Kindergarten registration season is upon us. Many parents have bittersweet emotions as
they go through the experience of registering their child for kindergarten and
realize that their “baby” is growing up.
Of course, in Salem, this process can evoke other feelings that include
anxiety, paranoia, confusion, and frustration.
Most of these feelings stem from the fact that Salem offers controlled
choice with school assignment. While
most people delight in having choices in life (the more, the better – right?),
all the choices can seem overwhelming in this case. The process can become maddening when you add
in the facts that Salem is a level 4 school district in the midst of implementing
an Accelerated Improvement Plan and that there are limited resources available
to aid families in making this seemingly monumental decision.
Okay, I admit that I tend to over-analyze things a bit. Thoughts of kindergarten started looming in
the back of my head when my son started preschool at age three. While I had lived in Salem for nearly six
years, I felt like a complete outsider when it came to matters with the Salem
Public Schools. Most of my local friends
had children of a similar age and had little insight to offer. Even those who grew up nearby or in Salem
felt equally befuddled by the whole process.
I enrolled my son at the Early Childhood Center at Bentley, thinking it
would be beneficial to have him “in the system” or that his teacher would
offer some suggestions about which school(s) would be the best fit – I
discovered that this was not the case for us.
Since going through the experience and becoming involved
with the school system, I find myself having the same discussions about
kindergarten registration and assignment with a lot of other parents. This is, after all, what launched my interest
in our schools and prompted me to start going to school committee
meetings. Since the topic is one that I
can talk about endlessly, it seems worthwhile to compile my knowledge for
others. It’s also easier than trying to
have an adult conversation while in the company of any one of my three (sweet,
precious, attention-craving) children.
Haha!
Parents consider a variety of factors when making their
decision about what school they want to send their child(ren) to in Salem. These include geographic proximity to home,
school accountability data (MCAS scores, school level and ranking), school
methodology and philosophy, and “public” opinion (based on information
presented in the news, anecdotes from friends and neighbors). Some might even base their decision on their
perceived odds of getting into a particular school. The school district offers Kindergarten
Information Night (typically held in January or February) and school tours (following
Kindergarten Information Night). The
Parent Information Center (at Collins Middle School) and the district web site
serve as a constant resource for families.
My opinion about district resources is mixed. The Parent Information Center and web site
have the potential to be THE premiere reference for parents, as they should
be. Sadly, they are not…yet. I have had multiple conversations with
Superintendent Russell about this. He is
aware of areas that need improvement and is receptive to making changes for the
better. But, like anything, it is a work
in progress and will not change overnight.
I find that the Parent Information Center is understaffed, though the
staff are friendly. Sadly, they can also
be inconsistent when it comes to giving advice and information (based on
informal polling that I conducted).
Considering budget limitations, it will be hard to make certain changes
and improvements. The web site is
difficult to navigate and, in some cases, basic, important information is not
present. To be fair, some of the web
site design issues are not within the school district’s control (the contract
is made with the entire city, not individual departments). Still, there is useful information to be
found, if you can find it.
Kindergarten Information Night is also evolving as the
district aims to make the registration process easier and less stressful for
everyone. I would describe it as a night
of basic information for registration, a review of forms needed, deadlines,
general school information (location, hours, etc.), kindergarten screening, and
so on. For some parents, the night is
very useful, while for others, not so much.
For me, the presentation did clarify some district and individual school
policies and procedures, but did not give any guidance with selecting a school
for our child.
As my mom, a former teacher, would advise, a tour is
necessary when deciding on any school, public or private. If you can, I recommend going to all of the
schools you are considering during the day when school is in session. There are a lot of things you can discover
about a school, said or unsaid, during a visit.
The only downside is that the quality of tours can be inconsistent based
on the enthusiasm and knowledge of the tour guide (based on another informal
poll). Since the tour experience will
weigh heavily among other factors, do contact the school principal or
assistant principal if you have any questions or concerns. In my experience, the principals are very
responsive and my interactions with them have been positive. Of course, you are always welcome to reach
out to me and I can help you get the information you need.
I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg (and that’s
not a goofy reference to our crazy winter) – but I do have more to share. In the coming weeks, I will delve into the
assignment policy, accountability data (school rankings, MCAS scores, etc.),
things to consider when going on your school tour, and then offer brief profiles
of each school with feedback from current families. By request, I will also compile advice from
current teachers in our schools about what you can do to prepare your child for
kindergarten. I am always open to other
suggestions and requests – please feel free to email me at kcasiglia@yahoo.com. In the meantime, I leave you with a few,
hopefully useful, links to get you started on your “journey”.
Important dates, at a glance, are as follows:
February 25th
– Kindergarten Information Night – 6:30-8 at Salem High School
March _ School tours contact each school for times and to sign up
April 1st
– Sibling Deadline – for parents who want to receive priority placement at
their current school
May 1st –
General Application Deadline*
June 1st
– Notifications go out for families who submit by May 1st
June 18-19 –
(subject to change due to snow days) Academic screening for incoming
kindergarteners, to be scheduled by each school
August 15th
– Notifications go out for families who submit after May 1st, those applying
later will be placed as they arrive
TBA – School Open
House event
*General Application Deadline also applies to families
wishing to register their child for enrollment at Carlton during any trimester
during the 2014-15 academic year.
Link to a useful article in Salem News about important dates
and required information to register for kindergarten: Time to Start Thinking About Kindergarten - http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1221279160/Column-Time-to-start-thinking-about-kindergarten
Links on the district web site -
Kindergarten FAQs: http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/KindergartenFAQs.pdf
Kindergarten Information Night English - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/KindergartenInformationNight2014.pdf
Kindergarten Information Night Spanish – http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/NochedeInformaciondeKindergarten2014.pdf
Kindergarten Registration Packet English - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/Kto5Registration2013-2014English.pdf
Kindergarten Registration Packet Spanish - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/Kto5Registration2013-2014Spanish.pdf
Carlton Registration Packet English - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/CarltonKRegistration2013-2014English.pdf
Carlton Registration Packet Spanish - http://salemk12.org/Pages/SPS_DistParentRes/CarltonKRegistration2013-2014Spanish.pdf
Kindergarten Videos - https://connect.salemk12.org/wiki/projects/kindergartenvideos
Student Assignment Policy - http://salemk12.org/pages/SPS_DistSchoolCom/SPS_Policy_Manual_Folder/5000/5103.pdf
I want to first say "Thank you!". I agree with the note that the "resource" site is lacking, and this is going to be very helpful. Most of the items posted seem more administrative to me.
ReplyDeleteI am the Salem parent to a 2.5 year old, and I am already stressing about this. We are teetering on the edge or public vs private (or bailing ship like many of our friends)
Thanks again - I am really looking forward to the posts!