How is it possible it’s already time to start thinking about registration for school next year?
Well, approval for cross catchment school registration is done on a first-come, first-served basis, so parents or guardians planning on sending their kids to a school outside their neighbourhood catchment area should be looking to start that application process if they haven’t yet.
Cross catchment – formerly referred to as cross boundary – transferring involves a request to attend a school other than the student’s neighbourhood catchment school. As of last year, the timeline for new student registration and cross catchment application was moved up to better align with the School District 72 (SD72) staffing process, meaning Kindergarten registration was moved up to the first week of February and the deadline for cross catchment registration was moved up to the second Friday of that month.
That means in order for a cross catchment transfer request for the 2016/17 school year to be considered “on-time,” parents or guardians must submit an application no later than 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. Transfer approvals, according the district’s website, “will be considered based on the date and time they were received.”
Applications will be approved, the district says, provided the school being requested is not already designated as being “at capacity” for September, and “based on availability of space and facilities or program and staffing resources appropriate for the applicant and on a first-come-first-served basis (with priority being given to in-district applicants before those out-of-district).”
Transfer applicants that are received before the Feb. 12 deadline will be notified by March 31 about the status of their application, whether approved or denied.
Late applications – any applications received after the Feb. 12 deadline – will be placed on a wait list which will be reviewed during the first week of school in September.
The district is also reminding parents and guardians that should their cross catchment transfer be approved, they are responsible for providing transportation for the student to and from their new school. That requirement remains in place when the student moves to a subsequent level of schooling – from elementary to middle school, for example.
Parents or guardians of cross catchment transfer students can, however, apply to the district’s Transportation Department for courtesy ridership each school year. Those requests are reviewed and approved year-by-year.
Registration for new kindergarten students takes place starting Feb. 1 and parents are being asked to register before Feb. 12 if possible. In order to register for kindergarten, children must be five years of age before Dec. 31, 2016. Bring your child’s birth certificate, Care Card and proof of residency when registering.
Students with siblings attending a cross catchment school who want to attend the same school as their sibling will be accepted at their sibling’s school provided the sibling will still be attending that school when the new student begins attending.
Parents do not need to fill out an application for cross catchment transfer is this is the case, but will instead register their child at the out-of-catchment school.
For those interested in registering in French Immersion, there will be a public information session Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the SD72 office at 425 Pinecrest Road.
Registration forms and transfer applications can be found at the school district website (sd72.bc.ca), at the SD72 office, or by asking at the office of your child’s school.