Let's Get Kindergarten Ready

In the Chehalis School District, we create student achievement by supporting students and families on every leg of the journey ahead. Do you have a child who will be ready for Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year? Here's what you need to know to help them get off on the right foot.

The first major event for next year's Kindergarteners and their families is Kick Off to Kindergarten, which will take place 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 11 at James Lintott Elementary. At this drive-thru event, families need to be prepared to provide the name and birthdate of the incoming kindergartener as well as a parent's name and phone number.

During Kick Off to Kindergarten, families will make an appointment for their child's kindergarten screening, which will be offered 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 3-7. Families will be scheduled for a 30-minute time slot for this screening, which usually takes about 15-20 minutes.

All enrollment in the Chehalis School District, including Kindergarten registration, is completed online. Online kindergarten enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year will be available starting April 12 at THIS LINK. At Kick Off to Kindergarten, families will receive information about the online enrollment process. Parents must complete the online registration before they attend their scheduled screening time in June. Families should bring the following things to their scheduled screening date:

• Completed Student & Parent Questionnaires (provided at Kick Off to Kindergarten)
• Medically verified Immunization Record for your Child
• An official copy of your child's birth certificate or passport if you did not submit online
• Proof of Residency (PUD, water, cable or garbage bill, insurance statement, rental agreement or escrow papers) if you did not submit online

Kids need to be 5 by Aug. 31 to register for Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year. How else can you know if your child is ready to make the leap to Kindergarten next year?

Shelley Meller has taught Kindergarten in the Chehalis School District for 19 of her 22 years in teaching. She said she loves teaching this age group because she gets to do a lot of fun and magical things with her students, whether it be dressing up as The Lorax for Read Across America Day or helping build Leprechaun traps for St. Patrick's Day. She said she also loves to see the incredible growth in her students over the year.

"Kindergarten is so magical because they all kind of come in very naive and not knowing very much and you're just filling them and watching them blossom," she said.

Meller said the skills she recommends parents work on with incoming Kindergarteners are more social skills rather than academic skills:

• Listening skills: Can they sit and listen to a story? Can they take directions from someone other than mom and dad?
• Independence: Have they successfully spent time away from mom and dad? Are they potty trained? Can they put on their own coat?
• Communication skills: Can they have a conversation with someone? Can they observe what is around them and comment about it?

Want to know what the best thing about Kindergarten is? We went straight to the experts ... some of Mrs. Meller's students:

To help our incoming kindergarten students and their families feel prepared for the road ahead, we have some exciting and FREE opportunities coming up this summer at James Lintott Elementary.

Kindergarten Carnival

All outgoing AND incoming kindergarteners are invited to our first ever Kindergarten Carnival on July 20 at James Lintott Elementary. In partnership with United Way and the Summit Learning Center, the Chehalis School District is sponsoring an interactive time with carnival booth games, resources and supplies to make early learning fun. The Kindergarten Carnival will keep learning going for those students who just finished a year in Kindergarten. It will also help prepare kids who are getting ready for their first year at school. For more information, call Cornerstone at (360) 219-7267.

Kindergarten Camp

Incoming Kindergarteners are invited to Kindergarten Camp, taking place July 24-25 at James Lintott Elementary. This event is designed to help young learners practice the skills necessary for a successful first year at school such as fine motor skills like coloring and cutting with scissors and gross motor skills like skipping and running. For more information or to sign your student up for this experience, call Cornerstone at (360) 219-7267.

The first day of the 2024-2025 school year for grades 3-12 in the Chehalis School District is Tuesday, Sept. 3. At James Lintott Elementary:

• 1st and 2nd grade students and their families will have scheduled conferences on Tuesday, Sept. 3
• 1st and 2nd graders will have their first day of school Wednesday, Sept. 4
• Kindergarteners and their families will have scheduled WAKIDS conferences with teachers between Sept. 3-5
• Kindergarteners will have their first day of school on Friday, Sept. 6.

The regular school schedule for James Lintott Elementary is 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please note that each of our schools has a different start and end time: Orin Smith Elementary (grades 3-5) has classes 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.; Chehalis Middle School (grades 6-8) has classes 7:50 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.; and W.F. West High School (grades 9-12) has classes 7:40 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.

Want more information about what to expect as a family of a Chehalis School District student? Here are some helpful links:

• CLICK HERE to view the James Lintott Elementary School and Chehalis School District 2024-2025 school year calendar
• CLICK HERE to view the James Lintott Elementary School Supply Lists
• CLICK HERE to learn about how you can volunteer in your student's classroom, school or in our district
• CLICK HERE for information about bus transportation
• Be sure to follow the Chehalis School District on Facebook and Instagram for updates about the 2024-2025 school year throughout the summer months
• CLICK HERE to learn about why attendance matters and how you can help your student be ready for good school attendance. CLICK HERE for Spanish Language version.

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