It’s back to school time. Here are a few notes from schools around the Hill:

• Some schools are already in session for the year. Classes at St. Joseph’s started August 30, and Seattle Academy started the following day.
• St. Joe’s is on the search for a new principal for the 2012-13 school year. George Hofbauer will step down at the end of the year after over three decades as principal.
• The first day of school for Seattle Public Schools is September 7.
• Lowell Elementary will start the year without it’s usual Accelerated Progress Program, which has been moved to Lincoln Elementary in Wallingford. For Hill families with APP-enrolled kids, the change is likely to cause headache. But others, such as Jennifer Brown of the Lowell PTA, say the change could be “an opportunity for Lowell to thrive and grow as a neighborhood school.”
• Have you seen the awesome children-run garden at Montlake Elementary? This reporter’s elementary school served McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, washed down with copious amounts of orange drink.
• McGilvra Elementary is going to have more students this year after the school district ended an agreement with the PTA to cap enrollment at 250, Madison Park Blogger reported.
• A proposal to redraw the Stevens Elementary boundary to stop at Madison was quickly withdrawn earlier this year. For now.
• The Northwest School will start the year with new Head of School Mike McGill. The school also renovated its dorm rooms over the summer and purchased a nearby parking lot at Pike and Bellevue in the spring with the intent of building a gym and dining facility.
• Garfield High sports stars should expect to take real Spanish classes this year after last school year’s Athletic Director firing.
• Seattle Prep has plans for $30M in renovations.
• Seattle Public Schools has created a new three-tiered transportation system for schools. From the district’s FAQ:

Operationally we are moving from a two (2) to a three (3) tiered bus routing system. This means that some buses will drive three (3) routes in the AM and PM instead of just two (2).

A new Transportation Zone system means that an estimated 3,600 elementary students, who received bus transportation in the 2010‐2011 school year, have residences outside of the new transportation zones. These students will be accommodated as follows:

•    Students who live within a half of a mile from the Transportation Zone boundary can walk to a bus stop within the zone. Seats will be allocated on a space‐available basis.

•    Community stops will be created so students can catch a yellow bus near an attendance area school and take it to another school.

•    Students who are no longer eligible for transportation will receive a guaranteed assignment to their attendance area school, if requested.

You can find the transportation zone maps for your school at the SPS Transportation website. You can also check online to see if a school bus is running late. Note: All buses will be running late on purpose for the first two weeks as part of an effort to check kids in as they embark and disembark to ensure they are on the right bus.