Downloadable documentation: Kindergarten Gradual Entry 2026 Summer letter & Schedule
Welcome to Armstrong Elementary School and to Kindergarten!
It is super exciting to welcome you to the Armstrong Elementary family. This upcoming school year, we anticipate having two Kindergarten classes (although there is a possibility that one of our Kindergarten classes becomes a K/Grade 1 combined class). Kindergarten is an exciting time! Kindergarten starts a little differently than for the rest of our school. We don’t start on the same day as the rest of the school. We follow a gradual entry schedule for the first two weeks to allow children to feel more comfortable with their surroundings and the many new routines that will soon be expected of them. It takes a bit of time to build up the stamina needed for a full day of Kindergarten with a full class of students.
Gradual entry will begin on Thursday, September 10th for all Kindergarten students. The students have been randomly divided into 2 groups. Please note that we have not put the children in their set classrooms yet, as we still need to confirm numbers in all the grades (K-5) before this can be completed. Students will visit the Kindergarten classrooms before teachers divide them into permanent classes. This allows us (teachers, principal, Learning Resource and Speech Pathologist team) to see the needs of individual students and hopefully place them in the best learning environment possible and create classrooms that are as balanced as we can make them. By Friday September 18th, you will be informed as to which classroom your child will be placed in for the school year. Your child’s teacher will contact you.
If your child’s last name begins A to L, please bring your child in the first group.
If your child’s last name begins M to Z, please bring your child in the second group.
If you are unable to attend at your time, please contact the office.
For the first 2 short days, parents will be able to say goodbyes in the library, have time to meet and greet and an information session. The time will fly by!
Dismissal is always at the back of the school. Your child’s teacher will bring the class outside to dismiss each student to their adult. Please notify your child’s teacher and/or the office if someone else will be picking up your child (introduce them to the teacher, if possible).
Busing for Kindergarten students begins Tuesday September 22.
If you live on a BUS route and your child will be riding the bus, you must register your child. Please contact the Transportation Department at 250.546.1922. It is essential that you take your child to the bus in the morning and meet your child at the bus stop after school. Students must be met at the bus stop by a parent or guardian. Bus drivers are not allowed to drop kindergarten children off without a parent/older sibling, friend etc. to meet them. They will be brought back to the school. When bus students arrive at school, there will be a supervisor that greets them and directs them where to go. Their teacher will walk them to the bus line up after school, where supervisors help ensure they get onto their bus.
Please remember Armstrong Elementary School is a “nut and scent” sensitive school.
If your child has special dietary or health concerns, please let your child’s teacher and the office know.
Kindergarten 2026-2027 Gradual Entry Schedule
(Parents will need to provide transportation up to & including Friday, Sept. 12)
Monday, Sept. 7 | Tuesday, Sept. 8 | Wednesday, Sept. 9 | Thursday, Sept. 10 | Friday, Sept. 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour day – no school | Non-Instructional Day Students do not attend | Early dismissal at 11:00 for No school for Kindergarten | Group 1: 8:15-9:15 Group 2: 10:15-11:15 Meet in the library: Students find their name tags and line up Do not bring snack or supplies (shoes, water bottle, etc) | Group 1: 8:15-9:15 Group 2: 10:15-11:15 Meet in the library: Students find their name tags and line up Do not bring snack or supplies (shoes, water bottle, etc) |
Monday, September 14 | Tuesday, September 15 | Wednesday, September 16 | Thursday, September 17 | Friday, September 18 |
8:15-10:15 Bring a water bottle | 8:15-10:15 Bring a water bottle | 8:15-11:15 Bring a water bottle & snack | 8:15 am-12:15 pm Bring a water bottle & lunch | 8:15 am-12:15 pm Bring a water bottle & lunch |
Monday, September 21 | Tuesday, September 22 | |||
Professional Development Day – no school | 8:00-2:04 Full day Kindergarten Bring water bottle, snack, lunch, inside shoes. Busing begins for Kindies. |
Kindergarten supplies:
Your child will need the following things. Please PUT YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON ALL ITEMS – i.e. back pack, gym runners, footwear, jackets, etc. in permanent felt pen.
- Indoor shoes, Velcro fasteners with non-marking soles (not necessary until Tuesday, Sept. 22).
- A backpack or bag for carrying things, keep in mind when purchasing, it should be big enough to hold a large library book zippers are better than ties.
- A lunch kit and water bottle.
- Please pay the $45 school supply fee at the office; a notice about fees will go home in September\
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Your Kindergarten teaching team