News Stories

The recent announcement by the Williams Lake First Nation of 93 unmarked burial sites discovered at the former Williams Lake, St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School adds to the terrible truths of missing children buried at other former residential school sites in B.C. and elsewhere in Canada.

January 20, 2022, Nelson, BC -

The Board of Education - School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) passed a resolution on January 18 that directs Superintendent Trish Smillie to create and implement a Proof of Vaccination Procedure for all staff and contractors. It will not apply to students.

The purpose of the Proof of Vaccination Procedure is to safeguard the health and safety of employees and students from COVID-19.

- Partners and public invited to complete online survey

School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) invites students, parents, staff and the wider community to share their voices in an online survey. The survey is part of a comprehensive public engagement process initiated by the Board of Education to inform a new policy to address racism.

The past two weeks have been busy for families, students, teachers and other school district staff who have worked together to make sure students safely returned to school, and that we have plans in place for continued learning if school closures occur due to spread of the Omicron variant.

To assist us, the Ministry of Education has shared provincial protocols with school and district administrators and staff so together, we can manage school associated activity in the best way possible.

SD8 hosts Virtual French Immersion Information Sessions

Families in both Creston and Nelson who are interested in the Late French Immersion Program can now register for a virtual information night session. School District 8 Kootenay Lake offers late French immersion as a vibrant and competitive program of choice.

All students who have successfully completed the preceding year and are residents in School District 8 (Kootenay Lake) are eligible to apply for the program.

SD8 students collect food donations at Halloween

Students from several SD8 Kootenay Lake school district schools supported the Halloween for Hunger campaign again this year, helping to shift the focus on getting to giving at Halloween.

Literacy can be simply defined as the ability to read and write, however one could argue, it is just not that simple.

There are an endless number of engaging strategies that teachers use to encourage students to learn to read and write with the goal towards building comprehension and communication skills. But how do we know which strategies are the most effective?

Winlaw Elementary School will be supporting their youngest learners and families with the Seamless Day Kindergarten pilot program, slated to begin providing after-school care services this coming January, 2022.

The new childcare, Kindergarten and support services facility has been supported by the Ministry of Education and Columbia Basin Trust and is part of the government’s 10-year Childcare B.C. plan, as the province works to build an inclusive universal childcare system that meets growing childcare needs in B.C. communities.

DPAC encourages parents and guardians to become volunteer advocates.

The Kootenay Lake DPAC is inviting SD8 parents and guardians interested in becoming a Parent Advocate to attend a free Advocate Training Seminar hosted by DPAC.

The Advocacy 101 – Level One training seminar will take place Monday October 25th 6:00-7:15 pm and a following session, Wednesday November 3rd 6:00-8:30 on zoom.

To enhance student safety in transportation, effective November 2, 2021 bus passes will become mandatory for all students who ride the bus to and from school each day. 

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