Kindergarten

It may be hard to believe, but your little one is ready to start Kindergarten. We are so excited to begin this journey with them! 

Age and Screening Requirements

In Minnesota, children are usually required to be five years old on or before September 1 to enter kindergarten. However, there are some situations where a child's social, emotional, and academic skills make early entrance to Kindergarten a possibility. The "Early Entrance to Kindergarten" section below explains how your child may be ready to start kindergarten early. 

State law requires completion of a developmental screening (i.e. Early Childhood Screening) prior to entrance into kindergarten. Screening dates and information is available here. We encourage you to begin the registration process even if a screening has not yet been completed. If your child has been screened in another school district, please indicate that on the Kindergarten Registration Form, and identify the name of the District. The Sauk Rapids-Rice School District will then request the documentation directly from that District. If a child was screened through the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District, no further action is required. 

Immunization Requirements

To go to school in Minnesota, students must prove that they are up-to-date with their immunizations or that they are exempt from the requirements for medical reasons or the beliefs of the parent/guardian. Minnesota Statute 121.15 requires that all children must be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B series and varicella (or a record of chicken pox). 

We know your child is eager to begin learning, and we can't wait to see them flourish. Before we can welcome them to the classroom, the following materials are needed to process their registration. Any documents that are missing may delay enrollment. 

• Proof of Residency: examples include a recent utility bill (gas, water, electric, phone) or mortgage or rental agreement
• Immunization Record
• Birth Certificate
• Health Information Form: To be completed and signed by a physician. This form or a printout from your physician's office are acceptable. 

The following forms are needed ONLY if they apply to your student(s).

• Early Childhood Screening: only if this did not take place in Sauk Rapids-Rice
• IEP/Special Education (SPED) Records: if applicable 
• Early Childhood Special Education Enrollment Option for Nonresidents Form
• Open Enrollment Form
• Free and Reduced Meal Application
• Families in Transition Form: if applicable 
 

Open Enrollment

For incoming kindergarten students not living within school district boundaries, an open enrollment application will be required for them to attend school in the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District. Open enrollment status provides continued enrollment through graduation within the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District without having to provide additional non-resident paperwork. 

If you are interested in open enrolling into Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools, please complete the Open Enrollment Form and return it to the District Office at 1833 Osauka Road NE, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379. You can also fax it to 320-255-1914 or scan and email it to Tameka Zwilling.

Open enrollment paperwork may be submitted between October 1 and January 15 each year for the following year. Families will be notified by mail after this date. 

 

Once you have registered online and submitted all of the necessary documents, preparing for school is the next step! We will contact you if any further information is needed for your child to begin. 

Parents/guardians and their child should plan to attend Kindergarten Open House to kick-off this exciting adventure. These will be help at each individual building. In the case of open enrollment, please attend the session at the building you would like to have your child attend. Kindergarten Open House allows both you and your child to see where they will start their education journey. 

Because of staffing and enrollment changes made throughout the summer, class lists are not finalized until early to mid-August. You will receive a letter in late August with a specific teacher assignment. 

Our Transportation page has information for you regarding route assignments, pick-up/drop-off times, bus orientation, and any other transportation questions. 

To learn about the food service program, how to add money to your account, how to apply for free or reduced meals, and any other food service questions, visit our Food Service page. 

Do you need before and/or after school care? Visit our School Age Care page to learn about the options we offer. 

 

 

These services are for those whose academic needs are significantly different from their peers and need individualized instruction through things like: early entrance to kindergarten, single subject acceleration, grade level acceleration and individualized learning plans.

Early Entrance to Kindergarten

In Minnesota, children are required to be five years old on or before September 1 in order to enter kindergarten. However, there are some situations where a child’s advanced social, emotional, and academic skills make early entrance to kindergarten a possibility. Putting your child into kindergarten early is a very important decision that can have impacts on the rest of his/her school career. In order to make an informed decision on whether entering kindergarten early is the right choice for your child, please read the Frequently Asked Questions provided below.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is my child eligible for early entrance? In the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District, early entrance to kindergarten can be considered if a child will be five-years-old on or before October 31 of their entry year. Students who have birthdays after October 31 are not eligible.

What skills should my child have in order to be considered for early entrance? Early entrance is considered the earliest form of acceleration and students will need to be able to handle the increased academic and social emotional demands put on them in Kindergarten. The expectations for early entrance are set high to ensure that students are able to be successful. Please read through the characteristics below in order to decide if your child is ready for early entrance to kindergarten.

My child: 

• Regulates emotions and behavior
• Works cooperatively with other students
• Shows motivation to learn and go to school
• Can maintain focus when completing a task
• Likes books and being read to
• Asks and answers questions in order to seek help, get information or clarify information
• Recognizes upper and lower case letters and sounds
• Holds scissors correctly
• Cuts straight and curved lines with some skill
• Holds pencil, crayon and markers correctly
• Knows numbers 0–10 in any order
• Counts to 20 or higher
• Adds and subtracts with manipulatives
• Knows basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, etc.)
• Names colors

How do I apply for early entrance? To apply for early entrance, please download the SRR Early Entrance to Kindergarten Application and complete as directed. Application materials are due by March 15.

The application includes questions for the parent/guardian to complete and a questionnaire for the child’s preschool teacher to complete.

What process does the district use to determine early entrance? After receiving your application, the early entrance coordinator will call to schedule the early entrance screening. This will be a 20–30 minute appointment in which the early entrance coordinator and a kindergarten teacher interact with the student in a school setting and administer an assessment of his/her academic and social emotional skills.

A team consisting of the early entrance coordinator, kindergarten teacher, school principal and the director of teaching and learning will analyze and discuss the information gathered from the application and the screening and determine if early entrance would be beneficial for the student.

Parents will be contacted by the early entrance coordinator to discuss the decisions of the team and if necessary, give information on enrollment. Parents have the right to appeal any decision made by the team by submitting a written request to the director of teaching and learning.

If my child is identified for early entrance to kindergarten, is the decision final? No. As with all types of acceleration, there will be a trial period in order to monitor how the student is doing academically, socially and emotionally. At the end of the first six weeks of school, the early entrance coordinator will meet with the kindergarten teacher and determine if early entrance will become permanent. Parents/guardians will be contacted regarding this final decision.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Early Entrance Coordinator Irene Wilcox at 320-258-1272.