In two to three weeks, the Almon C. Hill Education Center will be bustling with frantic parents.

Jane Pritchett, a receptionist at the center where newcomers register their children for school, helped 210 parents sign up last week for the new school year, which starts Aug. 11.

Pritchett added that there were "73 returns so far," or parents that have made multiple visits because they lacked certain documents the first time.

The week before school starts, she said, it will "get to where we see 100 to 150 each day."

It will be so busy, she added, that when all of the appointment slots are taken, people will be seen on a walk-in basis, which could take hours.

"Check the Web site or call to find out everything you need," she said.

It's also recommend that parents make appointments before visiting the Hill Center, off Elm Street.

Soon-to-be resident John Vanderpool said the registration process isn't painful.

"We just got here," said Vanderpool, from Albany. He and his wife, Kristi, haven't closed yet on a house, but decided to get registration taken care of first.

Vanderpool's company transferred him to the North Fulton area.

"We just got with a Realtor and we were looking for a good school and a close proximity to work and those were the two driving factors," he said.

He was registering his two children, Victoria and Donovan, for classes at Sharon Elementary School in south Forsyth.
"The Web site was very informative," he said.

Vanderpool advised married couples to tag-team the list of required paperwork before trying to register. He said he handled some of the listed documents while his wife took their children to the doctor's office. Parents must provide certificates on immunizations and an ear, eye and dental exam.

Those with children in different school levels can register all of them at the Hill Center, as well as residents trying to register for kindergarten.

Parents whose children will qualify for the ESOL program can also register at the Transition Center, which is inside the Hill Center.