School registration

By Sande Snead - Special Correspondent
Published: July 28, 2008

If your child is starting school this fall and you haven’t pre-registered, now is the time to contact your local school.

Most schools have pre-registration in the spring. They send notices home with the children, put information on Web sites and run ads in local newspapers.

“We use any means possible to get the word out,” said Debby Lauterbach, a reading specialist at Mechanicsville Elementary. “It’s important that we know how many students to expect so that classes can be formed and we know if we need to add teachers.”

In Virginia, children who are 5 years old by Sept. 30 must be enrolled in kindergarten. Parents can delay it for a year if they think it appropriate. Children 3 years old by Sept. 30 may register for preschool.

In any locality, newcomers can call the school board to check on registration.

While each district may approach registration slightly differently, all Virginia schools are bound by state requirements. The Dept. of Education’s Web site includes immunization requirements, requirements for home instruction and more. For details, go to http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Publications/Law/law.html or http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Parents/studentenrollment.html

Area school officials also impose local requirements in addition to state ones.

For example, Chesterfield County students must attend the school that serves the geographical area in which they reside unless they have been accepted to a specialty program or received a waiver.

Children moving into Henrico County are tested to make sure they are placed in the appropriate grade level.

Powhatan County asks parents to sign a statement saying their child has not been expelled from another school.

Parents of students new to Hanover County are asked to first contact the school principal.

In the meantime, before school starts, Lauterbach says, reading to your child is the most important thing you can do to make sure he or she is ready in September.

“Read to your children every day,” she said. “It’s the single best predictor of whether a child will be successful in school or not – whether they are read to.”

Parents must bring
-Child’s birth certificate
-Child’s Social Security number (required within 90 days of enrollment)
-Parent’s driver’s license
-Two documents showing residency
-Documentation of school entrance physical exam and immunizations
— Va. Dept. of Education