Kindergarten

In order to attend kindergarten, you must enroll your child officially at North Thurston Public Schools. Registration is done online. If you need assistance, please contact your neighborhood school office.

Start Registration

Registration steps

• Register online in Skyward Family Access (our student data system)
• Upload your required documents or bring them to your neighborhood school office. 
• Pick up your welcome kit! (includes a book and school sticker)
• Watch your email this summer for back-to-school and open house information.

All NTPS students who ride the bus must register with our Transportation department to reserve their seat. Bus registration is a separate online form and opens in early summer each year. 

Bus registration information

All our bus riders use SMART tags, cards they scan when they get on and off the bus. These tags track our ridership and should be attached to students' backpacks at all times for easy access. Activate your family SMART tag account and download the app to view route assignments, receive alerts, and more.

SMART tag information

Please familiarize yourself with your student's bus stop location and pick-up and drop-off times. Please be at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the listed stop time in SMART tag. You can help your child feel confident riding the bus by visiting the bus stop ahead of time and learning the landmarks to identify it independently. Kindergarten students will have assigned seats toward the front of the bus.

An adult must be present to meet all kindergarten students at the bus stop; they may not be dropped off unless an identified adult is waiting for them. Kindergarten students may exit the bus with a sibling or without an adult waiting if families complete a form waiving the requirement.

Kindergarten bus information

Attending child care before or after school? If your student will be attending a child care facility within the boundary of the school the student attends, bus routing can include transportation to and from the facility.

Child care facilities within school boundaries

Transfer student? Bus transportation is not provided when students transfer into an NTPS school from outside the district, or to a different school than their resident school. This is an agreed-upon condition in the transfer application.

Can my student receive free meals at school? Families who qualify are eligible for free breakfast and lunch, and the opportunity to waive some additional school fees. Complete the NTPS Child & Nutrition Application (formerly Free & Reduced Lunch Application) this August to see if you qualify. Some NTPS schools also qualify for additional state and federal funding that provides free meals to all students.

Child & Nutrition Application

How do students pay for their meals? Students pay for their lunch with their SMART tag card they use to ride the bus. The card is tied to their meal account balance, which families can maintain by paying online through our payment portal, or by check or cash in your school office. Learn more about paying for meals.

What's for lunch? Monthly menus are posted on your school website, and some schools send home paper copies in backpacks.

Special dietary needs? Working together with the Food & Nutrition department, school nurses, and other student support staff, a plan may be created to help meet special dietary needs. See current menus and learn more about dietary accommodations.

Packing a lunch? Help your student practice opening and closing their lunch box, containers, and food packaging.

What if I forget to pack my student a lunch? Students will be served a school lunch, and their meal account will be charged. Families will be notified of any negative meal account balance and can pay online, or by cash or check as usual.

What about immunizations? A Certificate of Immunization or Certificate of Exemption (doctor-signed) is required for all NTPS students - even those attending our choice schools like Summit or Ignite. Contact your student's doctor or the school health room if you have questions about completing the forms or downloading your student's immunization records from the state MyIR Mobile database.

Visit the Immunizations page for required immunization lists, form downloads, and more.

Does your student have health concerns or need to take medication at school? Contact your school health room to discuss your student's needs and complete additional required paperwork.

See the full supply list for additional and optional supplies. We have bulk-purchased supplies into supply kits available for purchase at cost via your school.

All students need a full-sized backpack!

When you're all registered, take some time to help your student practice routines and build independence for school. Putting on their coat and backpack, bathroom and handwashing steps, picking up after themselves, taking turns, and using positive words are all helpful skills to make their transition to school as smooth as possible.

You can also work through some of the activities below with your student. Help your child practice holding a pencil, writing their name, and using child-size scissors. These are exercises, not tests, and a great starting point when you talk to your student's teacher at Family Connections in September.

Ignite Family Academy is our in-person classroom opportunity for families who prefer home-based education. Ignite offers a combination of on-site classes, a curriculum resource library, teacher advisors, field experiences, clubs, and more for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.

Ignite Family Academy