The Random Selection Process

 General Program Information and Lottery Application Process

Ohlone is a "Choice" school in the Palo Alto Unifed School District ("PAUSD").  Admission to elementary-level Choice schools is granted through a random selection process (also known as a lottery). Application forms and information are available at individual school offices.

There are 6 steps to follow to enter the Ohlone lottery for your incoming PAUSD kindergartner (for the 2012-2013 school year):

1. Read about our school.

The Ohlone website has information about our school philosophy, our 7 Core Values, the Goals of an Ohlone Education, the Mandarin Immersion program, and more nuts-and-bolts information about our school.  We suggest starting with the About Ohlone section and the Welcome from Principal Bill.

2. Attend an important Prospective Parents’ Meeting.

We have 3 different meeting times for parents of 2012-2013 Kindergartners to learn more about Ohlone.  If you are interested in the English-only track of Ohlone, you need to attend only one meeting (either November 10 OR January 11).  

If you are interested in Mandarin Immersion at Ohlone, you should attend TWO meetings: November 29 AND one of the other two meetings.

Thursday, November 10, 2011	7:00 PM	Ohlone Library
**Tuesday, November 29, 2011**	7:00 PM	Ohlone Multi-Purpose (MP) Room
Wednesday, January 11, 2012	9:00 AM	Ohlone Multi-Purpose (MP) Room

**This meeting is specifically focused on Mandarin Immersion at Ohlone**

 

3. Observe Ohlone classrooms:

Call the Ohlone office at 856-1726 to schedule  your school visit.  Visits are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning November 8 through mid-February.  You must have an appointment to visit, and the visits are limited to adults only, so please arrange childcare for your young children. 

Once you check in with the Ohlone office on your visit day, you will be given information for a self-guided tour and will see several Ohlone classrooms “in action”.  You are expected to visit classrooms of all grade levels.  Parents interested in Mandarin Immersion are expected to visit both Mandarin and English classes.  You can also pick up the Ohlone Application or Ohlone Mandarin Immersion Application form during your visit.

Please note: these are silent, standing observations -- the teachers and children will be in class during these times, so we ask your cooperation and consideration in not interrupting or disrupting the classes and not speaking to the teachers or students.  We also ask that you not handle any student work or materials during your visit.

4.  Register your student with PAUSD.

Your child MUST be registered with the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) prior to entering the Ohlone lottery.  Information and forms can be found on the PAUSD website.  Proof of residence must be supplied to register. (2012-2013 Registration and Residency Guidelines and Requirements will be posted in December 2011.)

5.  Return your Ohlone or Ohlone Mandarin Immersion Lottery Application to Ohlone.

Once you have registered your child with PAUSD, you must return your Ohlone Application or Ohlone Mandarin Immersion Application to the Ohlone office by MARCH 1, 2012.  You MUST bring with you the PAUSD Registration Confirmation e-mail, which serves as your proof of PAUSD registration – Ohlone applications cannot be accepted without this proof.

6.  Await notification. 

After the Lottery (March 2012) is complete, school staff will call the parents of those students randomly selected by lottery.  In addition, names will be drawn to create a waitlist of 15 students for each program (i.e., one waitlist for English-only Ohlone and one waitlist for Mandarin Immersion).  Parents of students on the waitlist will receive a postcard in the mail, not a phone call.

All other prospective students not randomly selected will not receive a phone call or postcard but will remain in the pool of applicants for any future waitlist openings in the program to which they applied (English-only Ohlone or Mandarin Immersion).  Sometimes, there are openings in older grades (above Kindergarten), so your child's application will be continuously rolled forward from year-to-year as long as your child is registered in the Palo Alto Unified School District, and you do not need to re-apply if you would be interested in transferring in a later year should an opening occur.

Notes:

1. Priority is given to younger siblings of current Ohlone students.  Because the number of younger siblings varies from year to year, the number of open spaces for incoming Kindergartners also varies.  

2. When vacancies arise in Choice schools, offers for admission are made first to siblings of currently attending students and then to students chosen through a lottery. Spaces may become available at any time during the school year.