Question 1

Why is this option available only to Lord Tweedsmuir, Connaught, and F.W. Howay?

Accepted Answer

This option is only open to those schools because of available, unused classroom space at the three schools and the need to balance space between elementary schools and catchment middle schools.

Giving some families at Tweedsmuir, Connaught, and Howay the option to remain in place for Grade 6 will help ease space/capacity challenges at our middle schools where enrolment has been growing.

Question 2

Will the configuration of these schools be permanent, going forward? When will other schools be offered the same option/be permanently reconfigured?

Accepted Answer

The Board will decide if these schools will be kept with a K–6 configuration. This will be determined after the district’s larger consultation with families regarding reconfiguring the district to K–6, 7–9 and 10–12.

The district is exploring this option through its long-range facilities plan work that is currently underway.

The grade reconfiguration at any school will be based on space availability and balance between elementary, middle and secondary schools, and will not be district-wide all at once.

Question 3

How will capacity be impacted if most - if not all - students prefer to stay behind for Grade 6 or transition to middle school?

Accepted Answer

The elementary schools involved have enough capacity available that, even if all of the Grade 6 student chose to remain, there will be adequate space to accommodate them.

Similar, we would be prepared to accommodate all Grade 6 students who wish to transition to their middle school. The district would have to consider the purchase of portables to accommodate these increases which would have an impact on operational budgets.

Question 4

What happens if a parent wishes for a student to remain and the student wishes to transition to middle school? And vice versa?

Accepted Answer

Due to the age of the students in question, it will be the parent/guardian who will make the decision for the student.

We encourage healthy discussions between parents and their children to decide on the best outcomes for their family.

Question 5

Is there minimum or maximum number of students who must opt to remain/move for this to transition happen? Or is this transition open regardless of how many families participate? If there is a maximum, how will the students staying be decided?

Accepted Answer

There is no minimum or maximum number of students that must partake in this voluntary placement.

We are prepared for all Grade 5s to stay to Grade 6. However, if there are fewer students that can make up a School-Act-sized class with consideration for composition requirements, we will consider combined grade classes with Grade 5 students, something that occurs across our district and the province for many reasons and with great success.

Question 6

How does the district plan to address scenarios for class composition imbalances that arise from this voluntary Grade 6 placement?

Accepted Answer

The district is well-equipped to deal with these scenarios as part of our school year planning.

The needs of each student are considered in placing students within a class. We also have class composition language outlined in our collective agreement which helps to ensure that classes are balanced in size and are responsive to student needs.

Depending on how classes are organized, resources to support students will follow and may include learning support teacher and education assistant supports.

Question 7

Will my child have an opportunity to visit the middle school prior to our family making the decision to stay or transition?

Accepted Answer

No.

Visits to the middle school often occur in the spring to help prepare the student for middle school. Families are requested to make their decision and inform the district via the emailed survey (sent on February 2) by February 23, 2026.

However, families have until April 1, 2026, to change their minds and may do so by emailing registrations@sd40.bc.ca. This date is important as we must begin the work of staffing and finalize preliminary budgets for the 2026-27 school year prior to the end of April.

Question 8

If grade reconfiguration becomes a permanent fixture, how much notice will families receive?

Accepted Answer

The district will tentatively let families know of changes at least a year in advance, if not longer.

Question 9

What are some of the benefits of staying an extra year in elementary school?

Accepted Answer

Reasons cited for keeping Grade 6 students in elementary school may be to provide an extra year of academic, social, and emotional growth and maturation during an important stage of development.

The elementary school is, for many of our students, a highly familiar and nurturing environment, which can better allow students to strengthen foundational skills, build confidence, and develop greater independence before transitioning to middle school. Being the oldest students in the school also allows Grade 6 learners to continue to take on leadership roles, as they may have done in Grade 5, helping them feel prepared for the next school level.

Note: While there is research to support delayed transitions, what is clear in the research is that the most critical factors are the number and nature of the transitions.

As this change in grade configuration does not add a transition, this factor is not considered here. What is being attended to is the quality of support for transitions (articulation), something that is a priority for our district.

Question 10

Will the Grade 6 students who remain at Howay, Tweedsmuir, and Connaught be taught the same curriculum as the Grade 6 students who go to their catchment middle school?

Accepted Answer

Grade 6 students, wherever they attend, receive instruction that aligns with the curriculum of the province of British Columbia.

Approaches taken to the curriculum will vary from teacher to teacher and respect their autonomy to engage their choice of research-supported practices in their classrooms.

Question 11

Will Grade 6s who remain at their elementary schools receive the same instruction as Grade 6s in middle school?

Accepted Answer

The main difference for Grade 6 students that choose to stay with their existing elementary school is that they will not have the same options for exploratory classes. These include some Applied Design Skills and Technology (ADST) and Band for example.

The administration at the middle schools indicate that students that choose to join their grade cohort at the middle school for Grade 7 will not face issues entering exploratory classes with their peers. They are still able to fully participate in all of the exploratory classes at that time, even without having taken the Grade 6 versions of those courses.

Note: While Grade 6 students at Glenbrook Middle School are able to participate in Band by attending a noon-hour class, many who eventually join the band in Grade 6 do not attend this offering. Students coming from F.W. Howay will have many peers who are also new to Band in Grade 7. Also note that band is not offered to Grade 6 students at Fraser River Middle School, making entry into the program the same for all Grade 7s, regardless of their elementary school experiences.

Question 12

I hear that students in middle school participate in intramural sports. How will my child be able to participate or have the same opportunity if they remain at their elementary school?

Accepted Answer

This will be one of the noted differences between elementary and middle school experiences. The district is not directing the creation of intramural programs at the affected elementary schools.

Question 13

How will (eventual) Grade 7s that participate in this voluntary placement be thoughtfully integrated middle school when many of their peers moved the year before?

Accepted Answer

Middle and elementary school administrators and their teams will work together to ensure that the articulation process is robust for those Grade 6s who choose to remain at their elementary school.

Additionally, the middle schools intend to create “community events” that draw Grade 6 students from the elementary schools to after school and special events, connecting them with their former classmates throughout the intervening year.

Question 14

Will students in the Early French Immersion program at Tweedsmuir or the Montessori program at Connaught Heights have the option to remain in Grade 6 at Tweedsmuir or Connaught? If so, will they be able to remain in the Early French Immersion or Montessori program or will they have to transition to the regular English stream?

Accepted Answer

Students in Grade 5 Early French Immersion or Montessori will be able to remain at Tweedsmuir or Connaught for Grade 6 only if they elect to be part of the regular English program.

There will be no Grade 6 Early French Immersion or Grade 6 Montessori offered at Tweedsmuir or Connaught.

Question 15

Will these students potentially have an extra year of middle school if future grade configurations keep Grade 9s in middle school?

Accepted Answer

No. Any grade configuration that keeps Grade 9s at their middle school instead of transitioning to New Westminster Secondary will not happen until a new middle school is built.

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