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A: It is likely that your child will be enabled to stay because there will be room in the school based on both catchment change options. The principal will use to make this decision: 

5. A child’s entitlement to enrol at any school or to transfer to another school shall be determined based, in descending order, on the following priorities:

5.1. A catchment area student who attended the school in the previous year;

5.2. A catchment area child;

5.3. A non-catchment area student who attended the school or program in the school in the previous year;

5.4. A non-catchment area child with a sibling in the school;

5.5. A non-catchment area child; and,

5.6. A non-District child.

Of note are criteria 5.3 and 5.4 which is considered in making this decision.

5. A child’s entitlement to enrol at any school or to transfer to another school shall be determined based, in descending order, on the following priorities:

5.1. A catchment area student who attended the school in the previous year;

5.2. A catchment area child;

5.3. A non-catchment area student who attended the school or program in the school in the previous year;

5.4. A non-catchment area child with a sibling in the school;

5.5. A non-catchment area child; and,

5.6. A non-District child.

A: Starting on March 1st in the year that you are applying to attend a non-catchment area school, you would complete a transfer request form.

Please refer to the transfer request form in  which is available in Section 4:

4.

4.1. Each year, students and parents will be given notice that they may, starting on March 1, request transfer to another school for the upcoming school year. Such notice shall be publicized in school newsletters and on the District website. Only transfer requests submitted in writing to the receiving principal and approved by students’ parents shall be considered. 

4.2. A deadline for transfer requests shall be established by the Superintendent and publicized in school newsletters and on the District website. The deadline, unless otherwise determined by the Superintendent, will be at noon (12:00 PM) on the Thursday before Labour Day, so that students who move into the catchment area during the summer will have priority.

A: For questions e-mailed in, we are responding through the FAQ on our website rather than emailing each person back. We apologize for any confusion and we have clarified that on our website in the FAQ section as follows:

Important note: We will not be providing answers to individual emails. We will collect those questions and answer them in this FAQ section.

Stretching  the catchment area changes over a few years results in an imbalance in enrolment between Brocklehurst Secondary as a Gr. 8-12 and NorKam Secondary as a Gr. 8-12 school. The goal is to balance the secondary school numbers to address the problem, which is that Brocklehurst Middle School has too many students. If the Board approves the proposed catchment changes and grade reconfigurations, Brocklehurst would have more space to accommodate more Academy students from outside of Brocklehurst.

Q: And if we did the paperwork will there still be a bus from here for 2024?

A: The designated catchment area school for Heffley Creek Elementary is NorKam Secondary. Therefore, a bus would not be provided for students wishing to attend Brocklehurst Secondary School.

Q: Will academies be available to students at Norkam the same as they are at Brock?

A: Right now, the academies are located at Brocklehurst, and the academies will remain in that school. For a student who wishes to attend the academy, they would apply, and, if accepted, be registered in the Academy.

Q: In regards to Parkcrest students moving twice. The first move would be back to Parkcrest with their classmates and teachers so not a full move. It is just switching physical locations? Like was discussed all changes are difficult. I really only see it as one move, maybe disappointment at leaving a brand new school.

A: At the elementary level, schools do not combine to field one sports team. The Elementary Sports Council tiers schools so that each school can field their own teams and play against other schools with similar enrolments. In ÌÇÐÄSwag, there are a number of schools that have smaller enrolments (220 or under) who have strong participation in sports teams (Rayleigh, Marion Schilling, Barriere, Ralph Bell for example). 

Parkcrest doesn’t have a band program. In terms of special events, schools do occasionally partner to have their students attend events, so this would be an option for consideration.

A: A student who is in Rayleigh is designated to attend NorKam Secondary School.

Q: Is it possible to put a Elementary school at Happyvale school? and move Trec elsewhere in town.

A: We considered making TREC an elementary school. With approximately 135 spaces, it would either be a very small K-7 or a K-3 school. If it is a very small K-7, the issue would be limited capacity to have teams and to take part in district-wide events (battle of the books, young authors, young artists). To make it a primary school would mean that it would be the only primary school in the City. We have found that Brocklehurst Middle School staff did not like being the only middle school because it was isolating professionally and caused students to have another transition before attending high school. This would create the same scenario at an earlier stage.

The other thing we have to remember is that TREC students are ÌÇÐÄSwag students.

Q: Why Rayleigh students not able to attend Brock (as it was an immediate school of transfer from elementary school)?

A: Norkam Secondary School is the designated high school for students from Rayleigh. Any student can apply for a transfer to any non-catchment area school. To attend Brocklehurst School, should it become a secondary school, you would complete a transfer request for your child as required by and if the principal approves it based on the availability of space, then your child can attend the school.

Q: Does a lower percentage of attendees at an elementary school receive less funding & learning opportunities for the students? (For example, if Kay Bingham has a 50% capacity versus a higher percentage)

A: All schools are funded based on student enrolment. Elementary schools have similar programming because they are structured to have students taught by generalists who teach the same curriculum, so the learning opportunities are similar between elementary schools. Due to the generalist nature of elementary teachers and the standardized curriculum offerings, when a school such as Kay Bingham has only 50% enrolment, there are no learning opportunities impacted. Students attending schools with a smaller enrolment generally have more opportunities to participate in District events such as: sports teams, Young Artists, Young Authors, Battle of the Books for example. Smaller enrolment schools have fewer students to select from for their sports teams, so that often puts them in a different tier to ensure they are competing against schools with similar size enrolments.

Q: Have you looked at moving the choice school (Bert Edwards) to the George Hilliard location and open Bert Edwards for catchment.  It seems like Arthur Hatton population will be higher in the next few years and a hot spot for population increase!

A: We have had various questions about the use of Bert Edwards, and should it be a school of choice, and we've had other possibilities presented to us. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but I think about half of the students attending Bert Edwards actually live in the local area and the other half come from other areas of the city. So doing this, we still have the TREC issue to deal with. They would stay. They would have to stay at Happyvale, and we would likely have George Hilliard being very underutilized with this suggestion.

Q: Would it be possible for those students going to Norkam only for grade 10 to stay at Brock for their grade 10 year?

A: In 2023, Brocklehurst Middle School will still be a grade 7-9 school, so there is no grade 10.

Q: Has Rayleigh, Heffley and Sun Peaks ever considered opening their own high school for the 3 schools? Would it be possible with the current enrolment numbers?

A: These three schools have never had a high school other than NorKam Senior Secondary School. Sun Peaks students currently have Sun Peaks Academy which is available for those high school students who choose to stay and take online education. A new K-12 school in Sun Peaks is on the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education 2023-2024 Capital Plan as Priority 3, so, eventually Sun Peaks will have their own high school.

Q: I think the second half of my question may have been misunderstood. I just wanted to clarify there is no bus issue. The concern is the homeless throughout the area and what that contains. I just hope this is taken into consideration when reloading at the bus routes. Thanks

A: The Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education is working with the City of Kamloops on bus safety. This is a complex issue that cannot be solved by any one partner alone.

Q: Would the changes reduce the number of split classes?

A: The configuration of classes in elementary school is a complex process. The following factors play a role: a) number of students in each grade varies (sometimes significantly), b) the number of students with complex needs in each grade also varies significantly and these students need to be placed in classroom environments that ensure they receive appropriate levels of support c) school principals are bound by collective agreement language that limits the flexibility for how classes can be configured. Generally larger enrolment schools provide more flexibility for single grade classes, however that isn’t always the case - again depending on the factors noted above. At this time, it is too difficult to predict if the proposed changes would increase or decrease multigrade classrooms.

Q: I'm wondering if the district can look into perhaps a better playground for George Hilliard? and if there could be a better opinion for drop off with pick up being so busy I have major concerns with George Hilliard being an elementary school because of the amount of traffic going down holt and most of the time people speed what could be done in regards to that?

A: The district will put George Hilliard on the Capital Plan for a playground.

We have not been made aware of issues with the bus pick up and drop off presently. We expect less congestion with the catchment change because students will be walking to their neighborhood school.

Comment: It is very sad that Rayleigh students will lose an option of music and sport academies and can only request transfer, but this would lead to not being with their cohort and no bus transportation. I am struggling to understand why NK was determined as designated school and how to support student who would like those academies.

A: Making Brocklehurst Secondary School (Gr. 8-12) the designated catchment school for Rayleigh students results in Brocklehurst becoming very full (90%+ capacity utilization). NorKam would drop to about 60% capacity utilization, making the two secondary schools very imbalanced.

Q: Any thought of making Heffley a high school for Sun Peaks and Rayleigh? There are minimal students at Heffley and Sun Peaks is bursting at the seams.

A: Heffley Creek Elementary is designed as an elementary school, so it does not have the facilities to accommodate shops, home ec. rooms that a typical secondary school would have. The gym is also undersized for a secondary school.. 

A new K-12 school in Sun Peaks is on the Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education 2023-2024 Capital Plan as Priority 3, so, eventually Sun Peaks will have their own high school. 

Q: Sorry. That doesn’t answer my question about Rayleigh, Heffley and Sun Peaks.  Has the district thought about having a catchment for those three schools to be combined for grades 8-12? Instead of being sent to Norkam?

A: They are combined with Norkam Secondary being their designated catchment school.

Q: Will current kids at Brock have the option to stay at Brock through grades 10-12, even if it’s no longer there catchment areas. Or just through a request to stay?

A: If the student would like to stay at Brocklehurst Secondary School, even if it is no longer their catchment area, that family would complete a transfer form as outlined in at Brocklehurst Middle School and, if accepted, the student would be permitted to attend Brocklehurst Middle School.

Q: Will Brock change to a semester timetable or stay as a linear.

A: It will be on a semester system just like all the secondary schools in the District. This enables Brock Secondary students to access District programs offered at TRU, NorKam and VSS. 

Q: If the configuration goes through, do we know where the catchment for Brock will end and the catchment for Norkam will begin?

A: Yes, it is easiest to see exact start and end points by reviewing the catchment maps on the School District website and, if you would like to send us your address, we can also clarify where you are in this catchment change.

Q: What will the catchment be for the new Sun Peaks K-12?

A: It will mostly likely be where the current Sun Peaks catchment is now, but it will be reviewed once funding is announced.

Q: Will the semester timetable affect the academies

A: No, the academies will run as they do now, but it may change the timing once the courses are scheduled. That will be worked through prior to the opening in September 2024.

Q: Is there a copy of the slideshow somewhere? I would like to zoom into the catchment areas a bit closer to see it better.

A: Good idea. We will post it on the website here.

Q: Our daughter goes to Bert Edwards and I want her to attend Norkam as her Highschool. Will they be changing Bert Edwards to go to Grade 7- since Highschool starts at 8? Or what happens for the grade 7 year? I don't want this to cause stress and mental health issues with changing schools too many times, losing friends at different schools etc.

A: Motion 3 proposes that Bert Edwards would change to a K-7, so your child would stay at Bert Edwards for her grade 7th year. Bert Edwards is within the Norkam Secondary catchment. Students will transition directly from grade 7 at BEST to Norkam at grade 8, should the motions be approved at the June 19, 2023 Public Board Meeting.

Q: I may have misunderstood and wanted to clarify. If a student will be in NorKam school, they could still apply to sport academy in Brock? If so, may I clarify how this would work?

A: There is no change for the students going into the District Trades programs at Norkam in the spring of 2023. 

The District Trades programs will remain at Norkam and students from across the District can apply to take these programs just as in the past.

A: Any grade reconfiguration would not take place until September 2024. 

If a student is going into grade 11 in September 2023, they would be allowed to continue at NorKam for their final grade 12 year.

Q: What still seems unclear is whether or not Grade 10 students who are currently at Norkam this year will be required to relocate to Brock MS in Grade 11 (2023) or Grade 12 (2024)?

A: The student going into grade 11 in September 2023, would be going into grade 12 in September 2024.  

As a result of enabling students to stay in their final year of study, the grade 12 student would have the option of remaining at NorKam in September 2024.