Registration for new, returning Sikeston R-6 students underway

SIKESTON — Back-to-school preparations often include a checklist of tasks, and one way for Sikeston R-6 parents to ease that load is by registering both their new and returning students for the 2021-2022 school year now instead of waiting until right before school starts.

“The start of school is hectic enough with everyone getting back into their routines, and registering your child for the new school year now is one less thing to worry about in the days and weeks ahead as the new school year starts,” said Bridget Leavitt, R-6 SISK12, or Student Information System coordinator for the Sikeston R-6 School District.

Every family in the district has to register and enroll every student every year.

“It’s a common misconception that you only have to enroll your student the first time they start school,” said Sarah Thompson, director of communications for Sikeston R-6. “But our parents have to re-enroll each year so that we have the correct contact, medical and personal information on our students.”

The process also allows for parents to sign all of the forms that are required each year, she said.

“We have so many families that don’t know this and then have to enroll on the first day of school before their child can begin,” Thompson said. “This also puts our secretaries in a bind by having to handle this along with all the other issues that arise on the first day of school.”

In the Sikeston R-6 district, the enrollment process is completely online.

“Some families struggle with technology,” she said. “A lot of people in our community – although they have smart phones and tablets, they may not have a PC or tablet – and we want to provide opportunities for them to come and use our technology to enroll their children.”

On Monday, the district conducted an online enrollment event at the Sikeston Junior High where parents and guardians who didn’t have access to a computer or needed help enrolling their children for the new year received assistance from staff members to do so.

“The is the first time we did an event like this,” Leavitt said. “We’re always open for parents to come into the office and we’ll assist them with doing the online enrollment, or they’re free to do it on their own devices. We decided this year to offer parents to come in person and get that help.”

Over 150 families completed the registration process at Monday’s event, according to Leavitt.

“Our secretaries did a wonderful job, and I was really impressed by how well they work together as team and we didn’t have any lag,” Leavitt said. “Parents were getting through pretty quickly and proud we have a secretary who speaks Spanish and very helpful to some of our families.”

Those who completed registration for the new school year were also entered into a drawing for a gift basket full of goodies, and Patricia Johnson was the winner.

When parents and guardians first enroll their children in the district, they provide an email address which is used for them to access the district’s parent portal, Leavitt said. Returning families have received a registration/enrollment notice through their parent portal, notifying them that registration is open and must be completed online before school begins Aug. 23.

“For new families, when they contact us, we set them up with an account and user name and password for the parent portal and let them know – verbally – that we have gone to a paperless system for enrollment – and this registration process allows us to request permission for previous information of students entering into our school system,” Leavitt said.

Once registration is completed, individual schools for the completed the enrollment process and get classes assigned and this is the school and

The time to complete the process varies for everyone, but it generally is completed within minutes, according to Leavitt.

“We have a staff member with multiple children in the district, and it took them about five minutes to get through the whole the process,” Leavitt said.

Of course, some forms have to be completed per each building and are individualized documents pertained to the student and based on grade level, she said.

But there is definitely a positive to registering early — and the earlier, the better, Leavitt said.

For students in the upper grades, parents who register early increase their chances of guaranteeing their students get into courses they’ve requested before they are full, Leavitt said.

“Once students are enrolled, the individual school buildings can know these are the students who are coming back and can go ahead and assign teachers and come up with the rosters and assign courses and have everything ready ahead of time before school starts,” Leavitt said.

For more information to begin the enrollment process, visit spsr6.org and click on the “Enrollment” link at the top middle of the page.