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By DONNAMY STEELE | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – The 2021-2022 school year will be here before we know it, and Alabaster City Schools is already preparing for the arrival of its newest students.

Pre-K registration for ACS began on Jan. 15 and will go through March 9. Following that, ACS elementary coordinator Mark Grey said a lottery drawing to determine who will be accepted into the program will take place Tuesday, March 16 at 9 a.m.

“It will be a virtual drawing like it was last year, and the parents will be notified of how to tune in via email,” Grey said. “Our group that does the television production at Thompson High School will televise the drawing for parents to see, and it will be cast through ACS.”

Both Creek View and Meadow View elementary schools have 54 spots available to fill. For children who are placed on the waitlist, they will have an opportunity to join a class if a student is to move or a parent declines the placement, according to Grey.

“This is not just an Alabaster City Schools lottery, this is something that the state department of education is also doing. They have Pre-K classrooms, and that number has increased greatly over the years,” Grey said. “We have six Pre-K classes, three at Meadow View and three at Creek View. Each class can have a maximum of 18 students.”

The lottery will pull 18 students for three different classes at each school. Grey said there are typically 160-170 children who register each school year, but only 54 can be pulled initially for each school.

Grey said he is excited for new students to join ACS and is looking forward to introducing them to the school environment.

“It’s been a fantastic program for the students here in our district,” he said. “It gives them an opportunity to be in a school environment, while in a developmentally-appropriate preschool setting.”

Enrollment is open to children who will be four years of age on or before Sept. 1, 2021, who reside in the city of Alabaster. Registering a child does not guarantee them a space with the Alabaster Pre-K program but enrolls them into the lottery drawing.

Proof of residence and a copy of the child’s birth certificate is required to enroll. This may be uploaded online or submitted directly to the school that the child is to enroll in. To register, visit Alprek.asapconnected.com/.