Welcome to SCIDES

Welcome! We are thrilled that you found your way to our website. Let us introduce our school to you:

At South Central Interior Distance Education School – SCIDES – we offer Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) courses, as well as courses for adult learners. We’re a fully funded, public, and accredited BC school located in School District 58. Our programs and courses are free for BC residents; tuition fees only apply for international students and may apply for some courses for adults who have already graduated.

SCIDES is a distributed learning (DL) school, meaning most of our students are primarily at a distance from our teachers, whether they are studying online at home, within another educational facility, or anywhere else with an internet connection. Distributed learning students completing their studies with SCIDES will receive their British Columbia Dogwood graduation diplomas (we celebrate over 50 graduates, of all ages, each year!).

Among all the educational opportunities schools in BC have to offer, distributed learning is one we feel very excited and passionate about. We believe it is an excellent way to get a quality education that’s personalized and fits into your life. At SCIDES, we offer elementary and secondary students the opportunity to personalize their learning and have full control of their own educational paths. Adult learners have the chance to upgrade, graduate or take additional courses without ever stepping inside a BC face-to-face high school.

A comprehensive list of over 130 online courses (browse them all here!) allows you to choose and design a program that is both flexible in delivery and supportive of your unique learning style. We provide the materials, resources, planning, reports and personal support required – you choose the program that best fits your life, whether it is full-time or cross enrolment with a face-to-face school. Our staff at SCIDES is always available for our students, and also works hard to build relationships with educators at cross-enrolled schools to ensure the best experience for you.

Our students come from a wide range of experiences, and our mission is to create a personalized learning environment for anyone, anywhere, in any situation! We support elite athletes, gifted learners, adult learners looking to upgrade, families abroad for both work and travel, and students with learning disabilities, injuries or with an illness that prevents them from attending regular classes – and most importantly: students and their families, who want to take charge of their own educational path.

SCIDES is located in the beautiful Nicola-Similkameen Valley, but we serve more than 1,700 learners throughout BC in our K-9, high school, and adult learning programs. That includes over 100 full time K – 9 students, well over 100 full time 10 – 12 school-aged and adult students, and over 1500 cross-enrolled secondary students (in over 2200 courses) – and we’d love for you to join the learning experience at SCIDES. Register online, or contact us for more information.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Message from the Principal

November, 2020

Dear Families:  How are you doing?    

If you haven’t already heard it from me, welcome to SCIDES.  Over the last two months our staff has been flooded with students and work to do.  We’ve appreciated your cooperation and patience as we’ve navigated the “white water”.  And now, as the pace has settled to a regular hum, our more usual routine is cloaking our work; the frenzy has waned.  

Many of you are new to Distributed Learning and I have to say how impressed I am with the regularity of your work submissions.  It is not easy to learn at home and with the expected independence that is required, but you are really thriving.  However, I also know that some folks are also feeling a little overwhelmed with this new learning environment.  If you are among those who are struggling, please reach out to your teacher via phone, email or Moodle message to get the support you need.  That’s what we are here for.  We want to teach you.  We want to help you figure out how this works. We care.  

Now that winter is coming, please remember to keep your work habits strong – or start to work now if something has held you back.  For little ones, the more time they spend away from reading, writing and math, the more chance they have of slipping backwards.  These skills are too important to risk.  Older students, keep on track to a timely graduation by learning and submitting work regularly.  Just like in the face-to-face schools, students should be engaged in learning for 20 – 30 hours a week.  Keep a schedule and this will be easier. 

Finally, please keep in touch.  If something changes in your world that impacts school – even a phone number or address – let us know.  Communication is key to everyone’s success.

Stay well, practice all that is safe, and, maybe take your birthday off from school – just because you can!

Sincerely, 

Mrs. K. Goetz, Principal