule is now available and registration is open. Classes run Monday, September 14 through Thursday, December 17, with no classes on school holidays.

Fall 2026 classes & registration
YoRo site

KidsCo

ONSITE CARE

KidsCo provides convenient, onsite after-school care for TOPS students, as well as summer camp options. Their site lists current programs, schedules, registration, and availability.

KidsCo at TOPS

Kids Club

K–5 · OFFSITE

An after-school program for K–5 students sited at Stevens Elementary on Capitol Hill, serving surrounding public schools. A number of TOPS kids attend and ride a bus together from TOPS to Stevens.

Kids Club After School

PE & sports

The PE newsletter shares news, activities, and other updates from the TOPS physical education team — a way to stay current on what students are learning and doing.

Read the latest newsletter

Middle school athletics

Students must complete registration and eligibility steps before joining a team: a current sports physical, health insurance, and completed forms through FinalForms.

Current requirements, forms, and instructions are on the official TOPS Athletics page.

TOPS Athletics

DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY

The DHH community at TOPS

TOPS welcomes Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, DHH parents and caregivers, CODAs, and their families.

Our goal is to increase meaningful access and grow a strong, connected community — including ensuring that our youngest DHH learners have Deaf role models who can inspire and advocate for them.

We also recognize that welcoming people into a community is not the same as providing full access and cultural sensitivity. TOPS and Friends of TOPS have made progress, but significant work remains to improve the everyday experiences of DHH students and families.

TODAY

What Friends of TOPS supports

Friends of TOPS currently funds ASL interpreters to improve access to FOT-sponsored community events, along with:

DHH Community and Family Night

DHH Hands-on Learning & Life Skills

DHH Battle of the Books

Disability History Month

This is an important part of making it possible for DHH individuals and families to participate more fully in the TOPS community.

LOOKING AHEAD

Priorities for the future

More work is needed to improve access and strengthen connections between the general-education and DHH communities. Areas of focus include:

Working toward consistent, automatic access to ASL interpretation for FOT-supported community events and activities

Considering funding proposals for events and electives, such as the visual arts, that are especially meaningful to DHH individuals

As needs and opportunities are identified, FOT is open to partnering with DHH families and Seattle Public Schools to contribute through advocacy, collaboration, and — where feasible — funding. Any support would be guided by community input, submitted proposals, available resources, and the established approval process. Many efforts also require leadership from TOPS or SPS and could not be implemented by Friends of TOPS alone.

Learn and participate

All members of the TOPS community are encouraged to build their understanding of Deaf culture and strengthen their ability to communicate across the DHH and hearing communities.

Allies in Deafhood

Workshop by the Deafhood Foundation

American Sign Language classes

Through HSDC

Deaf Lit Fest and cultural events

Presented by Deaf Spotlight

DAY-TO-DAY STUDENT LIFE

Schedules, electives, and getting to school

Schedules and elective placement are managed by TOPS; transportation eligibility is determined by Seattle Public Schools.

TOPS schedules vary by grade, classroom, and day of the week. The master schedule gives an overview of the school day: instructional periods, lunch, recess, specialist classes, music, physical education, and other grade-level activities.

  • The general daily schedule by grade level
  • Classroom schedules for primary grades
  • Art, music, library, and physical education rotations
  • Upper-elementary specialist and instrumental-music schedules
  • Middle-school class periods, lunch, and advisory time

Schedules are created and maintained by TOPS and may change during the school year. Contact your student's teacher or the school office with questions about a particular classroom or grade-level schedule.

2026–27 Master Schedule (PDF) →

2026–27 daily and grade-level schedules — to be posted shortly.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Handbook, calendar, and spirit gear

New Family Handbook

Last updated June 2026

The TOPS Site Council created this handbook to help students and families navigate our school and community. It covers:

School hours, attendance, and important contacts

Transportation, drop-off, and dismissal

After-school care and activities

School communications and family portals

Calendars and important events

Volunteering and other ways to get involved

Site Council, Friends of TOPS, and fundraising

The handbook supplements information provided by TOPS and Seattle Public Schools. Because school information can change, families should confirm time-sensitive details through the official TOPS website or school office.

View the handbook

TOPS school calendar

Maintained by TOPS and SPS — use “Subscribe to All Events” to sync

TOPS Site Council Newsletters

Read to stay up to date with what's going on at TOPS

TOPS Spirit Gear store

Show your TOPS school spirit!

2026–27 Master Schedule

Specialist rotations and grade-level overview

Option School Transportation Area Map

Bus eligibility reference

STAY CONNECTED

Grade-level email groups, the community directory, upcoming events, and newsletter announcements all start with the opt-in form on Get Involved.

Join your grade's email group

NEW TO TOPS?

Start with the handbook, then find your people.

Questions this page doesn't answer? The Site Council co-chairs are happy to help.

New Family Handbook
Email Site Council