Yes, in Wichita Public Schools, we call our event Intro to Kindergarten. For students entering kindergarten in the 2023-24 school year, this event will happen on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. You can find the times and details for your child's school on our Intro to Kindergarten page. If you will be unable to attend, you can call your child's school to find out more information on your next steps.

The online enrollment system will only allow one parent to complete the enrollment process. That parent will include parental information for both parents so that both can receive the information. If you have questions when enrolling, call 316-866-8043 for assistance.

Parents should expect to be able to walk their student to class and meet the teacher if they haven't already. In past years, our elementary schools have staggered attendance for kindergarten students for the first few days of the school year, dividing the class into thirds so that the teachers can focus on a smaller group of students for their first day. This may make the schedule a little different the first week of school, but it will become consistent with the rest of the district/school calendar after that. 

The hours for most elementary schools are from 9 a.m.-4:10 p.m. However, there are some schools that have different hours. Click here for the school start and end times. 

You can find the school year calendar on our website in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Most elementary schools will have a staggered first day of school for kindergarten students. Each student's first day will be a full day, but they may have a break between their first and second days of school. Your school will communicate directly with you about what to expect prior to the district's first day of school.

District Inservice: Students are off school. Teachers are at work, learning from peers and supervisors about topics to help them help your students succeed. District offices are open.

Nonteaching Duty Day: Happens three times during the school year, at the end of each nine-week period. Students are off school. Teachers use this time to finish any grading or paperwork that needs to be done for the quarter. District offices are open.

Conference Release Days: Happens once each semester. Students and teachers are off school to make up for extra hours spent doing evening parent-teacher conferences. District offices are open. 

Holidays: These are days off for observed holidays, including Labor Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Presidents Day. All students and staff have these days off, including district offices.

Recess (Fall, Winter and Spring): During fall and spring recess, all students and staff are off, including district office employees. During Winter break, students, school staff and district offices have slightly different schedules.

The district’s 1:1 initiative provides every enrolled student a device (laptop, tablet, iPad). For our kindergarten students, this device is an iPad, and it is primarily used in the classroom to enhance classroom instruction and build digital literacy and citizenship. Devices are given to students in the Fall and are collected/returned in the Spring at the conclusion of the school year. Parents complete the technology sign-off and have the opportunity to opt-in to voluntary technology insurance during enrollment.

For all K-12 students in Wichita Public Schools, bus transportation is provided for students who live more than 2.5 miles from their assigned school. In most cases, the bus stop is within two blocks of the home address for kindergarteners. Specific bus stop information is provided closer to the first day of school. Complete the enrollment process by the in-person enrollment dates in late July to ensure that your eligible student will receive bus services beginning on the first day. 

Before the first bus ride, take your child to the bus stop so that they are familiar with it. Help your child memorize their address and your phone number.

During the year, accompany your child to the bus stop in the morning and supervise them until the bus comes. Be at the bus stop to meet them in the afternoon. The FirstView app allows parents to track the bus GPS and to get up-to-date information through push notifications. This is a great tool to use while waiting to get your child from the bus! 

Kindergarten bus riders are given a yellow tag from their teacher. Keep this fastened to your kindergartener’s backpack to help remind the bus driver that the child is a kindergartener. In most cases, the kindergartners will sit up front near the driver. We encourage parents to send a small comfort toy wiht their student on the bus, like a fidget, small plush toy, or book. Please don’t send your child on the bus with food, candy, or drinks (besides those packed in a lunch).

You can sign up for latchkey, or before and after school care, during the enrollment process. Each program coordinator will choose different activities for their latchkey students. You can contact your school for specific questions about their program approach. Click here for more information about latchkey.

Some schools require uniform dress codes, but not all do. You can find the 2022-23 list of standardized dress schools here to see what schools required for the current year. If you have any concerns about the standardized dress requirements, please contact your child's school before the start of the school year. 

Teachers and school nurses work with students and families when this happens. We do have some extra clothes at schools, or you may put extra clothes in your child's backpack - just in case.

Yes, if you have concerns, you can speak to the building principal or school nurse, and they will be able to give you more information.

All of the elementary schools have standard fees for text books and student materials. We have not yet posted the 2023-24 fees, but you can find an example of the previous year's fees by clicking on this link. 

Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that families will again need to complete a Free and Reduced Price lunch application to qualify for either free or reduced meals. This application will be available to complete online when you complete online enrollment in July.

We are providing free breakfast in the classroom for all elementary students during the 2022-23 school year.

You can click here for example meal costs based on a family's socio-economic status so you know generally what to expect. 

You can see an example of screening questions in the PDF in the Parent Resources section of Intro to Kindergarten. The online Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ screeners) will be available in early June here on the student screening site.