Carmi-White County Schools will open for its first day with students on Wednesday, August 12.
We will dismiss all students one hour early the first week of school as we have in recent years in order to help the elementary students readjust to school. Faculty and staff will be in attendance starting Monday, August 10.
ONLINE REGISTRATION
July 28 – July 30, 2026
Carmi-White County Schools will conduct online registration for students who will be attending the district in the 2026-2027 school year. The registration portal will be open from Tuesday, July 28 to Thursday, July 30. Please go to the CWC district website at www.carmischools.org and click on the registration link to begin the registration process. If you have any questions with this process, please contact your respective school office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
ASSISTANCE WITH ONLINE REGISTRATION
IN-PERSON ASSISTANCE WITH ONLINE REGISTRATION
For parents/guardians who are unable to complete the district-wide online registration from July 28 – July 30, assistance will be available by appointment at the student’s school building beginning August 1, 2026.
Grades PreK-12, including special education, will register as follows:
● Early Childhood, grades K and 1 at Lincoln Attendance Center (KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS…Children who attain the age of five (5) on or before September 1 are eligible to begin Kindergarten in August.) The school will need a copy of your student’s birth certificate, a physical examination, and an immunization record prior to beginning kindergarten.
● Grades 2 and 3 at Jefferson Attendance Center
● Grades PK, 4 through 6 at Washington Attendance Center
● Grades 7-12 at the Jr./Sr. High School
If your child attended a C-WC school OR if you have other children in the district, you will go to REGISTRATION (and use your existing log-in information). If this is your first time in our district, you will go to NEW FAMILY REGISTRATION. If you have any questions about this process, please contact your respective school office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Additional Junior High Information
Junior high pictures will not be taken during registration but are scheduled to be taken on September 15. Pictures will be ordered online. It is extremely important that all students are dressed appropriately and have their pictures taken at this time. If, for some reason, a student
does not have a picture taken on September 15, a makeup date is scheduled for November 16. Junior high baseball and softball pictures will be taken on September 15. Students interested in participating in sports for the 2026-2027 school year must bring a copy of their insurance card and a copy of a current sports physical.
Additional High School Information
High school students can view their schedules, lockers, and homeroom assignments online during the online registration week. These will be distributed to students at the beginning of the school year.
PICTURES
Senior tuxedo and drape pictures will be taken on Monday, August 3rd, in room 216 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Pictures for underclassmen will be taken on Tuesday, August 4th, in room 216 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Three (3) different picture packages will be offered, ranging in price from $25 to $50. Also, individual photographs may be purchased, ranging in price from $5 to $18. It is important that all students have their picture taken at this time so they are included in the yearbook and receive a student ID. If a student is unable to have his/her picture taken at this time, a makeup date will be announced at a later date.
YEARBOOKS
The yearbook price is $50 for a limited time. The regular price will be $55. Orders can be placed online at www.jostens.com/yearbooks. Order forms will also be available at school this fall for those wishing to pay by cash or check.
Brownsville Students
The first day of attendance for Brownsville students will be Wednesday, August 12th. Registration information, as well as a school supply list, will be sent home with students that day. For additional information, please contact the principal’s office at 265-3256 after July 28th.
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS
MATERIALS/TECHNOLOGY FEES
Schedule of materials/technology fees:
Kindergarten — $25.00
Grades 1-3 — $35.00
Grades 4-6 — $45.00
Grades 7-8 — $60.00
Grades 9-12 — $75.00
Additional CWCHS Driver Education Fee — $50.00
INSURANCE
Student accident insurance will be available this year through Gerber Life Insurance Company.
Plans being offered are as follows:
OPTIONS PLAN A PLAN B
Extension to School Time
Grades Pre-Kindergarten-8
Grades 9-12
$120.00
$150.00
$ 65.00
$ 85.00
Dental $ 15.00 $ 15.00
Parents should be aware that the above student accident plan is a limited accident benefit policy. Included among the conditions of the insurance are limitations on the amount paid for room and board and miscellaneous expenses. Student insurance applications are available online at www.k12specialmarkets.com. Parents are encouraged to go to the online website and review the insurance coverage carefully.
PHYSICAL/DENTAL EXAMINATIONS AND IMMUNIZATIONS
All beginning students up to six years of age (including prekindergarten students) must provide evidence of completion of a lead screening or assessment. Children living in areas determined by the Department of Public Health to be at high-risk for lead poisoning must be screened using a blood lead test. Carmi is a high-risk area. Those who live in low-risk areas must be evaluated individually using a lead risk assessment questionnaire developed by the Department of Public Health.
All PreK, kindergarten, sixth-grade, and ninth-grade students entering an Illinois public school must have a physical examination. All students entering an Illinois public school for the first time, regardless of grade, also need a physical exam. Effective July 1, 2005, oral health (dental) examinations are required for all Illinois public school students in grades kindergarten, second, sixth, and ninth. Additionally, vision exams are required for students entering kindergarten or entering an Illinois public school for the first time and must be submitted by October 15. Forms are available at local health care providers’ offices, at all schools, and on our school website (www.carmischools.org).
In addition to the physical and dental examinations, the Department of Public Health requires that every child provide evidence of up-to-date immunizations. Beginning October 26, 2015, children whose parents or legal guardians object on religious grounds need not receive the immunizations if they present to the school authorities a signed and completed Religious Exemption Certificate/Form, which details the grounds for such objection. (This form can be obtained from the Illinois Department of Public Health or from the school.) If the physical
condition of a child precludes immunization on medical grounds, the examining physician must indicate the reason for the medical exemption. Please refer to the linked chart from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) that refers to the minimum immunization requirements for entering a child care facility or school in Illinois, Fall-2024 footnotes for further guidance.
MEDICATIONS AT SCHOOL
Requirements for medication at school are an order from the healthcare provider with the parent’s/guardian’s signature. The medication must be in the original bottle. All over-the-counter (OTC) medications have the same requirements. We discourage medications at school when possible. If a medication must be taken at school, the required form is available on our website (www.carmischools.org).
FOOD ALLERGIES
We want school to be a safe place for our students. Please have all parents complete the food allergy form along with listing all food substitutes when this applies. It requires the student’s healthcare provider’s signature, as well. Cooks should be notified as soon as possible.
SCHOOL BREAKFAST & LUNCH
All Carmi-White County C.U.S.D. #5 Schools will again be participating in the National School Lunch & School Breakfast Programs. All district students will be eligible to receive a no-cost lunch and breakfast. This does not include milk-only sales, extra entrees, or à la carte items.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation information will be available for online and/or in-person registration.
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS
Lincoln’s Back to School Night is Monday, August 10th from 6-7:00 pm. Pre-K, Early Childhood, and Kindergarten families can come and go. First grade will begin in their classrooms at 6:00 p.m. Families are encouraged to bring school supplies!
Jefferson’s Back to School Night is Tuesday, August 11th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm (come and go). Teachers will be in classrooms, so families are encouraged to bring school supplies!
Washington’s Back to School Night is Monday, August 10, for fourth graders and Wednesday, August 12, for Pre-K, fifth grade and sixth grade. Fourth grade will be a come-and-go from 4:15 to 5:30 with teachers in the classrooms. Students can bring their school supplies. Pre-K is come and go with morning families from 6-6:30 and afternoon families from 6:30-7. Fifth-grade families will also be a come and go with teachers in the classrooms from 6-7, and sixth-grade families need to report to the cafeteria at 6.
Carmi-White County Junior High School Back To School Night is Friday, August 14th, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. (Come and go with faculty and staff in their classrooms.)
Carmi-White County High School’s Back to School Night is Friday, August 14th, from 5:00– 6:30 p.m. (Come and go with faculty and staff in their classrooms.) This will run in conjunction with the CWCHS Fall Sports Festival at 6:30 pm at Harrington Jeffries Track and Field.
Yours for better schools,
Jarrod Newell
Superintendent