Redmond, Wash. – If you live in Lake Washington School District and your child will be five years old on or before August 31, 2012, it is time to register them for kindergarten. Registration takes place at your neighborhood school, beginning on February 2 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
To register your child, parents should bring the following items:
- proof of the child’s birth date such as a birth certificate or passport
- child’s health history, including current immunizations
- emergency contact information
Lake Washington offers half-day kindergarten for all children in the district. At times, the district may need to transport students to a school other than their neighborhood school due to enrollment levels. If that happens, a lottery will be held on February 9 to determine which students will be affected.
Most schools in the district offer an all-day kindergarten program as well. The district must charge tuition for the all-day program. The state of Washington pays for half-day kindergarten, so the tuition covers the other half of the school day. Fees have not yet been determined for the 2012-2013 school year. Tuition for 2011-2012 was $3300. The 2011-2012 tuition for those who qualified for a reduced fee was $1180; while it was $650 for those who qualified for free lunch.
Parents interested in registering their child for all-day kindergarten will need to bring their checkbook, as they will be asked to pay for the first month of kindergarten at the time of registration. Arrangements can be made for automatic withdrawals from your bank account for monthly payments during the next school year.
If more than 21 children register for any all-day kindergarten classes, a lottery drawing will be held on February 9 to determine the students in those classes.
New this year: Discovery Community School (DCS), an elementary choice school, will offer a kindergarten option. Entrance into DCS is by lottery and district bus transportation to choice schools is not provided. Parents interested in DCS must register at their home school in addition to applying for entrance into DCS. Should parents obtain a spot at DCS via the choice school lottery, either half-day or full-day kindergarten will be accommodated. Parents must pay applicable tuition for an all-day kindergarten program at DCS.
Parents will be able to register their children for kindergarten after February 2, up through the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. However, they are less likely to be able to get into an all-day kindergarten class and may be more likely to have their child assigned to a different school.
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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 24,500 students in 50 schools.