The letter in the mail from the Board of Education still strikes terror in the heart of some parents.
It’s the letter that tells parents which school their incoming kindergartner has been assigned to attend in September.
Said Felice Harrison, "For first time parents it can be a real source of anxiety."
Harrison speaks from experience, having served for many years as principal of Nishuane School, one of seven elementary schools in Montclair’s magnet public school system.
As a pioneering magnet system, youngsters entering kindergarten aren’t automatically assigned to the school located closest to their home as they would be in a traditional neighborhood school system.
In Montclair, parents apply for admission to one of the elementary schools listing their first preference, and then their second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth choices.
Schools Superintendent Frank Alvarez explained that parents could have a situation in which their child can live around the corner from a school but, instead, attend a school located across town.
"It’s often the uniqueness of our school district that attracts new families to Montclair in the first place," Alvarez said. "But that very difference can sometimes put parents off-balance initially. Once they’re in the system, they see for themselves that it works."
School officials say many parents favor one elementary school or another based on its magnet theme.
But just as often, the choice comes down to other considerations -- hours of operation, for one. Some schools open earlier than others, or have dismissal times more compatible with a sibling’s school or a parent’s work schedule.
Once parents have made their choices, they are entering into the Montclair School District’s selection process. Officials use a variety of criteria, including whether the new kindergartner has an older sibling in the school. The information is fed a computerized lottery system that helps officials make the final selection.
Assistant to the Superintendent Bruce Dabney said that parents’ first and second choices are honored approximately 90 percent of the time. And children typically make a good adjustment regardless of which school they’re enrolled in.
"Once they begin to make friends and get to know their teacher, once they start to get the hang of the school routine, they’re very glad to be where they are and don’t want to transfer," said Dabney, who has overseen the registration and enrollment process for the past several years.
According to Dabney, the transfer rate is usually about one percent, or even less, among new kindergarten students.
"Unless parents have an older child whom they’ve already seen go through the transition, it can be hard to convince them in advance that this process works and their children will be content," Dabney said. "They have to see it for themselves: Three weeks into the school year, everyone’s happy – the kids have settled in, they’re learning, and then the parents relax, too."
Some parents express that their child won’t get the same level of instruction if assigned to a second or third choice.
"The quality of education we provide is consistent," Alvarez said. "All of our schools do well. There is no such thing as a school that’s ‘better’ than another school."
Nor does a school’s magnet theme mean that students will be exposed to that discipline to the exclusion of others, officials said.
Students at Northeast, the district’s global studies magnet, also receive the same quality instruction in other areas, such as arts and technology, as students at Bradford, the university magnet, or at Watchung, the science and technology elementary magnet, or at any of the other schools, Alvarez said.
"Parents should go through the materials that come with the letter very carefully," advised Harrison, who spent her years as principal counseling many anxious parents and lots of overwhelmed first-time students during her career.
"The package will include an invitation from the schools’ PTA inviting both the parents and the student to join them for a PTA welcoming event, usually an ice cream social or play date," Harrison explained. "These events take place before school opens during the last week of August."
Harrison said the events provide both parents and students with a wonderful opportunity to see the school and meet the teachers in a friendly, informal setting.
