Superintendent’s Message

Welcome to British Columbia’s School District No. 79 (Cowichan Valley). Thank you for visiting our website and for your interest in our school district. Whether you’re new to the Cowichan Valley or a long time resident, we invite you to learn more about what we offer our students, families and the communities we serve.

All of our schools aim to help every student be successful. Because students have different learning styles, we offer many ways for our students to succeed. We also work to provide an environment where all children and adults in our schools feel safe and welcome.

Our school district has much to celebrate. Our teachers and staff are top notch, parents are active and welcome partners and our students continue to amaze us with their achievements in and out of the classroom. Examples include the following:

• each year over one million dollars in scholarships and bursaries are received by our students
• a grade 2 student who raised $14,000 for cancer research
• four students over the past two years with $100,000 scholarships to Royal Military College
• in one of our elementary schools we had 100 students who ran in a 10K run
• a 15 year old graduate who was accepted to both University of Waterloo and U.B.C.
• a growing list of adult graduates as we expand enrolment in our adult education program
• a growing international education program
• highly successful athletic/fine arts programs
• over 100 aboriginal student dancers and singers recently celebrated the raising of a refurbished totem pole which proudly dominates the main entrance to our school district’s central office
• multiple pathway to success
• a popular and growing K-12 French Immersion program.

Our school district works closely with the local Aboriginal community to proudly celebrate the rich historical and cultural diversity of the Cowichan Valley. Now is the time for us to move forward together as we focus on meeting the learning needs of each of our students.

Community partnerships, local donations and hundreds of volunteers contribute to keeping our schools strong learning centers that focus on success for each student.

Our communities expect and deserve an excellent public school system – by working side by side, we can achieve the important goal of supporting our young people and growing together.

I encourage you to explore our website and examine our Strategic Plan, our Achievement Contract, the link to our International Program web site, and our Career Program opportunities. I invite you to join me in helping our children and youth to have healthy, satisfying and productive lives. Together, we will create a fresh breeze and set a clear course to success.

Sincerely,

Dan Boudreault

Superintendent of Schools