Thinking about where your child will be going to school in Champaign this fall? We’ve written aplenty about the Champaign Unit 4 Schools kindergarten lottery process, formally known as ”Schools of Controlled Choice.” Here’s the biggest difference from years past: there will not be an “early preference” period for the three magnet programs (Booker T. Washington STEM Academy, Stratton, and Garden Hills). We will have more on this development later. Tours, forums, and the registration process will begin in January – note the first tours are Wednesday, Jan. 9. We received this information from a downloadable .pdf document released by Unit 4.
The kindergarten lottery process starts in early January for incoming Unit 4 students.
COMMUNITY FORUM MEETINGS
Parents/guardians of incoming students are encouraged to attend one of these meetings to hear more about the registration process. The forums will include a “Showcase of Schools” where parents and guardians will have the opportunity to meet with individual school staff members and learn more about their programs.
When: Thursday, January 24, 2013 6:00 p.m.
Where: Stratton Elementary – 902 N. Randolph Street – Champaign (Parking is available on the north side of the school building):
When: Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013 6:00 p.m
Where: Carrie Busey Elementary, 304 Prairie Rose, Savoy
When: Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 6:00 p.m.
Where: Temple Baptist Church – 1100 Broadmoor Drive – Champaign
(West on Broadmoor off Prospect Avenue. Parking lot on north side of Church)
When: Thursday, January 24, 2013 6:00 p.m.
Where: Stratton Elementary – 902 N. Randolph Street – Champaign
(Parking is available on the north side of the school building)
Elementary School Tour Dates:
Daytime tours: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 and Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Elementary schools will offer tours at 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. on these two days.
Evening Open House and School Tours: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 from 6:00 p.m-8:00 p.m., at any of the 11 elementary schools.
Families unable to attend a scheduled Open House should visit the Family Information Center for assistance with the Schools of Choice process; call (217) 351-3701.
Middle School Open House/Tour Dates:
Jefferson: Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Edison – Thursday, April 11, 2013
Franklin – Wednesday, April 10, 2013.
All middle school open houses are scheduled from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION DATES:
Kindergarten Registration for all elementary schools:
March 1 – 28, 2013
Sixth Grade Registration for Stratton & Washington Fifth Grade Students (*5th graders attending their cluster school do not need to register at FIC.):
April 8 – 12
Elementary & Middle School Transfer Request, First – Eighth Grade
May 1 – 31
For more information, contact the Family Information Center.
Just a note for the author and everyone else, Unit 4 is trying hard to move away from calling this choice assignment process a “lottery”; they have removed keywords like “lottery” from almost all their informational items.
Hi Charles, I just updated this post from last year’s edition. It is extremely frustrating that Unit 4 waited until Jsn 4 to release this info on its website (especially when tours are this week). I am on vacation right now so my access is limited. As far as what to call this process, until they stop trying to call it the C word, we won’t have a shared vocabulary on this
Yeah, it is funny (not in the “ha ha” way) when folks start asking on this blog and my own before Unit 4 even releases any information.
What do you think a “better” way to announce, given the holidays? Put out the announcement in mid-December with a reminder the first week of January? Definitely, the Unit 4 registration website should be updated by now (egads – I just realized the entire domain (unit4registration.org is now defunct – woops).
(feel free to respond after you get from vacation)
I’m eagerly waiting for any information this district has for my 5 year old. I often checked their website and no any infor. Till yesterday, I’m glad my husband told me about all this! It is so hard to find this information on their school district website, and they name sth like a community forum!! who the heck knows that is something to do with kindergarten registration?! But this morning I check their website again, and it changed to kindergarten information, which is much better! I am also surprised the tours are the day after TOMORROW, and I called some school, they don’t even give private tour, no appointment! So I guess probably tons of parents are waiting 8:59 AM WED morning in some schools!!!!
Dear Editor,
what is meaning of this ” there will not be an “early preference” period for the three magnet programs (Booker T. Washington STEM Academy, Stratton, and Garden Hills).”? What is magnet program? what is early preference period? Thanks!
The Unit 4 website says day tours are Jan 9 & Jan 16, not Feb. 6 (although Feb 6 seems like a better choice).
Jenny B: magnet schools have special themes (e.g. leadership). Last year parents who wanted magnet schools were supposed to register earlier than those who didn’t. You’re right–that’s not much notice on tours!
Thanks for catching that, I updated it.
Charles, yes, putting this information up in mid-December would be very appropriate for parents needing to plan work schedules! The tours schedule lets parents visit at most 4 schools while school is in session, so having the notice to be able to take advantage of that is really important! I think a lot of parents are more interested in the tours around the time of the community forums, so I’m baffled by the early daytime tour dates.
Also, considering that it’s still a weighted lottery, why shouldn’t a non-Unit 4 website call it that?
And the website you mentioned does seem to work now.
Oh, I still call it a lottery.
I was merely making the point that Unit 4 takes pains to not call it a lottery. For those first-time Kindergarten parents, I try to make it as easy to understand as possible, which means I try to use the same terminology the FIC (family information center) uses. Try. I don’t always succeed. 
Is the registration later this year than usual, or am I just misremembering? And does anyone have a rough guess as to when we are told our assignments?
This is my third time around, you’d think I’d know what I was doing by now, but no! Thanks Chambanamoms & Charles for all the work you put in on these issues. I really appreciate it.
March is always registration month. April is usually when assignments are made, though how late in April varies.