While we were happy to hear that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) agreed to open intake for junior kindergarten (JK) at Riverview School for September 2026, parents will see that the process is a bit different to register a child for JK at Riverview or other current Alternative schools. Unfortunately, we have heard that the OCDSB does not plan to host Kindergarten Information Nights nor place kindergarten registration signs in front of the Alternative schools.
The plans for future programming beyond JK are still not finalized, and registration for the current SK-6 classes, which still follow the Alternative curriculum, is not open to new students for 2026/27 school year. The school board has told parents and community representatives that plans for the alternative schools will be made as a top priority, within the next 24 months at latest.
The JK program for the alternative school sites are now listed on the OCDSB School Locator, as: “Year 1 (JK) 50/50 KG at ALT Schools”. If you put a Riverview Park address in the School Locator and choose JK as a grade level of interest, Riverview School will be one of the options for registration.
The OCDSB has also included an extra step in the JK registration process at the alternative schools, with an Intent to Register Google form in addition to the standard registration form. Parents are asked to fill out the Intent to Register form by April 8, 2026 if possible.
This form serves 2 purposes:
Helps the OCDSB to track transfers if they’ve already registered at another OCDSB school for JK.
Ensures families are aware that the grade 1 program is not yet determined.