A flow chart showing he decision making process for new elementary school students entering the Watertown Public Schools.
The new centralized registration office for the Watertown Public Schools opened this week, and already had dozens of new students enrolling.
In the past students and parents would go to the school to register, but the Central Registration Office was created in part to make sure that classes in Watertown’s elementary schools do not become overcrowded. Along with the new office, located in the Phillips Building, 30 Common St., the School Committee heard about the flow chart to decide where students will be placed.
Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the goal is to keep classes between 18-20 students for Pre-K through first grade, 20-22 for grades 2 and 3 and 22-24 for fourth and fifth grades.
The placements will be made by the Central Office Team and elementary school principals based on location, siblings and class size, said the District’s Data Manager Lauren Harwood.
“The goal is to keep children in their neighborhood schools,” Harwood said.
Efforts will also be made to keep siblings at the same school, Harwood said.
Those seeking to register should go to the Registration office with an original birth certificate, a copy of the child’s medical records and two proof of residency documents.
By Wednesday, the registrar’s office already heard from 33 families, Harwood said.
An interpreter will be arranged for families that do not speak English well, and be referred to the English Language Learner program, which has an office on the same floor as the Registrar.
Also nearby is the Special Education office, where students with IEPs will be sent during the registration process.
If the student is going to Watertown High School, they will be sent across the street to meet with a member of the WHS Guidance Department, Harwood said.