Sa-Hali Secondary / SKSS

Will children already attending high school be able to complete their high school career at their current school with their friend group? (see Q. 5) Will a child’s feeder elementary school be a consideration for high school placement or only home address? (see Q. 6)

I wanted to share my concerns with the change of catchment from Sa-Hali to South Kamloops. We go to Dufferin and have 1 child going into grade 8 next year. We live in Cherry Creek and are already making a large commute. Going further is very inconvenient. We have another child who attends Dufferin and will be for 3 more years. What does it look like for bell schedule and bus schedules at South Kamloops?

Will they match up with Dufferin and what does that look like? We will require time enough to drop off and pick up at both Schools daily (morning and afternoon). Or bus both kids home? Please let me know what that looks like? I suggest moving a closer school to South Kamloops as Dufferin has a very large catchment area. Thanks for any info. 

(see Q. 8)

If the SD is looking to change the catchment for Aberdeen/Pacway and separate students that have gained established friendships within that area would it not consider having these elementary schools going to the same high school? Why separate The Aberdeen/Pacway community and then separate the Dufferin/pine view communities into different high schools? Let's worry about separating kids from their friends when strong, supportive and comfortable friendships which is what makes high school successful.

Make catchments that make sense!

(see Q. 13)

Thank you for this. My daughter attends Dufferin Elementary and I’d like to put in that I support this proposal. Overcrowding is not helpful in any circumstance, and this proposal would best benefit the learners and staff at both facilities. 

Karla M.

I would like to know if parents may change schools for kids already in the school? Can they request transfer ahead of 2022 and is this grandfathered in? Ie any elementary kids from Dufferin may request transfer to SKSS? (see Q. 14)

Jeremy

Might be time to build a new school? (see Q. 23)

Kathy T.

My daughter was new to the school district in 2020 - a result of a move from the lower mainland last summer.

My daughter is currently a grade 10 student at Sa-Hali Secondary and has been building/fostering new friendships this past school year. It's been a big deal moving schools this late in her schooling journey. I want stability for her and moving her to a new high school yet again in 2021 would be devastating for her.
Will current students be forced to move to SKSS if the catchment area changes? (see Q. 5)

We are Tobiano residents and taking a longer bus ride will also be an impact to her busy life.

I would have significant concerns for my daughter's mental health and happiness if she is forced to make new friends again in a new high school later this year as what is best for her at this point is continuity.
Will current Sa-Hali Secondary students have choices? (see Q. 5) 

Brigitte W.

We live off of Bentall Drive and are affected by this change.  To start, I understand that there is overcrowding in schools and that adjustments need to be made for future.  However, it is very important for youth to remain with their peer group in their teen years where bonds have already been established with their peers.  It would\could be detrimental for youth to have such a change mid way through their highschool career.  My questions are:

• Why is the board not making the decision to re-direct "new\incoming" students to the new catchment highschool as of a certain date rather than forcing current students to move schools?  This would keep current youth and parents happy by remaining in schools with established friends and routines. (see Q. 15)
• If the overcrowding is such an issue now, why is the board planning to make the change in 2022 rather than September 2021? (see Q. 16)
• Will youth currently attending Sa-Hali highschool be grandfathered to remain at this highschool with their peer group? (see Q. 5)
• If youth are not grandfathered, what criteria needs to be met to apply for an exemption to remain at their current highschool? (see Q. 5 and Q. 17)
• What is a parent's recourse\options with regards to your decision? (see Q. 17)

J. Murphy

I realize it is really a no-win situation as the city continues to grow. It’s just kind of frustrating because I can see how you are trying to plan things out but it’s just so hard to plan 10 years out. When we look at real estate and what is happening around Kamloops right now it’s pretty crazy. I look forward to seeing when an Aberdeen Secondary can come along because it just seems like every few years we are moving students around and masking the problem. But I realize it’s a tough situation. 

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• The original LRFP plan said no portables for SKSS. Assuming the catchment change occurs, we will be over 100 per cent capacity for the foreseeable future.
• We understand the need to add portables. It does not seem likely we will get the schools we need soon. There is a need for better planning so our kids will still have places to play on a field.
• Currently the ratio between what we ask for and what we get from the Ministry of Education does not seem great.
• Portables do not address the lack of places to go to the bathroom.

• If the Board decided to re-direct new students, rather than forcing current students to move schools, this would keep current youth and parents happy by remaining in schools with established friends and routines.

Students already attending a high school that are affected by the catchment boundary change can finish their studies at that high school. New students entering grade 8 with siblings already in the high school can attend the same high school as their sibling.

6. Does a student's feeder elementary school determine high school or home address?

If a student is attending an out of catchment elementary school, for example a student from Brocklehurst is attending Dufferin, when the student completes their elementary program they return to the catchment area determined by their home address for their secondary program, or in the case of Brocklehurst, to Brock Middle School. 

7. A student specifically wants to take the digital media courses offer at Sa-Hali and not at SKSS. Will there be opportunities for students with a specific course plan to remain at Sa-Hali if they are in the Dufferin area?

This depends.

The Digital Arts and Technology Academy (DATA) formerly known as Digipen is a district program.  Students must apply to enroll to enter the program regardless of their catchment area school. If accepted, students attend the DATA program for one semester, then return to their catchment area school. Students do not remain at Sa-Hali Secondary once the program concludes if their catchment area school is not Sa-Hali Secondary.

If the course is a school-based course offering, such as Digital Media 11, these courses are not district program courses and are offered to students in their catchment area school, based upon interest and availability. Students are not permitted to transfer to another catchment area school to take a particular course. 

8. Will the bell schedule and bus schedule at South Kamloops match up with Dufferin? We will have enough time to drop off and pick up at both schools daily (morning and afternoon). Or bus both kids home?

Both schools start at approximately the same time (8:30 and 835 AM), but have different dismissal times, with Dufferin at 2:30 PM and SKSS at 3 PM. 

We currently have two buses that come from Cherry Creek to Dufferin Elementary.  The bus that starts out at Tobiano drops off at Dufferin at 7:57 AM then carries onto SKSS and drops off at 8:18 AM. This bus then picks up at SKSS at 3:08 PM and at 3:28 PM at Dufferin Elementary.

The bus that starts off on Gardi Rd in Cherry Creek drops off Dufferin at 7:47 AM then it goes to Pineview Valley to pick up high school students & drops them off at Sa-Hali Secondary at 8:20 AM. This bus then picks up at Sa-Hali Secondary at 3:00 PM and at 3:30 PM at Dufferin Elementary.

Students from Aberdeen Elementary will attend SKSS, while students from Pacific Way will attend Sa-Hali Secondary.

10. What is the history of this catchment? 

In 2002, when we projected our enrolments, the district had experienced over 20 years of enrolment decline and predicted correctly that there would be about 14,000 students by 2014. A decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2017 around class size and composition meant an immediate addition of 98 additional teachers to the district, 90 of those to be additional classroom teachers.

This meant the district needed to add 90 additional classrooms. This meant all existing accessible space was put into use. It also contributed to the pressures we are now seeing in our schools as enrolment numbers increase.

If left unchecked, the capacity at Sa-Hali will grow to 200 per cent. These pressures also exist in elementary schools in the area. When we look at catchment changes our goal is to balance the numbers to try to take some pressure away from Sa-Hali Secondary because we believe that the level of overcapacity is untenable.

Because there is some capacity at SKSS, the goal is to even the numbers out by re-directing students from Dufferin Elementary to SKSS. 

Pacific Way students and Dufferin students attend Sa-Hali Secondary. The current catchment high school for Aberdeen Elementary is SKSS. Students from the Pineview neighbourhood attend McGowan Park Elementary, which feeds into Sa-Hali, but some students in the Pineview neighbourhood also currently attend SKSS.

Catchment changes are being considered to alleviate enrolment pressures at Sa-Hali Secondary. These steps are being taken to manage and address the over-crowding at Sa-Hali Secondary.

16. Overcrowding is such an issue now, why is the Board planning to make the change in 2022 rather than in September 2021?

22. When do you expect the new school in Aberdeen? In Pineview? A new secondary school in Aberdeen?

For example, Sa-Hali Secondary’s capacity is 720 students. There will be 1137 students attending Sa-Hali Secondary in five years if we do nothing to adjust catchments.

Two-story portables also present accessibility issues for students and staff, with ramps and stairs, so we have not considered this option.