Juniper Ridge / Marion Schilling New Catchment

Juniper Ridge / Marion Schilling Catchment Boundary Change Approved

The Board of Education of School District No. 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) has approved a catchment area change to the catchment boundaries for Juniper Ridge Elementary and Marion Schilling Elementary schools for September 2022.

If your child is currently in grade 6 at Juniper Ridge Elementary, your child may remain at Juniper Ridge Elementary to complete their grade 7 year. In addition, if your child in grade six has younger siblings in Juniper Ridge Elementary, those younger siblings also have the option to stay at Juniper Ridge Elementary. Younger siblings are eligible to stay at Juniper Ridge Elementary until the end of grade 7. Please contact the school to inform the principal of whether your child(ren) will be staying at Juniper Ridge Elementary by calling 250-374-2305 on or before February 11.

Juniper Ridge Elementary Transfer Request Letter - February 10, 2022

Marion Schilling Elementary Transfer Request Letter - February 10, 2022

Juniper Ridge to Ralph Bell Grade K to 5 - January 25 Letter to Parents

Juniper Ridge Grade 6 & Siblings - January 25 Letter to Parents

  • Use this City of Kamloops mapping service to find your catchment school
  • Find more information on the Juniper Ridge Elementary/Marion Schilling catchment boundary consultation process here
New Catchment
Frequently Asked Questions
How was the decision made regarding this catchment change?
A period of public consultation was held from April 20, 2021 to June 21, 2021. On June 28, 2021, the Board considered the public input in making its decision regarding the catchment re-opening of Ralph Bell Elementary School and the catchment boundaries for Juniper Ridge Elementary and Marion Schilling Elementary schools. 

Can students already attending Juniper Ridge Elementary that are affected by the catchment change apply to transfer so they can remain in the school?

Students already attending Juniper Ridge Elementary that are affected by the catchment boundary change can apply to transfer. 

Administrative Procedure 305 School Boundaries and Student Transfer Requests
(from the AP) 

Each year, students and parents will be given notice that commencing on March 1st of each year, they may request transfer to another school for the coming school year. Notice shall be publicized in school newsletters and on the School District 73 website. Transfer requests must be submitted in writing to the receiving principal and approved by students’ parents to be considered. 

What does SD73 do with regard to developing and publicizing future plans?  
As part of the Ministry of Education Capital Plan Instructions, the Ministry of Education requires each school district provide a Long-Range Facilities Plan (LRFP). This report is prepared by senior staff and presented to the Board of Education annually. The April 2021 LRFP can be found here.
How many students have been affected?
Juniper Ridge Elementary: 129. Marion Schilling Elementary: 82
Will current students attending Juniper Ridge Elementary be moved to Ralph Bell or is it only applicable to new registration in the catchment areas?
The catchment change affects all students (current and newly enrolling) within the new boundary effective Sept. 2022. 
Were any child mental health or related specialists identified and consulted as part of this proposal process? 
The District has related specialists on staff who are a part of the consultation process that have expertise in children's mental health, well-being, and response to trauma. For specifics of what the District does to support child mental health as it is impacted by the proposed catchment change, see the next question. 

What is the District doing to support child mental health as it is impacted by the catchment change?

Each student will have a different response to catchment area changes. While some students may welcome a change, others may respond in a variety of ways, including trouble sleeping, concentrating or listening. Your child may become more irritable, sad, angry, or worried as they anticipate change.

School staff are trained to respond to student's nonverbal communication to listen and will pay attention to what they say and how they act.  If a student requires additional support, parents or school staff may recommend they see a school counsellor. This support may be requested by contacting the school principal.

To support the mental wellness of all students, the District has a plan to support mental health and to promote mental health and well-being for students, to help identify some students with, or at risk of developing mental health problems, to provide resources, and to support access to specialized support for the few students who require more intensive intervention.  

The action plan focused on schools playing an important role in supporting the development and maintenance of well-being for children and youth through:  

  1. Helping staff create emotionally and mentally healthy spaces  
  2. Reducing stigma related to mental health  
  3. Promoting early identification of students who may be struggling with mental health issues 
  4. Providing support to access community treatment  

The District focuses on social and emotional learning, mental health literacy, and trauma-informed practice. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a set of specific skills that help us set goals, manage our behaviour, build relationships, and process or remember information. These skills impact a person's mental well-being and are connected to educational success and employment. This area is implemented by focusing on student learning, educator learning, and parent engagement. 

Will there be an audit of Juniper Ridge Elementary to ensure that the current out-of-catchment students attending the school are not part of the school’s overcapacity?
There are many reasons that students may be attending out-of-catchment schools, including recent family moves, or they may have been placed there to address their social or emotional needs. A recent audit of out-of-catchment students at Juniper Ridge Elementary indicates that there are not a significant number of students from out-of-catchment. 

Why does it take so long to build a new school?

The School District applies to the Ministry of Education for capital funding every year. Until the Ministry of Education supports a project, the School District has no control over the project timeline. Essentially, we are in competition with all the other school districts for Ministry of Education capital dollars.

Once the Ministry has supported a project, the School District must complete a further business case analysis to confirm that the enrolment projections warrant a new school and to review procurement options. This step usually takes one year, as it is based on the Ministry's funding cycle.

Once the Ministry has approved the business case, the design and construction would typically take approximately 2-1/2 to 3 years depending on the complexity of the site and design.

Juniper West is positioned to get a new school, what is the location/address of the site?
The School District is in the process of securing a crown grant to obtain a portion of the crown land between Juniper West and Rose Hill Road. Currently, there is no street address.
What would the timeline be for a new school in Juniper West? 
The new school in Juniper West is the number four priority of the SD73 Capital Plan, in a best-case scenario, the school could be built in 8 to 10 years.

How will staffing be determined? 

All school staffing is determined by the collective agreement and there is a process in place. 

Marion Schilling is on a huge lot and below average capacity for a K-7 school in SD73. Has there been consideration of increasing capacity there?   

The School District believes that the best long-term solution for Juniper Ridge is a new school in Juniper West.

Based on Ministry Area Standards, an expanded school would not qualify for more space in all areas of the school such as the gym, so there would be less gym time for all students.

Since the School District does not have sufficient capital reserves to fund an expansion or new school on its own, Ministry of Education funding is required. Regardless of whether a project is an expansion or a new school, the Ministry of Education has to support and approve a project before the School District can proceed. It is unlikely that the Ministry of Education would provide capital to support an addition to a school with Ralph Bell nearby and unoccupied.  While Ralph Bell is occupied by daycares, according to the Ministry of Education, SD73’s mandate is K-12 and our priority must be to provide space for K-7. 
Please provide a detailed methodological breakdown of how the projected enrolment estimates for Juniper Ridge is calculated. 

All enrolment projections are calculated the same way by many school districts throughout the province. A third party, Baragar Demographics, provides base annual enrolment projections. They have been providing these projections for decades. Baragar Demographics take into account many factors such as short term/long term migration rates, birth rates, participation rates, cohort retention rates, and any population trends they are aware of. The School District reviews the projections and where necessary makes modifications based on local knowledge. Local knowledge includes items such as status of housing developments and new information received from local authorities.

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