Sara Stadem | Editor

It’s that time of year again when schools and parents/guardians prepare for the upcoming school year with kindergarten screening.
Both Tri-Valley and West Central School Districts will be holding their kindergarten screenings. The upcoming screenings are for children that will be able to enter both Jr. Kindergarten and Kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year as long as the child is age five by September 1, 2022.
The kindergarten screening at the Tri-Valley School will be held on Friday, April 8, from 8 am-3 pm. Kindergarten teacher Laura Jensen explained there is no registration deadline for kindergarten screening. However, Tri-Valley only has a certain number of appointment spots available to someone who needs a specific time would want to sign up as soon as possible.
If a parent is unable to attend kindergarten screening on April 8, Principal Nancy Johnson explained a child would not be able to be screened but registration would still need to be completed for kindergarten by contacting the elementary.
Jensen said, “We strongly encourage you to find a way to come.” She continued, “It gives us some good data on your child and helps place them in the best place for the child, Kindergarten or Jr. Kindergarten, and then trying to make our class lists as even as possible.”
The screening is done at six different stations within the Tri-Valley elementary gym, according to Jensen. “We have three appointments every half hour so we start out three kids at stations and it takes about 45 minutes to get through everything and scored,” Jensen said. She continued, “We test everything from fine motor, gross motor, speech, academic and social skills. Once everything is evaluated, we give a recommendation to the parents of where we think their child will best fit.”
There are several Tri-Valley employees that assist in completing the kindergarten screening, according to Jensen. All of the Kindergarten and Jr. Kindergarten teachers along with the PE teacher, PT teacher, Principal, Special Education Director and Reading Specialist. In addition, Speech teachers, Education Assistants, nurses and the school secretary assist with the kindergarten screening.
In order to register for kindergarten screening, please visit the kindergarten screening registration on their website at https://www.tri-valley.k12.sd.us/article/600660.
Jensen completed, “This is a great way for us to meet the kids one on one and we also use the data to drive our instruction at the beginning of the year.”
West Central School District will be holding kindergarten screening on Tuesday, March 1, from 4-8 pm at West Central Humboldt Elementary. Kindergarten screening at West Central Hartford Elementary will be held on Thursday, March 3, from 4-8 pm and again on Friday, March 4, from 8 am – 4 pm. According to the West Central School District, it is required for all kindergarten-eligible children to be screened.
The screening takes approximately an hour to complete and the appointments start every 20 minutes. The school encourages parents/guardians to choose the day and location that works best with their schedule. Whether the screening is completed at the West Central Hartford. Elementary or West Central Humboldt Elementary, the screening location does not determine the school placement.
The West Central School indicated that the parents/guardians and children being screened should attend the screening together. The West Central kindergarten staff will screen the children while parents complete registration forms and necessary enrollment information, according to the school. Please note, when attending the kindergarten screening, parents/guardians will need to bring a certified copy of their child’s birth certificate which is according to the state law. In addition, if the child being screened is on Medicaid, the West Central School is requesting to bring the Medicaid card as well.
If it does not work to attend screening on the above dates, the West Central School explained to contact the school anyway so that registration may be completed.
In order to register for kindergarten screening, parents/guardians are asked to call Pam at 605-528-3215 by February 11. The West Central School explained it is very important to get registered by said date in order for West Central to appropriately plan for the upcoming kindergarten classes.