'Tis the season!
SD83 Trustees & Staff would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year!

Just a quick reminder that the last day of school before winter vacation is Friday, December 21. Holidays run from December 24 to January 4. Welcome back to school on Monday, January 7.
A touch of freedom
Four SD83 students with special needs, thanks to donations by local and provincial service groups, have a bit more freedom as they recently received bicycles especially fitted and adapted for their needs!

"Grand" friends are great!
Grindrod Elementary Kindergarten Class and some of the residents at Parkview Place in Enderby are becoming "grand" friends!
This intergenerational program is popular with both young and old!

ITA Award
In Grade 10 Spencer Trueman discovered he has an interest in carpentry and now, in high school, he is doing a carpentry apprenticeship and earning high school credits towards graduation! Spencer, students like him, and local employers are the reason why SD83 has recently won an ITA award.

Get Doing Award
The SD83 District Student Me to We Committee was honoured for its great work with the inaugural "Get Doing" award at the recent WE Day Vancouver event. This committee, based on the youth working for youth model, is supporting local and global projects.

Good Deeds Gang
Over at Parkview Elementary School students are being recognized for doing good deeds! Students can be nominated by the community and by staff. Principal Carla Schneider reports two students are the latest members of the Good Deeds Gang and receive a tee-shirt and will be treated to a Sicamous Eagles game, refreshments, and will have the opportunity to meet the players! Amy and Shyla have donated 1-2 lunch hours a week all year to help keep the equipment room in the gym clean and organized. "We continue to be so proud of the Sicamous kids who make a habit of doing good things," comments Schneider. The program is sponsored by Summer Stomp and Watermark Solutions.
Traditional drum
Salmon Arm Secondary Student Dayton Massey displays the traditional drum he made himself!
Dayton harvested the hide which was fleshed out at the June 2018 Indigenous Day. He took it home and completed the hide and then made the drum. "It is a big feat to go from deer to drum, there are many steps and Dayton took on the challenge and excelled," comments Indigenous Education Worker Melanie Jansen. There are not many people that will take on this task, I am so extremely proud of him. "
Bannock Bake-Off!
The halls of Eagle River Secondary smelled delicious as 25 students from high schools in SD83 competed in a bannock bake-off. Judged by a panel of six knowledge keepers, Pleasant Valley Secondary won first place in the fried bannock category and Eagle River Secondary won first place in the baked bannock division, reports organizer Vincent Starr.
Building a pit house
As part of the curriculum, students learn about pit houses, or the winter homes, of the Secwepemc. Students at Armstrong Elementary School put their knowledge into action and built not only replica but a full sized version!

School tree!
After sharing the Metis story entitled The Giving Tree with every class at Ranchero, Indigenous Education Worker (IEW) Amanda Bailey had each student design a leaf that was a personal representation of themselves. 
With the leaves, she built each class a branch that became a part of the tree. Students then papier-mached the tree base and painted it. Bailey comments the base of the tree has beautiful roots and it has a hollow, which the school is currently deciding what would best go there. She said the project was very well received by students. “I love that one older student made a leaf that has LGTBQ+, writing that it is important that everyone knows Ranchero Elementary is an inclusive school.”
School District No. 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap)