FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions/Newcomers' Guide, 2011-2012 version

Here are some FAQs regarding life at our school. Please note that we moved to new facilities in the summer of 2011; for questions regarding the move, click here.

THE SCHOOL YEAR

Do you have any orientation for new students?
This September will be very busy with the move, so the exact shape of our "welcome" to our new buildings has yet to be determined.
In previous years, Kindergarten and grade one students have had a "staggered entry" at the start of the school year, with a portion of the class coming on the first instructional day, and other portions on the next few days, with everyone all together after everyone has had a chance to come with the smaller group. This information will be sent to parents directly by the K-1 teachers. Parents are welcome to accompany their K-1 students to class on the first day and stay for a little while.

What should my child bring on the first day of school?
No matter what the grade, on the first day of school just send the basics - a notebook of some sort and something to write with. Elementary students may wish to bring some basic art supplies, too. Mid-high students should bring their "textbook caution cheque" with them, details to be announced in late August. . The most recent student supplies list is posted here.
Each elementary classroom is a little different when it comes to the use and storage of school supplies, but that will be made clear within the first couple of days. We expect that Mid-High students will have lockers, but it takes a week or two to issue locks and finalize locker assignments.

Do you really do school photos prior to the school year?
We have done this for the past few years, and again this year had our main photo days on August 22-24.

Does Westmount have school uniforms?
No. However, just as there is a mode of dress suitable for business, professional work, the playing field, the gymnasium, or various social activities, there is also a mode of dress suitable for the classroom.  Good taste and judgment are among the educational goals we aspire to develop in our students. For more specific information about our dress code, please consult the parent/student handbook.  

When are the report cards? Do you use percentages or letter grades?
The most recent reporting cycle is posted here.
Mid-High Courses use percentage marks, while elementary classes use the following letter grades:
E for exceeding,
C for commendable,
M for meeting expectations, and
N for not yet evidenced.

When do I meet my son/daughter's teachers? How do I book a time to meet with them regarding student progress?
There are meet-the-teacher nights in mid-September (date posted on the monthly calendar). Parents of high school students, please check your son/daughter's timetable to see which teachers they will have in the spring semester, as there has not typically been a second meet-the-teacher time in the spring.
In the 2011-2012 school year, formal Parent-Teacher interview days have been set aside: November 25, 2011 and March 23, 2012. Typically, these are by appointment only, at the request of parents or teachers - just send the teacher an email to arrange a time. In addition, parents and staff are encouraged, when the need arises, to request an after-school meeting to develop strategies that will enable the student to improve. For some tips on developing positive communications with your child's teachers, click here!

Are there opportunities to get to know other Westmount parents? What is expected of me as a Westmount parent?
School Council meetings are held on a monthly basis - see the website's monthly calendar for dates. School Council meetings are a great place to get involved with other parents at our school, and an excellent place to keep track of what is happening on "the other campus" now that we have moved to two facilities.
In addition, involvement with school organizations such as the Westmount Music Association ("Band Parents") or the planning team for our annual "Spring Fling" silent auction fundraiser, are great meeting-places. School Council also offers parent-to-parent Mentoring; click here to send an email expressing your interest in exploring this!
We encourage each family to contribute at least ten volunteer hours each year. Volunteerism is a key aspect of student life, particularly at high school, and it's great if students can see their parents modeling this. We have found it to be a key aspect in building a positive, engaged school culture for everyone concerned.

Do you have a Christmas Concert, or other school concerts? Do all grades K-12 participate?
As a school with a very rich diversity of cultures, for many years we have offered concerts in December: Deck the Halls - a celebration of the season, an afternoon event for elementary grade students, and the Winter Band/Orchestra/Choir concerts, for grade 5-12 students. Check the calendar for both events.
Elementary grades have monthly assemblies, each month's assembly featuring presentations by a different grade, and parents are most welcome to attend. Additional Band/Orchestra/Choir concerts are usually held in February, May (Jazz Night fundraiser), and June (outdoor concert) - check the calendar for details. In addition, Westmount is the host and founder of the Summerstock High School Musical Theatre program, which rehearses throughout the school year to produce a great open-air show in the summer at Olympic Plaza. See www.summerstock.ca for details.

My child is in the Kindergarten program at Westmount. Is it true that they have to re-apply for grade one?
Yes. Kindergarten is considered an "optional" program in the province of Alberta, and students are not assessed prior to their entrance into Westmount Kindergarten, so... Kindergarten students must go through Westmount's thorough assessment process in order to apply for grade one. Information coming home early in the new year will outline the steps in the application process.
To reiterate: attendance in the Westmount Kindergarten program does not indicate automatic acceptance into the Westmount Charter School Grade One program. For more information about Kindergarten, click here.

Do Westmount students in grades 1-11 have to re-apply each year?
Once students have been accepted into the grade 1-12 program and are achieving at a suitable level, they do not need to go through the assessment process each year, but parents do need to log in and re-register their children each February, and pay a deposit toward the next year's instructional resource and transportation fees. This is our only way of knowing how many spaces will be available for new students, and gaining the information needed to plan the following year's bus routes.


I've heard about a laptop program at Westmount. Where would I learn more?
Westmount's laptop program began in January 2010 with a pilot project involving grade 10 students. Following that very successful pilot program, the laptop program continued in the fall of 2010, with the incoming grade 6s and 10s involved. In 2011-2012 grades 6,7,10,11 and 12 are "mandatory laptop" grades. In order to make this easier for parents, Westmount has "academic pricing" available on Apple laptops - this may be accessed by families registered at Westmount via the login section of this website. For full details and forms, click here.

I understand that you don't charge tuition, but as with any publicly-funded school there are some instructional resource fees. What are the fees, and are fee waivers available?
A schedule of the current school year's instructional resource fees is available here; if you feel that you need to apply for a fee waiver, click here to download the form. Please note that transportation fees are not eligible for waiver. In addition, if your mid-high student is interested in going on one of the "big trips" (eg., grade 8 to West Coast, grade 9/10 to Washington DC, Fine Arts trip to NYC), there are bursaries available - click here for the bursary information and form.

DAILY ROUTINES

If my child is going to be away at a medical appointment, or is ill and will not be attending school, how do I notify the school?
Please call 403.217.0426, pick option 1, and leave a message. PLEASE indicate your child's symptoms if he/she is ill, to help the school know if there are a large number of students away with similar symptoms. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This line is very busy from 7:00-9:00 AM on school days, so if you know about your child's absence in advance, please call ahead of time.
Once we have separate phone lines running into the two campuses, please call your campus phone number - and still pick option 1, whichever number you're phoning.
We do ask, in the interest of everyone's health, that children be kept home if they are ill. In particular, it is important that children showing symptoms of "Influenza-Like Illness" (see the Health and Wellness page for more on this) stay home until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours.

My child forgot to bring his/her lunch. What happens next?
In past years, we have had emergency lunch supplies available at the elementary office - all the student needs to do is come and ask, and a simple lunch will be provided. Parents and students are reminded, however, that this "emergency" service is not intended as a replacement for or supplement to bringing a proper lunch. Please also remember to send cutlery with your child if it is needed - the office goes through hundreds of disposable forks and spoons each year!
In addition, our Health and Wellness Committee has worked hard to provide additional "healthy eating" options for all grades, which are ongoing in our new facilities. Click here for details.

My child has potentially life-threatening allergies/need medication administered at school. How do I inform you, and how is that handled?
At annual registration time, the online registration system asks a variety of medical questions and has a link to the "Administration of Prescription Medication and/or Medical Treatment Form" (form may be downloaded here). If your child has life-threatening allergies, and/or has medication or treatments that need to be administered at school, this form MUST be completed annually, signed by a physician, and returned to the Office at your campus. This information enables the school and its staff to develop commonly-understood emergency plans, should that student come into contact with his/her allergens.
Students with life-threatening allergies need to carry an Epinephrine injector (Epi-Pen, Twin-Ject) at all times AND if it is an Epi-Pen, a backup/second dose needs to be stored at the Office. Other parent-provided medications are labelled and stored at the Office.
Parents and students are to recognize the importance of not having common anaphylaxis-inducing allergens (in particular, peanuts, tree nuts and nut products) in students' lunches and in foods sent to school for class parties. All students are discouraged from sharing lunch items, and this is particularly imperative in the case of students with life-threatening allergies. Hand-washing before lunch is another important practice to prevent cross-contamination. In addition, each monthly newsletter reminds the school community of the importance of keeping our environment "nut sensitive."
The school does its best to ensure that food vendors contracted by the school, do not knowingly sell foods containing nuts or nut products. It is still important to "read the label", as some convenience foods may change their production process from batch to batch.

Does Westmount offer before and after school care?
A private service provider, Westmount Student Care, has provided before and after school care for elementary students for many years on a fee-for-service basis. Their phone number is 403.279.3190. Once again, they will have space in our elementary campus this fall.
Please note that Westmount Charter School staff are available to supervise students from 8:15 AM (mid-high) or 8:20 (elementary) to 4:00 PM only, with the assumption that parents will make every effort to pick up their child(ren) as soon as the school day ends. . If you are going to be earlier or later than these times, please make alternate arrangements for your child.

What is the school's stance on Homework?
Please click here for a document dealing with homework expectations at Westmount Charter School.

Could I see a sample Newsletter?
We have discontinued our old "hard copy" newsletter and replaced it with an "Online Newsletter" - click here! As well, if you log in to the password-protected part of the website, an archive of old Newsletter articles is available.

FACILITY

Are there maps of the new schools?
Due to security concerns, we will not be posting floor plans online. For a basic indication of the locations and neighbourhoods, click here.

Are you part of the CBE (Calgary Board of Education)? I'm still a bit confused about Charter Schools.
Westmount is entirely separate from the Calgary Board of Education. Each Charter School in Alberta is an autonomous, publicly funded school with its own elected Board. For more information about Alberta's Charter Schools, click here. Like a typical community-based school, we levy a modest instructional resource fee but are publicly funded - we cannot and do not charge tuition.

9 November 2011