In less than one month the Decatur County Schools will begin the 2013-14 school year on Friday, August 2.

Registration, which is required for all new students to the district, as well as for those transferring from one school zone to another, begins this coming week on Tuesday, July 16, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 pm. to 3 p.m. The Friday, July 19, hours are from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Registration continues at all schools through Aug. 1, although the times and dates vary.

On Wednesday, July 31, elementary school students may register from 9 a.m. to 11:30 am. and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., while middle and high school students register only until 3 p.m. On Thursday, Aug. 1, the day before classes start, registration is from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Open houses will be held at all schools that afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Class orientation for the New Beginnings Learning Center is Monday, July 22, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Bainbridge Middle School cafeteria.

Prior to registration, parents are reminded to make sure their children are up-to-date on required immunizations. Among the shots needed for students are those to protect against pertussis, or whooping cough — a highly contagious and sometimes fatal bacterial disease that has increased alarmingly in the past decade. It spreads from person to person through moisture droplets in the air, probably from coughs or sneezes. All students age 11 and older entering the sixth grade in Georgia schools during the upcoming school year are required to have a tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis, or “Tdap” vaccine.

A Kindergarten certificate of Immunization (Georgia Form 3231) is required for all kindergarten and sixth grade students. All students new to Georgia and students coming from any private school must have the form signed by a licensed health-care provider or the county health department. Georgia Form 3300 requirement is a hearing, dental and vision screening certificate for all kindergarten and new first grade students, and all students new to Georgia. A student enrolling from another Georgia public school with a completed Form 3300 is acceptable.

Other documents required for new students are:

• Proof of birth date for students enrolling in kindergarten or first grade and students new to Georgia, proof of residency, and Social Security number of child. In cases where parents object to supplying the Social Security number, a waiver can be signed, stating the objection.

• Students transferring from another school district must have a valid transcript and withdrawal form from their previous school.