2025-26 Kindergarten Information

Welcome! We are excited for your family to join the Thomas Lake Elementary school community. We are thrilled to partner with you as your student starts their K-12 educational journey as part of the class of 2038.

As we get closer to the 2025-26 school year, we will send reminders about upcoming events and information to prepare you for the start of school.

If you have not yet completed registering for Kindergarten, please complete your registration as soon as possible. Early registration helps us to plan for the best experience possible.

Contact holly.grudzinski@district196.org if you are unsure if all of your documents have been submitted.

Dear Parent(s) and/or Guardian(s) of Future Kindergarteners,

This approach has been very successful at Thomas Lake to ensure students have the best experience possible, some of the reasons for using this approach include:

• All other grade levels have an opportunity to create classrooms with input from previous year’s teachers. This is not possible for our incoming kindergarteners.

• Children navigate the world differently. We want to find the best setting for your child.

• We want to create a balanced environment for every student:

• Leadership

• Followership (listening and following directions)

• Social Skills

• Academic Readiness

If you have any questions regarding this approach or what the start of the school year will look like, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. We will continue to share information as the year draws closer.

It was so great to meet so many families at our open hous earlier this year. I am so looking forward to continuing to meet all of our families and for the relationships we'll develop during your years at Thomas Lake.

Dave Lostetter

Principal

• June 24 - Kindergarten Playdate at TL 5-6pm

  August 6 - Kindergarten Playdate at TL 6-7pm

• August 27 or 28- Connection Days are sessions with our Kindergarten Team. More information on how to register for a session will be sent to you in early August.

• August 29 & September 1- No school

• September 2- First day of school for ALL students

• September 5- Kindergarten teacher assignments will be sent out at 4:00 p.m.

• September 8- First day with your child’s teacher for the rest of the year

• September 9-Kindergarten Picnic at Thomas Lake late afternoon

We have a couple playdates during the summer months for students and families to come and meet other families and play on the Thomas Lake Playground.

June 25 - Kindergarten Playdate 5-6pm

August 6 - Kindergarten Playdate 6-7pm

The Transportation Department will use your child’s home address to set up the bus stop unless they receive a Daycare Transportation Form with an alternate address. Completed forms should be submitted to your child’s elementary school as soon as possible. Transportation webpage

If you will be dropping off and picking up your child from school, staff will be available to guide you through the process the first day.

The YMCA provides the SAC program here at Thomas Lake. If you have any questions or would like to sign up for this, you can go to their website. Sign-up usually opens up in the spring. It fills up quickly, so you will want to be watching for it. YMCA SAC PROGRAM

Justyne is our site coordinator. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with her. Her email is Justyne.Orgeman@ymcamn.org

***If the SAC program is full, please go on their waiting list. If you are still not able to get in, consider contacting some of the local daycares. We have a few daycares in our area that transport many of our students to and from school.

Incoming Kindergarten families,

If you were not able to attend our Kindergarten Open house earlier in May, or just wanted to see the shared information again, please check it out below.

You are always welcome to reach out to the Thomas Lake office team with any questions at 651-683-6890.

Click below to open the slide deck.

Click below to watch the video.

Click on the links below to view the brochure in English, Spanish, or Somali. Please reach out to our office with if you have another preferred language.

Thank you if you have already filled out the online registration. There are still some items that I am missing from some of you! Feel free to take a picture of these items and email them to holly.grudzinski@district196.org If you are unsure you have sent these items in, please let Holly know.

1. A birth certificate, passport, or other evidence of your child’s age.

2. A copy of your child’s current immunization record, medical exemption, or conscientious objection. Click here for form.

3. Proof of early childhood screening (if your child was not screened in District 196) If your child has not been through the screening process, please schedule your appointment using one of the following ways:

• Online: www.district196.org/screening
• Phone: 651-423-7899
• Email: ecscreening @district196.org

6. If a parent or guardian lives at a different address than the primary household, complete and return 501.1.2P, Additional Family Household Census Information.