Kindergarten

In order to attend kindergarten, you must enroll your child officially at North Thurston Public Schools. Registration is done online. If you need assistance, please contact your neighborhood school office.

Start Registration

All NTPS students who ride the bus must register with our Transportation department to reserve their seat. Bus registration opens in early summer each year. 

Bus registration information

All our bus riders utilize SMART tag, a card they scan when they get off and on the bus. This tags keeps track of our ridership and should be attached to students' backpacks at all times for ease of access.

SMART tag information

Please familiarize yourself with your student's bus stop location and pick-up and drop-off times. Bus drivers try to keep kindergarten students sitting towards the front of the bus and are not allowed to be dropped off unless there is an identified adult waiting for them. Kindergarten students may exit the bus with a sibling or with no adult waiting if families fill out a form waiving the requirement.

Kindergarten bus information

Families who qualify are eligible for free breakfast and lunch and the opportunity to waive some fees.

Child & Nutrition Application (formerly Free & Reduced Lunch Application)

How do students pay for their meals? Students pay for their lunch with their SMART tag card they use to ride the bus. The card is tied to their lunch account balance, which can be maintained by families by paying online through our payment portal or by giving check or cash at your school office.

What's for lunch? Monthly menus are posted on your school website, and some schools send home hard copies in backpacks.

Special dietary needs? Working together with the Food & Nutrition department, school nurses, and other student support staff, a plan may be created to help meet special dietary needs. See more information on the Food & Nutrition website.

What about immunizations? A Certificate of Immunization or Certificate of Exemption (doctor-signed) is required for all NTPS students - even those attending our choice schools like Summit or Ignite. Contact your student's doctor or the school health room if you have questions about completing the forms. Visit the Immunizations page for forms downloads, required immunization lists,  and more.

Does your student have health concerns or need to take medication at school? Contact your school health room to discuss your student's needs and complete additional required paperwork.

See the full supply list for additional and optional supplies. We have bulk-purchased supplies into supply kits available for purchase at cost via your school.

All students need a full-sized backpack!

When you're all registered, take some time to work through some of these worksheets with your student. These are exercises, not tests, and a great starting point when you talk to your student's teacher in the fall at Family Connections.

We have two alternative learning opportunities for Kindergarten students:

Ignite Family Academy is an in-person classroom opportunity for families who prefer home-based education. You must still enroll at North Thurston Public Schools, but you will have access to some of our library of in-person teacher-led classroom opportunities.

Ignite Family Academy

Summit Virtual Academy is our fully-online school option. Utilizing the K12 platform, classes are taught by our own teachers!

Summit Virtual Academy