Navigating the Champaign Kindergarten Process with the Pridemores, Part IV
EDITOR’S NOTE: We will be following the Pridemores’ 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 2019 HERE.
For the first installment of this series, GO HERE. For the second, GO HERE. For the third, GO HERE. To read about the kindergarten assignment letters being mailed out, GO HERE.
By Melanie Pridemore
“I’ve got a golden ticket, I’ve got a golden ticket!”
These were the enthusiastic words my wife sang as she entered the house after checking the mail a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t know what she was talking about until she smiled and held up a letter that had the Champaign Unit 4 logo on it. At that point I knew our school of choice assignment letter had arrived!
My sister-in-law and my nephew were over at the time and everyone came in the kitchen as we prepared to see where Ethan would be assigned to school for this coming year. As we tore into the envelope and opened the letter, we (honestly) didn’t even read it; we just searched for the assigned school and there it was in bold letters: Westview Elementary!
We were all so excited and Ethan had a smile from ear to ear — just like he did when we took this picture last week (above).
To say we were relieved seems a bit dramatic — because there are a lot of great schools in the district — but our relief was moreso because we got into a school we were excited about. It was a different feeling than having to shift our thought process to accept the idea of a school that wasn’t one of our top preferences.
As our school of choice process comes to a close, I will say that we have been pleasantly surprised by the process. It felt like a lot when we started, but following the steps as the school district outlined, talking to other parents, and doing our research really took away a lot of the stress. We were anxious in the waiting time between application and assignment, but even that ended up flying by. The wait was worth it as our 5-year-old is so excited to be a Westview Wildcat.
Soon we’ll go to the first kindergarten registration event at the school. I think it will all feel more real then. I hope we are ready!
Melanie Pridemore is a certified coach and trainer and owner of 6 Dimensions. She lives in Champaign with her wife and two sons.
Want to read the previous journeys of parents going through the Unit 4 process? Here’s links to our archives.
The Bakers (2018): Installment 1, Installment 2, Installment 3
The Croops (2017): Installment 1, Installment 2, Installment 3, Installment 4
The Blakemans (2016): Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4
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