To assist newcomer students and their families settle into their school and community, the North Vancouver School District has a school-based outreach program called Settlement Workers In Schools (SWIS). The primary focus of SWIS is to provide assistance to parents and their children with first-year settlement needs through referrals and cross-cultural education.  

More specifically, the SWIS program is intended to:

• Help children adjust to school culture and focus on learning, while providing their parents with information and resources on settlement and immigration issues.
  
• Increase parents' understanding of Canadian culture and the BC school system.
  
• Increase parent involvement in the school and community.
  
• Assess the needs of immigrant families and the barriers to successful integration.
  
• Increase access to and improve the effectiveness of programs, services and employment.

SWIS services are available in Farsi, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Filipino (Tagalog).

North Shore Multicultural Society

The day-to-day management and operation of the North Vancouver School District's SWIS program is carried out by the North Shore Multicultural Society. In partnering with the North Shore Multicultural Society, the North Vancouver School District widens access to expanded resources to provide better support to students and their families. For more information, including contact information, please see the North Shore Multicultural Society's website, or phone 604.988.2931.

Questions?

Sandra Singh
Principal, Braemar Elementary School
604-903-3277
ssingh@sd44.ca

Marc Larrive 
SWIS Manager
North Shore Multicultural Society
604-988-2931 ext. 272
marcl@nsms.ca