Get Ready for Kindergarten!
If you have a child who will be age 5 on or before August 31, 2024, it’s time to register them for kindergarten in Henderson County Public Schools!
Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is NOW open!
If you need assistance with the online registration or have questions, contact the school in your home district.
Once your child is registered, check out the kindergarten readiness activities and resources below to help prepare your new student for their first day and year of school.
Attend Your School’s Readiness Rally
Get to know your new school family! Save the date for your school’s scheduled kindergarten readiness rally, and plan to attend the entire event – it’s where you and your child will see the school, meet teachers and administrators, ask questions, and learn about kindergarten readiness skills families can practice at home.
New kindergarteners should attend the rally of their home school district, even if families plan to make a request for transfer/reassignment to another school. To determine your home school district, call the HCPS Transportation Department at 828-697-4739.
Pick up a READY! Kit at your readiness rally!
A project of the READY! Initiative* in Henderson County, these kits are designed to support kindergarten readiness at home and filled with items like books, crayons, clay, safety scissors, Unifix cubes and activity sheets for using the materials. A READY! Kit will be given to every kindergartener attending their school rally.
* a cooperation of HCPS, Smart Start Partnership for Children, and community partners
Check the schedule below for the date and time of your school’s rally.
Kindergarten Readiness Rallies
| Atkinson Elementary | “Cougar Countdown” | March 12, 2024 (5:00 – 6:15 p.m.) |
| Bruce Drysdale Elementary | “Bearkitten Basic Training” | March 7, 2024 (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.) |
| Clear Creek Elementary | “KinderCub Kickoff” | March 21, 2024Â (5:00-6:30 p.m.) |
| Dana Elementary | “Wildcat Welcome Rally” | March 21, 2024 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) |
| Edneyville Elementary | “Huddle at the Hive” | March 19, 2024 (5:00– 6:30 p.m.) |
| Etowah Elementary | “Rising Stars Rally” | March 14, 2024 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) |
| Fletcher Elementary | “Fox Cub Corral” | March 12, 2024 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) |
| Glenn C. Marlow Elementary | “Mustang Readiness Round-Up” | March 19, 2024 (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.) |
|
*The Cubcat Readiness Rally is for siblings of current HES students. |
“Cubcat Readiness Rally” | March 6, 2024 (3:30 – 4:30 p.m.) |
| Hillandale Elementary | “Husky Pup Academy” | March 20, 2024 (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.) |
| Mills River Elementary | “First Flight” | March 11, 2024 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) |
| Sugarloaf Elementary | “ROAR Academy” | March 14, 2024 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) |
| Upward Elementary | “Eagles Flight Training” | March 7, 2024 (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) |
Kindergarten Q&A Sessions
Parents will have two invaluable opportunities to enhance their understanding and readiness for the kindergarten journey through dedicated Q&A sessions. These informative sessions, featuring elementary school principals, kindergarten teachers, school counselors, and more, are designed to address questions related to the registration process and kindergarten.
The first session is scheduled at the Etowah Library on February 19th at 5:30 p.m., followed by another session at the Main Hendersonville Library on February 27th at 5:30 p.m.
These interactive sessions serve as a valuable resource for parents seeking to prepare their young learners for a successful start to kindergarten.
Kindergarteners Can!
These Henderson County Public Schools kindergarteners are showing incoming students what they can expect when they start school! We invite newly enrolled families to watch the “HCPS Kindergarteners Can” video for a fun introduction to what kindergarten will look like at HCPS!
Check Out These Resources
Developed by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Early Learning, this guide provides information on age-appropriate developmental skills and support activities, including checklists of “I Can” statements for the five areas of development. Using this guide, families can note how frequently they observe their child demonstrating specific skills in “I Can” statements, to understand which skills are strengths and which can benefit from support as they transition to kindergarten.
Developed by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Early Learning, “Literacy at Home” is a digital library of literacy activities and access to digital books, grouped by grade level. Designed to support families in building children’s literacy skills at home – including before they even enter a kindergarten classroom – target the literacy skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and oral language.
Henderson County Public Schools utilizes Letterland© phonics curriculum in all elementary schools to establish a strong start in reading and writing. Families can use this guide to preview the Letterland© story-based approach their children will begin learning in kindergarten.