News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Early registration for Putnam County Schools opens Tuesday and runs through April 19 for new and returning students.
Elementary Instructional Supervisor Dr. Diana Wood said families with new Putnam County students can complete their registration via the school system’s website, by phone, or register in person at a school or the central office. She said incoming kindergarteners are invited to open house registration events at their schools on April 9. She said the open house gives kindergarteners and their parents a chance to ease nerves by meeting teachers and future classmates.
“Sometimes there’s a little anxiety around that,” Wood said. “So having the opportunity to visit the school ahead of time and maybe have some friendly faces at the school that they were able to meet and maybe just have a little familiarity with the environment goes a long way in just helping to set them up for success.”
Wood said parents will be provided materials to take home and begin easing their children into basics like reading and writing before the school year begins. She said parents will need to provide a birth certificate, physical and immunization records, and two proofs of residency.
Parents of returning K-7 students can go to the district website and complete an “intent to return” form, Wood said.
“We want to make it fun and build the excitement for school,” Wood said. “We don’t want to be stressed at all in any way, but a lot of these language and early reading skills, they can just be things that the parents can do together.”
She said it is hard for the district to make expectations for enrollment numbers, but having the bulk of students enroll early makes it easier to plan. She said kindergarteners will spend the first week of school transitioning into the school year in small groups. She said school days will be held in classes of five or six students, allowing the kids to get acclimated with their environment as they start their academic careers.
“That gives them a chance to build a relationship with the teacher, meet a few students so that when they go all together the next week, they have some people that they’ve had a chance to play with in a small group,” Wood said
She said some parents may miss the early registration period or move into town over the summer. She said they can reach out to the school or the central office to work registration options.
