With Schools Staying Open, Parents Prepare for Kindergarten Registration

Amy Cesario is preparing her daughter for something that looked uncertain just a few months ago: kindergarten registration at .

The school board—which considered consolidating Aiken and Myrtle Avenue elementaries with — when the newly-elected school board members took their seats in December.

“I couldn’t be happier that the school district is keeping the five-building configuration,” Cesario said. “I think it’s really beneficial.”

Cesario’s two older children—one a second grader at Aiken and the other a senior at —attended Aiken for kindergarten. She said she likes the neighborhood feel of the school, and is glad her youngest child can attend the same school her siblings have been telling her about.

“With my second-grader, it feels good to know that when she’s invited to a birthday part or something, I know all the parents,” Cesario said. “Some of the teachers live here in Green Tree, or in the neighborhood. We see them at the grocery store. Our kids are friends.”

Cesario said she’s proud to have students in the Keystone Oaks district, and to be an Aiken parent, especially after .

And her 4-year-old is excited to join her big sister, as well as friends from preschool and the local library program, at Aiken.

“She’s friends with three little girls who started kindergarten this year and she felt left out,” Cesario said. “I think she knows kindergarten will be a little tougher, but she’s excited about it.”

All schools in the Keystone Oaks School District will remain open, and those with children eligible to register for kindergarten for August 2012 should do so at their local elementary schools.

To register, parents should bring the child’s immunization record, state-issued birth certificate and two proofs of residency. Registration materials are available on the Keystone Oaks website, under the tab “New Student Registration.”

No appointment is necessary to register at any school.

Registration dates are:

Myrtle Avenue Elementary School

• March 7: 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
• March 8: 9 to 11 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.

Dormont Elementary School

• March 13: 8:30 to 11 a.m., 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.
• March 14: 8:30 to 11 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Fred L. Aiken Elementary School

• March 20: 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
• March 21: 9 to 11 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.