Kindergarten registration for schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District was scheduled to begin on Feb. 22.
Registration will also take place for a new program called Transitional Kindergarten for children who are slightly younger. Through a new state law, children who will turn 5 years old between Nov. 2 and Dec. 2 of this year register for Transitional Kindergarten.
Children who turn 5 years old on or before Nov. 1 are eligible for regular kindergarten in the upcoming 2012-2013 school year. Registration will take place at all elementary schools from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Registering early will help parents ensure a place for their child at their neighborhood school. It also helps the district plan for the appropriate number of new students.
Parents should register at an elementary school close to their home and provide their home address to the office staff, who will be able to tell parents which school their child will attend next year.
Translation for Spanish-speaking parents is available.
To register for kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten, parents must provide proof of address (such as a utility bill), legal proof of the child’s age (such as a birth certificate), and the child’s complete immunization records. State law requires that children have a chickenpox vaccine to enter kindergarten. DTaP (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus), Polio, Hepatitis B, and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunizations are required for school entry.
For more information about kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten registration, call a nearby elementary school or the Santa Maria-Bonita School District office at 928-1783.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2012.
