Preschool, Kindergarten Registrations Scheduled Around County

08:00AM / Thursday, May 16, 2024Print Story | Email Story

Berkshire County schools are scheduling and re-scheduling preschool and kindergarten registration dates and procedures for the 2024-2025 school year. Schools can send their information to info@iberkshires.com to be included on this list.

All students, regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or homelessness, have equal access to the general education program and the full range of any occupational, vocational programs offered by public school districts.

Central Berkshire Regional School District

Kindergarten registration and preschool screening is now open and available online. To register for Kindergarten, please click here or stop by the elementary school in your neighborhood. To sign-up for a preschool screening, please go to the district's website and fill out the Preschool Screening Form for 2024-2025. The purpose of the screening is to identify children who may require special services as part of their preschool programming.

If you have questions regarding either Kindergarten registration and/or preschool screening, please use the following contact information:

Preschool: Michelle Kasala at 413-655-0146

Becket Washington: 413-623-8757

Kittredge: 413-655-2525

Gabriel Abbott Memorial School

Gabriel Abbott Memorial School has begun the process of registering Kindergarten and Prekindergarten students for the 2024-2025 school year. Dates for Kindergarten screening have yet to be determined. Please contact the school of?ce at (413) 664-6023 as soon as possible to register your child for one of these programs.

Students must be 5 years of age or older on Aug. 31, 2024 to register for Kindergarten.
Children must be 3 years or older on Aug. 31, 2024 to register for Prekindergarten. The school also encourages the parents of children who will turn three years of age during the school year to contact the school of?ce to discuss a plan for enrolling their child when they become eligible.

Students need to be legal residents of the school district and reside with parents or guardians within the school district at the time of the first day of school. Parents will need to provide a copy of the student’s birth certi?cate, updated immunization form, and proof of residence.

At this time, Abbott Memorial School projects to have limited choice openings in its Kindergarten program during the upcoming school year. School choice openings will not be determined until the school is able to register the resident students.

Hancock Elementary School

Hancock Elementary School kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is open. Children must be 5 years old as of Sept. 1, 2024, to enter kindergarten. Parents/guardians should call the school office at 413-738-5676 or email Jay Merselis, Principal, at jmerselis@hancockschool.org as soon as possible if interested or to learn more. Screening and registration requires parents to bring their child and his/her birth certificate along with proof of residency to the school.

Hancock Elementary School is enrolling students in PreK for the 2024-2025 school year. Hancock accepts students in PreK who are potty trained and 2 years nine months as of September 1. Our kindergarten age requirement remains 5 by September 1, so any student who joins us at two years nine months will be in Preschool for three years. Parents/guardians should call the school office at 413-738-5676 or email Jay Merselis, Principal, at jmerselis@hancockschool.org as soon as possible if interested or to learn more.

Parents who suspect their child may have special needs and are 3 years old or older should call the Special Education Director Dr. Rebecca Phillips at 413-738-5676 to schedule an evaluation.

Hoosac Valley Regional School District

Hoosac Valley Elementary School Kindergarten screening and registration for the 2024-2025 school year is taking place the week of June 10-June 14.

Children must be 5 years of age by September 1, 2024 to be eligible for the 2024-2025 Kindergarten class.

Screening and registration for new HVES students will take place at the Hoosac Valley Elementary School on June 13 and June 14. To schedule an appointment, please call the school office at 413-743-0876 as soon as possible to schedule your screening appointment.

Students need to be legal residents of the school district and reside with parents or guardians within the school district at the time of the first day of school. Parents will need to provide a copy of the student's birth certificate, updated immunization form, and proof of residence.

North Adams Public Schools

North Adams Public Schools to Host Make-up Pre-k and Kindergarten Screenings/Registration for 2024-2025 school year.

On Thursday June 6, North Adams Public Schools will host in-person PreK and kindergarten screenings and registration, in preparation for enrollment in the 2024-2025 school year. This make-up day is open to families seeking to enroll children in either PreK or kindergarten and were unable to attend the earlier March PreK/Kindergarten screening dates.

All screenings will be held at the Welcome Center at Brayton Elementary School, located at 20 Brayton Hill Terrace, between 9AM and 12PM by appointment only. No walk-in appointments can be accommodated. To schedule an appointment, please call Carrie Silva at the North Adams Public Schools Central Office at (413) 776-1673.

To apply to enroll in PreK, children residing in the City of North Adams must be 3 or 4 years of age by August 31, 2024. Children enrolling in kindergarten must be 5 years of age by August 31, 2024. PreK students currently enrolled in North Adams Public Schools do not need to register for kindergarten.

Additional Information:

Parents/guardians should be prepared to bring all of the following to their appointment:

? Your child

? Child's birth certificate

? Child's current physical exam/immunization record, signed by their doctor (must be from within the last 13 months)

Pittsfield Public Schools

Pre-K In-Person Preview/Registration:

Children who will be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2024, may register for Pre-K 4 and children who will be 3 years old on or before September 1, 2024, may register for Pre-K 3 at:

Egremont Elementary School - Monday, March 11, 2024 from 4:00-6:00
Morningside Community School - Thursday, March 14, 2024 from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Conte Community School - Monday, March 18, 2024 from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Crosby Elementary School - Wednesday, March 20, 2024 from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Pittsfield Public Schools announces the Pre-K lottery drawing for the 2024-2025 school year. The drawing for 3 and 4 year old pre-k seats will be held on Wednesday, April 24 at 9:30-11:30 am at the Mercer Administration Building, 269 First Street, Pittsfield.

Applications closed on April 1, 2024. All applicants will be notified of their lottery number before April 23, 2024. It is not necessary to attend the lottery to be awarded a seat. The drawing will be recorded and posted on the Pittsfield Public Schools website following the lottery. Once awarded a spot in the pre-k program, families will need to complete the registration process by June 1, 2024 or risk losing their seat.

All families who were registered prior to April 1st at 5:00 p.m. will receive written notification of their status within seven days following the lottery.

Questions may be directed to our registration office by emailing Registration at ppsregistration@pittsfield.net or by calling 413-499-9507 (leave a message, your call will be returned).

~~Pre-K registration will close on April 1, the lottery will be held Thursday, April 11~~

You may register for any of the 8 elementary schools at the above events

Please bring:

Student's Birth Certificate
Proof of Residence (current utility bill or mortgage/rental agreement)

Kindergarten In-Person Registration:

Children who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2024 may register for Kindergarten

Registration for Kindergarten will be held on the above dates at the same time as Pre-K.

Please bring:

Valid Parent or Legal Guardian Photo ID
Student's Birth Certificate
Proof of Residence (current utility bill or mortgage/rental agreement)
Student's Immunization Record
Student's last physical exam record

You may register for any of the 8 elementary schools at the above events

Questions may be directed to our registration office by emailing Registration at ppsregistration@pittsfield.net or by calling 413-499-9507 (leave a message, your call will be returned).

St. Stanislaus Kostka School

Beginning April 1, St. Stanislaus Kostka School will be accepting registration applications for Preschool students who will be 3 and 4 years old by Aug. 31, and Kindergarten students who will have turned 5 by Aug. 31.

Open House for all prospective students in Preschool through Grade 8 will take place on Sunday, March 3 from 12-2pm. Tour the campus. Chat with teachers and student ambassadors. Learn about curriculum, the school community, 2024-2025 registration, tuition, financial aid and more!

Beginning April 1, please see our website for updated 2024-2025 registration information and forms: www.ststansadams.org or call us at the main school office at 413-743-1091. Children of all faiths are accepted on a first come-first served basis.

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Pittsfield Council Endorses 11 Departmental Budgets

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:10PM / Tuesday, May 21, 2024

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council last week preliminarily approved 11 department budgets in under 90 minutes on the first day of fiscal year 2025 hearings.

Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed a $216,155,210 operating budget, a 5 percent increase from the previous year. After the council supported a petition for a level-funded budget earlier this year, the mayor asked each department to come up with a level-funded and a level-service-funded spending plan.

"The budget you have in front of you this evening is a responsible budget that provides a balance between a level service and a level-funded budget that kept increases to a minimum while keeping services that met the community's expectations," he said.

Marchetti outlined four major budget drivers: More than $3 million in contractual salaries for city and school workers; a $1.5 million increase in health insurance to $30.5 million; a more than $887,000 increase in retirement to nearly $17.4 million; and almost $1.1 million in debt service increases.

"These increases total over $6 million," he said. "To cover these obligations, the city and School Committee had to make reductions to be within limits of what we can raise through taxes."

The city expects to earn about $115 million in property taxes in FY25 and raise the remaining amount through state aid and local receipts. The budget proposal also includes a $2.5 million appropriation from free cash to offset the tax rate and an $18.5 million appropriation from the water and sewer enterprise had been applied to the revenue stream.

"Our government is not immune to rising costs to impact each of us every day," Marchetti said. "Many of our neighbors in surrounding communities are also facing increases in their budgets due to the same factors."

He pointed to other Berkshire communities' budgets, including a 3.5 percent increase in Adams and a 12 percent increase in Great Barrington. Pittsfield rests in the middle at a 5.4 percent increase.

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