SD62 Kindergarten registration for Fall 2023 starts in January

Thursday December 29, 2022 | LANGFORD, BC [Registration links updated Jan 1, 2023]

SOOKE SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS | by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends

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Will your child reach the age of 5 before the end of 2023? Then it’s Kindergarten registration time in School District 62 (SD62)!

A parent/guardian can register their child for kindergarten if, on or before December 31 of that school year the student will have reached the age of 5 years.

For the 2023-2024 school year — to start classes in September 2023, incoming students will have been born in 2018 (turning age 5 prior to December 31, 2023).

K-12 public education:

Public education as outlined in the BC School Act and by the Ministry of Education and Child Care is delivered by School District 62 (Sooke), aka SD62, to families who live in the west shore region of Greater Victoria on South Vancouver Island.

The SD62 delivery area encompasses the municipalities of Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin, Sooke, and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area (which includes East Sooke, and Otter Point west to Port Renfrew).

2023/24 Registration:

SD62 offers regular track Kindergarten, as well as French Immersion and Nature Kindergarten. For Kindergarten, there are 853 hours of instruction in each academic year. [BC Government – Full Day Kindergarten]

• French Immersion & Nature Kindergarten: January 9-13, 2023. Registration opens at 8 am on Monday January 9 and closes at 3 pm on January 13. 
• Regular Kindergarten: January 23-27, 2023. Registration opens at 8 am on Monday January 23 and closes at 3 pm on Friday January 27. A lottery will take place for schools that have more registrations than seats. You can still register for kindergarten after this time period; your child(ren) will be placed at a school will available kindergarten seats after the lottery has been completed.

Some school nearing capacity:

“As a growing school district, some of our schools are nearing capacity,” states SD62 on their website. This is due to a fast-growing regional population in response to housing availability in the west shore. The lottery registration process for Regular Kindergarten results from this enrolment pressure.

Student Enrolment Priorities:

As posted on the SD62 Student Enrolment Priorities page:

In the event there are more students than a school can accommodate, student enrolment will be approved based on the following:

1. re-enrolling students
2. a catchment area child who has a sibling currently attending the school
3. a catchment area child
4. a non-catchment child who has a sibling currently attending the school
5. a non-catchment child
6. a non-school district child

These enrolment priorities apply to all new registrations, transfer requests, elementary to middle and middle to secondary transitions.

French Immersion note for École John Stubbs: the elementary and middle schools are separate. If you have a child in École John Stubbs Middle School or have a child who will be in the middle school the following September, and are registering another child in École John Stubbs Elementary School, Enrolment Priorities #2 or #4 will not apply

In the event space is limited and a middle or secondary school cannot accept all non-catchment student requests, priority will be given to those non-catchment students already in the determined pathway of schools, over other non-catchment, non-pathway students. The student enrolment priorities apply to new registrations, transfer requests and student transitions between elementary and middle, and middle and high school for both English and French programs.

Documentation requirements:

SD62 Kindergarten Registration for Sept 2023 is done online.

The SD62 Registration Guide outlines the required documents for parents/guardians to have ready to upload during registration. Registration will be incomplete until all documents are uploaded. 

Registration Checklist for parents/guardians. Download or print a copy of this form so you are familiar with the documentation you are required to upload during the registration process.

How to register:

1. Read the Registration Guide to make sure you have the required documents ready to upload during registration. Students will not be officially registered until all documentation is uploaded.

Uploading Documents: Don’t have a scanner? Please provide CLEAR photos of the documents. If the document cannot be read clearly, it will not be accepted.

2. Online at registration.sd62.bc.ca.

REGISTER – For more information about kindergarten, please visit BC Ministry of Education – Full Day Kindergarten.

French Immersion:

Visit the French Immersion – Kindergarten page for registration details. French Immersion Kindergarten is available at the following schools:

• École John Stubbs Memorial (in Colwood)
• École Poirier Elementary (in Sooke)
• École Millstream Elementary (in Langford)

Nature Kindergarten:

Visit the Nature Kindergarten page for registration details. Nature Kindergarten is available at the following schools, on a lottery basis:

• Sangster Elementary (in Colwood) – info session Saturday January 7 (10:30 am to 11:30 am)
• Saseenos Elementary (in Sooke) – info session Thursday January 5 (6 pm to 7 pm) 

It is mandatory for parents to attend a Nature K information session prior to registration.

For more information and to find out if Nature K is right for your child, please visit Nature Kindergarten – Learning Outside the Box.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I don’t have a scanner. Can I take photos of my registration documents to upload? Yes, please provide CLEAR photos of the documents. If the document cannot be read clearly, it will not be accepted. Document needs to show names, address and signature (if applicable).
• Can I register in-person at my catchment school? Registration is done online. If you need assistance, please contact info@sd62.bc.ca.
• Is Kindergarten mandatory? Kindergarten is considered as an optional program by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. Parents/Guardians can also defer Kindergarten for one year.
• I put my registration form in before another family who has already heard their child is accepted. Why haven’t I been called? Student Enrolment Priorities are taken into account and approved based on the following:

1. re-enrolling students
2. a catchment area sibling
3. a catchment area child
4. a non-catchment sibling
5. a non-catchment child
6. a non-school district child

• Can my child attend a school other than our neighbourhood catchment school? If you would like your child to attend a school other than your catchment school, you must:

1. Register for your catchment school.
2. Complete a School Change Request form online.

• If the district cannot accommodate me at my catchment area school and my child has to go to a school out-of-catchment, will my child be able to return to our catchment school if space opens up? You will have first priority to return to your catchment area school when space is available.
• Is the registration lottery for all kindergarten registrations at all schools? There is typically a lottery for French Immersion and Nature Kindergarten. If a Regular Kindergarten program at an elementary school receives more registrations than available seats, a lottery will be held. 
• How does the lottery for French Immersion Kindergarten and Nature Kindergarten work? Please see the Frequently Asked Questions on either the French Immersion – Kindergarten page or the Nature Kindergarten page.
• Is the lottery for all new registrations in all grades? The lottery is for Kindergarten programs. 
• I have multiples. Will each of them be entered into the lottery? In the event of a lottery, one ballot will be entered into the draw for families with multiples (twins or triplets). If drawn, multiples will be offered placement in the program at the same school provided there is space. If there is not enough space, the district will look to place multiples at a different school with available space. 

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SD62 promotes walk-to-school (Aug 31, 2022)

===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:

Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke has followed the news of School District 62 since 2014, attending nearly all SD62 board and committee meetings since 2014. | SD62 NEWS ARCHIVE

Ms Brooke has been the editor of a series of publications on the west shore since 2008: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (2014-2020) and Island Social Trends (online since mid-2020).

Mary Brooke was a SD62 school trustee candidate in the October 2022 election (Belmont Zone — Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, Highlands). She is the mother of four now-grown children who attended schools in SD61, SD62, and SD72.