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Enrollment/Admissions
PLEASE NOTE: Re-enrollment for the 2012-13 school year for current students begins on January 15th, 2012. Open enrollment for all new students to Zion begins after February 15th, 2012. Please contact the school office at: 512.863.5345 if you have any questions.
ENROLLMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR 2012-13
NON DISCRIMINATORY ENROLLMENT POLICY
Zion Lutheran School admits students of any race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, political beliefs, or religion to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, political beliefs, or religion in administration of its educational policies, scholarship, and loan programs, and athletic and other school administrated programs.
ENROLLMENT/ADMISSIONS
Zion Lutheran School is open to all who desire a Christian education for their children. Zion Lutheran School follows the beginning age standards applicable to the State of Texas.
1) The parents agree that the child will repeat preschool the following school year.
2) The child has already been enrolled as a three (3) year old in an early childhood program.
3) The child has older siblings currently enrolled at Zion.
4) The parents and child agree to a pre-enrollment interview and evaluation.
1) Successful completion of preschool at Zion Lutheran School
2) Turned five (5) years of age before September 1st and successfully completed a readiness test administered by a member of the Zion Lutheran School staff
- Children enrolling 1st grade must meet one of the following requirements:
1) Successful completion of kindergarten at Zion Lutheran School
2) Turned six (6) years of age before September 1st
3) If not six (6) years of age before September 1st, a written recommendation from the kindergarten teacher must be submitted and successful completion of a readiness test administered by a member of the Zion Lutheran School staff is required.
- Children enrolling in 2nd through 8th grade must meet one of the following requirements:
1) Successful completion of the prior grade level at Zion Lutheran School
2) Children who have not attended Zion Lutheran School during the previous school year must show evidence of successful completion of the prior grade level and successful completion the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) administered by a member of the Zion Lutheran School staff.
ENROLLMENT PRIORITIES
Zion Lutheran School is available for children of Zion Lutheran Church and for students of our surrounding communities. Enrollment for the fall term begins each year in January. Existing school families have until January 31st to receive their re-enrollment priority status. The priority list is as follows:
1) Currently enrolled Zion Lutheran School (Preschool through 8th grade) students
2) Siblings of currently enrolled Zion Lutheran School (Preschool – 8th grade) students
3) Zion Lutheran Church members
4) Those having a Christian church membership other than Zion Lutheran Church
5) Those with no Christian church membership
NEW STUDENTS TO ZION
Parents wishing to enroll their child(ren) in Zion Lutheran School for the first time must complete and submit an on-line application form via our school’s website. The completed application form must be submitted with copies of the previous academic records (report cards and standardized tests) and the non-refundable registration fee* (see registration fee table below). Students entering preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade must present a birth certificate. Some prospective 1st graders may be asked to submit a written letter of recommendation (see section on enrollment/admission).
Children enrolling in kindergarten and 1st grade will be required to take a readiness test administered by a member of the Zion Lutheran School staff. Children enrolling in 2nd through 8th grade will be required to take the Wide Range Achievement Test administered by a member of the Zion Lutheran School staff. In addition, an interview with the principal is required. The principal makes the decision on acceptance or denial of enrollment. If the application is accepted, the family will be notified. The family will then need to provide copies of the child’s immunization records. If the application is not accepted, the family will be notified and the registration fee will be returned. *PLEASE NOTE: The registration fee is refunded only if the student’s application is not accepted.
RETURNING STUDENTS
Parents wishing to re-enroll their child (ren) in Zion Lutheran School must complete and submit a re-enrollment application through RenWeb. This must be submitted with the non-refundable registration fee. This will hold a place for your child. PLEASE NOTE: In order to hold a place for your child for the next school year, families must be current with all tuition and fees.
ENROLLMENT TIMETABLE
January 15th to January 31st Existing school families*
February 1st to February 15th Zion Lutheran Church members
After February 15th Open Enrollment**
*Existing families are those with at least one student currently attending Zion Lutheran School. Additional family members can register at this time. These families can be member families or community families of Zion Lutheran Church. If necessary, priority is given to those students who are members of Zion Lutheran Church.
** Families joining Zion Lutheran Church after February 15th will have priority on any waiting list. They will not replace any accepted student.
REGISTRATION FEE (Non-refundable)
Annually, the Board of Christian Education sets the registration fee. The registration fee for the 2012-13 school year is $350 if paid in full before March 15, $450 if paid in full between March 16 and May 31, and $500 if paid in full after May 31st. The registration fee is non refundable and due at the time of re-enrollment / enrollment.
TUITION
All families are charged an annual tuition fee that is set by the Board of Christian Education. Tuition is payable over 10 months (August – May) or 12 months (June – May).
TUITION RATES FOR THE 2012-13 SCHOOL YEAR
Member Students Community Students
3-Day Preschool $3,000.00 3-Day Preschool $3,750.00
Kindergarten – 8th grade Kindergarten – 8th grade
1st Child $3,300.00 1st Child $5,200.00
2nd Child $2,300.00 2nd Child $4,500.00
3rd Child $1,700.00 3rd Child $4,000.00
PLEASE NOTE: The actual cost to educate each student at Zion Lutheran School during the 2012-13 school year is $5,700.00. Through the efforts of the congregation, Zion Lutheran is able to provide a quality Christian education at a fair and reasonable price to the families of our surrounding communities. With their generous giving and love for Christian education, members of Zion Lutheran Church are providing a reduced tuition rate for both member and community students.
TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Zion Lutheran School offers financial aid for families who may need assistance with their tuition payments for their children. If you feel you have a financial need, please contact the school office to receive the Tuition Assistance Application. You may also find the application on the school’s website under the Admissions tab. The final decision regarding the amount of assistance is made by the Tuition Assistance Committee (Principal, Executive Pastor and Chairperson of the Board of Christian Education).
POLICIES FOR TUITION COLLECTION AND PAST DUE ACCOUNTS
Tuition Collection:
After the payment of registration fee, tuition is broken down into ten (10) or twelve (12) payments. Beginning in June or August, the payment is due on the first of each month and is considered late after the 20th of each month. No statements are sent out for each month’s tuition but a reminder is mailed if payment is not received by the 15th of the month.
Past Due Accounts:
The Board of Christian Education has established firm tuition collection policies to be equally applied to all parents. The board will always prayerfully consider special cases.
Past due accounts will be handled in the following manner:
1) Tuition is due on the first day of each month beginning in June or August. If the payment is not received by the 20th of the month, the account is considered past due. A reminder letter will be mailed.
2) If the account is behind for two months or more, the account will be turned over to the Board of Christian Education for further action.
3) The full year’s tuition must be received by the end of May of the enrolled year. Report cards, diplomas, transcripts will not be released and re-enrollment will not be accepted until all fees (tuition and any other outstanding fees) are paid in full.
4) Registration fees for the following school year will only be accepted from families who are current in their tuition.
WAITING LIST
In the event that the number of enrolled students reaches the limit placed on class size a waiting list will be created. As space becomes available, the families will be contacted in the order they are on the waiting list. Families joining Zion Lutheran Church after February 15th will have priority on the waiting list.
CHANGE OF STATUS
Families that begin the school year in the “Community Student Tuition” category will be assessed the community student tuition rate throughout the school year, even if the parents become members of Zion Lutheran Church during the school year.
ASSIGNMENT TO MULTIPLE CLASSES
In the event that there are multiple classes of the same grade the class assignments will be randomly divided in consultation with the classroom teacher and the principal. This will be a final decision. No special requests will be honored.
CHURCH ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR MEMBER FAMILIES
At the January 2010, Board of Christian Education meeting, Board members instituted a new policy whereby all Zion church members who have students enrolled in our school must now attend Sunday services at Zion at least 50% of the time. Families who do not meet this requirement will be charged the community student tuition rate for the next semester.
For example, in order to receive the member student’s tuition rate for the first semester of any given school year, member families must attend 50% of the services starting in January through June. In order to receive member rate for the second semester of the school year, member families must follow the same practice during the months of July through December. Members will need to complete and submit the weekly attendance card during the Sunday services they attend.
Please note: The reason member students receive a tuition discount is due to the fact that the congregation anticipates and encourages all member families to financially support the congregation and school through regular giving on Sunday mornings.
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