Submitted
Despite summer challenges posed by wildfires and a teacher hiring blitz, School District No. 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) will be ready to go when schools open for the first day of classes September 5.
Classes will begin at all schools at 10:30 a.m. on the first day. Elementary schools (with the exception of Kindergarten classes) will end their day at noon while secondary schools will continue until 3 p.m.
Classes will begin on September 6 at the usual starting times.
The parents of Kindergarten students should contact their schools to learn when their children’s classes will begin. Brocklehurst Middle School will start their school year for Grade 7 students on September 5, with all other grades in that school to attend on September 6 at 8:30 a.m.
Registration of pupils who are new to the district as well as Kindergarten students who have not yet registered will take place at all schools today (August 29) as well as August 30 and 31, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. For information regarding bus schedules, school supplies and transportation polices, visit the district’s web site at www.sd73.bc.ca.
District Supt. Alison Sidow said she’s proud of the work done by district staff to prepare for this school year. There were a number of exceptional challenges that required significant effort to overcome.
Most pressing was the effort required to ensure sufficient numbers of teachers and teachers teaching on call (TTOC). Last year’s court ruling setting aside the previous government’s changes to class size provisions meant all districts in B.C. were seeking more teachers.
SD 73 hired more than 70 full-time teachers from across B.C. and Canada as well as from the ranks of last year’s TTOC list. The district’s human resources team has been busy hiring more teachers for the TTOC list as well.
