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Burnaby Schools opens spring break camps to younger students in 2027

The district is running spring break camps for a second year, now expanding from grades 4 to 8 to include grades 1 to 3. Registration opens December 7.

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Burnaby School District is offering spring break camps for a second consecutive year in 2027, and for the first time the program is open to students in grades 1 to 3. Last year the camps ran for grades 4 to 8. Registration opens December 7, 2026.

District Principal Helena Readman is quoted on the district's news page as saying the district ran the first year with older grades, heard strong feedback from families, and decided to open the program to younger students: "we wanted to expand it to primary students as a next step."

Who can attend and where

The district's program page at burnabyschools.ca lists four school locations for the 2027 camps. Students in grades 1 to 3 attend at Confederation Park Elementary or Gilpin Elementary. Students in grades 4 to 8 attend at Moscrop Secondary or Burnaby North Secondary. All four locations are in Burnaby.

The program is open to Burnaby School District students. Children who attend school outside the district can apply through a separate pre-approval process that opens November 30, 2026. That pre-approval must be completed by December 4 for the family to register on the first day of open registration.

Dates, costs and activities

The program runs over two separate weeks. Week one runs from Monday March 15 to Friday March 19, 2027 and costs $400. Week two runs from Monday March 22 to Thursday March 25, 2027 and costs $320. Each day runs from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, except the first day of each week, which starts at 10:00 am, according to the program page. Families can register for one or both weeks.

The activity list covers a range of subjects. For the younger grades, the program page lists outdoor education, cooking, fibre arts, sports including basketball, volleyball, soccer, pickleball and table tennis, visual arts, and drama and dance. For grades 4 to 8, it adds robotics, Minecraft and movie making. The activities offered at each school may vary, the page notes.

Registration timeline

The registration dates as listed on the program page:

  • November 30, 2026: Pre-approval process opens for non-district students
  • December 4, 2026: Pre-approval deadline for first-day registration
  • December 7, 2026: Registration opens for Burnaby School District students
  • January 29, 2027: Registration closes for all students

Families can register at burnabyschools.ca/spring-break-camps/. The district's spring camps team can be reached by phone at 604-296-6902.

Who governs the district now

Seven trustees were elected in Burnaby on October 17, 2026. All ran with BCA, the Burnaby Citizens Association: Kristin Schnider, Bill Brassington, Hillary Bergshoeff, Jen Mezei, Paul Kwon, Stephen Andrada and Colin Zuo.

The Burnaby Schools events page lists the Board of Education's inaugural session on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at 7:00 pm at the District Administration Office at 4054 Norfolk Street in Burnaby. The meeting is open to the public. No agenda has been posted yet. The next regular Board meeting after the inaugural session is December 15, 2026 at 7:00 pm at the same address, according to the Board's events calendar.

The new trustees take over a district that is still responding to a ransomware attack discovered on September 21, 2026. The district's incident update page says files containing student, parent and staff personal information were accessed and stolen. The investigation is ongoing, and the district is working with Burnaby RCMP and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC. Families affected by the attack who have not yet registered with TransUnion's Fraud Alert Database can find the offer on the district's incident page at burnabyschools.ca.

What the new trustees have promised about school programs

The BCA's 2026 platform includes several commitments that touch on district programming. The platform commits to growing the school meals program so no student goes hungry. It commits to expanding after-school programs at schools, with access for all families. It also commits to expanding the swimming and lifeguard programs to every student in Burnaby, building on a City-funded Grade 5 swimming program the previous trustees helped bring to schools.

The platform also commits to press the Ministry of Education and Child Care for predictable, stable funding that grows as Burnaby grows, and for the money needed to provide learning supports for students who need them.

None of these commitments have been acted on yet, as the new board's term begins with the November 24 inaugural session. The Burnaby promise tracker records each trustee's pledges and will be updated as the board makes decisions through the four-year term.

What residents can do

Families who want to register for the 2027 spring break camps can note December 7 as the opening date. The program page at burnabyschools.ca/spring-break-camps/ will carry registration details when the window opens. Families with children in schools outside the Burnaby School District should start the pre-approval process when it opens November 30, so they are ready to register on December 7.

Residents who want to attend the Board of Education's inaugural session can do so on November 24 at 7:00 pm at 4054 Norfolk Street. The Burnaby Schools events page at burnabyschools.ca will post the agenda before the meeting.

Questions this story answers

What grades can attend Burnaby Schools spring break camps in 2027?

Burnaby School District's spring break camps program page says the 2027 camps serve students in grades 1 to 8. That is an expansion from the first year of the program, which ran for grades 4 to 8. District Principal Helena Readman is quoted on the district's news page as saying the district received strong feedback from families after the first year and decided to open the camps to younger students as a next step.

When do Burnaby Schools spring break camps run in 2027?

The district's spring break camps page lists two separate weeks. Week one runs from Monday March 15 to Friday March 19, 2027. Week two runs from Monday March 22 to Thursday March 25, 2027. Both weeks run from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm each day, except the first day of each week which starts at 10:00 am, according to the program page. Families can register for one or both weeks.

How much do Burnaby Schools spring break camps cost?

According to the district's spring break camps page, week one (March 15 to 19) costs $400 per student. Week two (March 22 to 25) costs $320 per student. The page does not list any subsidy or reduced-fee information. Families with questions can reach the district's spring camps team by phone at 604-296-6902 or through the program page at burnabyschools.ca/spring-break-camps/.

Where are Burnaby Schools spring break camps held?

The district's program page lists four locations for the 2027 camps. Students in grades 1 to 3 attend camps at Confederation Park Elementary or Gilpin Elementary. Students in grades 4 to 8 attend camps at Moscrop Secondary or Burnaby North Secondary. The program page does not explain how students are assigned to a specific site. Families can find more details at burnabyschools.ca/spring-break-camps/ or by calling 604-296-6902.

When does registration open for Burnaby Schools spring break camps?

The district's program page says registration opens on Sunday, December 7, 2026 for Burnaby School District students. Families whose children attend schools outside Burnaby School District need to complete a pre-approval process first: that process opens November 30, 2026, and must be completed by December 4 to register on the first day. The final registration deadline for all students is January 29, 2027.

What activities are offered at Burnaby Schools spring break camps?

The district's program page lists activities across two age groups. For grades 1 to 3, the page lists outdoor education, cooking, fibre arts, sports including basketball, volleyball, soccer, pickleball and table tennis, visual arts, and drama and dance. For grades 4 to 8, it adds robotics, Minecraft and movie making to a similar activity list. The program page notes that specific activities offered at each school may vary.

Who runs the Burnaby Board of Education now, and when does it meet next?

Seven trustees were elected on October 17, 2026, all running with the BCA, Burnaby Citizens Association. They are Kristin Schnider, Bill Brassington, Hillary Bergshoeff, Jen Mezei, Paul Kwon, Stephen Andrada and Colin Zuo. The Burnaby Schools events page lists the Board of Education's inaugural session on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at 7:00 pm at the District Administration Office, 4054 Norfolk Street in Burnaby. The meeting is open to the public.

What have the new Burnaby school trustees promised about school programs?

The BCA's 2026 platform, as recorded in the voche.me promise tracker for each trustee, includes commitments to grow the school meals program, to expand after-school programs at schools with access for all families, and to expand the swimming and lifeguard programs to every student. The platform also commits to press the Ministry of Education and Child Care for predictable, stable funding. None of these commitments have been acted on yet, as the new Board's first meeting is November 24. Each trustee's promises are tracked at the Burnaby promise tracker at voche.me.

How can Burnaby families register for the spring break camps?

Families with students in Burnaby School District can register starting December 7, 2026 at burnabyschools.ca/spring-break-camps/. Families whose children attend schools outside Burnaby School District must complete a pre-approval process that opens November 30, 2026, and finish it by December 4 to be eligible to register on December 7. The registration deadline for all students is January 29, 2027. The district's spring camps team can be reached by phone at 604-296-6902 with questions.

Sources

The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.

  1. Burnaby Schools, Spring Break Camps program pageburnabyschools.ca
  2. Burnaby Schools, Spring Break Camps Expand to More Grades, November 13, 2026burnabyschools.ca
  3. Burnaby Schools, Board of Education Public Meeting, Inaugural Session, November 24, 2026burnabyschools.ca
  4. BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association, 2026 platformburnaby-citizens.ca
  5. voche.me, Burnaby promise trackervoche.me

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