Registration is held in March/April for children planning to enter kindergarten the following September. A registration period is also provided in September for the newcomers in all grade levels and upon arrival for those moving to Norwalk during the school year.

All kindergartens are full-day programs corresponding with the hours for students in Grades 3-5. All Kindergarten children must be five years of age on or before January 1, 2007. A health assessment is required by law prior to entering school.

Norwalk magnet schools/dual language school

Columbus Magnet School

Columbus is a Bank Street/H.O.T. (Higher Order Thinking) School model. This individualized, hands-on approach provides students with an integrated curriculum with social studies at its core. All subject areas are taught in connection with the social studies units of study. The Connecticut Commission on the Arts named Columbus a H.O.T. School in June 2000. H.O.T. Schools strive to increase student achievement by integrating the arts in the classroom, utilizing the Multiple Intelligence Theory, and by giving students a voice through the democratic process. For more information about the program, please contact Columbus Magnet School at (203) 899-2840.

Jefferson Science Magnet School

The Jefferson Science Magnet School , partnered with The Maritime Aquarium, offers an integrated inquiry-based science program, incorporating high academic standards and the social/emotional development of every Jefferson student. The curriculum integrates language arts, social studies, mathematics and fine arts throughout the program. Science instruction is delivered through the inquiry approach to stimulate high-level learning. Students will have numerous in-school and off-site authentic experiences where they will inquire and explore curricular areas, collect and analyze data to solve problems, effectively present their findings, and work together productively as participants in an increasingly complex global community.

Through integrated core content units in science, Jefferson Science Magnet students will graduate from our magnet school with an expansive array of experiences seldom offered to elementary children. Responsible, highly-motivated students with a true passion for science will do well in our rigorous program. For more information about the program and how to enroll, please contact Jefferson Elementary School at (203) 899-2870.

Mano A Mano

Dual Language Immersion Program at Silvermine School

The Silvermine ‘Mano a Mano' program is a Spanish-English Dual Language Immersion Program. Students start the program in Kindergarten and continue through each grade level. Two teachers at each grade level plan and coordinate within a team-teaching environment. One teacher provides all instruction in English and the other in Spanish for all academic areas. The result is two classrooms of both native English and Spanish dominant students at each grade level being integrated for academic instruction.

The ‘Mano a Mano' program is an exciting and innovative approach to education with three overarching goals that are common to all Dual Language Programs: academic excellence, proficiency in the first as well as in the second language, and the development of positive cross-cultural attitudes and ties. For more information about the program and how to enroll, please contact the office at Silvermine Elementary School at (203) 899-2950.