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Published on 03/23/1998 All articles from this issue

Registering for kindergarten in LASD? Get in line

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Opening day of pre-registration at the Los Altos School District Feb. 4 looked more like a crowd of eager music fans waiting to buy concert tickets than a group of concerned parents signing their children up for kindergarten.

Some parents camped out in front of their neighborhood schools as early as 4 a.m. with blankets, lawn chairs and coffee to wait for the start of registration at 7 a.m.

Kathleen Baird said she arrived at Springer School at "7 a.m. sharp" to pre-register her daughter, only to find herself waiting behind 53 other parents.

"It was crazy," Baird said. Springer Principal Bob Celeste said coming early has been a tradition, but "We're really trying to discourage that."

Celeste said line placement does not guarantee a child will or will not be placed in a specific classroom. He said school officials look at all students and balance classes according to background, personal development and family needs.

Celeste said about 102 students are already registered for kindergarten at Springer. He said this number is the "most ever" and he expects more. He said the school may open a fifth kindergarten class this fall.

A spokeswoman from the district said enrollment grew this year by 32 students in the first day. About 360 students signed up on the first day of pre-registration last year compared to 392 this year, she said. She said about 423 had registered as of last month.

Dick Liewer, assistant superintendent of curriculum, said rumors about class size reductions and limited space have created an "alarmed situation" among parents. He said the class size reduction program requires that no more than 20 students be placed in one class, so the district is less flexible in where they can place students, but the chance of a student being bumped to another school is still uncommon.

"The bottom line is that everyone who shows up on the first day should have no problems," he said.