Bastion students will be invited to wear their Halloween costumes to school on Friday, October 30th. We would like to remind our students and their families of Bastion’s guidelines for Halloween costumes:

• Please ensure costumes are respectful of various races and cultures;
• Replica weapons (sword, dagger, gun, etc.) should be left at home and saved for Halloween night;
• Masks of any type should be left at home and saved for Halloween night;
• Costumes should follow the school’s dress code in order to be respectful to self and others.

In this current day and age, we have to be very careful with students bringing replica weapons to school or wearing masks at school.  There is a lot of sensitivity (for a variety of reasons) to these types of items and we need to be respectful to all members of our school community, while still providing a fun opportunity for students to celebrate the day in their Halloween costumes.

If there is a chance your son or daughter will get uncomfortable in his/her costume during the day, we are encouraging those students to bring a change of clothes to put on later in the day.  During the day, we would like all students to act responsibly with their costumes, to ensure that none of the costumes get ruined before Halloween night.

Classroom teachers will be deciding how their classrooms will celebrate Halloween, and make plans appropriate for the age group.  If you have any specific questions regarding the classroom activities, please contact your child’s teacher.

Our school believes in healthy eating, we would like to strongly recommend that all students save their Halloween treats to be eaten and enjoyed at home, after school.  Thank you for support!

We hope all of our Bastion families had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!! 2020 has been a challenging year for many, and it’s good to take a moment to reflect and be thankful for all the people who help us get through challenging times. I know I am thankful for all the Bastion families who have been so supportive during our unique start to the school year, especially over the last few days. Our Bastion parents and caregivers have shown support of our school, students and staff members in numerous ways. As we work through a reorganization, many family members and teachers have acknowledged that they feel sad, nervous, frustrated and disappointed with the need to move children into different classrooms. All of these feelings (and more) are legitimate. However, families have continued to be supportive and understand that we need to make the best out of a less than ideal situation. Our commitment to our students and their families is to continue to provide academic, social and emotional support for our students, while providing a kind, caring and compassionate learning environment.

Please read on for updates and reminders:

On Friday, the students participated in the annual Terry Fox School Run. The students listened to the story Terry Fox and Me, and then they ran outside with their Learning Cohort. Along the course, there was a timeline of Terry’s journey, as well as interesting facts and quotes related to the Marathon of Hope. Thank you to everyone who made an online donation or brought a “Toonie for Terry” to school. Our school community has raised almost $1000!! Well done, Bastion!!!

Families with children starting Kindergarten in September 2021, will be able to register their children on Tuesday, October 13th. There are three options to register:

Option No. 1… Families have the option of completing an online form (click link below). Once the form has been submitted, please send an email to the school (bas@sd83.bc.ca) with a photo or scan of the child’s birth certificate and BC Services card (front and back). If families are registering their children in English Kindergarten, proof of home address is required (eg. utility bill, tenancy agreement).

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=pP-hhz-WDkWNkBVd542b5fv8v8xmaIxCqiZq1s-wVCRUOE1IRUxQQk43OFQ4WlBWSTU4SlA3NEVTRS4u

Option No. 2… Families can download the following registration form, complete all sections of the form, and email the form back to the school (bas@sd83.bc.ca). When emailing the form to the school, please include a photo or scan of the child’s birth certificate and BC Services Card (front and back). If families are registering their children in English Kindergarten, proof of home address is required (eg. utility bill, tenancy agreement).

Option No. 3… Families can come to the school and complete the registration papers and provide the original Birth Certificate and BC Services card, so the school can make copies.

Individual student photos will take place on Friday, October 16th. First thing Friday morning, we will start with the Kindergarten students and work our way up to the Grade 5 students. Please note: there is a possibility that Mountain West Studios may not be able to return to Bastion Elementary for retakes.

Click on the link below for specific information on how to order photos: https://mountainwest.ca/Orders/HowtoOrder

 SD83 Kindergarten Registration 2021-22 

To Parents/Caregivers, 

We are looking forward to welcoming you and your child to North Okanagan School District No. 83! Due to COVID-19, there are some changes to the Kindergarten registration process this year: 

1. Kindergarten registration will open at 9am on Tuesday, October 13th and remain open for the rest of the school year. 

2. You may choose to register in-person at the school or online. 

3. Registering in-person: Please phone the school and make an appointment to come in and complete the paperwork, as only one family at a time can be in the school office area. 

4. Registering online: Please email the school to request the online registration link. 

5. You will need to register at your child’s catchment school (based on your physical address) or specialty school (Bastion – Early French Immersion or South Canoe – Outdoor Learning). To access our catchment school locator tool or find out more information about our specialty schools, Click Here. 

6. Any parents/caregivers requesting a cross-boundary consideration will need to follow these steps:

a. Register at their catchment school (in-person or online) 

b. Complete a cross boundary request form 

c. Have the form signed by the catchment school’s principal 

d. Take the form to the principal of the requested school (for cross-boundary consideration in the spring) 

7. All Kindergarten registrations completed on Tuesday, October 13th are treated as “equal”, so there is no need for line-ups on that day. Registrations received after October 13th, will be date/time stamped and treated on a first come, first served basis. This information will be used to determine placement IF catchment area schools or programs are full. Students with siblings already registered in a Program of Choice (French Immersion or Outdoor Learning) will be given priority if there is limited space.

If you have any questions about the Kindergarten registration process, please contact: Jennifer Findlay, District Principal, at jfindlay@sd83.bc.ca 

Registration opens for regular Kindergarten, Early French Immersion and the South Canoe Outdoor Learning Program for Kindergarten 2021 on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 9 a.m. Welcome!

This early date allows for more equitable access and better planning. All registrations on this date are treated as equal so there is no need for line-ups! COVID-19 protocols will be in place. There will also be an online registration option available (which is currently being developed and will be available by the 13th. Details on how to use this new option will come later this week).

As well as the regular English kindergarten there are two district programs which are available to all students, Early French Immersion at Bastion Elementary and the Outdoor Learning Program at South Canoe.

For further information about early french immersion, please contact Vice-Principal Laura Jegues at Bastion Elementary at ljegues@sd83.bc.ca/250-832-3741.

Early French Immersion
Information available by clicking here.
Brochure available here

When registering, please bring proof of citizenship (ie birth certificate), proof of residence, and immunization record. Information on required documentation can be found here.

Bastion Elementary will be participating in the Terry Fox School Run on Friday, October 9th. Classes will be running in Learning Cohort groups throughout the day. A special thank you goes to Mme Mckenzie (student teacher) and Mrs. Robinson (CEA) for organizing the event!

Students are able to bring a “Toonie for Terry” to school, and donations will be passed on to the Terry Fox Foundation. To help reduce the amount of contact with money, we will also be collecting donations online. The Terry Fox Foundation has set-up a website, specific to Bastion Elementary, to collect donations. Please click on the link below, if you’d like to donate online. Thank you for your support!!

(The link is now closed. Thank you for your support!)