Private, In-Home Tutoring in Kamloops, British Columbia

St. Ann’s Academy is located at 205 Columbia Street, Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2S7. St. Ann’s Academy covers Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Contact St. Ann’s Academy at (250) 372-5452. St. Ann’s Academy dates back to 1880, when the Sisters of St. Ann founded the school. It was originally known as St. Louis School, and it was located in the Mission Flats area. The school was moved to a new location on Nicola Street, and was thereby renamed St. Ann’s Academy, which happened early on in its ever-lengthening history. The present site was selected and purchased by the Sisters in 1910; and thus St. Ann’s on the Hill was born. The school continued growing for the next thirty years, and integrated a full high school program; however, the sisters were finding it more and more difficult to stay up to date with the unstable demands of BC’s curriculum. St. Ann’s Academy stayed strong as a high school until around 1970, when it once again became just an elementary school. Those in the Sisterhood continued to run the school and facilities until 1978, when they chose to take on Mr. Dale Scherer as principal. In 1980, the Bishop of the time wrote to the Congregation of Christian Brothers, asking them to reopen the high school section. In 1981, for the first time in eleven years, a grade 8 class entered St. Ann’s Academy.  The school underwent sudden and unexpected growth after that point, with the student population passing 600 students by 2000. In 2002, the Christian Brothers turned over responsibility of the school back to the Diocese. St. Ann’s Academy has since been part of the Catholic Independent Schools of Kamloops Diocese (CISKD). Bishop Joseph Nguyen said, “There is an African proverb which states, ‘It takes a whole village to raise a child’. In our context, we say together, ‘It takes the whole Church to raise a child’. Who is the Church? It’s people! As such, Catholic education offers a special partnership between home, school, and the Church. We believe that parents are the ‘first educators’ of their children, and that our schools are an extension of the Church. We are very happy to share the Good News of Catholic education with all who may be interested! Together we commit ourselves to providing the very best education for our children and youth. Pope Francis has said, ‘Only by changing education can we change the world.’ ”

South Kamloops Secondary School is located at 821 Munro St., Kamloops, B.C. V2C 3E9. South Kamloops Secondary, like other schools in the district, and the Ministry of Education, collectively hold the goal of the educated citizen. They pledge to bestow onto their students the ability to critically analyze, to use reason, and think independently, in order to give students a lifelong appreciation of learning, a constant curiosity about the world and why things are the way they are, as well as a potential for creative thought and expression. From their website: “We believe that everyone has potential to succeed, so we are committed to maximizing education opportunities for all.  Using recognized assessment practices as well as a support system that will ensure positive outcomes, we will provide a student-focused learning environment. Every graduate of our school will be equipped to lead a healthy, self-reliant, and productive life where change and diversity are the norm.” In using the British Columbia Mathematics curriculum, South Kamloops Secondary aims to ensure that citizens are numerate and have mathematical habits of mind. This is because mathematics is integral to every aspect of daily life. Mathematical skills are essential for solving problems in most areas of life and are part of human history.

Valleyview Secondary School is located at 1950 Valleyview Drive, Kamloops, B.C., V2C 4C2. The mission of Valleyview Secondary Schools is to provide students with an encouraging community that places an emphasis on learning. Students are provided opportunities and guidance to develop the  knowledge, perspective, and skills needed for them to become contributing, self-reliant citizens. The school aligns its curriculum with that of the province: The British Columbia standards for education lay out what and how students should learn about subjects such as English/Language Arts. The English Language Arts curriculum presents what students are expected to know, understand, and be able to do, articulated in a learning progression that begins in Kindergarten and continues through Grade 12. English Language Arts is a foundational curriculum that equips students with the language and literacy skills they will need for success in school, community, career, and life. For example, in grade 11 literary studies, students delve deeply into literature, exploring areas of focus such as diasporic literature, genre-specific literature, Canadian literature, or First Peoples text. They work on areas such as increasing literacy through more challenging texts, expanding their development as educated global citizens, develop balance and broaden their understanding of the world, and further develop higher-level thinking and learning skills.

Educating Our Parents: Understanding the Kamloops District Curriculum

The math curriculum emphasizes the topics of number systems and operations, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. Elementary students are introduced to the basics of pattern and shape recognition, measurement, and probabilities in advance of later work. In high school, students work to make connections between algebra and geometry. They use their knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem to find distances, and also use Cartesian coordinates to verify geometric relationships, including properties of triangles and quadrilaterals.

The science curriculum has many goals including teaching the content knowledge associated with topics like biology, chemistry and physics, but also in teaching students how scientists investigate their questions, observe and track information, and convey their hypotheses and conclusions. Students learn how to present their findings as well. They are required to organize their findings in a coherent manner, including the use of graphs and charts as appropriate. Students also learn how to utilize various models to represent their findings.

Kamloops is a city in the province of British Columbia, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River near Kamloops Lake; Kamloops is relatively large, covering an area of 299.3km2 . Kamloops has a population of 90,280. Kamloops is known as the “Tournament Capital of Canada,” as it hosts over 100 tournaments each year at world class level sports facilities such as the Tournament Capital Centre, Kamloops Bike Ranch, and Tournament Capital Ranch. Kamloops was the first city in B.C. to become a “Bee City,” meaning the city has taken extra precautions to protect the dwindling bee population.

“Kamloops” is the anglicised version of the Shuswap word “Tk’əmlúps”, meaning “meeting of the waters”. Shuswap is still spoken in the area by members of the Tk’emlúps Indian Band. An alternate origin sometimes given for the name may have come from the native name’s accidental similarity to the French “Camp des loups”, meaning “Camp of Wolves”; many early fur traders spoke French.  One story perhaps connected with this version of the name concerns an attack by a pack of wolves, repelled by a single shot by John Tod, then Chief Trader, thus preventing the fort from attack and granting Tod a great degree of respect locally.

Riverside Park

Located by the side of the Thompson River, near the Sandman Centre, and a short distance from downtown, this park is a sight to behold. You can enjoy a picnic, go for a leisurely stroll down the beach, or take a swim. Bring your family to the kid-friendly Variety Kids Centennial Water Park, enjoy a round of lawn bowling, and stay late for “Music in the Park”, which is held every night during the summertimes at the Rotary Bandshell. The City of Kamloops also recently constructed a new, accessible playground for children between 2 and 12 years old. The playground is just one added attraction to an already quite awe-inspiring city park, that trule does offer something for everyone to enjoy. Or maybe just laying in the sun and watching the water skiers and wakeboarders zip to and fro is more your speed. However you choose to invest your time at Riverside, it is bound to be picture postcard perfect. For more information, please visit their website located here.

Monte Creek Ranch and Winery

The Thompson Valley is dripping with history. Pioneers and prospect miners, even dastardly train burglars such as Billy Miner, all could come and seek out riches in this area, as the West was being established. The current site of the Monte Creek Ranch winery still echoes with the whispers of the past. A hundred years back, the small village of Monte Creek, which was located east of Kamloops, was once known by the name “Ducks”, named after the original settler who ranched the area extensively. The town became a central location when Ducks decided to open a small hotel to provide room and board for the railway workers, miners, and other prospective ranchers. In 2009, the original properties were bought by a family who were searching for new viable land. They wandered into the Monte Creek area and were quite enthusiastic about its potential, but it was vineyards that truly caught their eyes as the land is arid and dry with ample sunlight, which lends itself well to grape farming. That, and the potential to carry on the long history of the original farmers who came so long before the family was an adventure they could not resist. The family gathered a tried and true team to aid them in bringing their new ranch to fruition, literally! Quite unlike wine country anywhere else, the ranch’s unique beauty and hospitality are a welcome stop where visitors can enjoy a wine tasting and shop for local products. For more information, please visit their website here.

Interesting Facts

• There are 82 parks in Kamloops, covering a total of 1,350 hectares.
• Kamloops is Canada’s Tournament Capital, and hosts over 100 tournaments each year consisting of 27, 878 participants.
• Kamloops was incorporated as a city in 1893.  Today Kamloops is 123 years old but still young and growing fast.
• Kamloops is home to a unique phenomenon, what is known as an inverted tree line.  In most places the trees won’t grow above a certain level due to the lack of precipitation, but in Kamloops, they won’t grow below a certain level due to the lack of precipitation.