FAQs » Kindergarten FAQs

Kindergarten FAQs

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Here are some frequently asked questions about kindergarten at Marion Community Schools:

 

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Please note: You can request to attend another of our elementary schools. Please contact your designated home elementary school to start the process of requesting to attend another Marion elementary school. Contact information is available here.

Any child who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 1 can attend kindergarten. If your child misses that cutoff date and you would like to apply for early entrance, you must contact your school before enrollment can be considered. Contact information is available here. 
You can view the full school year calendar here. 
The Grant County Family YMCA provides latchkey, holiday and emergency childcare. If you want to use these services, you must register and make payment arrangements with the YMCA. Call 765-664-0544 for more information, or click here to visit the Grant County Family YMCA's website.

Information is sent in various ways:

  • Teachers often provide newsletters or other regular communication. Be sure to ask your teacher about the best way to get these updates. 
  • Schools also send periodic newsletters and information home with students. 
  • Schools also use phone and email to provide information. It is important that we have current contact information on file for every family. If your contact information (phone number, email, address) changes, please inform us right away. 
  • In addition, information is available here on the Marion Community Schools website and on our social media platforms. 
Click here to get school vaccination requirements from the Indiana State Department of Health. (Your medical provider should have this information as well.)

Our school supply lists will be available in the Enrollment section of the Marion Community Schools website when they are available. Typically they are also made available by local stores that sell school supplies closer to the start of the school year.

Click here to view/download the most recent dress code specifics.
There are bathrooms connected to each of our kindergarten classrooms. While teachers can help with clasps and buttons if needed, students must be self-sufficient in terms of bathroom usage and hygiene. Teachers do not go into bathrooms with students, and cannot assist with routine bathroom hygiene. 
 
If you have a specific concern with your student and bathroom usage, please communicate in advance with your school. 
Our teachers, health clinic assistants, office personnel, and administrators can provide help with minor injuries. With parents’ permission, appropriate over-the-counter medications may be given at school. If a student’s injuries or illness is serious enough to require additional care, or if there appears to be a risk of contagious illness, your school will reach out to you or your other designated emergency contacts as needed. It is very important that we have current contact information on file for every family. If your contact information (phone number, email, address) changes, please inform us right away. 
 
Please note: If your child requires prescription medication to be provided at school, or if you have any ongoing health concerns we should be aware of, please contact your school to discuss.
Typically, you can meet your child’s teacher during the Back-to-School Open House at your school. These events are posted here on our website and on our Facebook pages. 

Transportation is available by request to all K-12 students living within the district. When you fill out your registration online, you will be able to request bus transportation. 
 
Close to the start of the school year, the MCS Transportation Department will contact families with bus riders to provide their bus number, bus stop location, and pickup time. 

If your transportation preferences change mid-year, please contact the Transportation Department, 765-664-4237.

Each school provides details about regular drop-off and pick-up procedures directly to their families, as each building has specific routes and processes. 
Each school has their own procedures for dismissal. Regular procedures and expectations will be reviewed with students, and staffers are present to supervise and assist during arrival and dismissal times. 
 
If your pick-up needs are changing for any reason on a specific day (for instance, if your child usually rides the bus but will need to be picked up by car for some reason) you must contact your school ahead of time.  

For the 2023-24 school year, kindergarten start time for the first three days is slightly later than regular start time to allow parents and students to meet their teacher together. Aug. 9-11, kindergarten start time is 8 a.m. The teacher will walk the whole class into the building together. 

 

After that, regular drop-off procedures should be followed; doors open to students at 7:20 a.m., and classes start at 7:45 a.m. Regular procedures and expectations will be reviewed with students, and staffers are present to supervise and assist during arrival and dismissal times. 
 
Individual schools provide more details about regular drop-off and pick-up procedures directly to their families, as each building has specific routes and processes.

Office hours at all of our elementary buildings are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year. Doors open at 7:20 a.m. Children are not to be sent to school before the designated time since entry areas are not supervised before school. All students are expected to be at their desks, ready to begin the school day before 7:45 a.m. Classes end at 2:15 p.m.
Every student is expected to be ready to begin when class starts. (This means they need to be dropped off a few minutes earlier than that, so they have time to get to class!) Some buildings and classrooms may have certain procedures in the morning that set a specific tardy time. Please contact your school office if you need clarification on specific tardy procedures.
 
Parents are required to notify the school office when a child is absent from school. Please call your elementary school office between 7 and 8 a.m. (Phone numbers can be found here.) If a call cannot be made, then parents will need to send a note to school with the child on the day they return explaining the absence.
 
Students are required by state law to attend school regularly. This means students are to be in their classrooms by the start of class and here through the end of the school day. An accurate daily record is kept of all absences, tardies and early departures. Multiple unexcused absences or tardies violate state law and may be categorized as truancies.
Schedules vary from school to school, grade to grade, and sometimes even classroom to classroom. If you need specifics for any reason, please contact your school once the school year has started.

EVERY student in our school system, preschool through 12th grade, will get FREE breakfast and lunch in the coming school year. There is no application process, and there are no special requirements. 

 

For menus and more information about meals, visit the Food Service Department at the Marion Community Schools website. 

 

You can send lunch from home if you wish, but we encourage you to keep the nutritional needs of growing kids in mind! 

From time to time our schools have the opportunity to participate in a fresh produce program that provides fruit and vegetable snacks for our classrooms. We do not typically allow parents to provide snacks.

 

If you have specific dietary or health concerns, please connect directly with your school to discuss further. 

Parents/guardians may make arrangements with their child’s teacher to bring a small treat at the end of the school day to celebrate their child’s birthday. Parent/guardian must notify the teacher at least a day in advance for any birthday plans. Treats must be packaged or commercially prepared.
 
Due to food allergies, make sure to ask your child’s teacher if anyone in the classroom is allergic to any type of food. Many students today are allergic to things such as peanuts and milk. 
 
The same guidelines are in place for holiday celebrations; please coordinate any such arrangements with your child’s teacher.
Email is the best way to reach any of our school staff. For general questions, please feel free to reach out to your school principal. Click here for our staff directory to find email addresses for our administrators and teachers. 
 
Many teachers provide additional ways to connect with them. Make sure to ask your teacher if they have other classroom communication options (such as Infinite Campus, Remind, or a class social media page).
 
During the regular school year, you can also visit teachers at school, but arrangements must be made ahead of time through the school. Click here for more information on scheduling a visit. 

Background checks are required for anyone helping in our schools or with school activities such as field trips. After the start of school, please contact your school office to discuss options, and stay in touch with your child’s teacher to find out about opportunities.
 
Arrangements for visits and volunteering must be made ahead of time through the school. Click here for more information on scheduling a visit.

In compliance with a new state law, as of the 2023-24 school year there are no textbook fees for families.
>> Click here to view the school year calendar.