The Westside School

Welcome to The Westside Schools

At The Westside School students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 gain a solid foundation for their future. Every student is known, cared about, and understood by Westside’s dedicated and passionate teachers

Vision and Mission:

The Westside Schools’ vision is of a school that re-imagines learning for a changing world, is a place of happy excellence, and a leader in learning. All students are provided with every support necessary to flourish and succeed so that when they graduate, they will be ready for the next stage in life. 

The Westside Schools’ Mission is to develop an enquiry-based approach to education that fosters creativity, promotes academic excellence, nurtures human relationships, and inspires a growing passion for learning in every student. The Westside Schools aim to be a physically and psychologically safe learning community of creative, joyful, passionate learners who engage in courageous and innovative thinking.

Clubs:

• Musical Theatre
• Science Experiment
• Chef’s Kitchen
• Spanish
• Mandarin
• Digital Design through Adobe Creative Cloud
• Creativity Through Art and Design
• Engineering Quest
• Lego Challenge
• Robotics
• Chess Club
• Stop Motion Animation
• Drama
• Run Club
• STEM Study Club
• Math Contest Preparation

The clubs change every year and every semester based on demand and the availability of club leaders.

University Track:

Westside offers specialist preparation for university. It offers a special program called ‘University Track’ which provides comprehensive coverage of matters that inform decisions about University entry. The program includes regular visits from University Admissions Officers, detailed guidance on application procedures, exploratory visits to Universities, enriched mini-courses to establish a scholarly mindset, and the permanent services of a University Counsellor.

Community:

Some of the ways Westside builds a strong community every year are as follows:
• Parent Academies
• Mixed grade events, competitions, and activities
• Community Pot-Luck lunches
• Weekly Assemblies
• Middle Years Alternative Programming Week twice per year
• Middle Years Camp Week
• Mixed grade Super Curriculum programming
• Musical Theatre program culminating in the Spring Concert
• The Christmas Concert

Westside also does its best to make a positive contribution to the greater Vancouver community as well by participating in some of the following:

• Performances and companionship for Seniors
• Purchasing goods and services from local suppliers
• Providing speakers on education for local clubs and societies
• Participating in local charity and civic initiatives
• Encouraging student volunteerism

Tips For Parents:

Little kids need instant feedback, so it’s okay for parents of young grade-schoolers to correct mistakes. Then emphasize what your kid’s done well. After she’s finished, take her paper and say “Hmm, I’m looking for something . . .” After scanning it for a minute, say “Aha! Look how well you wrote your letters in this part!” or “This sentence is even better than the one you came up with yesterday!” If you praise specific improvements, your little learner will become more inclined to try to do a good job the first time around.