A Newcomer's Guide to Westmount Charter School

If you're reading this page, you're likely a student looking for a sense of how things work at Westmount - or the parent of a student recently admitted to Westmount - or a parent who has been here for a while, and is still wondering about the culture and rhythms of Westmount.

With a K-12 school on two campuses, and the wide range of personalities and learning styles within a gifted student population, it's hard to find one-size-fits-all answers... but a great starting point is the Student/Parent Handbook. The handbook covers the following topics:

Academic Integrity
A ttendance and Extended Absences
Communications between Home and School
Day One - Day Two Calendar
Dress Code
Electronic devices and valuable personal property
Emergency Contacts
Hallway behaviour
High School Gifted Ed Diplomas
Infirmary
Internet Use
Locks and Lockers
Lunch Break
Online Library and LearnAlberta website
School Closure notification (eg. Snow Days)
School Office Hours
School/Parent/Student partnership
Student code of Conduct, smoking, vandalism- click here for full text of Admin Procedure 340
Student Services
Telephone use
Transportation and Parking
Vending Machines (grades 5-12)
Visitors

Here are some additional FAQs regarding life at our school - click on the keyword in each question for the answer!

THE SCHOOL YEAR - see the general page for elementary, mid and high for daily timetable information

• Do you have any orientation for new students?
• What should my child bring on the first day of school?
• Do you really do school photos prior to the school year?
• Does Westmount have school uniforms?
• When are the report cards? Do you use percentages or letter grades?
• When do I meet my son/daughter's teachers? How do I book a time to meet with them regarding student progress?
• Are there opportunities to get to know other Westmount parents? What is expected of me as a Westmount parent?
• Do you have a Christmas Concert, or other school concerts? Do all grades K-12 participate?
• My child is in the Kindergarten program at Westmount. Is it true that they have to re-apply for grade one? How do I do this?
• Do Westmount students in grades 1-11 have to re-apply each year?
• I've heard about a laptop program at Westmount. Where would I learn more?
• 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?
  

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? Do you have any special advise regarding Influenza-Like Illnesses?
• How will you let me know if there is a snow day or other emergency school closure?
• If we are going to be away for an extended vacation or other lengthy absence, do we get a homework package from the school?
  
• My child forgot to bring his/her lunch. What happens next?
• My child has potentially life-threatening allergies/needs medication administered at school. How do I inform you, and how is that handled?
• Does Westmount offer before and after school care?
• Is there a playground? recess?
• What is the school's stance on homework?
• Is there a school newsletter?

FACILITY

• Are there maps of the school campuses?
• Are you part of the CBE (Calgary Board of Education)? I'm still a bit confused about Charter Schools.

Another source of information is this website! Check the buttons on the left of this page to link you to all kinds of information about our school, including staff email addresses and teacher blog sites.

If you have other questions that need answering, please contact a teacher, the school office (admin@westmountcharter.com, elementary campus phone 403.217.0426, midhigh campus phone 403.217.9427) or the communications coordinator.

We wish you a rewarding experience with Westmount Charter School!

16 May 2013

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