The first day of school for incoming Kindergarten students is Tuesday, September 4, 2018. All other grades, including preschool, start the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 30.
Kindergarten is such an amazing year of growth for each child, and we look forward to partnering with you on your child’s educational journey! As a piece of that partnership, each family will have the opportunity to meet with a member of their school’s Kindergarten team before school starts.
Most meetings will be scheduled on Thursday, Aug. 30 or Friday, Aug. 31 in a Kindergarten classroom at your school. Parents should expect to receive an email invitation during the summer with a scheduled time to meet with their kindergarten team.
Why do Kindergartners have a later start date?
State funding allows us to provide full day kindergarten for every student in the district free of charge. Coupled with the funding is a requirement to implement a kindergarten readiness process known as the Washington Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS). One component of the WaKIDS process is an opportunity for each parent/guardian to meet with a kindergarten teacher prior to the start of the school year for the purpose of sharing information about their child and developing a school-home connection.
In order to provide time for the kindergarten teachers to meet with each parent/guardian prior to the start of the school year, the first day of school for kindergarten students needs to be moved back from the regular start date.