Westmount Admission Procedures

Our mandate is to provide an excellent, publicly-funded program for Gifted Learners. Westmount Charter School defines Giftedness in this way: "Students are gifted when they perform, or show potential for performing, remarkably high levels of accomplishment in learning rate, depth of knowledge, and reasoning and problem-solving abilities when compared to others of their age, experience, and environment."

Since we honour the extraordinary variety of ways in which students express their giftedness, we use a variety of tools in the qualification process prior to registration. All applicants provide a significant amount of written information: self/parent assessment, academic records, and professional references/recommendations. If there are psychological-educational assessments in place, those are requested. In addition, students from grades 1 to 8 will come to the school for a day of testing and observation; students from grades 9-12 will come to the school for a half day only. Students from grade 9 to 12 will also be invited to engage in an assessment interview in addition to the written information that they submit.

Our largest intake group is at the grade one level where there will be 68 spaces (four classes) in 2012-2013. Please note, however, that the grade one intake group in 2013-2014 will be smaller due to a change in the 2012-2013 kindergarten intake - click here for more grade 1 details.

Since our high school program is still young, there will typically be a number of openings in grades 10, 11 and 12; the openings at any of the other grades (2-9) is typically 5 or fewer per grade level.

In addition, we offer a popular Kindergarten program. The Kindergarten admission process has undergone significant change - to learn about these changes, check this link.

Information Nights

Westmount is hosting two information nights for 2012-2013:

• Kindergarten and Grade One: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Elementary Gym, 728-32 St NW.
• Grades 9-12: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Mid-High Gym, 2nd floor of 2215 Uxbridge Dr NW.

There will not be an information night for grades 2-8, but parents interested in these grades are welcome to attend either of the info nights listed above.

If your child has very specific learning needs, and you would like to discuss these with one of our administrators, please begin the process by attending one of the information nights listed above. You will find that our program addresses a wide array of gifted learners' needs, and at the information night many teachers, administrators and other staff members will be available to answer questions.

Choosing a program for your gifted child

Click here for a "white paper" by Martha Faulkner, entitled Choosing a School Program for Gifted Students.

29 January 2012

How to Apply

For specific information regarding Student Application/Registration processes, including "information night" dates, please follow these links. Please note that there have been recent, significant changes to our application procedures.

Kindergarten: apply by Feb 29th
High School (grades 9-12): apply by February 15th

All other grades: apply by Feb 8th
Grade One
Grades 2 -4
Mid-grades (grades 5-8)

We also have an
admissions blog with reminders of the steps to be taken toward registration, and a series of information pamphlets:
High School (grades 9-12)
Mid Grades (grades 5-8)
Elementary (grades 1-4)
Kindergarten

Westmount Charter School offers a very popular program. Over 900 attended our elementary and mid-high information nights in February 2011, and several hundred student applicants tested for admission in the spring of 2011. In addition, nearly 300 were present for the 2011 Kindergarten information night.

The 2012 elementary information night, held January 18, was exceptionally well-attended... on a very chilly evening! The High School information night on January 25 was also well attended.