photo by: Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

Lawrence Public Schools district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

Despite school buildings being closed because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Lawrence school district is preparing for its classrooms to be full of students next fall.

But Julie Boyle, a spokeswoman for the school district, said the district has faced challenges to get the word out that it is currently registering new students for the 2020-2021 school year. Part of the reason is that the school district’s annual Kindergarten Round Up events, which were originally scheduled for this month and next, were canceled because of stay-at-home orders related to COVID-19.

However, Boyle said parents could register their children who will be new students to the district — mostly kindergartners and early education students — through the school district’s website at www.usd497.org/NewStudentRegistration.

So far, about 270 kindergarten students are registered to begin their education next fall. But Boyle said the school district expected approximately 775 kindergarten students to enter the district next school year.

Ryan McAdoo, a kindergarten teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School, said the Kindergarten Round Up events were also a good time for teachers to meet incoming students and get a better understanding of where they will be starting out academically. Without that happening this spring, he said the school district was working to have a similar orientation meeting in the fall, prior to classes starting.

“We’ll get to know them in the fall before we put them in classes,” he said. “We’ll take it easy and go slow at the beginning of the year.”

In the meantime, McAdoo said parents who have children getting ready for kindergarten could help them be prepared for school by working with them on their essential skills, which include the ability to work with others and sharing, among other things. He said educating kindergartners on the academics was much easier when the students had a stronger grasp of those social skills.

McAdoo said it was also beneficial for parents to speak to their children about what they are excited about and what they are worried about regarding entering kindergarten.

“It’s a big transition, and it can be a scary time for kids, initially,” he said. “The more they talk through (their emotions) and their worries are eased, they will feel better and ready to learn.”

Boyle said the school district was also recommending that parents follow Lawrence Public Schools Early Childhood Program’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/LPSECP/. There, educators are sharing at-home learning and movement activities for young students, she said.