Happy Lunar New Year! Wishing good fortune, peace and prosperity.

The Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) is thrilled to see the return of in-person events for Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week, January 21st – 29th, 2023! Our goal is to encourage families to unplug from technology and enjoy the freedom of play! In 2019 we had over 2500 people attend Unplug and Play events and LASS gave away more than 700 books. We are hoping 2023 will see a return of familiar events and the addition of some new ones, as well as increased family participation. Previous Unplug & Play weeks have included events such as, Intergenerational Board Games, a Free Family Swim, Magic Shows, Story Times, Bowling, Skating and much more! We would like to thank all of the businesses and organizations who are supporting Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week and sponsoring an event to encourage families to reduce their screen time and reconnect through play!

All students have received a blue Unplug & Play “passport”. The “passport” has a schedule of events (see below) and allows students to record activities they have done to reduce screen time. When a student has complete the “passport” they can return the “passport” to the school. Completed “passports” will be entered into a draw for free books!

Have fun doing some screen-free activities, together as a family!!

Do you have a child who will start kindergarten in September 2023? Welcome!

Registration for regular kindergarten and the district’s two programs of choice opens at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17th and remains open for the rest of the school year. We are looking forward to welcoming you and your child to North Okanagan School District No. 83!

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

All Kindergarten registrations completed on Tuesday, January 17th are treated as “equal”, so there is no need for line-ups on that day. Registrations received after January 17th, 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.

Online registration is also available. To register online please contact the school you are registering at for a link.

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

In case you need it, here is a list of our elementary schools  (click on the school name and the email address will pop up) and their telephone numbers.

Please help us share this information with our community!

Parents, guardians, caretakers, students, staff, and community members are urged to take part in a survey to begin the process to renew SD83’s five-year strategic plan.

Superintendent of Schools Donna Kriger comments it is her immense privilege to lead the strategic plan process and renewal, which will guide the school district’s work over the course of the next five years. “The development of a new strategic plan involves high level visioning that will provide a roadmap to guide the direction of SD83. Our desire is to create a strategic plan which will enable students within the district to thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and culturally within school environments that support their ability to learn, succeed, and feel a sense of belonging.”

The survey is open now and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on January 16, 2023.