EDITOR’S NOTE: We will be following the Baker’s journey through the Champaign Unit 4 Schools kindergarten registration process. If you want general information about the Champaign kindergarten process and timelines, visit our overview for 2018 HERE. Read the Bakers’ first installment here. The second installment is here.
By Amanda Baker
Drum roll, please … Bottenfield!
Our precocious 4-year-old, soon to be 5-year-old, will spend the next six years of her educational career at Bottenfield Elementary. It was our No. 1 choice and our proximity school. We’re very pleased. The registration process for us was very smooth and easy.
I had heard rumors late Friday, April 20, that Unit 4 had sent out assignments but had to wait the whole weekend and part of Monday to find out. She happened to be home with me when I opened the mail, and we did a little celebratory dance.
We found out that a friend of hers from preschool will also be attending Bottenfield, her first choice, but not her proximity school. The school-of-choice wizards were on her side!
Now here comes the onslaught and confusion of enrollment, assessment, doctors appointments, paperwork, visits, etc.
Now, I’m not running a school district with thousands of students, and I don’t pretend to know the amount of work it takes to enroll hundreds of kids, but I do work in the communications field and so far the two letters I’ve received for enrollment and screening have been quite confusing. And the online information about kindergarten registration does not have any information about enrollment after you receive your school assignment. In fact, the email it lists for questions bounces back. I’ve called Bottenfield to get more clarification, but it only brought on more questions and I’m not about to be that parent before my kid even starts kindergarten.
I’m sure things will smooth out. Hundreds of parents figure this out every year and manage just fine. At least, that will be my mantra for the next three months.
I’m very much looking forward to learning who her teacher will be and diving into the exciting world of school supplies!
Amanda Baker has been a proud member of the Chambana community since 2009 with her husband, Seth, and two kiddos, Zoe and Luke. She’s the owner of Five Foot Productions (yes, it’s because she’s 5 feet tall), a local video production company. She has a Masters in Arts Journalism from Syracuse University.