Kindergarten

Kindergarten Registration

Spring has finally arrived, so the calendar says, and though the sun is currently shining down in Barrie, I’m sure we’re due for a bit more of the white stuff before it really starts to feel like Spring!  It’s a time for new beginnings, fresh starts and new life!  As the birds will soon start chirping and buds will appear on the trees and begin pushing through the ground, I can’t help but think ahead to the Fall when the youngest in our family will be off to Kindergarten as she begins her new journey.

If you have a child turning four in 2017, have you registered them yet for school for September?  It’s hard to think past summer, but we must begin the preparations now for the new year.  I know I’ve been putting it off a bit, as I cringe at the thought of my final baby entering the school yard that first day, but with every new beginning brings so much growth and possibility.  Just like Spring!

The Holly Community offers a few wonderful schools to choose from, based on your location and preferences. If this is not your first child entering the school system, you likely know exactly where you’ll register your child, and you probably haven’t left it late like myself.  However, perhaps you’re new to the area, or it is your first child beginning their educational journey (it’s ok, Mom & Dad), so here’s a brief run down on the schools in our area.

W.C Little Elementary School

Located at 11 Bear Creek Drive, this school currently has just under 650 students from grades Jk-8, it is a walking school (students are from the neighbouring streets and either walked or driven by parents, no buses), and offers before and after school care.

Holly Meadows Elementary School

Located at 151 Mapleton Avenue, Holly Meadows is conveniently situated right beside the Holly Community Centre!  With 659 students from grades JK-8, this school also offers before and after care, and buses some children to and from school.

Looking for a Separate School?

St. Bernadette Elementary School

Located at 101 Marsellus Drive, St. Bernadette offers grades Jk-8 in a Catholic learning setting.  Students can be bussed if outside the walking zone.

St. Nicholas Elementary School

Located at 100 Lougheed Road, St. Nicholas offers grades jk-8 also in a Catholic learning setting. Bussing is also available at this school. Children attending an elementary school in the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board must be either baptized Catholic or have a Catholic parent.  Under certain circumstances, some exceptions may apply so you can speak with the principal for more information.

If you are looking to register your child for kindergarten, the forms are available to you at www.scdsb.on.ca or www.smcdsb.on.ca. You will require proof of age, proof of Canadian citizenship, proof of address, and immunization records, as well as a baptismal certificate if registering with the separate board. Most schools hold an orientation in late spring to help familiarize the new students with the school and program, before September. 

Good luck to all those first time kindergarteners out there, and especially to the Moms and Dads sending them!

-Bronwyn