CSD Registration Starts This Saturday
Decatur Metro | January 29, 2013 | 1:10 pmKids getting older? Feeling like they could use some good old-fashioned educating? Then enroll them in City Schools of Decatur!
Heather sends along all the info you need to register your young ‘uns at City Schools of Decatur for the upcoming school year…
Registration HoursRegistration for the 2013-2014 school year occurs at the Central Office at Westchester, Monday through Friday, 8:00 -11:30 AM beginning on February 4, 2013. Additionally, we will open the CSD 2013-2014 registration process on Saturday, February 2, 2013 from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the Central Offices at Westchester, 758 Scott Boulevard. We encourage families to avail themselves of our extended hours on February 2 if at all possible!Please note: Families whose children are currently enrolled in CSD do not need to register at Westchester. Registration is for children NEW to City Schools of Decatur.City Schools of Decatur Registration WebsiteWhat can I do to be prepared?
- Double-check your residency status by consulting our School Zones webpage.
- Use this checklist to make sure you have every document that you need. Incomplete application packets cannot be accepted.
- Make copies of original documents before you come.
- If you have not obtained records from your child’s last school, fill out the records request form.
Kindergarten- grade 12 Registration 2013-2014Do you have students not currently enrolled in CSD but plan for them to attend Kindergarten-grade 12 in 2013-2014?Help us plan for your child’s enrollment in CSD for the 2013-2014 school year. We want to hire the very best teachers, so the earlier we know of your plans, the better. In addition, the earlier you register, the greater the probability of your child attending their zoned school. Families whose students are currently enrolled in CSD do not need to register at Westchester.To support families, we will begin the CSD 2013-2014 registration process on Saturday, February 2, 2013 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Central Offices at Westchester, 758 Scott Boulevard. We encourage families to avail themselves of our extended hours on February 2 if at all possible!Click here to access a checklist of necessary documents needed for registration. Please spread the word to your neighbors!Children eligible for Kindergarten must be five years old on or before September 1.Pre-Kindergarten Registration 2013-2014Do you have students not currently enrolled in CSD but want them to attend Pre-Kindergarten in 2013-2014?To support families, we will begin the CSD 2013-2014 registration process on Saturday, February 2, 2013 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Central Offices at Westchester, 758 Scott Boulevard. We encourage families to avail themselves for our extended hours on February 2 if at all possible! Families whose students are currently enrolled in CSD do not need to register at Westchester.In the past, families interested in Pre-Kindergarten registered at College Heights. Starting February 2, all Pre-Kindergarten-grade 12 registrations will occur at the Central Office at Westchester.Pre-Kindergarten slots are assigned based on a phased lottery: all registrations received during the month of February will be considered in one lottery on March 1. Similarly, all registrations received during the month of March will be considered in one lottery on April 1. That process will continue each month.Click here to access a checklist of necessary documents needed for registration. Please spread the word to your neighbors!Children eligible for pre-Kindergarten must be four years old on or before September 1.School ToursIndividual schools may offer school tours: click here to access specific school websites where information about school tours may be located. School tour dates are also listed on our district calendar.
Hotlinks are available on this website: http://www.csdecatur.net/registration/
Thanks DM!
Has anyone ever gone to the opening day of registration to register older kids (high school)? I fear it may be chaotic, and we’d do just as well to wait and register at a later date since we aren’t aiming for a spot in a preferred school, etc.
This is the first year of a Saturday registration kickoff. We are hopeful many families take advantage of this opportunity. Perhaps we can see you later in the day!
Thomas and the Registration Team
Ah, thanks Thomas. We have other events on the Saturday schedule already (Groundhog Day at the Yellow River Game Ranch and Gustafer Yellowgold Family Concert at Eddie’s Attic, not to mention the farmers market and the library book sale) so if we can make it we will try — all documents scanned and ready! If not, we’ll come by Westchester on Monday.
Oh my goodness, my husband just got back. he went there at 7.55am to get it all done before basketball etc, and was there over an hour…. I guessed there was going to be some kind of application form to go with all the documents, but I couldn’t find one anywhere online. I figured maybe that was by design, but when my husband got there he had to go to the back of the line again for not having his 8-page (highly confusing) application form completed before arriving. He saw some poor woman be sent back to the back of the line again for still not having the 504 (disability) part of the form filled out as she didn’t know what a 504 thing was. Luckily my husband overheard the conversation from the line and managed to scribble N/A or something for the 504 part before he got sent to the back of the line again!!! On the list of requirements to bring along it is a bit ambiguous at the bottom whether or not you should take the child’s social security card etc, but my husband erred on the side of caution and took it anyway. Thank goodness he did! He’s terribly nervous about what CSD is going to be like in general now after this terrible show of disorganization and chaos…. Hope things get better from here….
If you are new to public school, do not be put off by the bureaucratic aspects. Private schools, whether they be daycares, preschools, preKs, elementary or secondary schools put a big emphasis on customer relations and smooth communication and they hire staff who know how to do that in addition to their other responsibilities. Otherwise they cannot compete well for students. Public schools do not have anywhere near as much competitive pressure and have limited staffing for the administrative, communication, and customer service functions. What is important is not so much your experience at Central Office but your child’s daily experience in the classroom with a quality teacher, reasonably sized class, and good parent engagement.
Unfortunately, my child’s first year in CSD was miserable in terms of “your child’s daily experience in the classroom with a quality teacher, reasonably sized class, and good parent engagement.” Horrid. And my letter to the principal abut this resulted in no response. Thankfully this year has been WONDERFUL, despite last year’s experience leaving my girl with lasting scars. I can only hope that it will make her as a stronger person, but that’s my eternal optimist speaking.
IMHO, I think it was wonderful that CSD staff members took a whole Saturday away from their own families and home responsibilities to open registration for the convenience of new students’ parents. I have found that many things involving registering my own two boys for sports, doctor and dentist visits, camps and school involves lots of paperwork and lots of waiting. I’m confident that the folks registering new CSD students did everything they could to make the experience on Saturday a pleasant one.