The Foundation Years Program

 
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Grades K to 3

Kindergarten is decisive in determining how a child views a school, and how a child views school greatly impacts learning.

Collaboration & Communication

Westside limits its class size to 15-17, employs expert teachers, and welcomes collaboration and communication with parents. These things enable strong personal growth and better learning.

 
Competent speakers and curious learners...

FYP At a Glance…

  • Grades 1-3 build on the work of Kindergarten to ensure strong readers, budding mathematicians, competent speakers and curious learners

  • Teachers enrich the BC curriculum with wider reading and keen observation of the students to enable deeper pursuit of newly engaging material

  • Grade 4 students also help in Kindergarten and Grade 1 to begin to understand responsibility and leadership

  • Upon completion of the Foundation Years Program, students will have built a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy, a strong work ethic, some sound research skills, and a growing sense of self, and are ready to meet Socrates in the Middle Years

 
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Kindergarten is Vital

We provide a warm, welcoming environment to ensure both physical and psychological safety necessary for learning. We emphasize the learning in three areas: cognitive, where we encourage curiosity while developing the key foundational skills that lead to literacy and numeracy; affective, where we teach and encourage kindness, co-operation, empathy and respect for all; and psycho-motor, where we develop skills that aid both physical and mental health, such as movement, dance, art, music and drama.

The Research shows:

  • Kindergarten experiences are vital in developing a child’s self-esteem and confidence

  • Kindergarten students where the adult to student ratio is 1: 15-17 do better than where it is 1: 22-25

  • Kindergarten students thrive better when parents and teachers co-operate and communicate well