The Mason City School District’s 2010-2011 kindergarten registration drive will kick off with a Kindergarten Orientation meeting set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3 at the Mason High School Auditorium, 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road.

“MECC provides a unique opportunity to meet the needs of every child based upon sound, developmentally appropriate practices and a wide variety of instructional programs. We encourage parents to become actively involved in their child’s school experience, and look forward to meeting our new parents on March 3!” noted MECC Principal Mike Zimmermann.

Following the meeting, parents will have the opportunity to complete the pre-registration process. Should a parent be unable to attend the orientation meeting, he or she may visit the Mason Central Registration Office at 211 North East Street, beginning March 4 between 7:30 am and 4 pm to receive a registration packet. (In order to ensure that the Mason Early Childhood Center is able to accurately project staffing and services for next year, packets will not be mailed and cannot be downloaded.

2010-2011 Kindergarten Registration Information
Registration for kindergarten will be held in the Mason Early Childhood Center KIVA, 4631 Hickory Woods Dr., on the following dates:

Tuesday, March 23rd: 9:30 – 11:30 am and 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Thursday, March 25th: 9:30 – 11:30 am, 1:00 – 3:00 pm and 6:00 – 8:30 pm

Wednesday, March 31st: 6:00 – 8:30 pm

During the registration meeting, completed packets will be returned along with the following documents:

~ Proof of residency (lease, deed, settlement statement)

~ Child’s original birth certificate (with raised seal); or passport

~ Child’s social security card or written number

~ Parent driver’s license or state issued ID card

~ Custody paperwork (if applicable)

** If building, or purchase is pending, form MCS-308 is also required. Your closing date must be within 90 days of the start of school.

** If parent / guardian’s name does not appear on the residency documents, the person whose name does appear must come with the parent / guardian and prove residency.

The above documentation is required in order to register your child. Please be aware that obtaining a birth certificate can take up to 6 weeks. Contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the city where your child was born if you do not have an original document.

About the Mason Early Childhood Center’s Kindergarten Program
The kindergarten program provides half-day programming for children who are 5 years of age on or before September 30 of their kindergarten year. The program is designed to provide a variety of experiences and opportunities that are developmentally appropriate for young learners. Each kindergarten class is taught by a licensed teacher, with a minimum of a 4-year college degree.

Curriculum
Curriculum is guided by the State of Ohio’s Academic Content Standards and by district curriculum approved by the Board of Education. Throughout the day, children participate in whole group, small group and individual learning opportunities. The daily schedule includes a balance of teacher directed and child directed learning, including a class meeting, periods of direct instruction, center time and outside play. Children also attend classes, on a weekly basis, in the following areas: art, literacy lab, music, and physical education.~ In addition, kindergarten classes visit the library each week.

Half-Day Program
Last spring, over 250 Mason City Schools’ residents attended community forums to help the district plan for its future. As a follow-up to those forums, the district surveyed parents and residents about all-day kindergarten, and found that families and taxpayers were not convinced that it would be beneficial for our students.

HB 1, which passed last summer, requires all school districts to offer all-day kindergarten beginning with the 2010-2011 school year. In Mason City Schools, the implementation of all-day kindergarten would cost $1.7 million per year because we would need to hire an additional 19 teachers and other support staff. The issue of classroom space will also have to be addressed. We are studying this issue and how we might accommodate the doubling of our kindergarten population.

Mason City Schools will not receive additional funds to pay for all-day kindergarten. The state has already reduced its contribution to our budget by one-percent this year and two-percent next year. There is no additional funding coming to our district to pay for this new state mandate. The Ohio Department of Education is offering waivers to school districts, and Mason City Schools applied for the waiver with the intention of offering half-day kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year.

Transportation
Mason City Schools determines AM or PM kindergarten placement based on your home address. A 2010/11 STREET LISTING is posted on the district website and will be available at the orientation meeting in order for you to determine whether your child will be in the morning or afternoon kindergarten session.

Transportation to and from school is available only if your child is registered in his or her assigned session. If you are coordinating residential private child care, you will need to stay within your assigned session for your child to receive Mason bus service. If a session change is required, you will find this form on our website. Go to Files and Documents / Mason Early Childhood Center / Building Forms / AM / PM SESSION CHANGE REQUEST.

Public daycares in the Mason City School District limits receive bus service for both sessions. Please be aware that these daycares may be assigned a specific session in order to balance class sizes in both sessions or due to their location. This information will be available after pre-registration and numbers are considered.

Times for 2010-11 Kindergarten
AM session 9:10 – 11:55 a.m.
PM session 12:55 – 3:40 p.m.