Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten Registration

January 15-19, 2024 – Register for French Immersion Schools and Mill Bay Nature School for September, 2024.

January 22-26, 2024 – Register online or at your catchment school for September, 2024.

Online Registration, or you can download a copy of the registration package here. Please note: There may be other forms to complete at the school.

Cowichan Valley welcomes new Kindergarten students for the 2024-2025 school year. Any child who will be five years of age on or before December 31, 2024, may register at their catchment school. If you are unsure of your school, please use the school locator.

Parents or guardians, please bring a Canadian Birth Certificate or Canadian passport, and proof of residency (such as your child’s BC Services Card). Any students without Canadian documents and/or proof of BC residency will be redirected to the Principal of International Education located at Cowichan Secondary School.

Proof of address / residence is required by two documents.  When registering online or at the school you will require:

1. A driver’s license or similar identification and
2. One of: Mortgage statement, Municipal Tax Bill, Notary Authority Letter, Rental Agreement, Utility Bill, Proof of Purchase Contract

• Kindergarten registrations will be accepted from families living within a school’s catchment area, and from families whose older child(ren) will be continuing at the school with out of catchment approval.
• Any family wishing to register their child in a different school may apply to do so using an out of catchment request form available at the school. As per Administrative Procedure #301, first preference for registrations will be given to those children who reside in the school catchment. For more details see our website at sd79.bc.ca.
• Parents with questions about a full day kindergarten program should speak to the principal about their child’s needs.
• Families from Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake and Youbou register at Palsson.
• Families from Thetis Island register at Chemainus Elementary Community School.
• French Immersion is offered at École Mt Prevost Elementary School and École Cobble Hill Elementary School. If required, a district-supervised lottery will select applicants for the available program space.
• Nature based education is offered at Mill Bay Nature School. If required, a district-supervised lottery will select applicants for the available program space.

Registration will take place at the French Immersion Schools and Mill Bay Nature School during regular office hours the week of January 15-19, 2024. (This includes siblings of current students and all late applicants will be wait-listed).

Registration will take place at your catchment school during regular office hours the week of January 22 – 26, 2024.

Welcome to Kindergarten Brochure

French Immersion and Mill Bay Nature School Family Info Nights – January 2024

KINDERGARTEN FAMILY INFORMATION EVENINGS

We will be hosting two Family Information Evenings for those families interested in having their child(ren) attend kindergarten at either École Mount Prevost Elementary or École Cobble Hill starting September 2024.

École Mount Prevost – Tuesday, January 9th at 5:30 pm

Contact the school at ecolemountprevostheadsecretary@sd79.bc.ca for any questions

École Cobble Hill – Tuesday , January 9th at 6 pm

Contact the school at ecolecobblehillheadsecretary@sd79.bc.ca for any questions

Mill Bay Nature School

We will be hosting two Family Information sessions for those families interested in beginning their child’s educational journey (ages 4/5) at Mill Bay Nature School starting September 2024.

The first family information evening will be held virtually on Zoom on Wednesday, January 10, from 6 – 7:30 pm (Join us here!). The second family information night is in person at the school on Thursday, January 11, 6-7 pm in the library.

Zoom link to copy into your calendar: https://sd79.zoom.us/j/7676570405?pwd=TFlWQkN2MmdwWmVrWENoRFJxMWhXZz09&omn=63140133322

To register for either of these evenings, or to arrange an alternate to the in-person meeting, please contact millbsecretary@sd79.bc.ca

French Immersion Kindergarten Registration Process

French Immersion is a District program with no specific catchment areas. It is offered at École Mt. Prevost and École Cobble Hill Elementary Schools.

There are two entry points into the French Immersion program; Kindergarten and Grade 1. The families who have remained on our waitlist from the September 2023 Kindergarten registration will preserve the same order of placement status should we have space to take new Grade 1 students in the fall of 2024.  Parents of students on the 2023 waitlist will be contacted in January to see if they would like to transfer into the French Immersion program for the Grade 1 entry point.  Any new Grade one registrations will be added to the current waitlist.

If requested spaces for French Immersion elementary schools are over-subscribed, placement will be determined by lottery.

Assignment will be based on the following:

1. Priority is granted to students who have an older brother or sister residing at the same address that attends the same school and is eligible to return in the next school year.
2. Any remaining spaces will be assigned on a lottery basis to those in-district applicants who have submitted complete applications during the registration period.
3. In-district students, who miss the registration dates, may still apply to the program, but will be placed at the end of the waitlist.
4. Students who move into the district after the selection process is complete may still apply to the program, but will be placed at the end of the waitlist.

French Immersion Brochure

Mill Bay Nature School Kindergarten Registration Process

Nature School is a District program with no specific catchment areas. It is offered at Mill Bay Nature School.

If requested spaces for Mill Bay Nature school is over-subscribed, placement will be determined by lottery.

Assignment will be based on the following:

1. Priority is granted to students who have an older brother or sister residing at the same address that attends the same school and is eligible to return in the next school year.
2. Any remaining spaces will be assigned on a lottery basis to those in-district applicants who have submitted complete applications during the registration period.
3. In-district students, who miss the registration dates, may still apply to the program, but will be placed at the end of the waitlist.
4. Students who move into the district after the selection process is complete may still apply to the program, but will be placed at the end of the waitlist.

How does the lottery system work?

If applications exceed the number of available spaces a lottery system will be used in accordance with the district’s selection process set out below.

If required, available spaces will be allotted through a randomized lottery draw conducted by the School District office.

• Parents will be notified of the outcome of the lottery, by phone, within one week of the lottery draw. Families will have 24 hours to accept or reject an offered seat.  After that time, unclaimed seats will be offered to waitlisted applicants.
• Applicants not offered a space will be placed on a waitlist. The lottery also will determine the order of the waiting list. Parents will be notified of their place on the waitlist at the time they are notified that their child did not receive a space in the program.
• Those put on the waitlist must register their child at their catchment school as placement in the program is not guaranteed.