Timeline

February 27th	Parent Information Night, 6:30 pm @ Cutler School
April 23, 25, 26	Kindergarten Screening by appointment
End of June	Notification of school assignments
August 29	School Visits
August 29	Notification of classroom assignments
September 3	Classroom Visits (30 min)
September 4	Kindergarten classes begin

 

Registration

Children who will be five years of age prior to September 1st of the school year during which they wish to enroll will be eligible to enter kindergarten for that school year (HWRSD Policy). Registration is online through Aspen, please refer to the Registration page for instructions and more information. For anyone who needs assistance with registration or internet access, please contact Jen Caufield with any questions.

Screening

Screening will take place by appointment in April at each of the elementary schools. Screenings are not school dependent and will not impact placement. Once your registration is complete, we will send out information to set-up an appointment for screening in early April. This screening is a tool used to learn more about the development of each child and will assist us as we get to know each student. Areas addressed include letter and number recognition, gross and fine motor skills, problem solving, and general observations of behavior and school readiness.

Over the Summer

Enjoy the summer! Read to and with your child. Reading aloud enriches vocabulary, comprehension, and the skills required for independent reading. Explore numbers and mathematics with your child. Mathematics surrounds us…take time to count, sort, and estimate together. Practice independence with eating and bathroom routines. Establish bedtime and morning routines for consistency.

School Notification

Families will be notified which school (Buker, Cutler, or Winthrop) their children have been assigned to attend at the end of June. Summer registrants will be notified mid-August. How do we decide? We start by looking at families with siblings already attending a school and keep families together. After that we balance geography and class size to keep class sizes down and bus rides short. Families from both towns are assigned to all three schools, so be sure to visit all three playgrounds! 

School Visits and Class Assignment

We will plan a short visit for your child at their assigned school in August. This is a chance for us to meet the students, allow them to visit the classrooms on their own, and to answer any questions. You will be able to meet all of the kindergarten teachers, school principal, and counselor at this time. At the end of this day, we will electronically notify families of their child’s classroom teacher assignment. 

You and your child will be invited to visit their classroom before the first day of school. You will be able to see the classroom, meet your teacher again, and have any last questions answered. Students will take a short bus ride with the principal to practice how to ride the bus before the first day. We hope they leave with excitement and eagerness to return for their first day!

The First Day

Kindergarteners will begin classes on Wednesday, September 4th. We recommend if they are going to ride the bus at all, then start on the first day! Drivers and school staff are extra vigilant as we get to know students and where they live. It is our hope that we have all had a chance to start to get to know each other during the week before, and they will be ready and excited to learn on this first day.

Buses

Students living more than ½  mile from school will be assigned to a bus route. Bus routes are set up after school assignments have been made and will be posted by late August. Routes will be posted on the district website. 

Please be aware that a bus driver will not release a Kindergarten student from the bus if an approved adult is not at the bus stop. If no one is visible at the stop when the bus arrives, the child will be returned to his or her school and a parent will be contacted and asked to come pick up the child. While on the bus, Kindergarten students are assigned to the front seats.

For some students, bus routes will transport students to a school that is not theirs. In this case, students will use our transfer bus system. The student will arrive at a school and immediately board a transfer bus that will bring them to their school. This process is reversed in the afternoon. The transfer bus system is quick and efficient and students do not miss any time at their school because of the transfer. We ensure that staff are aware of any possible kindergarten students who need to transfer and communicate between the schools to ensure they are assisted properly.

Other Important Information

Elementary Schedule:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 8:25am – 2:57pm

Wednesday: 8:25am – 12:45pm

If you have questions about registration materials or documents, please contact Jennifer Caufield (j.caufield@hwschools.net).