By Lara Alexander

Kindergarten Registration!

Attention parents of future kindergartners: Families with a child who will be 5 years old by August 31, 2011 are eligible to enroll in kindergarten for the 2011-12 school year and enrollment has started! You can pick up a registration packed at your neighborhood elementary school. To find your neighborhood school, you can use the district’s school finder here.

Beginning Monday, Feb. 7, registration opens and packets can be returned to the school the child will attend. The start time for returning packets that day varies for each school. The district will post a list of those times to their website by the week of Jan. 31.

There are two kindergarten programs for Edmonds students. The “Alternating Day” program offers school for a full day on either a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule, with designated full day Fridays. This is the state funded program and there is no charge to parents. The “Every Day” kindergarten program offers school for a full school day five days a week. This program requires a tuition of $3,640 per student.

Financial aid is available for parents who can not afford to pay the “Every Day” tuition. However, the district’s ability to offer “Every Day” kindergarten depends on enough parents who can pay full tuition for the school year. If there is enough tuition collected by March 4 to adequately fund the “Every Day” program, but more interested students than available spaces, a lottery will be drawn on March 8 and parents notified by March 11 with the lottery results.

To enter the Every Day Kindergarten Lottery submit the following to your neighborhood school:
* A kindergarten registration packet
* An every day kindergarten contract or, if applying for financial aid: a financial aid application submitted with a recent pay stub, welfare or child support verification and/or proof of unemployment

Those selected in the lottery will be asked to send a deposit to the Edmonds School District offices at 20420 68th Ave. W. no later than March 18. Tuition for 2011-2012 will be $3,640 – a deposit of $364 will be requested to confirm your child’s placement in every day kindergarten.

Questions regarding kindergarten can be answered by Shelley Roehl by calling 425-431-7176 or roehls@edmonds.wednet.edu.

Hopping Fun!

Do your kiddos like frogs, toads and turtles? Edmonds has more than one way to pet a toad!

See and interact with live amphibians at the Francis Anderson Center! The ‘Frog Lady’ Thayer Cueter will teach kids all about frogs, toads, and their habitats. There will also be a fun frog craft to take home! Class meets at Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main Street, on Saturday, Feb. 5, from 10-11:30 am. Cost is $13 per child — parents are free! Register with Edmonds Parks and Recreation: 425-771-0230

Another way to see live frogs and turtles any week of the year is to pay a visit to the non-profit Just Frogs and Toads Too Amphibian Center, at 300 Admiral Way, Suite 300. The center acts as a home for rescued frogs, toads, turtles, tortoises and even one tarantula named Gertie! These rescued animals are used to teach children and adults about amphibians and their habitats. They also have frog themed parties and craft activities for amphibian lovers!

The center’s own Frog Lady, Thayer Cueter, stays busy teaching groups and doing outreach activities to further her cause. One of her biggest events is taking place this weekend — Ground Frog Day! On Saturday, Jan. 29, Slew, the official weather-predicting frog, will be making his appearance and official prediction in the town of Snohomish. You can be there to see what he says about the coming six weeks — will it be an early spring or a late winter? Ground Frog Day 2011 runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., downtown Snohomish at the corner of First Street and Avenue A.

To see Slew and all of his amphibious friends, you can also pay a visit to the Frog Lady at the Just Frogs and Friends Amphibian Center in Edmonds. Winter hours are Saturday and Sunday from 1-7 p.m. You may reach the center for more information, or to schedule a group activity, by calling 425-778-8726.

Edmonds mom Lara Alexander keeps busy chasing after a toddler, growing and cooking good food, and writing about it all. You can find more of her writing on her blog at www.food-soil-thread.com. If you have Edmonds-specific family activities for possible inclusion in Lara’s column, email them to family@myedmondsnews.com.