Did Anyone Get Top Kindergarten Choice?

It's that time of year again—the time when parents of incoming kindergartners are suffering from a case of the jitters.

And this year is no exception. Last week, Montclair Public Schools mailed kindergarten and elementary placement letters to Montclair families.

But at least half a dozen families have emailed Montclair Patch to say they have yet to receive a letter. Several more have emailed to say they received their fourth or fifth choice.

Did you get your first choice of schools? Let us know in the comments section below. Or email Shelley@patch.com. Many parents have written to say they did not receive their first choice.

Under the guidelines of Montclair’s magnet system, parents file forms to request their top six school choices. Typically, the school district says, about 80 percent get their first- or second-choice placements every year. Even so, the process can be unnerving for parents who are new to the district.

Also, the Department of Instruction will provide summer screening for all incoming Kindergartners. The screening this year is a single session which will take less than an hour to complete. Regardless of the building to which students are assigned, the screening will be centralized at The Charles H. Bullock School where there is ample off-street parking for all families whose children participate. Screening sessions are conducted by trained, experienced staff. Appointments are scheduled in the morning between June 25th and July 26th. An appointment schedule is being mailed to all families. In the event you do not receive yours, please call Mrs. Roxanne Smith to schedule an appointment: 973-509-4035.

Meanwhile, here is a notice on the Montclair Public Schools' website explaining the process for new parents:

How it Works

As a first step, under the guidelines of Montclair’s magnet system, parents rank their school preferences from 1 to 6 for their incoming kindergartners during the registration process in the spring. 

Many parents favor one elementary school or another based on its magnet theme. But just as often, the choice comes down to other considerations — hours of operation, for one. Some schools open earlier than others, or have dismissal times more compatible with a sibling’s school or a parent’s work schedule.

Once parental preferences are ranked during the registration process, the final determination of where a student will be enrolled is made. This determination is arrived at using a variety of criteria. If a student has an older sibling already at that school, that student will have priority over students without siblings. This, Ms. Monahan explains, is because it’s easier for parents if both or all of their children attend the same school. 

Other factors that may be factored in include available space (some schools are larger than others and therefore can provide space for specific functions, like English Language Learning or Special Education instruction). Depending on the needs of the child being enrolled, some students may be given priority based on a school’s ability to deliver those services, along with space availability for specific instructional needs.

In furtherance of the Montclair Board of Education goals, a student's placement is also factored on three geographic zones in the township. All areas of the town are delineated as belonging to one of the three geographic zones, with each residence in town being in one of the zones.

The district then uses a computerized lottery system so that no one — even the Registrar — knows in advance where students will be placed. 

To new parents, the system can sometimes be bewildering because it’s different from the neighborhood-school model that most communities use. In Montclair, a child can live around the corner from a school but attend a school located across town instead.