Countywide Kindergarten Enrollment
St. Mary's County Public Schools is pleased to announce registration for Kindergarten for school year 2017-2018. All schools will hold open registration beginning Monday, April 24, 2017, and continuing through the summer.
Parents of children who will be five (5) years old by September 1, 2017, should register at the school assigned to their physical address during the open enrollment period.
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may go to the school assigned to their legal address to complete the registration paperwork. Children are not required to be present for registration. Required documentation includes evidence of birth, proof of residency, a copy of the child's immunization record, and any court papers regarding custody of the minor child. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) must also bring photo identification when registering their child.
Each elementary school will conduct open enrollment for the children residing in their zone. Information regarding which school serves your residential area is provided by the Department of Capital Planning at www.smcps.org/dss/capital-planning/find-a-school-by-your-address or 301-475-4256, option 6. You do not need to make an appointment to register a child.
Documentation which indicates the current physical address of the child will be accepted as proof of residence. Proof of residence will include, but is not limited to, one of the following:
a. Mortgage/deed/rental agreement with 911 address assignment;
b. Current utility bill with parent/legal guardian name, 911 address of residence, and service address (post office box is not acceptable - and wireless telephone bills are not acceptable); and,
c. Patuxent River Naval Base housing form NOW-NATC-1110-1/15, Assignment to Public Quarters, which identifies bona fide residence in St. Mary's County.
Parent(s)/Legal Guardians not intending to register an appropriately aged child for kindergarten must obtain a waiver from the St. Mary's County Public Schools Department of Student Services. It is not necessary for children enrolled in Head Start or prekindergarten in the public schools to register again.
Questions about the program and registration may be directed to Jessica Cotugno, Supervisor of Elementary Programs and Gifted & Talented at 301-475-5511, ext. 32115.
Countywide Prekindergarten/Head Start Application
St. Mary's County Public Schools is pleased to announce open application for Prekindergarten/Head Start to determine eligibility for school year 2017-2018. All schools will hold an open application period from Monday, April 24, 2017 through Friday, May 12, 2017 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The goal of the Prekindergarten/Head Start program is to provide initial learning experiences to help children develop basic skills and concepts necessary for successful school performance.
A child must be four years old on or before September 1, 2017, and come from a family with an economically disadvantaged background. If vacancies remain after children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have been accepted, the remaining vacancies will be filled using locally determined at-risk criteria and served in rank order.
Parents of children who will be three years old by September 1, 2017 and are eligible for placement into the Head Start Program should also apply at the school assigned to their physical address during the open application period. In addition, a limited number of Pre-Kindergarten 3 spaces are available in several Title I schools.
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may go to the school assigned to their legal address on any of the designated application days to complete the application paperwork. Children are not required to be present for application. Required documentation includes birth certificate, proof of residency, proof of income, a copy of the child's immunization record, any court papers regarding custody of the minor child, and a completed application. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) must also bring photo identification when registering their child. The application can be found online or at schools.
Proof of income must be provided in order for a child's application to be processed quickly. Proof of income documentation includes one of the following:
a. W-2 form
b. copies of the LAST 3 paycheck stubs, or
c. proof of temporary cash assistance (the letter indicating the amount of temporary cash assistance is required)
d. child support
Documentation which indicates the current physical address of the child will be accepted as proof of residence. Proof of residence will include, but is not limited to, one of the following:
a. Mortgage/deed/rental agreement with 911 address assignment
b. Current utility bill with parent/legal guardian name, 911 address of residence, and service address (post office box is not acceptable - and wireless telephone bills are not acceptable); and
c. Patuxent River Naval Base housing form NOW-NATC-1110-1/15, Assignment to Public Quarters; which identifies bona fide residence in St. Mary's County
Each elementary school will accept applications for the children residing in their zone. Questions regarding which school serves your residential area should be directed to the Department of Capital Planning at 301-475-4256, option 6.
Questions about the program and registration may be directed to Kelly Hall, Executive Director of Supplemental School Programs at 301-475-5511, ext. 32136.
Ethics Panel to Meet
The St. Mary's County Public Schools' Ethics Panel will be holding a meeting on Thursday, April 20, 2017, beginning at 4:00 p.m., in Division of Supporting Services' Training Room, located at 27190 Point Lookout Road, Loveville, Maryland 20656. For more information, call 301-475-4256, ext. 34136.
School System Calendar Changes
On April 5, 2017, the Board of Education revised the 2016-2017 school system operating calendars. The last day of school for students in St. Mary's County Public Schools will be Friday, June 9, 2017, and the last day for teachers will be Monday, June 12, 2017. St. Mary's County Public Schools closed one day this year for inclement weather thus the school year will be shortened by four days since inclement weather days built into the calendar were not used. This will impact the final days of the school year in the following manner:
• Tuesday, June 6, 2017 will be the last day of school for Head Start and Prekindergarten students
• Wednesday, June 7, 2017 will be a two-hour early dismissal day with no school for Head Start and Prekindergarten students
• Thursday, June 8, 2017 will be a two-hour early dismissal day with no school for Head Start and Prekindergarten students
• Friday, June 9, 2017 will be a two-hour early dismissal day and the last day of school for students K-12
• Monday, June 12, 2017 will be the last day for teachers and other 10 month staff
• Friday, June 23, 2017 will be the last day for 11 month staff.
The last day of school for the Chesapeake Public Charter School will be Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Tuesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 7 will be early dismissal days for students attending the Charter School. Thursday, June 8, 2017, is staff collaborative planning (vertical articulation) for teachers. Friday, June 9, 2017 will be the last day for teachers at the Charter School and Monday, June 26, 2017 will be the last day for 11 month staff.