After-School Meetings with Teachers
- If you wish to meet with your teacher after school for any reason, please contact your child’s teacher ahead of time to set an appropriate time and date.
Age Entrance Requirements
- Children can start kindergarten in the fall of 2023 if they turn 5 years old on or before December 31, 2023.
Attendance
- It is important that attendance be regular.
- Please see that he/she arrives at school on time for his/her classes.
- Please call the office attendance line to report lates/absences prior to 8:00 AM at 403-777-8420, ext 1.
- Read more on our Attendance page.
Backpack / Tote Bag
- Items to bring each day - Backpack large enough for duo-tangs, a small healthy snack in a reusable lunch bag.
- As a gift from our School Council, each kindergarten student will receive a blue hand bag with the school logo on it. This will be used for transporting library books between home and school!
Birthdays
- An important day for each of our students is the day that the class celebrates their birthday! We ask that families please refrain from sending food or other items from home to celebrate birthdays. Teachers may recognize birthdays in other ways. Food or other items from home will not be distributed to the class as part of the celebration. If you are having a birthday party for your child, please give all invitations to your child’s teacher and they will be handed out discreetly.
Book Orders
- You may receive order forms from the Scholastic Book Club.
- These orders are completely optional.
- Orders will be promptly sent into Scholastic after the stated due date.
Busing
- Kindergarten students are escorted from the bus to their meeting place when they arrive and from the school to the bus at the end of the day.
- Read more on our Busing page.
Change of Contact Information
- If you have any change in contact information, such as a new home address, change of work contact phone number, email address or additions to emergency contact information during the school year, please notify the office immediately so that the student records may be updated.
Clothing / Shoes
- Please send your child in comfortable play clothing in which he/she can sit on the floor, play games and paint without having to worry about keeping clean.
- Please keep a change of clothes in your child’s backpack if you feel it could be required.
- Please make sure your child can put on his/her shoes and do them up INDEPENDENTLY.
- Velcro or coil laces are the best if tying has not yet been mastered. Please help your child to practice doing up buttons and zippers at home.
- Items to be left at school - Inside shoes (gym shoes) with non-marking soles. Both shoes must be well labelled in permanent marker with child’s name.
- Read more on our Dress Code page.
Fees
- For school fees, check the Fees page on our website at Registration > Fees.
Field Trips (Off-site Activities)
- Off-site activities are organized by the kindergarten teachers.
- Their purpose is to complement the Program of Studies in kindergarten.
- Parent permission slips are sent home before each field trip/excursion.
- Fees will be charged to cover the cost of field trips/excursion.
- Any adults wishing to volunteer and participate in excursions must have authorization and a completed CBE security clearance check.
- Read more on our Off-Site Activities page.
FOIP (Freedom of Information Privacy Protection Act)
- In September 1998, the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (FOIP) was made law in Alberta. Due to this act, publication of private information is confidential.
- Pictures and videos of students are restricted to public events only (e.g. special events and assemblies). Consent forms are required for pictures that are to be published (e.g. yearbook) or shared with others. The taking of pictures and videos will be restricted to special events and assemblies.
- Read more on our Governance & Legislation page.
Hours
Kindergarten
- Morning class 8:00 AM - 10:53 AM
- Afternoon class 11:41 AM - 2:34 PM
- Alternating Fridays 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM (The 2023-24 Westgate Calendar will be available in the fall)
- Read more on our Contact Us page.
Grades 1-6
- Monday - Thursday 8:00 AM - 2:34 PM, lunch hours will be communicated in the fall.
- Fridays 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Labelling
- All of your child's belongings should be labelled clearly with your child's full name using a permanent marker.
Learning Commons (Library)
- The library schedule will be announced in the fall.
- Children are allowed only TWO books at a time.
- Please ensure that the books are returned to school on the appropriate day as designated on the timetable.
- Your child will not be able to borrow a new book until the previous one is returned.
- If a book is lost or damaged, you will be expected to pay to replace the book.
- Read more on our Learning Commons page.
Mail & General Communication with Teachers
- Teachers welcome open communication with families.
- Please note that the primary means of communication between home and school is via notes and email.
- Please ensure that when you send notes to teachers, that you include your child’s name and the date, as well as clearly write your message with any contact information required (if applicable).
- Read more on Our Staff page.
Non-Instruction Days
Please see our calendar on the Calendar page. The 2023-24 Westgate Calendar will be available in the fall.
Outdoor Supervision
- Supervision is provided 15 minutes before the start of both the morning and afternoon kindergarten programs outside the southwest doors.
- Supervision for Grades 1-6 is provided 15 minutes before school starts in the morning.
- Supervision is not available after school, except for bussed students.
- Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather while waiting for classes to begin.
- Read more on our School Property page.
Parking
- Please note that there is NO parking in the parking lots at the school. The spaces are reserved for staff.
- It is always important to model street safety, especially in a school zone.
- Always use the crosswalk or cross at the street corner with your child, NOT between busses.
- Please do NOT park in any of our bussing zones or in the alley across from the school; we want to be considerate of our neighbours.
- Do not make U-Turns with your vehicle in front of the school building.
- Be mindful/respectful of all signage around the school.
- The best place to park is on the south side of the schoolyard by the compound.
- Read more on our Parking and Drop-Off page.
Report Cards / Conferences
Safety Over Convenience
- Children must be signed-out by a parent/guardian via the office for early pick-ups, and signed in at the office if they are late.
- For any changes in your child’s routine, meet your child at the door they are dismissed out of or at the bus.
- Please don’t be late picking up your child.
- For safety and security reasons, please be aware that the only access to the school during the day is through the front entrance.
- Read more on our Security page.
School Supplies
- Within the kindergarten classroom the supplies are "common" so that the children can help themselves to the necessary items depending on the task.
- A backpack and indoor shoes are required.
- Read more on our Back to School page.
Snacks & Allergy Awareness
- Healthy snacks should be small so that they can be eaten within a 5 minute time frame.
- Students are asked not to share their snacks and our classrooms are maintained as Nut-Free Zones. Snacks with nuts or nut products are not permitted. Your cooperation and understanding is greatly appreciated.
- Read more on our Lunchtime page and Illness & Medical page.
Staggered Entry for Kindergarten Students
- The kindergarten program will use a staggered entry for the first two days of school.
- Thursday, August 31, 2023 students with last names beginning with the letters A - L will attend at the following times:
AM Classes: 8:00 am - 9:50 am
PM Classes: 11:41 am - 1:30 pm - Friday, September 1, 2023 students with last names beginning with the letters M - Z will attend at the following times:
AM Classes: 8:00 am - 9:50 am
PM Classes: 10:10 am - 12:00 pm - Monday, September 5, 2023 all Kindergarten students will attend classes.
Subscribe to Receive School Emails
- Due to Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, parents and guardians need to subscribe online if you want to receive school messages on topics such as student fees, picture days, field trip costs, yearbooks, fun lunches and more. Subscribe online at www.cbe.ab.ca/subscribe.
- Read more on our Subscribe to School Messages page.
Toys
- Please remind your child not to bring toys or other "treasures" to school. If it is too important to lose don’t bring it to school.
- Read more on our Personal Belongings page.
Volunteering
- We encourage parents to volunteer beginning in October.
- CBE policy is that a Calgary Police Service Clearance must be received before anyone is allowed to volunteer. The first step of the process must be done at the school office and the second part on your own (on-line or at the police station). You need to have government issued photo ID to apply for a police check.
- Police clearances are valid for 5 years at any CBE school.
- You must have lived in Canada for at least 1 year before you can apply and you must also have a current Calgary address.
- Due to liability, volunteers are not permitted to bring other children with them when volunteering, please make alternate arrangements for siblings.
- Read more on our Volunteer page.
Westgate School Council
- Westgate School Council meetings are held at 6:30 PM on the last Thursday of the month in September, October, November, January, February, April and May. Meeting dates can be found on the School Council page of our website.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
- Read more on our School Council page.
