News Stories

Services are being improved for children and youth with support needs. In spring 2025, new family connections hubs across the province will offer accessible and inclusive services that are:

Available to all families, no matter where they live
Available from birth to age 19
Gender inclusive, culturally safe and free of stigma

As a follow-up to the Teaching Tenaciously webinar series, Open School BC has created a set of K-12 resources for educators on topics such as trauma-sensitive classroom strategies, student-centred assessment and building compassionate communities.

Confident Parents: Thriving Kids - Anxiety helps BC families overcome anxiety challenges in children 3-12. Web and phone-based coaching helps parents and caregivers learn effective skills and strategies for managing anxiety. By referral from physicians, teachers, school counsellors, clinicians and early childhood educators.

Ian is an outstanding athlete from LVR who has brought home 4 medals from the Special Olympics Canada, Speedskating competition in March that took place in Thunder Bay Ontario. Ian was part of Team B.C. and skated with outstanding performance.

Project Adventure 2020 was a blast, with students from around the district coming together to participate in a unique dogsledding activity in Salmo. A huge thank you goes to Alexis Folk, a grade 7 student from Adam Robertson Elementary School, for her fundraising efforts.

The purpose of the Family Support Institute of BC is to strengthen, connect and build communities and resources with families of people with disabilities in BC.  We believe that families are the best resource available to support one another.

If you are interested in learning more about the the BC Deaf & Hard of Hearing Outreach Program see the newsletter.

Local speedskater Ian Walgren won a pair of medals at the Special Olympics B.C. Winter Games last week in Vernon.

Walgren, who competes with the West Kootenay Speed Skating Club, opened the Games as one of the banner carriers in the opening ceremony for the Kootenays region.

On a snowy Tuesday, three SD8 students participated in a truly Canadian winter activity; dog sledding. After arriving at Spirit of the North Kennels in Salmo, students were greeted by sounds of 50 or more dogs all excited to have the chance to pull their sled. These dogs are a mix of rescue dogs and dogs that are bred to sled-race.