For some parents, kindergarten is serious business, at least when it comes to registration.
Parents camped outside in the cold at Royal Vale elementary school on Somerled Avenue in NDG overnight Sunday and early Monday morning. More than a dozen parents weren't taking any chances because students are taken on a first come, first served basis.
Parents were waiting in frigid temperatures outside until 6 a.m. Monday when the school opened its doors and let them wait in the hallways until registration opened a couple of hours later.
The school principal said it is planning to open a fourth kindergarten class this year, with priority going to siblings. They had 57 spots available, and about 40 families were lined up on Monday morning.
The parents made the best of it despite the freezing cold. “A few of us built a little community of parents and we got a fire going," explained one father, "and eventually we put up a tent, and made a night of it.”
One reason for Royal Vale's popularity is that it is a no-zoning school, meaning children from any part of town are welcome. It also has an enriched program for math and sciences.
Parents also toughed out a cold night at East Hill School in Riviere-des-Prairies, as well as at Gardenview in Saint-Laurent.
The English Montreal School Board said spots at certain schools are in high demand - and this is what it takes to get in.
