Come hear four distinquished panelists share their personal stories and best practices for advancing inclusion in our community. Reception and Social from 6:30 to 7:00 pm followed byThe Powers of Diversity Forum from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. For more information and to register for this event go to http://sd73powerofdiversity.eventbrite.ca.

It may not have had the grandeur of the official opening ceremonies for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games but what it lacked in size it made up for in spirit! Bert Edwards Science and Technology students staged their own Olympic torch parade through the hallways of their school Friday, culminating in the official lighting of the BEST Olympic (paper) torch. The students also took a few minutes to wish Canadian athletes well as our team of 225 athletes get set to make Canada proud!

An interesting project creating tremendous learning opportunities for children! http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/garden-grows-brocklehurst-middle-school-kamloops/

Is your child starting kindergarten at your neighbourhood school this year? Registration for Kindergarten will take place from FEBRUARY 13 TO 16, from 9 a.m. until noon, and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Parents are strongly encouraged to register their children for Kindergarten in this period. To register for September 2018, a student must be five years old by December 31, 2018. Bring your child's original birth certificate, BC Services Card and proof of address to your neighbourhood's catchment area school. Information on catchment areas is available on our website at www.sd73.bc.ca.

Please join us! Performances, activities, KSA short films, games and displays. Lots of interesting information about the school and what the students are learning!

Congratulations to Kamloops principal Kent Brewer, who has been recognized as one of Canada's outstanding principals! Kent is the principal of the Twin Rivers Education Centre, which provides alternative and adult education services through 13 different programs across nine sites. The recognition as an outstanding principal comes from The Learning Partnership, a national charitable organization dedicated to improving public education. In its award announcement Wednesday, the Partnership describes Kent as "an agent of hope" for the many students who turn to TREC as a pathway to graduation. For many TREC students, visiting the principal's office has not always been a positive experience, however, Kent has worked hard to change that for them. "TREC is a safe place to learn for whoever needs us," said Kent. The Learning Partnership has the mandate to support, promote and advance publicly funded education in Canada. The organization works to bring together business, government, school boards, teachers, parents, labour and community organizations across Canada in a spirit of long-term partnerships. Canada's Outstanding Principals program recognizes significant contributions of principals in publicly funded schools. It honours principals from every province and territory who demonstrate innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and who have done something truly remarkable in public education. Canada's Outstanding Principals is both a nationally recognized award and an executive leadership training program. Kent will have the opportunity to join Canada's other outstanding principals at a gala awards evening in Toronto, and to experience a five-day executive leadership training program at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. SD 73 Superintendent Alison Sidow said the award is entirely deserved as Kent is "one of those rare individuals who serves his community with selfless commitment and unwavering courage." "Kent and his team care deeply about engaging with students and adults who have found life challenging both in and out of school. Under his leadership, countless students have been given an education that allows them to lead a life filled with hope."

Do you want to register your child for Kindergarten in an SD 73 school of choice this September? Registration takes place this week! Visit the school you want your child to attend any day between 9 a.m. and noon, or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your child's original birth certificate, BC Service Card, and proof of address with you. Please note, registration in Kindergarten in schools of choice (French Immersion programs, Kamloops School of the Arts, Bert Edwards Science and Technology Schoo, Montessori at Aberdeen Elementary) are not first-come-first-served. If there are more applicants than spaces available, final registrations will be done by lottery. Registration for Kindergarten in neighbourhood schools (not schools of choice) will take place February 13 to 16.

SD 73's Board of Education approved a plan to install similar units, which filter lead as well as other contaminants from drinking water, in all the district's 44 schools. It's hoped the installations will be complete by the start of next school year.

To provide quality education, we must celebrate and honour those that exemplify the ideals of education. The SD 73 Board was honoured to present this year's Owl Award for Excellence in Public Education to Dr. Nathan Matthew. Matthew was awarded an honorary degree from TRU in 2006. Matthew holds bachelor’s degrees in recreation education and education professional and a master of education degree from UBC. He served as Simpcw chief from 1976/77, 1985-87 and from 1989 to 2006, initiating many community-building, educational and financial initiatives. Education has been a priority for Matthew throughout his professional career, and he has been called the education chief of Canada. He was a founding member and continuous chair of the First Nations Education Council for School District No. 73, and also served as chair of the Chief’s Committee on Education for the Assembly of First Nations. Matthew has also served as First Nations representative to the provincial Education Advisory, political advisor and negotiator for the First Nations Education Steering Committee, a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding with provincial and federal education partners to work on behalf of First Nations students, and First Nations signatory to the Education Jurisdiction agreement. Matthew was presented his award at the public Board of Education meeting on January 15. Past awards have recognized Chris Rose, whose long career in special education had a tremendous impact on the lives and learning experiences of generations of children, particularly those with autism. In 2015, the Board recognized the Kamloops North Rotary Club for more than 40 years of support and hard work at the McQueen Lake Environmental Education Centre.

Come see what our future video game designers have created! Judging and project viewing from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and presentations from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Want to hear about learning options for your child? Please join us for an Elementary Schools of Choice information night on Wednesday, January 17, 6:30 p.m.at the Henry Grube Education Centre in Room 1A/B. Hear about French Immersion Programs, Kamloops School of the Arts, Bert Edwards Science & Technology School and Montessori at Aberdeen Elementary. Registration is not required to attend this information session.

Lighthouses near Kamloops? No, but a new SD 73 program is drawing from coastal marine history to provide students in small rural schools a new way to access books. Equitable access to quality learning resources is a priority for SD 73. This year, the district set up a travelling library system to provide the district's small elementary schools such as Sun Peaks Elementary with books the schools would not normally see. Every few months, the plastic bins of books will rotate from one school to the next, putting fresh reading material in students' hands on a regular basis. The program is inspired by travelling libraries of the late 1800s. Then, wooden boxes of books were rotated between remote coastal lighthouses, providing these otherwise isolated families with selections of quality books they would not otherwise have seen. This first batch of books was delivered to Sun Peaks just before Christmas.