Kindergarten Student Registration Steps in the Ellensburg Student Enrollment Portal

Step 1 — Enrollment Application
Select Elementary Schools and grade level of K1. After each section you will select the appropriate orange button. You are able to save and come back to the application at any point. Providing information in some of the fields is optional, with the exception of required fields, which are identified by a *. You must provide information in these fields prior to finalizing completion of the step.

Step 2 — Family’s Demographic Information

Steps 3 & 4

After each section you can save and move on, or save that one section and come back at a later time. If there is any missing information, the system will ask you to complete the required missed sections.

Step 6 — Supplemental Forms
In Form 1, you will be asked for your first and second choice of elementary schools. There is also a place to write in additional considerations for your student’s placement.
Please Note: For all supplemental forms the save button is in the top right corner.

Pasos para inscribir a un Estudiante Nuevo en el Portal de Inscripción de Estudiantes de Ellensburg

El Portal estará abierto el 1 de abril y nuestra  Por favor vaya a la página web del Distrito www.esd401.org y encontrar el enlace.

Paso 1 — Para empezar a llenar la solicitud de Inscripción
(Nota: Cuando inscriba a un niño en el Kindergarten, elija “Escuelas Primarias” (“Elementary schools” ) y el nivel de grado es “K1”).
Después de cada sección usted va a seleccionar el botón anaranjado apropiado. Puede guardar y volver a la solicitud en cualquier punto. En algunos espacios la información que usted proporcione es opcional - pero en el portal de inscripción, en los espacios donde vea el *rojo - debe proporcionar la información antes de finalizar este paso.

Paso 2 — Se mostrará la información demográfica de su familia y usted puede hacer cualquier cambio a este momento

Trabaje sobre los Pasos 3 y 4

Juli Hamilton — Ellensburg School District Early Learning Coordinator
Welcome! We are so excited your kinder cutie will be joining us at ESD. Kindergarten is truly one of the most magical years in your child’s education. Our kindergarten teachers are masters at bringing joy into your child’s learning experiences—every single day. We look forward to getting to know your child and your family and share in this momentous year ahead!

This year will be one for the books! We look forward to learning more about your special little one and sharing in the wonder and awe of just how much they’ll grow this year!

Please feel free to reach out to me at any time if you have any questions. I’d love to chat with you about all that’s in store for your kinder cutie in the year ahead.

Patty Kimmel — Director of Special Programs
Welcome to the Ellensburg School District

I am Patty Kimmel, Director of Special Programs, in the Ellensburg School District. Ellensburg School District is proud to provide a continuum of supports to students from three years to age 21. Each of our students and families can expect to engage with highly professional staff who are dedicated and exceptional practitioners in the field.

Some children may exhibit difficulties in acquiring academic skills or struggle with communication, have social/emotional/behavioral challenges or physical challenges. It is during this time in the general education classroom, that the classroom teacher, parent, administrator or counselor may request assistance from a Student Teacher Assistance Team to recommend interventions in order to assist the student in the general education classroom. Parents will be informed of student progress and the teacher will contact the parent regarding progress in the general education setting.

If after interventions in the general education classroom, the student continues to experience difficulty making progress; school personnel may refer the student for a special education evaluation. The referral for determination of eligibility for special education services may be initiated by school personnel, the student’s parents or guardian or any other person involved in the education or care of the child.

The official referral begins the formal process of determining eligibility for special education services. A team will complete the evaluation. The team may include the School Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, audiologist, special education teacher, and others, as appropriate.

The evaluation team will meet with the parent and determine eligibility for special education services. Not all students will qualify for special education services. Should the student qualify for special education services an Individual Education Plan will be written for the student. A student cannot begin receiving special education services until the parent signs for initial placement.

The Ellensburg school district’s continuum of services includes providing services in the general education setting through the use of consultation, co-teaching or support from a paraprofessional; pull-out from a resource room teacher; related services or special class.

If your child has received special education services in another district, please make sure that you give permission to have the evaluation and IEP sent to the Special Programs Department located at 1300 East Third Avenue. The information can also be sent to Cathy Rutt.

A student may also qualify as a 504 student. Section 504 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination based upon disability. Anyone can refer a child for a 504 plan. There is an informal evaluation which is conducted which may consist of a doctor’s note, attendance, grades, etc. A team determines eligibility. A 504 plan will address the accommodations needed for a student in order for the student to have access to the general education curriculum. Each building has a school counselor who is the leader of the 504 process.

Sarah Hatfield — Valley View Elementary Secretary
We are excited that Kindergarten Registration will be online this year! Moving to an online registration system will be easier for parents, and streamline the process for the district.

Starting April 1^st, you can register your Kindergartner through Family Access in your Skyward account.

Alexandra Epstein-Solfield — Director of Food Services
School Meals are the new Happy Meals! Did you know that a 2014 study showed that school lunch is healthier than the average meal packed from home?

Who makes a healthier lunch: Mom or school cafeteria?

Menus
As a registered dietitian, I take the nutritional quality and the student appeal of our meals seriously. Our Child Nutrition Department prides itself on our fresh, locally procured produce and scratch-made recipes. Every school cafeteria features a daily salad bar, which offers a rainbow-colored selection of fruits and vegetables. Our menus are designed to follow state and federal nutritional guidelines, which emphasize the importance of whole grain, low sodium, low fat, and caloric appropriate products. And of course we want to offer items the kids actually like!

Meal Account Payments
When your child registers with the Ellensburg School District their meal account is automatically set up in MealTime, our point of service software. You can add funds by setting up an online account through https://www.mymealtime.com/ or by sending your child to school with a check or cash to hand to their cafeteria cashier (you will not be able to set up a Mealtime account until your child is registered). Siblings at different schools can add money to each other’s accounts by letting the cashier know. For example, if you send your Morgan Middle School student to school with a $20.00 check, they can let their cashier know that they need to add $10.00 of that check to their own account, and $10.00 to their siblings account at another school. As a parent or guardian, you can also stop by the cafeteria during service hours and pay in person.

Reduced or Free Priced Meals Eligibility
Your child may be eligible for reduced- or free-priced meals. There are several ways your child may qualify. The first is through Direct Certification. In this case, your child would receive benefits automatically based on your family’s eligibility for other state or federal programs such as SNAP, TANF, FDIPR, etc. If you qualify through this, you will receive a qualification letter from ESDs Child Nutrition Department stating your benefits and no other action is needed on your part.

The alternative to Direct Certification is an Income-Based Application. At the start of the year, you will receive an application for reduced or free meals in your child’s school packet. Please fill this out regardless of your income, you may be surprised at what you can qualify for. If your child qualifies for free-priced meals, they are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch each school day. If your child qualifies for reduced-priced meals, they may or may not be eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch as well. Although the price for reduced meals at ESD is $0.00 for breakfast, and $0.40 for lunch, the state of Washington subsidizes all children in the reduced-priced meals category through 3^rd grade. That means that even if your child qualifies for reduced-priced meals, they may receive free breakfast and lunch through 3^rd grade. Your children in 4^th grade and above would pay $0.00 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch. Once you turn in your application it will take 5-7 days to process and you will receive a letter in the mail notifying you of your eligibility. You may call Food Services at any time to check the status of your application: (509) 925-8217.

Meal Prices
The 2019-2020 meal prices are as follows (2020-2021 meal prices are undetermined):

Negative Accounts
You can set up low balance alerts for yourself at https://www.mymealtime.com/. Once your child’s balance reaches ($2.00), you will receive a weekly text message from Ellensburg School District notifying you that your child’s account has reached a negative balance. At ($5.00) you will receive a weekly email or letter notifying of your child’s negative balance. Please pay your balance at your earliest convenience.

Allergies & Food Preferences
The Ellensburg School District and USDA Child Nutrition Programs support access to healthy meals to all children, including children with disabilities who have special dietary needs. Under the law, a disability is an impairment which substantially limits a major life activity, which can include allergies and digestive conditions, but does not include personal diet preferences.

View our policy here.

Access the Meal Modification Request form (to be completed in full by a state-recognized medical authority).

Thank you and we look forward to feeding your student(s)!

For any other questions or concerns please contact me:
Phone: (509) 925-8217
Email: alexandra.epsteinsolfield@esd401.org

Kate Johnson — District Nurse
Welcome new kinder families!! My name is Kate Johnson and I am the Director of Nursing for the Ellensburg School District. We are so excited to be a part of this new chapter in your family's lives.

We have a team of wonderful nurses ready to serve and keep our students and staff healthy in the Ellensburg School District. Our top priority is to keep children in school and engaged. With this being said, there are some required forms that we need to have prior to your students attending school.

We know that you probably have many questions or concerns if your child takes daily medications, emergency medications, or has chronic health conditions.

Required Vaccinations for Washington State for school admission:
The State Board of Health (SBOH) has approved changes to Chapter 246-105 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) concerning school and child care immunization policy. These rules apply to all public and private schools and licensed child care centers in Washington State.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me by phone or email.
Phone: (509) 859-6905
Email: kate.johnson@esd401.org