Kindergarten moved for Garden Heights kids

Students attend school at Discover Elementary

MOSES LAKE — Garden Heights Elementary School kindergarten students are attending school at Discover Elementary School for the next two years due to limited space at Garden Heights.

The change impacts approximately 80 children starting kindergarten next year.

Special Assistant to the Superintendent P.J. De Benedetti said enrollment is growing throughout the district. It is occurring as the district plans two new elementary schools with funds from a recently approved bonds sale of $33.8 million.

"Unfortunately, there are going to be some growing pains until (the first) new school opens in the fall of 2009," De Benedetti said. "After much deliberation about the best solutions to our short-term problem, the district has decided to move the Garden Heights kindergarten program to a new location for the next two years."

Garden Heights Principal Kristi Hofheins said Discover had two classroom spaces available, which fit well with the number of students starting kindergarten at Garden Heights. Any other grade level would have needed to be split up to attend Discover. Fifth grade students are making the transition to middle school, and staff did not want them to undergo two transitions, Hofheins said.

"Both the Discover staff and the Garden Heights staff really tried to brainstorm some ideas that would be least impactful for kids," she said.

Despite starting school at Discover, the kindergarten children are considered Garden Heights students, De Benedetti said. They return to Garden Heights for first grade.

"The classes will be taught by Garden Heights kindergarten teachers and staffed by Garden Heights para-educators," he added.

The schools are approximately 2.5 miles apart.

Students taking the bus to school are going to be brought to Garden Heights each morning and transported to Discover on a shuttle bus.

As always, parents are responsible for picking up morning students after school and for transporting afternoon students to school, De Benedetti said.

Registration for kindergarten throughout the district started Tuesday.

For more information, call Garden Heights Elementary School at 509-766-2651.