Welcome Centre hosting four kindergarten registration support sessions for new families

The district’s Welcome Centre is holding four multilingual support sessions for families new to Surrey Schools on how to register their child for kindergarten, as well as everything they need to know to be prepared for their first day of school.

The sessions will be held in a number of different languages and feature a comprehensive introduction to the district. The registration support portion is first come, first served, with the sessions scheduled for the following dates and times:

• Monday, Jan. 16, 1 to 4 p.m. – Somali/Swahili
• Friday, Jan. 20, 9 a.m. to noon & 1 to 4 p.m. – Arabic (two sessions)
• Monday, Jan. 23, 1 to 4 p.m. – Farsi, Dari and Pashto
• Friday, Feb. 3, 9 a.m. to noon & 1 to 4 p.m. – multilingual (two sessions)

“We have been doing this since the Welcome Centre started in 2008,” said program coordinator Candy Metcalfe. “The purpose of these sessions is to provide opportunities for these families to network with others. It gives them a chance to connect with others and learn about other resources in the community.”

“Settlement journeys are complex,” said Welcome Centre manager Parampal Sharma. “Everybody has a different starting point, and they arrive in Canada with very different experiences, so we want to make sure they at least have made a connection with a wide range of resources that are available. It’s really to make sure they’re aware there are folks who can help them.”

The sessions will address a wide range of subjects beyond registration, such as what to expect in a typical school day, who to talk to if you have questions, how to make connections and concerns for students with allergies or medical conditions. The Welcome Centre will have someone on hand who can address questions around students with diverse abilities.

“The volume of newcomers has increased quite a bit and we’re really hoping that we can capture more newcomers at the same time and have more families get that registration support than we’ve been able to do one on one,” said Sharma.

Attendees are asked to bring the following documents to their session:

• Proof of birth date for the student (birth certificate or passport)
• Proof of guardianship (child’s birth certificate, landed immigrant document or guardianship order)
• Proof of citizenship for both parent and student (Canadian birth certificate/passport or Permanent Resident Card)
• Three pieces of identification showing the address of residence (one of these must be government-issued)

Documents that are helpful but not required:

• Health documents (Care Card, immunization records, medical condition information)

For more information, contact the Welcome Centre at SWIS-Office@surreyschools.ca or 604-543-3060