New Family GUIDE
Welcome! Welcome to Hamlin Robinson School! This New Family Guide is a resource to support the transition to HRS. While this guide covers a wide range of topics, please visit myHRS and the school website at www.hamlinrobinson.org for further information.
HRS At A Glance MISSION Hamlin Robinson School ignites the academic and creative potential of students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. VISION The world class educational program at Hamlin Robinson School is a catalyst for students to discover the joy of learning within a rich, comprehensive school experience. EQUITY STATEMENT The Hamlin Robinson School community strives to ensure each student and their family has access to the supports they need within an inclusive environment that recognizes and honors all aspects of identity. We aspire to create an equitable environment for each student, family, faculty and staff, and all members within our community – a place where everyone thrives and knows they belong. We are committed to this journey which requires continual self-reflection, vulnerability, intentionality, and accountability from each of us. CORE VALUES Respect | Responsibility | Purpose | Perseverance
Need to Know Prior to the start of school, all parents and students attend a teacher conference. This conference is held in the days before the first day of school and is meant for both students and parents to attend together. Students will meet their Lower School classroom teacher or Middle School Advisor, receive their locker assignment, drop off supplies, and hear about what to expect and look forward to for the coming school year. These conferences occur on September 3 and 4. Start of school details will be shared in Thursday Thoughts. Thursday Thoughts is published every Thursday beginning in August until mid-June on the school website and via email notification. The first day of the 2026-27 school year is Wednesday, September 9. Lower School Curriculum Night is Wednesday, September 23 and Middle School Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 24. This is an important opportunity to meet with classroom teachers and advisors and learn more about the year ahead. School Hours Lower School: 8:10am - 2:55pm Middle School: 8:10am - 3:05pm 2
HRS Contacts + Resources Head of School Stacy Turner sturner@hamlinrobinson.org
Director of Advancement Anne Baunach abaunach@hamlinrobinson.org
Head of Middle School Josh Phillips jphillips@hamlinrobinson.org
Director of Enrollment Management Nikki Kurtz nkurtz@hamlinrobinson.org
Head of Lower School Jessica Ruger jruger@hamlinrobinson.org
Director of Outreach + Learning Center Rod Walton rwalton@hamlinrobinson.org
Director of Teaching + Learning Lindsey Key lkey@hamlinrobinson.org
Director of Business + Operations Max Beron mberon@hamlinrobinson.org
QUESTIONS? Student + family emergency information, student dismissal, absences, medication, records requests and student health
frontoffice@hamlinrobinson.org
Tuition Assistance
tuition@hamlinrobinson.org
Payments + Billing
tuition@hamlinrobinson.org
Technology & Parent/Student Portals
techsupport@hamlinrobinson.org
Alumni Relations & Family Association
jfukutaki@hamlinrobinson.org
Fundraising
abaunach@hamlinrobinson.org
High School Transition
hstransition@hamlinrobinson.org
Auxiliary Programs & Summer Camp
auxiliary@hamlinrobinson.org
Faculty and staff contact information can be found on the HRS website.
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myHRS Portal On myHRS, parents and students can check attendance, view class assignments and grades, and access teacher webpages and contact information. Beginning in early August, families will find the following information on the parent portal of myHRS: Required school forms, including: • Emergency information form • Certificate of immunization status • Permissions forms All required forms must be completed prior to the first day of school. Registration for Auxiliary Programs: • Bus transportation • Lunch program • After-School Programs and Clubs • Extended Day Program • HRS Music Academy Other Information: • Homeroom/Advisory roster • Supply lists • Family Directory • Family Handbook • Drop-Off/Pick-Up map • Speech + Language Services • Spirit gear • Tech support • Family Association information + meeting calendar
Calendar + Attendance Hamlin Robinson School draws families from 10+ different school districts. We make every effort to align our school breaks with the surrounding districts. If you have a student attending another school, there will likely be times when school breaks do not align. In these cases, when planning a trip or vacation, please consider taking the other student out of school, rather than the student attending HRS. Consistency of instruction, timely arrival, and attendance are critical for our students. If your student will be absent from school, a parent/guardian should contact the Front Office at 206.763.1167 or at frontoffice@hamlinrobinson.org. Early dismissal is granted when authorized in advance by a phone call or email from a parent/guardian.
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Auxiliary Programs Auxiliary Programs consist of activities offered outside regular classroom hours, including after-school programs and clubs, extended care, Day-On, and summer programs. After-School Programs and Clubs After-School Programs are offered daily and run until 4:25pm. New enrichment programs are available each trimester, like Dungeons and Dragons, Gardening, Spanish, Ceramics, Coding, Rock Climbing, Musical Theater, Yoga, and more! Individual music lessons are also available after school through Music Academy. Extended Day Each full school day, after-school care is available from 2:55pm - 6:00pm. HRS Program Aides supervise play and offer homework help. On the first Friday of the month, extended evening childcare is offered. Parents can take a night off while students enjoy a pizza dinner and fun with friends. Day-On On days when HRS classes are not in session, such as professional development days, HRS provides an engaging program for students right on campus. Students enjoy a fun themed day full of creative activities, field trips, and social connections. Previous Day-On themes have included Spa Day, A Bug’s Life, and Not so Lonesome Cowpokes. Summer at Hamlin Robinson School Summer at HRS offers both a Slingerland® morning literacy class as well as a variety of half- and full-day summer camps for students in grades 1-8. Students do not have to attend HRS to participate in the summer program. The multiweek Slingerland® class helps students sharpen skills in oral language, spelling, sound-symbol correspondence, reading comprehension, and more. Enrichment camps are offered for all kinds of interests, from Filmmaking to Flag Football! Through summer camps, students build skills, try new activities, and make friends.
Transportation Bus Transportation In partnership with our bus service provider, HRS provides bus transportation for families throughout the Seattle area. Registration, costs, and route details can be found on the school website and on myHRS. Carpool Many students carpool to HRS. Please access the directory on myHRS if you are interested in connecting with other families in your zip code. Light Rail The Judkins Park Light Rail Station is just one block from Hamlin Robinson School. It will open on March 28. We anticipate that this will become an additional transportation option for families. 5
Speech + Language Services The HRS Learning Center offers fee-based speech and language services for enrolled students during the academic school year. This service is an additional cost to tuition. Our flexible, school-based model offers person-centered therapy that helps prepare students to reach their communication goals. HRS therapy programs typically include a combination of: • • • • • • •
Comprehensive case review Weekly session or therapy alternative Classroom visits for language support Student observations Teacher consultations as needed Parent consultations if requested Written progress reports, coinciding with late fall and spring parent-teacher conferences
Services are contracted from October through early June, and all sessions occur during school hours (not before or after school). Students may be added to the program during the school year on a space-available basis. Fees for the 2026-2027 school year are not yet finalized. The 2025-2026 fees were $3,550/year. To learn more and connect directly with an HRS Speech Language Pathologist, please submit an inquiry form at hamlinrobinson.org/speech. Please note: If you submit an inquiry during summer months, there may be a delay in response until the speech team returns in late August.
Family Association The mission of the HRS Family Association is to promote belonging, participation, education, and awareness for the families attending Hamlin Robinson School. The purpose of the HRS Family Association is to promote: •
Belonging: to help build and foster belonging in a welcoming school community
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Participation: to encourage participation, involvement and a commitment to community service within the school
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Education: to provide a forum for the Hamlin Robinson community to exchange ideas and work together toward the betterment of the school
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Awareness: to support the programs of the school by increasing family awareness of, interest in, and engagement with the school
All parents, guardians or family members of current students attending Hamlin Robinson School are participating members of the Family Association and may attend all association meetings. The meeting schedule can be found on the Family Association tile of myHRS. 6
Fundraising Every gift to Hamlin Robinson School is a tangible endorsement of our collective mission – to ignite the academic and creative potential of students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. We are grateful to our families, past parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty, staff and many friends of the HRS community who give generously to help ensure our success. This support affirms a valued partnership with the school to provide the best educational opportunities for our students. Hamlin Robinson School relies on charitable gifts to provide tuition assistance, professional development opportunities, capital improvements, program enhancements, and more. All gifts, regardless of size, are valued. Tuition covers approximately 84% of the operating costs at Hamlin Robinson School. Fundraising dollars supplement the budget, ensuring our programs remain strong and keeping tuition as affordable as possible. Matching funds from employers and foundations maximize gifts – so please be sure to take advantage of these programs. How can you help? 1. Give to the Annual Fund: Each fall, we ask families to make a gift to support Hamlin Robinson School. Our goal is to achieve 100% participation from current families. We ask that each family make a gift in the amount that is meaningful to them. 2. Support our Event. Each spring, we hold an event to build community and raise funds. Watch Thursday Thoughts this fall to learn more about next year’s event. Thank you for ensuring our life-changing program remains strong and accessible to as many students as possible.
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1701 20th Avenue S. Seattle, WA 98144 206.763.1167 www.hamlinrobinson.org