Kindergarten

Any child who will be five (5) years of age on or before September 1 is eligible to enroll for Kindergarten at their designated neighborhood school. If you are looking for an online learning experience, kindergarten at FLEX Online School may be for you. 

We use an online registration system. To complete the process, be ready to supply the following information. You can start the process even if you don’t have all of this information:

• Parent or legal guardian information

• Information about emergency contacts

• Certificate of immunization

• Birth verification

• Proof of Address

After submitting the online form, the school will contact you to complete the process. 

If you are interested in FLEX Online, please visit the FLEX Kindergarten web page to complete the additional step to enroll there. 

Each elementary school will offer an opportunity to find out more about the kindergarten program at their Kindergarten Orientation events. 

If you are uncertain about which elementary school is your home school, you can check any address to see what elementary, middle or high school attendance boundary it is located in using the District Address Locator or call 503-356-4500.

The date for your school Kindergarten Orientation opportunities can be found on the link below.  Please contact your elementary school if you have questions.   Check the school website for the most up-to-date information on dates and times.  

2023-24 PreK/Kindergarten Orientation Dates

EARLY ENTRY INTO KINDERGARTEN GUIDELINES

Oregon state law requires students to be 5 years old on or before September 1st to enroll into kindergarten.

Resident Beaverton School District students must be five years old as of October 1st to apply for the Early Entry into Kindergarten evaluation and consideration for enrollment.  Students must achieve a Full-Scale IQ score of 97% or above for placement.  An assessment will be scheduled and completed by a psychologist that the parent chooses.  For more information about the Early Entry process, please refer to School Board Policy JEBA and JEBA-AR.

Beginning April 3, 2023, Early Entry into Kindergarten assessment applications may be requested by emailing earlyentrykindergarten@beaverton.k12.or.us. Testing is done June1-August 1, 2023 for enrollment in September. No exceptions for testing dates will be made.

For more information, please call our Parent Information Hotline, 503.356.4325.

Early Entry School Board Policy - JEBA 
Early Entry School Board Admin. Reg. - JEBA-AR

You are your child’s first teacher and it is our goal to nurture a positive partnership between home and school. We value our families and are committed to learning about the different lived experiences of our students through this partnership. Following are some suggestions on how to stay connected to the school:

• You will have opportunities to talk to your child’s teacher during conferences, and you can reach out to them with questions throughout the year.

• Questions you may want to ask:

  • How is my child doing socially? How do you support his/her/their social development in class?

  • Can I see examples of my child’s work in math, reading, writing, and play that demonstrate where he/she/they are in their development?

  • What does my child do well?

  • How is my child’s culture and language reflected in the classroom learning time?

  • Do you have any suggestions to continue my child’s learning at home?

• Contact your child’s teacher if you are interested in volunteering in the classroom, at  special events, or are interested in finding additional ways to get involved.

• Share your family’s traditions with your child’s teacher so they can be incorporated into the classroom.

Attendance is important! It’s the ticket to your child’s success at school!  Research strongly supports the connection between academic achievement and attendance. Regular and punctual attendance in school is essential to a student’s success. Families, schools and community members must work as a team to support school attendance. In elementary schools, parents are key players in reinforcing the habits of good attendance and punctuality.

Thank you for making school attendance a priority. It is extremely important that children begin good attendance habits early in life- starting in kindergarten. Here are just a few of the reasons why your child needs to be in school each day:

• Students need to be in class to learn.
• The teaching/learning process builds on lessons previously taught.
• Lessons usually involve hands-on and teacher facilitated activities that cannot be duplicated with paper and pencil assignments outside of class.
• Students who miss a day of school suffer because that day of instruction cannot be retrieved.
• Students develop the habits of good attendance and punctuality for future careers.

The importance of an education cannot be underestimated. A student who is 10 minutes late every day will miss 30 hours of instruction during the year. Children can make up an assignment, but they can never get back what’s most important: the discussions, the questions, the explanations by the teacher and the thinking that makes learning come alive.

We ask all parents to join with us and make REGULAR ATTENDANCE an expectation and SCHOOL a priority each and every day. Schools are responsible for teaching your child, but schools can’t do their job if your child is absent. Learning builds day by day. A child who misses a day of school, misses a day of learning.

Upon registration, you will fill out an Oregon Certificate of Immunization Status. Oregon Law requires that this immunization certificate is completed before your child may attend school.

Immunizations are available through private physicians, clinics, and the Washington County Health Department (503-846-8851) in Beaverton and Hillsboro.

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B
• 2 Hepatitis A

In order to achieve a healthy and safe school environment for all children, we need your assistance in several areas:

Emergencies:
If your child is seriously injured or becomes ill, every effort will be made to contact you. Please keep your emergency information up to date, by contacting the school office, with current phone numbers of other responsible adults to call in case you are not available.

Illness:
A sick child needs to be at home to protect that child and prevent exposure to other students. A child with a fever greater than 100ºF may return when their temperature decreases without the use of a fever reducing medicine. A child who does not feel well may have a difficult time concentrating and will not benefit from the instruction received during that time.

Health Problems:
If your child has a health problem or condition that needs to have special consideration, please contact the school prior to the first day of attendance if possible. 

Medications Required at School:
If your child needs medication during school hours, please bring that medication in the original container and check it in with the school secretary. For safety reasons, it is critical that you transport the medication and complete the necessary forms at the school. Prescription and non-prescription medication must be in the original container. When requested, pharmacists are usually willing to provide two labeled containers, one each for home and school. Listed below is additional medication information.

Administration of non-prescription medication by school personnel requires written instructions from the student's parent. Physician orders are no longer necessary, with the exception of dosage requirements that contradict the safe dosage on the bottle/container.

Self-medication of a non-prescription medicine is not allowed in elementary or middle school. This includes only non-prescription (over-the-counter) medications. The definition of non-prescription medication is: commercially prepared, non alcohol-based medication to be taken at school that is necessary for a student to remain in school. Do not hesitate to call if you have concerns related to the health of your child.

In the Beaverton School District, your child’s safety is our number one concern. Our schools operate under a “closed campus” policy. This policy requires that parents sign their child “out” in the school office whenever:

• Students leave the building or grounds with parent permission
• Parents want to take children out of school for appointments, illness, or transfer.

Additionally, parents and visitors entering the school building for any reason must sign in at the office and obtain a visitor sticker/badge to wear for the remainder of their stay.

Supervision for students begins when school begins and continues on bus rides, unless special arrangements have been made for specific events. We cannot stress too strongly your responsibility to continually remind your child of the basic safety rules. It is always safest to walk your child to and from school, as well as the bus stop. It is also strongly encouraged that parents personally supervise their child at the bus stop until the bus arrives. This is also a wonderful time to get to know your neighbors! A note from home is required when there is a change in a child’s bus riding or walking routine.

Safety is a partnership between school, students, and parents. If at any time you feel there is an unsafe situation at any school, please contact your school principal.

The move from preschool to “real” school is exciting (and sometimes tearful) for both the child, as well as their parents. There’s a lot you can do to make the transition to kindergarten enjoyable.

A complete physical before the start of school, including vision and hearing tests, is a good idea. Several weeks before school starts, start your child on a daily routine of regular bedtime and wake-up time. We recommend your kindergartener be in bed by 7:30 and asleep by 8:00. At this age, children need ten to eleven hours of sleep to do their very best. A good breakfast every morning will help keep them fueled until lunch.

The transition to school can be both exciting and uncertain for both the child and the parent/guardian. There are some things you can do in supporting a smooth transition for your child.

• Communication: Spend time talking with your child. Get outside and ask them what they notice and wonder about. Encourage them to ask questions. You have considerable influence over your child’s language and brain development when engaging them in conversation.

• Read & Tell Stories: Read to your child often and engage in storytelling. 

• Get to Know Your School: Talk to your child about their new school and point it out whenever you pass by. Visit the playground outside of school hours and take walks in the neighborhood. Reference your school’s website for meet & greet events.

Small Motor Skills: Practice tying shoes and putting on coats (those buttons can be tricky). Serve lunch in your child’s lunchbox so they can practice opening containers.

Your child’s attitude toward school is usually established long before entering school in September. The following “helpful hints” will help you and your child make a smooth transition to kindergarten:

• Point out the school as you drive or walk past and say, “Look! That’s YOUR school. You are going to have so much fun in kindergarten! ” Talk about school as an exciting milestone in their life.
• Help your child to think of teachers and principals as positive, supportive adults. They are here to help you become the best learner possible. If you have questions or concerns, they are the first people that you go to while at school.
• Visit your local library and book stores. Read a variety of stories with your child. Reading the same story more than once.... Get your child excited about books!
• Actively listen to your child and encourage verbal expression of thoughts and feelings. Help your child use language to describe experiences by asking “what, when, where” questions.
• Provide your child with opportunities for a wide variety of experiences. Take trips to zoos, parks, museums, historical sites, and special events. You can even visit the playground at your child’s school.
• Give your child some “at home” responsibility such as putting toys away, setting the table, or bringing in the mail.
• Spend some “special time” with your child. This may include reading, drawing, coloring, playing with the toys, playing games, or just having fun.
• Most importantly, read, read, and read some more!

The Beaverton School District uses research-based practices that focus on how young children learn best. These approaches include the following:

• Workshop Model: The student-centered Workshop Model is a structure that promotes student engagement, critical thinking, and reflection. Teachers provide instruction, or mini-lessons, in reading, writing and math followed by opportunities for students to independently practice the proficiencies of readers, writers and mathematicians. Students are given agency to pursue self-driven inquiry through joyful and collaborative experiences. 

• Playful Inquiry: Playful inquiry is the practice of intentionally designing experiences for children to inquire about topics and investigate their inquiries through play. It provides equal opportunity for all students to engage in playful experiences that invite children to design, create, innovate, and share ideas. Given that play is collaborative, rather than competitive, students experience a sense of wholeness in oneself and harmony with others.

• Habits of Mind: “Habits of mind are what successful people do when they are confronted with problems the resolution of which are not immediately apparent.”  Costa and Kallick (2008). Teachers work alongside students fostering the development of habits that support critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.