Kindergarten Transition
We are excited to welcome you to our school community and look forward to working with you to make this a smooth transition for the whole family. The information below is designed to assist you throughout the process as your family prepares for Kindergarten.
Information for Parents and Guardians
More Information
Timeline
JANUARY
- Town Census - Please complete the census for your town so the district will know what school your child will be attending and we can contact you.
- Local Press Online and In Print - Information regarding Kindergarten registration will be published by The Wanderer and Sippican Week.
FEBRUARY
- Parent Information Night
- Date: February 5, 2025 6:00 PM on Zoom - The school principals will host a webinar for parents and guardians.
Zoom link Passcode: 201321
- Date: February 5, 2025 6:00 PM on Zoom - The school principals will host a webinar for parents and guardians.
- Kindergarten Registration Online Begins
- Date: February 5, 2025
Please check your mailbox and email inbox for registration info. If you have questions, please contact the school.
- Date: February 5, 2025
Center School, Mattapoisett: (508)758-2521
Rochester Memorial School, Rochester: (508)762-2049
Sippican Elementary School, Marion: (508)748-0100
Please note that your child will not be assigned to a bus route until enrollment is completed.
MARCH
- Registration Paperwork
- Deadline: March 7, 2025
- Please see Registration/Enrollment tab below.
- Required Documents (original documents, paper copies)
- Birth Certificate
- Proof of Residency [Residency Policy]
- Most recent physical and current immunizations
- Photo ID (for Parent/Guardian)
- Families should bring their original documents or paper copies to the school to complete the registration.
- Beginning of School Year Letter - When the child's registration is complete, a confirmation letter will be sent with the beginning-of-school plan.
- Kindergarten School-Based Building Orientation
- Date: March 27th, 6:00 PM
- This is a wonderful opportunity to meet key staff members, learn about your child's daily schedule, and gain valuable insights into what to expect during your student's transition to Kindergarten.
APRIL
- School Readiness Screening Sign-Up
- Families of students registered for Kindergarten will receive an email invitation to sign up for a May screening session at their school.
MAY
- Kindergarten School Readiness Screenings
- Dates: Monday, May 19, 2025 and Friday May 23, 2025
- Time Slots: Families will sign up for a 45-minute time slot.
- Screening Process: Each child will be screened and observed for readiness skills in a play-based environment.
AUGUST
- Classroom Assignments Determined
- Date: August 9, 2025
- Families will receive classroom assignment letters by mail.
SEPTEMBER
School Begins!
- Open House(s): This is an opportunity for families of students in all grade levels to visit the school and meet the staff.
- Sippican Elementary School - The night before the first day of school.
- Rochester Memorial School - First day of school.
- Center School - Second Wednesday after the start of school.
- First Day of School:
- Screening Sessions - Students who enrolled during the Summer will be screened on this day.
- Class placements are shared with parents/guardians after screenings are complete.
- Second Day of School:
- Kindergarten students are divided into two groups.
- Group 1 (Morning): 9:30 AM - 11:15 AM
- Group 2 (Afternoon): 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
- Parents/Guardians attend the principal's presentation.
- Students do not stay. Parents/guardians pick up their child(ren) after the session.
- Bus Ride Confirmation: Kindergarten students' transportation details are confirmed.
- Kindergarten students are divided into two groups.
- Third Day of School
- Early release for all students.
- First day for Kindergarten students.
Registration/Enrollment
Returning Families
If your child was enrolled in Project GROW or the ORR Tritown Pre-School, your family's information is in our Powerschool records. However, we ask that you sign in to PowerSchool and review the enrollment forms to be sure they are correct and show that they are in "submitted" status.
* Enrollment forms are completed only once.
* Annual forms must be completed each subsequent year.
New Families
- Complete the Pre-Registration Form by clicking on this Powerschool link.
- An email will be sent to the child’s primary contact. Please follow the instructions to verify your account.
- Once your account/email has been verified, follow the directions you receive. Families who are new to Powerschool will receive information to complete the enrollment process.
- Log into your student’s account. Once logged into PowerSchool confirm you are in your student's file. Navigate down the left hand menu to FORMS, click on Forms.
- Once in the Forms menu select the “Enrollment” Tab.
Center School
17 Barstow Street, Mattapoisett
Main Office: 508-758-2521
Rochester Memorial School
16 Pine Street, Rochester
Main Office: 508-763-2049
Sippican Elementary School
16 Spring Street, Marion
Main Office: 508-748-0100
Tips for Kindergarten Readiness
We recognize that children entering Kindergarten have different skills and interests. Teachers are prepared to work with all children. Here are some tips to help prepare you and your child.
- Read together every night. Choose simple books so your child can follow along.
- Visit the library often to get your child excited about books and reading.
- Practice identifying shapes and colors in real life and with flash cards.
- Encourage your child to speak clearly and in full sentences.
- Practice fine motor skills by encouraging your child to color, use scissors and work with clay.
- Take a simple word (...ball, cat) and come up with words that rhyme.
- Sing the alphabet song and talk about the letters and the sounds they make.
- Find everyday opportunities to count out loud and have your child count with you.
- Give your child 2 or 3-step directions to follow and have him/her repeat them.
- Practice putting on jackets, gloves, zipping, buttoning and having your child clean up after his or herself.
- Plan times for your child to pack a backpack and be responsible for all the items in the backpack.
- Practice opening up snack bags or lunch/milk containers. These skills will build feelings of independence and confidence.
