Kindergarten Ready

Kindergarten is for students who turn five by July 31 of the current year.

If you have questions about Kindergarten eligibility you're welcome to reach out to your neighborhood GIPS school or to the district office at communications@gips.org. 

To sign your child up for Kindergarten, please follow the instructions for online registration. All students, new and returning, must be registered for school each year. Online registration is available for all students, including Kindergarten students.

If you already have another student in GIPS, you can follow the instructions for returning parents. If the Kindergartener you are registering is your first child in GIPS, you will need to follow the instructions to get a ParentVue account and proceed to registration.

To be Kindergarten Ready, there are a number of things you can help your student do. The Nebraska Department of Education has a number of resources and tips.

The most important recommendations are:

• Be enthusiastic about school. Focus on the positives. When you show that school is important to you, your child will learn that, too.
• Help your child be at school on time, every day. Whenever possible, make your child’s appointments for after school or toward the end of the school day.
• Keep reading to and with your child daily. This can be a special time in your bedtime routine to see how much your child is learning.
• Ask about your child’s day and about the work they bring home, too.
• Talk to your child’s teacher early and often, especially if you have concerns. The relationships and communication between the teacher and your family are key to ensuring your child’s success.

 

THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

Kindergarten students have elementary school to themselves on the first day of school. This allows students the time it takes to tour the school without the bigger kids, go through the lunch line for the first time and feel more welcomed into the school by the entire elementary staff.

During the first two days, all children will participate in many activities to meet friends and get to know school. Children will spend some time with each Kindergarten teacher. Teachers will give informal assessments (colors, shapes, letters) and observe children during the first two days. 

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR SCHOOL?

School supply list

SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM

The Grand Island Public Schools Nutrition Services offers a complete and nutritious breakfast and lunch at all schools. Our meals meet strict guidelines set by the US Department of Education. Visit the school meals webpage for more information.

School meals

NURSE INFORMATION

Each GIPS elementary has a school nurse on hand to help families and support students. When signing up for kindergarten and getting ready for the first day, there are a lot of important steps to take, including ensuring the student has all the necessary vaccinations and the required physical form filled out and turned in by your family doctor.

The following information may be helpful as we work together to keep your child in school as much as possible. We recognize unique situations may develop. If you are unsure regarding your situation, please feel free to call the school and speak with the nurse.

Nurse Health Forms & Information

In accordance with Nebraska State law, GIPS requires immunizations and a medical examination for any student beginning in the district. 

All students need to have these five vaccines before starting Kindergarten: 

• DtaP - Diptheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
• Hepatitis B
• Polio
• MMR - Measles, Mumps & Rubella
• Varicella - Chicken Pox

The required immunizations may be obtained from your family physician, or from the Central District Health Department located at 1137 South Locust Street (308-385-5175). Please call ahead for an appointment. (The Health Department does not perform the Kindergarten physical examination, they only offer the immunizations.)

Your kindergarten student will gain their first introduction in science, math and English language arts curriculum areas. 

English Language Arts

• Trimester One: 
  • Demonstrate knowledge of print concepts (i.e., a book reads front to back, left to right and top to bottom.)
  • Identify the first sound in a given word (e.g., If you give the word, “fish.” The child can tell you the first sound is “/f/”. 
  • Identify the most common sound associated with the letters of the alphabet. 
  • Express ideas in writing using pictures, letter strings, labels and words. 
• Trimester Two: 
  • When given two to three sounds in a given word (e.g., /a/ /t/) the child can blend the sounds together to tell you the whole word - at. 
  • When given a word that has two to three sounds (e.g., sun) the child can break the word apart into all of its individual sounds - /s/ /u/ /n/. 
  • Increasing recognition of regular grade-level words (e.g., cat, big, is) and irregular grade-level words (e.g., the, was, one). 
  • Expresses ideas in writing by stringing words together. Words are separated by spaces and there is an attempt to match consonant and vowel sounds with their appropriate spellings. 
• Trimester Three: 
  • Demonstrates complete knowledge of blending sounds into single syllable words and breaking single syllable words apart into its individual sounds. 
  • Recognizes a number of grade appropriate regular and irregular words as if by sight.
  • Reads emergent reader text using a conversational tone.
  • Identifies characters, setting, and events in a story.

What you can do at home to help your child prepare for, and be successful in Kindergarten English Language Arts?  

Visit this NDE link for reading resources.

Math

In Kindergarten, your child will learn how to:

• Write numbers from 0 to 20
• Add and subtract with numbers up to 5
• Count objects and say how many there are
• Identify and describe shapes
• Compare numbers or groups of objects and tell you which group has more or less
• Add and subtract within 10 using objects, fingers, drawings or numbers
• Understand that teen numbers are 10 and a few more
• Understand weight and length as something that they can measure
• Solve addition and subtraction problems within a story

• Trimester One: 
  • Number concepts through 10, sorting into two categories, identifying groups that have more or fewer, comparing length, mass, and capacity
• Trimester Two: 
  • Introducing the concept of equality, position language, addition and subtraction, teen numbers, identifying and sorting 3D objects
• Trimester Three: 
  • Number concepts through 20, identifying and sorting 2D and 3D objects, solving addition and subtraction word problems
  • To prepare for first grade begin identifying coins and their values

What you can do at home to help your child prepare for, and be successful in Kindergarten math?

• For more information and ideas for home visit these Orego math curriculum links:
  • Parent Portal 
  • Kindergarten Link

 

Science 

The Kindergarten science standards and indicators help students gather, analyze and communicate evidence as they formulate answers to questions tailored to student interest and current topics that may include but are not limited to:

• Trimester One: Where do animals live and why do they live there? 
  • Students are expected to develop an understanding of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive and the relationship between their needs and where they live.
• Trimester Two: What happens if you change how hard you push or pull an object? 
  • Students are able to apply an understanding of the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object to analyze a design solution.
• Trimester Three: What is the weather like today and how is it different from yesterday? 
  • Students are expected to develop an understanding of patterns and variations in local weather and the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.

What you can do at home to help your child prepare for and be successful in Kindergarten science?

• Support your child in making observations of their world and asking questions about their observations.
  • I notice (see, hear, smell, feel, taste)...
  • I wonder…
• Help your child identify and describe patterns in their world (winter, spring, summer, fall; color patterns made with building blocks, daily schedules)
• Take a nature walk in the same location at different times of the year
• Have your child describe changes in the motion of a toy when it is pushed with different strengths and directions (cause and effect)
• Plant a flower or vegetable garden and have your child help. Make observations of how the plants are growing, or not growing. Grass, radishes, beans, marigolds are quick and easy to grow. See what happens if they don’t get water or sunlight.

 

Assessments

Kindergartners take the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment three times per year. The MAP assessment is designed to assess growth in math and reading from one term to the next and obtain learning statements to identify what each student is ready to learn. The results of this assessment are also used to meet the requirements of the reading bill. Your child’s teacher will discuss their MAP assessment results with you during parent-teacher conferences.

Additionally, end of unit assessments are used to measure student mastery of skills, concepts and content in each subject area.

In the spring of 2011, the Nebraska legislature passed LB1006 revising the age requirements for students entering kindergarten beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. This bill states that a child is eligible for admission into kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if the child is five years of age or will be five years of age on or before July 31 of the calendar year in which the school year for which the child is seeking admission begins.

 

How to participate

• Fill out the packet attached to this form and return it to the Kneale Administration building (123 South Webb Road) by March 14, 2025. Please make sure the following forms are included:

1. Application for Early Entrance to Kindergarten

2. Parent Checklist

3. Copy of the child’s birth certificate

• The district assessment team will review this information and either counsel parents regarding concerns the child may encounter in meeting the demands of the Kindergarten curriculum or recommend a developmental assessment be completed.

• If your child is recommended for a developmental assessment, a letter will be sent with the date and time of your child’s scheduled appointment. If you need to reschedule, please call Opal Bentley at 308-385-5900, extension 201153. 

 

Assessment Information

• To determine readiness for early entry Kindergarten, your child will be assessed on motor skills, conceptual skills, and language skills. 

• Trained teachers will conduct the assessment, which typically lasts between 45-60 minutes.

There is no charge for this assessment. Testing will occur April 4, 2025.

 

DOWNLOAD

• Early Entry Kindergarten Assessment Packet - ENGLISH | SPANISH

QUESTIONS

Parent questions can be referred to Opal Bentley at 308-385-5900, extension 201153.