Dear Parents and students of SCIDES (05898002),

We would greatly appreciate it if you could please take part in the Ministry’s Online Learning Survey. 

We are pleased to offer the Online Learning Survey (OLS), provided by A. Willock Information Systems Inc. (AWIS) for the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The Online Learning Survey is a key data component of the Accountability and Quality Assurance Process for Provincial Online Learning Schools and is the only source of province-wide information about student’s online learning experiences. Your participation is an important contribution to understanding and improving the online learning educational experiences of students across the province. Please find information about the survey below.

We are extremely proud and excited to announce the creation of our very own athletic department! Starting in September 2023, SCIDES will offer a new range of sport-specific courses designed for athletes to gain credit for training and competing while supplementing their athletic competition with learning aimed at facilitating both personal and athletic growth. While we have a lineup of seven courses to start with, this will soon expand to nine courses; we will continue to explore new course options to meet the needs of as many individuals as possible! If you are an athlete or interested in athletics, a full-time SCIDES student, cross-enrolled, or looking to cross-enroll, we encourage you to sign up. If you are interested in enrolling for any of the courses in our athletics department, please reach out to Mr. Corey Hermiston via email: chermiston@365.sd58.bc.ca

Over the summer we are introducing our support staff to you, a vital part of the SCIDES team we could not work without. Last but certainly not least, it's Christine Lawrence's turn. We're so grateful for our support staff, Christine has been a part of the SCIDES secretarial team for more than seven years.

Thanks for taking the time, Christine. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Christine Lawrence. I am originally from British Columbia but also lived in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Moved back to British Columbia, to Merritt almost ten years ago.

Over the summer we are introducing our support staff to you, a vital part of the SCIDES team we could not work without. We're so grateful for our support staff, and Joyce Bain is up next. Joyce has been a part of the SCIDES secretarial team for a very long time.

Thanks for taking the time, Joyce. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Joyce Bain. I've lived in Merritt for a reeeeeeeeally long time. Years and years and years.

Over the summer we'd love to introduce our support staff to you, a vital part of the SCIDES team we could not work without. We're so grateful for our support staff, and Kristen Lupton is up next. If you call SCIDES during the summer, you'll probably be talking to her!

Thanks for taking the time, Kristen. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Kristen Lupton, I live here in Merritt, and I’ve been all over the place, but I was born in Williams Lake.

Over the summer we'd love to introduce our support staff to you, a vital part of the SCIDES team we could not work without. We're so grateful for our support staff, and Nicole Morrison agreed to be featured first.

Thanks for taking the time, Nicole. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Nicole Morrison, born and raised at the lower mainland.  I’ve lived in Merritt for 16 years.

We have one more of our educators to introduce to you, French teacher Pam Parenty, who also looks after scholarships at SCIDES. Now that the deadline for scholarships has passed for this year, Pam had time to tell us a bit about herself.

Thanks for taking the time, Pam. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Pam Parenty. I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Mission, BC. I live in Penticton now. 

 It's been a while since we featured our educators on the blog. We want to make sure that we introduce everyone on our amazing team, and this month our Math teacher Robert French agreed to be interviewed.

Thanks for taking the time, Robert. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Robert French and I grew up in a small town up North. 

Literacy skills are foundational skills for all learning and our team at SCIDES ensures that early literacy skills in our elementary program (K-7) are developed and strong. One of the frameworks our teachers are trained in is Joyful Literacy. This framework includes games our primary teachers use with their students via Zoom, and also send to the student families so they can continue to play at home. Even before the pandemic, our team used Zoom to connect with learners across British Columbia, and we will continue to do so. It's a great technology that allows us to engage with students in a fun way.

May 9-12, 2022 was STEAM week at SCIDES and we hosted a total of 9 amazing workshops. Here is a recap of the week:

STEAM Day 1 Recap...did the egg break?

STEAM Week Day 1 has wrapped up. Thank you teachers for the great workshops! Thank you students for joining in and having fun!

On Day 1, students learned about the science of maple syrup and then made their own maple syrup candy with Mrs. Tilt, all while doing an experiment! There may be a few pots to scrub clean now, but there was also a lot of yummy maple candy made. Check out the picture for some of the samples that were taken at different points of the experiment.

Do you feel like you need inspiration and motivation to leave the second pandemic winter behind you? We feel the same way! It's time to play. We've put together a list of games, puzzles, and other resources to leave the dreariness of winter behind and have some fun.

September 30, 2021 was the first nationally recognized Day of Truth and Reconciliation; before that, Orange Shirt Day was established in 2013 to remember and honour the residential school survivors, and the children who never made it home. At SCIDES, we recognize that we learn, teach and work on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the NłeɁkepmx and Syilx people and we acknowledge our Metis communities and their contributions to the Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing in Canada.

The new school year is here and the days are getting shorter. After a hot and challenging summer, we're ready to settle back into a routine and make the best of it despite the next Covid wave. We're in this together and will move forward together, safely. The 2021/2022 school year can still be your best one yet! Here's what we suggest:

The last month of the school year is here, a school year that was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Together, we made it through! We hope our monthly themes along with the resources we shared were helpful to you, and we always appreciate you reading our blog and chiming in on our social channels. As the summer is close and the school year comes to an end we thought Joyful Endings would be a great theme for this month. It's about finding joy in the moment, whether we're together in person or virtually, or even by ourselves. Joy can be found everywhere, anytime. We are excited to share great resources with you, and would love to hear what you're doing to find joy; connect with us on Facebook to share.

June Resources

Blogs and Articles

As the pandemic continues its grip on the world we have to remind ourselves that the days are long but the years are short (Gretchen Rubin). This will pass eventually, and while we're going through it, it's better to go through it together, with our important others. The power of personal relationships - with yourself and others - is such a big deal that we decided to make it our theme of the month for May. We are excited to share great resources with you, and would love to hear what you're doing to get and stay connected; connect with us on Facebook to share.

May Resources

Blogs and Articles

March is here and with it, the first signs of Spring, bringing longer days and the hope of warmer weather and more time spent outdoors. While we all continue to follow public health orders and stay home in order to see the end of the pandemic sooner than later, wellness is on everyone's mind and it's our theme this month. We are excited to share great resources with you, and would love to hear about what you're doing to stay well; connect with us on Facebook to share.

March Resources

Blogs and Articles

Our theme this month is Courage and Random Acts of Kindness, but we also want to continue introducing our new teachers to you. Welcome to SCIDES, Corey Hermiston! Let's find out more about one of the newest additions to the SCIDES team.

Thanks for taking the time, Corey. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

My name is Corey Hermiston and I am from Kamloops, British Columbia. 

January flew by and just like that the second month of 2021 is here. Our theme for February is Courage and Random Acts of Kindness, and as the pandemic continues its grip on British Columbia and the rest of the world, those things are more important than ever. We are excited to share great resources with you, and would love to hear about your own random acts of kindness; connect with us on Facebook to share.

February Resources

Blogs and Articles

Our theme this month is Planning, but we also want to continue introducing our new teachers to you. Welcome to SCIDES, Jennifer Artibise! Let's find out more about one of the newest additions to the SCIDES team.

Thanks for taking the time, Jennifer. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

Jennifer Artibise, and I'm from Merritt, BC!

Happy New Year! 2020 is behind us and we love the hope 2021 brings with it. We are committed to supporting you in your educational journey as always, and planning is a big part of that. It's our theme for January, and we are excited to share great resources with you.

January Resources

Blogs and Articles (and one Vlog)

December is here and we can't believe that 2020 is almost behind us. What a year it has been! While the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, we're happy to announce that we've opened up cross-enrollment for grades 10-12, as long as space is available. This month's theme is "A Time of Giving" and we are excited to share great resources with you.

We have a second blog post for you this month, to introduce one of our new teachers. Welcome to SCIDES, Jennifer Deo! Don't forget to also check out our monthly theme, in November it's all about Grit. Now let's jump right in and find out more about one of the newest additions to the SCIDES team.

Thanks for taking the time, Jennifer. Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?

Mrs. Jennifer Deo. I grew up in Vancouver, Washington down in the states. I currently live in Kamloops.

November is here and the pandemic still has a tight grip on all our lives. But we're here for the long haul and we'll get through this together. Even though we're still not able to accept any registrations from students outside of School District 58, we're here for you on our blog to share information and inspiration. This month's theme is "Grit" and we are excited to share great resources with you.

We're into the second month of the new school year and are starting to settle into a new normal. Even though we're not able to accept any registrations from students outside of School District 58, we're here for you on our blog to share information and inspiration. This month's theme is "Master of your Own Destiny" and we have found great content for you.

A new school year is here and in so many ways it’s a fresh start. A new way of doing school (though SCIDES has been offering online support and instruction for over 20 years), a new way of organizing our lives around a pandemic, and a fresh chance to be better citizens of the world who care for and accept others.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has both slowed down and sped up life as we knew it before March of 2020. The last six months have been a challenge for all of us, and we want to start the new school year by offering our support and perspective on what’s to come. Each month will have a different theme and we’ll share our insights as well as some resources for you to dive deeper into the topic.

Happy New Year! It's not only a new year but also a new decade and we wish you all the very best. May 2020 be a fantastic year for you. It's time for the first new staff feature of the year: Meet Brittany Lowe, and don't forget to check out our Learn & Play Winter Challenge!

1. What’s your name and where are you from? 

My name is Brittany Lowe and I am from Kamloops, BC.

2. How long have you been a teacher at SCIDES? 

This is my first year teaching at SCIDES.

We're getting close to our winter break and there is time for one more feature of our new team members before the year is over. Meet Tom Oram, and stay tuned for the Learn & Play Winter Challenge coming soon!

1. What’s your name and where are you from? 

My name is Tom Oram, and I was born and raised in Kelowna, BC.

2. How long have you been a teacher at SCIDES? 

I completed a short stint at SCIDES approximately 5 years ago, and I’ve officially been back since September 15, 2019.

Hard to believe it's already been two months since the school year started! We have several new teachers on our team, and it's time we start introducing them to you. First up - Cory Hart. 

1. What’s your name and where are you from? 

My name is Cory Hart. I was born and raised in southern Alberta before moving out to Victoria where I received my Education Degree.  I recently moved from Quesnel, where I had been teaching math and social studies for the past 19 years.

2. How long have you been a teacher at SCIDES? 

 I started at SCIDES this past August.

The new school year is here! As much as we enjoy summer, it’s always great to get back to a routine, and to learning. For the 2019/2020 school year, we thought it would be fun to introduce a theme, and we’re thrilled to share with you that the SCIDES 2019/2020 school theme will be learn & play. 

We’re inspired by the Play is the Way® movement and want to explore how we can challenge, support, and engage our students to embrace new ways of learning by incorporating play and stretching their comfort zones a bit.

Did you know that there are over 100 trades you can get certified in, in British Columbia? Working as a certified tradesperson does not only provide a good income, trades careers are often described as a very satisfying type of work, because you are generally working with your hands and can see tangible progress at the end of the day. What is it that you love to do? There’s probably a trade for that!

SCIDES wants to support your journey into trades, and we have two fantastic programs we would like to introduce: the Work in Trades and the Train in Trades programs. Each can be taken independently of each other, and in any order, and both of them will give you a headstart on your career and lots of other benefits.