Enrollment Information

Visit the Seattle Public School enrollment page for detailed information and deadlines. After you enroll your student and if you live within the attendance area, you will be assigned to Whittier Elementary. Visit the district’s Address Look Up feature to verify if your residence is within the Whittier attendance area. If you live outside the boundaries, you can still apply to be added to the wait list.

Kindergarten

Jump Start –  Every August, most Seattle elementary and K-8 schools offer a free week-long program to help new kindergartners get ready and excited about starting school.

Family Connections –  Before starting school, each new kindergartner’s family is offered the chance to meet with their student’s teacher to begin building a home-school partnership. 

Our usual practice before the start of school is to offer each new kindergartner’s family the chance to meet with their student’s teacher. The goal is to foster a good home-school partnership.

General Kindergarten Information

• Kindergarten students spend the fall learning routines (e.g., morning meeting, class helper jobs, class snack, lining up, raising hands) and understanding what is expected of them as members of their new class and school community.
• Kindergarten teachers spend a lot of time working with their students to develop a sense of community by discussing and modeling concepts like respect, kindness, honesty and acceptance. They have regular class meetings where they learn to talk about feelings and practice strategies.
• Kindergarteners have three recesses (morning, lunch and afternoon). They eat lunch together with their grade level. For children bringing lunch from home, we encourage parents to pack nutritious foods in easy-to-open containers.
• Kindergarteners attend library on a regular basis during which time they hear a story, practice browsing and check out a book. They also have PE, Performing Arts and Art, which they attend on an alternating basis.
• Choice time is a chance for Kindergarteners to delve deeper into subject areas that are of particular interest to them and practice self-direction.

Read more about Seattle Public Schools Kindergarten.