Distinctives

Faith brings us together; uniqueness sets us apart.

Westside Christian School is very much a unique community. We make intentional decisions for our school that we know will enhance the student learning environment, our interactions with one another and a child’s relationship with God.

Multi-age Classes

One of the main distinctives of our school is our recognition and celebration of each child and their unique gifts and abilities. We want our children to be allowed to be who they really are and to be accepted by one another. Just as God relates to each of us in a unique way, so we strive to discover the way into a particular child’s heart and mind. We endeavour to do this both individually and with each child as part of a larger community. We find this is beautifully expressed in our multi-age classroom model.

By design, we have chosen to model our school after the family by extending the multi-age make-up of the family to the classroom. In order to achieve the greatest benefits from the multi-age model, Westside Christian School is organized with small class sizes and flexible groupings. This has many advantages including:

• Children develop a much broader understanding of “peer” and the result is rich interactions between children of different ages.
• Children learn to co-operate and work together within a wide range of abilities.
• Children learn to accept, respect, accommodate and learn from each other’s differences.
• Since the class is made up of many different ages and hence many different stages of learning, education must be directed to the level of the individual, rather than to the average, at best, or the lowest common denominator, at worst, as in a more traditional classroom.
• Children are able to make continuous progress at their own pace rather than having to wait for promotion to the next grade in order to move forward into more challenging curriculum.
• Children are inspired by peers who are progressing at a more advanced stage, while more advanced children are motivated as they learn to become mentors.

Student Learning Plans

In order to ascertain a child’s true learning potential, an accurate understanding of the child’s present level of educational attainment is essential. This is accomplished by developing a Student Learning Plan (SLP) for each child. A learning styles assessment is completed and the student, parent and teacher envision learning outcomes for the year. The whole of the child, the mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and academic needs are discussed. In this process, strengths are identified and fostered and potential weaknesses are addressed. In so far as resources allow, the curriculum is then tailored to the individual child’s unique learning style and abilities. While maintaining grade appropriate minimum standards, a child will no longer be held back by the pace of the entire class. The teacher, parent and student revisit the SLPs several times each year. The plans are then evaluated and modified as required.

For more information on the multiage distinctive and learning styles assessment please refer to the Parent Resource page.

Comprehensive Christian Education

The foundation of Westside Christian School is Biblical Truth. We have a curriculum that integrates Biblical values and beliefs. This is not accomplished by simply having Bible dealt with as a separate subject, although to be sure, sound Christian doctrine will be taught. Rather, Biblical truth is infused throughout the entire curriculum, resulting in students who not only develop academic excellence, but who view life from a Biblical perspective.

Children explore the wonders of the world God created in Science; they examine humanity’s response to God’s gift of life, time and space in the Social Sciences. They marvel at how they were created to move in Physical Education and celebrate the beauty He created in Art. They learn to discover God’s breath in all of life, appreciating what God has provided and challenging the false views of life which are so prevalent in the world today.

Caring Community Environment

We firmly believe that it is not just the student, but also the whole family, which becomes part of our community. We are like-minded, working together in the raising and the training of our children. Parents are encouraged to participate in the many aspects of school life and feel that there is real value in knowing and celebrating the uniqueness of every child, not just our own. We facilitate school family events where we come together to celebrate Him as we share a meal, watch a play, listen to a performance or recognize an achievement. Many informal get-togethers take place, as families form trusted relationships with one another. We know our children benefit immensely from this extended family.

As Christians we belong not just to one another, but we are called to engage the world around us. Westside Christian School has been placed in the University of British Columbia and Greater Vancouver so that we might testify to these communities the wonder of our God and build bridges of influence to the world around us.