Greetings, Bonjour ÍY, SȻAĆEL, Grade 5 Parents:

We are very excited to be welcoming our Grade 5 students to the Bayside family in the coming months! The transition to middle school is an important milestone and we are looking forward to beginning this new journey with you and your child. Below you will find some important information about upcoming transition dates, our class building process and the sign-up process for Grade 6 Band.

Upcoming Gr. 5 Transition Dates

April 30th, 2026 – Gr. 5 Bayside Tours
We will invite Gr. 5 students from our feeder school to Bayside for a school tour.

• 9:45 - 11:15 am Keating & KELSET
• 12:30 - 2:00 pm Deep Cove & Brentwood

April 30th, 2026 – Virtual Gr. 5 Parent Night 6:00 -7:00 pm (via MS Teams)
We will share a Teams invite with all Gr. 5 families. This will be a virtual opportunity to meet our administrative team.

June 2nd, 2026 - Bayside Middle School Open House 5:00-6:00 pm
Gr. 5 families will have the opportunity to attend the Bayside open house to tour the school and meet administration.

Class Building and Parent Placement Requests for 2026-27

Connecting with grade 5 teachers and learning support staff at our feeder elementary schools is a priority for us. We want to learn as much as possible about our incoming grade 6 students from the staff who know them best. The class building process begins with input from grade 5 teachers, as their insights are essential in helping us support student success.

If you have questions or input about your child’s placement at Bayside, we encourage you to begin by speaking with your child’s grade 5 teacher. Teachers are best positioned to share information about learning needs, strengths, and classroom dynamics that can inform the placement process.

Each year, we place approximately 600 students into classes. Our goal is always to create balanced learning environments that provide the best opportunities for all students to succeed. Because many factors must be considered, class building is complex and requires thoughtful collaboration.

We believe that by middle school, students benefit from opportunities to form new peer relationships and to work with a wide range of classmates. Learning to collaborate beyond one’s current social circle helps students build resilience, flexible thinking, and adaptability. We also believe that students are capable of learning with and from peers and teachers who bring different personalities, perspectives, and teaching styles. This approach supports students’ long term development and strengthens Bayside’s inclusive learning community, guided by our core values of curiosity, compassion, and resilience.

With this in mind, we ask that parents submit class placement requests only in extraordinary circumstances that warrant special consideration. In these situations, please send your request by email to Rae Dennett, Principal, at rdennett@saanichschools.ca by May 4th, 2026. Your email should include the following information.

1. Your child’s name, current school, and current teacher
2. The nature of your request
3. A clear description of the extraordinary learning, social and emotional, or other needs that require special consideration

Please do not request a specific teacher, as these requests cannot be accommodated. Instead, describe the type of learning environment in which your child is most successful. While we are unable to guarantee placement requests, all requests submitted by the deadline will be carefully considered as part of the class building process.

Band at Bayside

If your child is interested in registering for Band at Bayside in Gr. 6, please complete the online Band form that will be available on our Bayside website. Gr. 6 Band Registration will open on May 4nd at 8 am and will close on May 8th at 3 pm. Placement in Band 6 will be on a first-come, first served basis until the Band 6 classes are full (and then we will start a waitlist). Students will alternate Band and PE throughout the school year. This is how the Band is structured at many middle schools, and although it is not perfect, it allows students to enjoy all the Fine Arts and Applied Skills (FAAS) opportunities that are available at middle school and have access to Band and PE as well.

Looking forward to meeting you and welcoming your child to the Bayside family.

Sincerely,

Rae Dennett, Principal 

Kim Graves, Vice Principal