Central Okanagan School District has partnered with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia to measure and promote children’s social and emotional development, health, well-being, and assets through the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI). The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) is a self-report questionnaire that asks children in middle childhood about their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The MDI is the first survey of its kind to gather information about the lives of children both in school, in the home and in the community, from their own perspective. The survey questions align with the BC Ministry of Education’s K-12 curriculum, which includes a focus on promoting children’s personal and social competencies.

Grade 5 students are invited to complete the MDI during class time between:

January 13th and March 13th, 2026.

For more information and to view the questionnaires:  

https://earlylearning.ubc.ca/monitoring-system/mdi/mdi-overview/

Parent FAQs:               

https://earlylearning.ubc.ca/monitoring-system/mdi/parent-caregiver-info/

If you have questions about the MDI, please contact Jessica Anjos at jessica.anjos@sd23.bc.ca or the MDI project staff at mdi@help.ubc.ca 

We are writing to share an important reminder regarding student safety at school. We have students in our community with significant allergies in some case life threatening. We have known allergies to synthetic red food dye, apples, sesame seeds, oats, eggs, gluten, pineapple and peanuts. As always, ensuring a safe environment for all learners is our top priority.

With this in mind, we kindly ask for your support in reminding your children not to share food of any kind at school, including snacks and candies. We deeply appreciate the generosity and kindness your children show when they offer a peer a treat or snack; however, even well-intended sharing can unintentionally create a safety risk for those with allergies.

By reinforcing this message at home, you help us maintain a safe and inclusive environment where every child can learn and play with confidence.