KANNAPOLIS — The Kannapolis City School District is accepting applications for three new magnet programs that will open in August.

Two of the new programs, A+ Arts and Global Studies, are open to rising kindergarten through fifth grade students. The third program, Spanish Language Immersion, is open to rising kindergarten students. Applications must be received by Tuesday, Feb. 28.

All families of rising elementary age children who live within the Kannapolis City School district are eligible to apply — even families whose children currently attend charter schools or home schools.

In order to attend a KCS magnet program, students must apply for the magnet program and be accepted. If students are not already enrolled in Kannapolis City Schools, they must register in KCS no later than June 30 in order to attend a magnet program.

Families who live outside the Kannapolis City School District must successfully complete a release and acceptance process in order to attend a KCS magnet program.

The A+ Arts program will be located at G.W. Carver Elementary (now Kannapolis Intermediate School). It will be the only A+ Arts program in Cabarrus or Rowan County.

The Global Studies and Spanish Language Immersion programs will be located at Fred L. Wilson Elementary.

Students in magnet programs will learn the same standard curriculum that is taught in all N.C. public schools. However, the magnet programs will allow students to learn the material by putting an emphasis on the special areas highlighted by the magnet programs (arts, global studies or learning subjects in both English and Spanish).

Students who live within the G.W. Carver attendance zone will automatically attend G.W. Carver Elementary and will not need to apply for the A+ Arts program. Students who live within the Fred L. Wilson attendance zone will automatically attend Fred L. Wilson. They will not need to apply for the Global Studies program.

However, if G.W. Carver or Fred L. Wilson students wish to attend a magnet program other than the one located at their assigned school, their families will need to complete an application. In addition, all rising kindergarten students who want to be included in the Spanish Language Immersion program — even rising kindergarten students assigned to Fred L. Wilson — will need to complete an application.

Fred L. Wilson will have traditional kindergarten classes as well as Spanish Language Immersion kindergarten classes. Therefore, if rising kindergarten students assigned to Fred L. Wilson are interested in joining the Spanish Language Immersion program, their families will need to complete the magnet application at the bottom of the page.

With the opening of the new magnet programs, KCS elementary attendance boundaries will change for the 2017-2018 school year.

KCS will hold a magnet school open house at each school on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. where families can tour the new magnet schools, meet staff and get more information about the magnet programs.

Students who apply for magnet programs will be accepted as long as there is enough room in the programs. If KCS receives more magnet applications than it has space available, the district will hold a lottery to select students at random to fill the available magnet slots. Students who are not selected will be placed onto a waiting list in the order that their names are drawn in the lottery.

All students who are accepted into KCS magnet programs will be able to receive bus transportation from Kannapolis City Schools. Students who are not accepted into magnet programs will attend the KCS elementary school in their assigned attendance zone unless they are later admitted into a magnet program from the waiting list.

Kannapolis City Schools will send letters to all families who apply for magnet programs to let them know if their children have been selected for magnet programs or have been put onto a waiting list. KCS will admit students from the waiting list in the order that they were selected in the lottery as magnet program slots become available.

KCS will fill open magnet program slots through the 10th day of school in the 2017-2018 school year. After the 10th day of school, no more magnet slots will be filled for the remainder of the school year. A new application process will begin next January for the 2018-2019 school year.

To apply for the new KCS magnet programs, please complete an application no later than Feb. 28.