P arents planning to send their kids to Tahoma School District kindergarten next year have just about a week and a half to prepare for registration.
Registration is scheduled for the week of March 12 to 16 at all four elementary schools for both half-day and all-day kindergarten sessions.
All-day kindergarten often fills up, so parents seeking this option won’t want to miss registration. If too many kids are registered, the district will enter all names in a lottery drawing on March 22 and let parents know in early April. Even though it won’t help families’ chances to register early on registration week, those who miss registering by the March 20 deadline won’t be entered in the lottery.
Even for parents looking for half-day kindergarten, on-time registration is important so that the district can assign teachers and plan for things like bus routes and support staff, says district spokesman Kevin Patterson.
Families cannot request a particular kindergarten teacher, but the district provides a questionnaire about the child so that the school can try to find a good fit for the student and teacher, he says.
Parents need the following documents for registration: child’s official birth certificate; immunization records; and proof of residency, such as a utility bill, purchase agreement or rental contract. Immunizations don’t need to be up to date until the first day of school. Registration packets are available at all four elementary schools, and if parents can’t locate all of the required documents, they can talk to the front desk staff at the local school about how to proceed.
