Berkeley public kindergartens info sessions
I'm the parent of a 4-year old who will be entering Berkeley public schools next year as a kindergartner. I'm having a hard time finding out if anything is planned to give parents of incoming kindergartners the opportunity to learn more about the schools we have the option to request in January. I'm guessing that whatever it is will be over zoom as friends I have with kids in school say current parents are not even allowed in the school, so I anticipate it being limited in scope, but still, would be nice to have some sense of these schools. If anyone has any leads, let me know!
Nov 1, 2021
Parent Replies
We are in the same boat (4 year old who will be entering Kindergarten in Berkeley next year). Here is I received from the BUSD admissions office:
”Unfortunately in person tours will not be available. We are encouraging schools to provide virtual tours. We have asked that they provide a link on their homepages by mid November if they plan on participating. We recommend checking back in about 2 weeks.”
From what I've heard at my kid's school, there will likely be virtual kindergarten information nights again (probably in January) -- no tours, unfortunately, at least for now, as most visitors are still not permitted on campuses. You can check the BUSD Admissions Office site for more info: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions/
Hi! Kinder info nights (for TK and Kinder) are usually in the second week of January, a couple of weeks before enrollment requests are due (last year they were January 6 – January 21). I'd keep checking the website or call the admissions office to ask when they'll be planned for January 2022. I believe they'll stick with Zoom given parents are still not allowed on campus, but I hope for your sake you get to visit in person! The campuses are usually open all weekend if you want to visit to get a sense of the yard areas, peek into classroom windows, etc.
From John Muir's weekly family newsletter (this week):
We are excited to announce we will be hosting outdoor school tours for prospective families. The tours are being held on Sundays at 10am and will last approximately an hour. The tours will be held on the following dates:
November 21
December 12
January 9
January 23
If you know of any prospective families interested in a taking a tour, please direct them to this sign up sheet.