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Menlo Park district gears up for kindergarten enrollment

Orientation meetings and tours for parents with children eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall begin on Jan. 20 in the Menlo Park City School District.

Because a new state law is gradually adjusting the eligibility date when children may enter kindergarten, some children who in the past would have been able to enroll in kindergarten for the next school year won't be eligible. But the district will offer a "transitional kindergarten" class for those children.

To enroll in kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year, a child must be 5 years old by Nov. 1. Children who turn 5 from Nov. 2 through Dec. 2 are eligible for transitional kindergarten, and can enroll in kindergarten the following year.

Beginning Feb. 1, parents may begin the enrollment process for their kindergarten-age children by going to the school in their home attendance area for a registration packet. Those who are uncertain about their attendance area should contact the district office at 321-7140, ext. 5603.

Parents wishing to enroll their children in transitional kindergarten can pick up a registration packet at the district office, 181 Encinal Ave. in Atherton.

Parents should bring a driver's license or other government-issued photo identification to verify residence within the district.

Information sessions and tours for parents of new Encinal kindergartners are set for Jan. 20 and 27, from 8:45 to 10 a.m. A kindergarten orientation is scheduled for March 1 from 7 to 8 p.m. To register for one of the sessions, parents should contact Pam Garcia at 326-5164, ext. 1000.

Oak Knoll School's parent orientation meeting is set for Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

Laurel School will host parent meetings on March 29 at 6:30 p.m., and April 12 at 2:30 p.m.

Parents wishing to enroll a child in the district's Spanish immersion program's kindergarten must attend one of two information meetings set for Feb. 15 from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., and Feb. 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. Those meetings will be held in the district office board room, 181 Encinal Ave. in Atherton.

The immersion program is available to all children in the district, but classes are held at Encinal and Laurel schools only. Parents may pick up applications in their school office, and registration must be received by the district no later than Feb. 29.

For more information about the immersion program, contact Tami Girsky at 321-7140, ext. 5601.

For more information about any of the kindergarten programs or the registration process, go to mpcsd.org, or call 321-7140, ext. 5603.