Kindergarten enrollment opens in February

Kindergarten enrollment opens in February
Posted on 01/11/2022
Forder Elementary School kindergartenOnline registration for students entering kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year opens the week of Feb. 21. Families of children who turn 5 before Aug. 1, 2022, may register for kindergarten.

Mehlville School District offers a full-day, tuition-free kindergarten program. Our high-quality teachers provide instruction that is developmentally appropriate and rigorous. The curriculum offers exciting and engaging opportunities for young students. 


“When they come, they’re really unsure about what it’s going to be,” said Shelly Jackson, kindergarten teacher at Forder Elementary School. “After the first day, they love school and are excited for the rest of the year.” 

Children begin kindergarten at different levels. At the start of the school year, our talented teachers assess the learning levels of each student, then provide personalized instruction to help them succeed.

“We start by assessing students on their letters, letter sounds and SNAP words,” said Keddie Weil, kindergarten teacher at Blades Elementary School. SNAP words are words that students will see most often in reading. “That gives us a good idea of how we can support their learning at school.” 
Blades Elementary Kindergarten
Image: A Blades Elementary kindergarten student colors images before creating a bracelet to help them remember a story to tell to their parents.

In addition to instruction from their classroom teacher, students receive one-on-one support from our math and reading interventionists. 

“At the beginning of the year, interventionists push into our classrooms to help students with their letters, then they’ll pull them out to work on reading books and writing words,” said Weil. “We have a lot of people within the school that are working to help the children.” 

Interventionists will also work with students who have mastered kindergarten reading or math skills continue to learn. By the end of kindergarten, students will be writing and reading, as well as doing addition and subtraction problems. 

In addition to academics, our caring kindergarten teachers are focused on the social-emotional learning of each child.

“One of the things that has changed since my oldest child was in kindergarten is the focus on emotional learning,” said Aleta Conaway, kindergarten parent at Blades Elementary. “My daughter will come home and tell me that she had a blue day because one of her friends was absent. I think it’s awesome that teachers are also teaching students to talk about their emotions, too.” 

Mehlville School District has a diverse student population. Students in the district speak 47 different languages.
Forder Elementary students
Image: Forder Elementary students work with kindergarten teacher Shelly Jackson on their addition skills.

“My favorite thing about working here is the diversity of our students and our families,” said Jackson. “

Our teachers begin working to instill our Portrait of a Graduate traits in students in kindergarten. These values and skills are the tools we hope to provide each student to lead a successful professional and personal life after graduation.

“My oldest daughter is about to graduate high school,” said Conaway. “When she started in kindergarten, she fell in love with the projects, STEM classes and problem-solving techniques they use. Now she’s getting accepted into engineering school. It has set her up to be successful.” 

How to register
Registration begins the week of Feb. 21. More information will be available on our enrollment page in late February, including kindergarten registration instructions. 

Please contact your child’s elementary school or call 314-467-5000 if you have any questions. We look forward to meeting your new student! 

MOSAIC Elementary kindergarten lottery opens in February
MOSAIC Elementary School provides personalized learning paths to empower learners for life beyond the classroom. Instruction and authentic learning opportunities are based on each student’s academic and social needs. Teachers use a variety of tools and strategies, including, learning menus, technology and blended learning opportunities to explore the curriculum. Students are encouraged to learn at their own pace and within the context of their unique interests. 
MOSAIC kindergarten student
Image: MOSAIC Elementary kindergarten students play arcade games designed and constructed by second-grade students.

In addition to registering for your child’s home school, you can apply for the MOSAIC Elementary kindergarten lottery. Complete this Google Form beginning Feb. 7 to apply for the lottery. The application closes Feb. 25. Following the lottery, parents will be notified of acceptance in March.

Parent Night for multilingual families
Mehlville School District is hosting a Parent Night for multilingual families with students entering kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year. The event is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29, at Forder Elementary School (623 West Ripa Avenue). Food will be served, and babysitting services will be provided. Translators will be available to guide families through the enrollment process. Complete this form or call 314-467-5304 to RSVP!

Kindergarten screening starts Feb. 4
Mehlville Parents as Teachers is offering a developmental screening to all incoming kindergarten children. Called the DIAL-4, this screening helps educators understand where your child is with their development and learning. It also provides parents and teachers with ideas of how to continue to prepare a child for kindergarten.

"We recommend all families of incoming kindergarten students take advantage of this free screening," said Erin Amador, Mehlville Parents as Teachers and Early Childhood Coordinator. "The information we gather during the screening helps us ensure your child has a positive kindergarten experience with the supports your child needs to reach their potential."
PAT screening

Image: A Parents as Teachers screener conducts a DIAL-4 screening with a student prior to the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

Screening is optional and is available to families on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents of incoming kindergarten students (age 5 by Aug. 1, 2022) can use this link to sign up for a screening.

For questions about kindergarten screening, call Erin Amador at 314-467-5303 or email [email protected].

The Mehlville School District strictly prohibits discrimination and harassment against employees, students or others on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity and other characteristics protected by law. The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: contact Adam Smith at 314-467-5006 or [email protected].