We’re so excited to give you a glimpse into our students’ lives at UCDS! Grandparents and Special Friends Day is a fun, annual event when UCDS students have the opportunity to spend the day sharing their classroom and showing their work to someone special to them other than their parents and guardians. Their special guests will also be treated to a very special musical performance.
Schedule for the Day
UCDS has grown! We have more students than ever and that means we cannot fit all of our guests into the Interconnection at the same time. There will be two student performances, one featuring the Early Elementary, 1st-grade, and 2nd-grade students and one featuring the 3rd-grade, 4th-grade, and 5th-grade students. Please see the guest schedule for the day below.
Thursday, April 6th, 2023
Guest doors open at 9:00 am
We ask that guests arrive no earlier than 9:00 am.
Early Elementary, 1st- & 2nd-Grade Guest Schedule
| 9:00 am | Refreshments in the Interconnection |
| 9:30 am | Early Elementary, 1st-, and 2nd-Grade Student Performance. |
| 10:30 am | Classroom activity with students |
| 11:30 am | Event ends & guests depart. Have a wonderful afternoon! |
3rd-, 4th, & 5th-Grade Guest Schedule
| 9:00 am | Refreshments & social hour in the Gym |
| 10:00 am | Classroom activity with students |
| 11:00 am | 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-Grade Student Performance in the Interconnection. |
| 11:45 am | Event ends & guests depart. Have a wonderful afternoon! |
We understand that this schedule may affect families who have children in both groups. Our hope is that families will help make sure that each student will have at least one grandparent or special friend to experience the whole morning with them. Guests who are attending with students in different performances are welcome to choose how they split their morning.
UCDS Campus and Parking
UCDS is located at 5062 9th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Parking Options
- Park in the LDS church parking lot (5701 8th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105) and take a shuttle to UCDS. Shuttles will run from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Park on the street—but only if you plan to be there less than two hours (or risk a ticket).
- Limited parking will be available in the Blessed Sacrament Church lot after 9:00 am.
- Guests are also encouraged to utilize cabs, Lyft, or Uber.
Special Parking
We have some parking spots available in the playground lot for guests who would benefit from a shorter walk to the door. These spots will be available from 9:00 am to 11:45 am. Space is limited and we appreciate your help in making sure these spots can be utilized by those who need them. If your child’s grandparent or special friend would like to reserve one of these spots please contact Marisa Ferche or Naomi Turner (GPSFday@ucds.org or 206-547-8237 ext. 274) by Wednesday, March 29th.
Grandparents and Special Friends Day FAQ
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I understand Grandparent, but what constitutes a Special Friend?
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Anyone old enough to drive themselves to the event, and not currently a parent/guardian at UCDS, is eligible to be a special friend.
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How many guests can my child bring?
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Grandparents and Special Friends Day is for UCDS students, guests, and volunteers only. Due to space constraints, each student is limited to two guests.
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What time should we plan to arrive at UCDS and where do we go? What time is the day finished?
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Students
Quiet Start for students will be in the Discovery Area beginning at 7:00 am. Regular drop-off is from 8:15 to 8:35 am. We encourage Elementary families to utilize the carline drop-off on this day. All students will go directly to their classrooms upon arrival at school. After the event, students may leave with their guests if their guests are on the designated pick-up list (if you are unsure, please reach out to frontoffice@ucds.org). Otherwise, pick-up will be from 12:30 pm to 12:45 pm. EDP will run until 6:00 pm on this day.Grandparents & Special Friends
We ask that guests begin to arrive at 9:00 am when doors for the event will open. Shuttle service will begin from LDS beginning at 8:45 am. Early Elementary, 1st-, and 2nd-grade guests can check in at the Labyrinth Lobby or the Interconnection. 3rd-, 4th-, & 5th-grade guests can check in in the Tower Lobby or in the Gym. Please see the timeline above for the full schedule. -
Is food provided?
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Refreshments for guests will be available in the morning.
All students should come to school with a snack and a packed lunch. There will be no NEST lunch on this day.
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Will EDP be available for my child?
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There will be Quiet Start starting at 7:00 am in the Discovery Area (Labyrinth building). Afternoon EDP will be available until 6:00 pm.
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I'm a UCDS parent/guardian. How can I volunteer?
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Check out the Sign-up Genius or contact Marisa Ferche if you would like to help.
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I'm a UCDS parent/guardian. How can I see the student performance?
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Grandparents and Special Friends Day is especially for students and their guests. There simply is not enough room in the school buildings for all of our guests AND our parents/guardians. Parents and Guardians are invited to attend the Student Performance dress rehearsal on Wednesday, April 5th in the Interconnection.
- The Early Elementary and 1-2s performance starts at 9:00 am* on April 5th
- The 3-4s and 5s performance starts at 9:45 am* on April 5th
*Please note that this is NOT the same as the schedule for Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Thursday, April 6th.
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Will the performance be recorded?
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Yes! We will record video of the performance and make it available to stream or download. Watch for an email later in April with details on where to find the video.
Questions?
Please contact Marisa Ferche or Naomi Turner at GPSFday@ucds.org or 206-547-8237, ext. 274.