Mars Area School District will open online registration for the District’s 2023-2024 Kindergarten Program at Mars Area Primary Center at 8 a.m. onThursday, April 13.

Kindergarten registration was originally scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on March 31. However, because of technical issues with online enrollment software that had enabled some parents/guardians to access the system prior to the designated registration date/time, the District opted to delay the 2023-2024 Kindergarten Registration process to ensure that all parents/guardians have equal access to the system, when registration opens. 

Kindergarten Registration

The District’s 2023-2024 Kindergarten Program is open to children, who will be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2023. When registering, please note the following:

• • Any information that was entered or uploaded in advance of the original March 31 registration date, has been deleted from the online enrollment system. Therefore, any parents/guardians, who had already set up their account information in the online enrollment system, will need to restart the process. 

• • When registering, 

• • • Be sure to select “Next School Year (2023-2024)”

• • • Have the following documents ready to upload:

• • • • Birth Certificate

• • • • Proof of Residency (For examples of acceptable proof of residency, visit https://4.files.edl.io/376f/02/17/23/175409-120fa917-e053-48fb-8e0a-36ed75517e8b.pdf)

• • • • Immunization Records (most recent available)

EXEMPTIONS — Any parents/guardians applying for an exemption to immunizations, as required under Pennsylvania School Health Law (28 Pa. CODE CH. 23), must complete an "Exemption to Immunizations" form (available at https://4.files.edl.io/6a3d/02/17/23/200859-106178e0-8ac3-4db1-88cd-c21414d68a4d.pdf) and upload the form during the Online Enrollment Process.                                                       

• • • Complete the following REQUIRED forms:

• • • • 2023-2024 AM/PM Kindergarten Preference

Note: The time stamp, when each completed application is submitted, as well as the selected preference will be used to determine into which kindergarten session a student is placed. (Preference selection is not guaranteed.) Once the maximum class size is reached, the session will be closed, and individuals may be placed on a waiting list for their session preference.

For the 2023-2024 School Year, AM Kindergarten will be open to a maximum of 106 students. Following the successful completion of the online enrollment process, parents/guardians will receive an e-mail confirmation from the District’s registrar. The message will note into which kindergarten session the student has been placed.

• • • • 2023-2024 Affidavit of Residency
      • 2023-2024 Bus Form
      • 2023-2024 Health History
      • 2023-2024 Home Language Survey
      • Computer Networks/Internet Use
      • Policy 237 — Attachment 3
      • Primary Center Health Survey Form

• • • Before uploading the required documents and forms, please be sure that all uploaded forms/documents are correct and complete. The registration process will not be considered “complete” if any forms/documents are incorrect or incomplete.

• • • Be sure to click “Submit” at the end of the online registration process.

 All of the above information is available on Mars Area School District’s website at https://primarycenter.marsk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2743381&type=d&pREC_ID=2411842.

Parents/guardians, with any specific questions regarding the online enrollment process, may contact Mrs. Kris Barr, Mars Area School District registrar, at [email protected] or (724) 625-1518, ext. 1510.

Watermelon Welcome

As part of the registration process, you will be encouraged to sign up for Mars Area Primary Center’s “Watermelon Welcome” Kindergarten Preview, which will be offered in two (2) sessions — 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. — on Thursday, April 27.

Participants will visit a kindergarten classroom, explore online learning software, play on the school’s playground (weather permitting), and more. The information presented to parents/guardians will be the same at both sessions.

To RSVP, visit www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0948a4ad2caaf8c16-primary#/ by no later Friday, April 21.

Pre-Kindergarten Assessments

Also, through the registration process, parents/guardians will have the opportunity to sign-up incoming kindergartners for Mars Area Primary Center’s Pre-Kindergarten Assessments on Friday, May 12.

The assessments, which are open to those students who are registered to attend the school’s 2023-2024 Kindergarten Program, are used to determine a student’s fundamental skills such as letter and number identification, writing, etc., as well as to inform parents/guardians and teachers about a student’s readiness for kindergarten. 

Assessments are not mandatory and will only be scheduled on Friday, May 12. There are no make-up dates. All assessments are by appointment only. Sign-ups are available online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0948a4ad2caaf8c16-prek#/.

Any questions may be directed to Mars Area Primary Center’s main office at (724) 625-1588.

Mars Area School District, once again, apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delay in the 2023-2024 Kindergarten Registration process. While this is the first year that the District is utilizing an online enrollment system, we are confident that, as long as the correct procedures are followed, the process should provide parents/guardians with a more convenient method for registering your child for school.