EARLY YEARS GRADES 1-4

Westpark School meets and exceeds the Manitoba Curriculum in Early Years education with a Christ-centered approach.  Our students are supported in their formative years as they gain an understanding of foundational skills that will serve them well as they enter Middle Years.  We provide a safe and nurturing Early Years environment, where children are encouraged to continuously build upon their knowledge and understanding in literacy, numeracy, music, Phys.Ed, social studies and science.

  • 15 students average Early Years class size

  • 200 minutes spent in laddered ability literacy groups each week

  • 5 days per week prayer and devotion time

  • All students in grades 1-4 are assessed and assigned to a literacy group.  These small groups meet for 40 minutes each day, 5 days per week and offer focused practice reading, writing, and spelling, moving in the direction of Structured Literacy.

    A home reading program is provided to all Early Years students to encourage a love of reading at this important stage of development.

  • Students are taught addition and subtraction in grades 1 and 2, and later build upon these skills in grades 3 and 4 with multiplication, fractions and division.

  • Our Early Years music program has students singing and playing unpitched percussion instruments as they learn rhythm, beat and composition.

    In Grade 3, students are taught note names as they begin to read music and play melodies on pitched instruments like xylophones and glockenspiels. Through canon singing and partner songs, young musicians are taught harmony, and in Grade 4 recorders are introduced as students are prepared for instrument band in middle years.

    Early Years students have three major performances each year, including the Christmas and Spring Concerts.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

  • Our students benefit from having a Resource Teacher, a team of Educational Assistants, and a School Counsellor who provide support for a host of needs. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, and educational psychological assessments are some of the additional tools available to help students thrive.

  • Outreach is an important part of developing character and, as part of our DOWN rhythm, each Early Years class leads one large community outreach project such as a Thanksgiving food drive or a Christmas toy drive. Several smaller service projects tend to arise organically as students think about the ways that they can impact those around them and contemplate solutions to issues they’re learning about in class.

  • During daily prayer and devotion time, students study scripture, learn about the life and love of Jesus, and take time to pray for one another and their communities. These disciplines are built upon with two Bible classes each week, taught from curriculum that is developed in-house. Weekly large group chapels follow the UPSIDEDOWN PARTY rhythms.