With the first day of school looming, parents and guardians who haven’t already signed up their children for kindergarten in the Washoe County School District are being urged to register their youngsters now.
Parents waiting until after school has started to register their children is “more common than we’d like,” said deputy superintendent Kristen McNeill.
“It’s hard on our teacher allocation,” McNeill said. “We’d rather get our students in and enrolled so we know exactly how many teachers we need.”
McNeill said the district projected 4,500 kindergartners but it’s a little more than a thousand down in terms of registration. She also noted that Washoe County schools start earlier than surrounding counties, which might confuse some families.
Any child who will be 5 years old on or before Sept. 30 may enroll in kindergarten for the upcoming school year.
“We all look forward to welcoming our newest students to school,” said Kacey Edgington, school district kindergarten coordinator. “Our online registration system is ready, and we encourage our parents to use it to begin the registration process. Getting ready to attend kindergarten is an important part of assuring that our young students begin their academic careers in a positive way.”
Screenings and meet-and-greet sessions for kindergarteners and their teachers are scheduled at most schools Aug. 7-11. Parents must sign up for a time slot in advance. The school year for kindergartners officially starts Aug. 14 with the exception of students on “green track” attending Double Diamond, Alice Smith, and Spanish Springs elementary schools.
During kindergarten screenings, McNeill said teachers evaluate children’s abilities to identify letters and numbers, assess their fine and gross motor skills, and get to know the child.
How to Register
Parents must fill out pertinent registration information and take it to their child’s school with the child’s original birth certificate, immunization records, and a utility bill that shows proof of residence for the zoned school.
Visit http://www.washoeschools.net/Page/1155 to register for school. Those without access to a computer can visit any school for assistance.
Those unsure about which school their child is zoned for can visit https://www.washoeschools.net/domain/523 and enter their address.
Kindergartners who will attend Incline Elementary School will participate in evaluations from Aug. 21-25 and will begin classes Aug. 28.
Marvin Picollo School, Gomes Elementary School, and Natchez Elementary School are undergoing construction and will observe different schedules this school year. Details about those schedules are available at https://www.washoeschools.net/Page/5117
A meeting regarding the Gomes Elementary schedule will be held at 5:30 p.m. July 31 at Cold Springs Middle School, 18235 Cody Court.
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