Trafalgar Middle School

About

Trafalgar Middle School is located at 1201 Josephine St, Nelson, BC V1L 1X8. The school serves over 550 learners in grades 6–9 and describes itself as an energetic and diverse community. Trafalgar emphasizes students embracing respect, ownership, acceptance, and resilience.

At a Glance

School type: Public School (Kootenay Lake)

Education language: Trafalgar Middle School offers a Late French Immersion pathway in Nelson, with an intensive program in grades 6–7 that prepares students to follow the French Immersion curriculum in grades 8–9. The district notes students are welcome in the late entry program with any level of prior French experience.

Religious affiliation: None / Secular

Grades: 6-9

Phone: 250 352-5591

Email: tim.mushumanski@sd8.bc.ca

Principal: Tim Mushumanski

Education Languages

Trafalgar Middle School offers a Late French Immersion pathway in Nelson, with an intensive program in grades 6–7 that prepares students to follow the French Immersion curriculum in grades 8–9. The district notes students are welcome in the late entry program with any level of prior French experience.

Programs and Services

French Immersion (program of choice) Trafalgar Middle School is a Nelson site for SD8’s Late French Immersion, with grade 6 entry and an intensive grade 6–7 program that leads into French Immersion in grades 8–9. The school has also supported Grade 9 French Immersion student exchanges to Quebec. Lifelong Explorations (LLE) exploratory courses Trafalgar offers “student-centered, hands-on, and minds-on” Lifelong Explorations courses that are multi-age and updated each term. Regular offerings include athletics-focused options (e.g., Golf, Hockey Academy, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer), health and fitness (e.g., Outdoor Recreation, Swim and Gym), leadership/citizenship (e.g., Green Leadership, Newspaper), arts/design (e.g., Photography, Stitch ‘n Craft, Creativity with Clay, Filmmaking, Jewelry Making, Drama/Theatre), and science/technology (e.g., Makerspace & Robotics, Hands on Science, Woodwork). Fine Arts & Applied Design/Skills/Technology (Core Options) Students in all grades can rotate through courses including Woodworking, Visual Art, Textiles, Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking, Drama, and Food Studies. Student well-being / mental health prevention The school is implementing the PreVenture Program, an evidence-based preventive mental health program for youth ages 12–18 that includes two workshops focused on personality style, coping strategies, and goal-setting.

School Culture and Expectations

Trafalgar Middle School highlights a school culture where students strive to embrace respect, ownership, acceptance, and resilience as part of an energetic and diverse community. The school and district also acknowledge, respect, and honour the First Nations in whose traditional territories SD8 operates. For students using district transportation, SD8’s bus code of conduct emphasizes safety and respectful behaviour (e.g., orderly loading, remaining seated, no profanity, and following driver and school administrator directions).

Transportation, Parking, and Getting Here

SD8’s bus code of conduct outlines expectations for safe transportation, including arriving at the bus stop at least five minutes early, boarding in an orderly manner, staying seated while the bus is moving, and crossing in front of the bus only on the driver’s signal (crossing behind the bus is not permitted). It also includes rules for permitted carry-on items (e.g., small band instruments in an appropriate case) and notes that principals may discipline bus-related misbehaviour. (No Trafalgar-specific drop-off/parking details were provided in the sources.)

Enrollment

For SD8’s Late French Immersion (including Trafalgar Middle School’s Nelson program), the district directs families interested in French Immersion to contact the schools directly. Eligibility information is provided for the Nelson program (completed grade 5 and resident in SD8; for late entry in grades 7–12, families must contact the applicable school principal).