Brent Kennedy Elementary School

Parent and Family Weekly Update 

April 13-17 2026

There are many announcements this week – please take a look!

All staff will be engaged in Professional Development learning on April 13, with the District ProD day for all SD8 staff. 

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend! We look forward to seeing the kids back on April 14 2026. 

Announcements for Parents:

Mural Project 

The PAC has been working on a mural project this year, which has been approved for installation during the summer months (July/August 2026). The project will consist of 2 murals, painted by a local artist and parent at the school. One of the murals, will depict an artistic representation of the “BK PATH”, which has been a school culture focus for us this year. As, you may have read in previous newsletters, the BK PATH stands for : Peacefulness, Accountability, Thoughtfulness and Humility. We are excited that this will be represented in the student participation mural! 

Early Dismissal and Informal Reporting 

April 22 and 23 are early dismissal days (1:35) with busses arriving one hour early, for informal reporting and conferences. 

Classroom teachers will be reaching out to families directly with their individual plans for these informal reporting periods. Some teachers will be doing student led conferences, others will be doing open house, while other classrooms will be scheduling individual parent meeting conferences. If you would like to meet with any of our non enrolling staff including Inclusion Support Teachers or Teacher Counsellor. Please reach out to them directly to schedule a meeting. 

After School Plans

• Please make after school plans with your child prior to them leaving for school so that they know where they are going at dismissal.  This may include play dates, extracurricular activities and alternative pick up arrangements. 

• Avoiding last minute changes after the start of the school day ensures student safety by avoiding the risk of confusion, missed communication, and unsafe situations. 

Thanks for your team work on this!

Fees and Payment 

• For fee payment (ex. Swimming lessons), please pay ONLINE where possible. Here is the link to make payment online via our Brent Kennedy School website : https://bkes.sd8.bc.ca/pay

IMPORTANT VISITOR INFORMATION 

To help us maintain a safe and secure environment for all students and staff, we ask that all visitors please follow these procedures when coming into the school:

• Please enter through the main doors of the school.
• Sign in at the office each time you arrive.
• Pick up a visitor pass from the office when you sign in and mark the pass number on the sign in sheet. Please wait at the office for school staff to assist you.
• Wear the visitor pass on the provided lanyard for the duration of your visit in the school.

When leaving the school, please sign out at the office and return the visitor lanyard. Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE : If there is no coverage at the front office, you may find that the outside door is locked for visitors. Please use the radio outside of the main door if you need assistance and someone will come to assist you. 

2026-2027 Bussing Registration 

The School District 8 – Kootenay Lake Transportation Department is getting ready for the next school year. Please take note of the following important school busing information. 

2026/27 School Bus Registration Deadline: June 12, 2026.

Applications received after the deadline will be considered only if space is available on routes as scheduled. All students requesting SD8 school busing privileges MUST register annually. 

Apply Here!  

Announcements for Students:

• Grade 5/6 Basketball Team Practice Tuesday and Thursday at long recess
• Chess club for all on Tuesday at recess
• Intermediate Hockey on Monday and Wednesday’s at recess
• Grade 2,3,4 Soccer on Friday’s at recess

Still Out There: 

SD8 Code of Conduct for Bus Students 

• Please review : CLICK HERE

Contacting the office : Please be as detailed as possible with notes, emails and office phone calls and include: 

• Students First and Last name
  
  • Homeroom teacher
  • Name of bus route (if applicable) 
  • Any other details pertaining to your question or request. THANK YOU!
  • If you have arranged an alternate pickup arrangement for the day, please let your child’s teacher know. 

• The SD8 Student Accident Insurance webpage for families can be found here. To find this, go to the Students and Families page on the SD8 website.

• Reaching the Principal: For urgent or time sensitive matters, please call the school office to arrange a phone call or appointment. Due to the high volume of emails received each day, email is welcome for non-urgent matters, and I will aim to reply within 3 business days.

• Parent Volunteer Information : Parent Volunteer Information Page
  
  • AP 2303 : Volunteers
  • If you are attending class trips or are a parent volunteer in another capacity within the school, please complete the requirements found on the website and turn forms into the school office. Thank you! (Forms must be completed in full, to have the application accepted).
  • All Parent Volunteer Packages and Criminal Record Checks (CRC) must be completed ANNUALLY.
  • If you volunteer at two schools, only one Application and CRC needs to be completed for both. 

This Week and Coming Up : 

April 13 : District ProD – Classes not in session 

April 14 : PAC Meeting @ 6:00 pm in the library of virtually : CLICK HERE TO JOIN

April 22 – 23 : Early Dismissal (Informal Reporting / Classroom Open House)

April 23 – 24 : Spring Book Fair

Ms. Klassen

Principal

Brent Kennedy Elementary School