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Admissions Policies

Admissions Team

The Admissions Team typically consists of the following members of the Westmont staff:

  • Admissions Coordinator
  • Principal
  • Assistant Principal
  • Resource Teacher
  • Classroom Team
Admissions Steps - Early Years
  1. Parent completes Application form and submits Application Fee.
  2. Parent submits any supporting documents that may be required, i.e. diagnostic testing, occupational therapy reports, etc.
  3. The Admissions Coordinator reviews records and contacts references. If warranted, Westmont may request additional documentation and/or references from the parent based on these preliminary calls.
  4. The Admissions Coordinator shares student record with the classroom team, and if warranted, the resource teacher.
  5. Student is invited for a half day preliminary visit. This time will be used as an information gathering period.
  6. Admissions Team evaluates the application based on the school’s ability to support the student and will extra resources be needed to support the student? If so, is funding available?
  7. Three results can come from this evaluation:

a. The student is accepted into the program
b. The student is put in the waiting pool for the program.
c. The student is declined admission into the program

Admissions Steps - Elementary, Middle, & High School
  1. Parent completes Application form and submits Application Fee.
  2. Parent submits school records and contact information for a teacher from the student’s current / previous school.
  3. The Admissions Coordinator reviews records and contacts references. If warranted, Westmont may request additional documentation and/or references from the parent based on these preliminary calls.
  4. The Admissions Coordinator shares student record with the classroom team, and if warranted, the resource teacher.
  5. Student is invited for a two-day preliminary visit. This time will be used as an information gathering period to determine accuracy of school records and as an opportunity for referral to the resource teacher for assessment if needed
  6. Admissions Team evaluates the application. This evaluation needs to be based on the criteria detailed above and summarized here:
  7. Is the school able to support the student?
  8. Will extra resources be needed to support the student? If so, is funding available?
  • Will this student contribute to the school culture?
  • How does the family support the student? How will the family be supportive of the school?
  • Are there any financial reasons this student should not be admitted to the school?

9. Two results can come from this evaluation:

    1. The student is accepted into the program on a 90-day probationary period. During this 90-day probationary period, families will be informed of any concerns that arise and will be given every opportunity to work with the school to address any concerns that arise. If it is determined by Westmont during the 90-day probationary period for new enrolments that the student will be asked to withdraw from the program (due to concerns going unaddressed or minimal progress), the parent/guardian forfeits any tuition paid to date, and is expected to settle any outstanding arrears. If tuition has been paid in full, the school will refund the equivalent of the remaining monthly installment payments. Westmont will return in full the student bond and deposit paid.
    2. The student is declined admission into the program.

Withdrawals

The withdrawal of a student at any time after enrolment or re-enrolment reduces the school’s revenue, but not its’ operating costs. It may also affect decisions and commitments regarding staffing and class configurations that have already been made.

Therefore, once a student is enrolled or re-enrolled at Westmont Montessori, the parents/guardians are expected to make a financial commitment for the full year. However, there are sometimes serious, unforeseen circumstances that cause a parent/guardian to permanently withdraw a student. Westmont will work with families in these circumstances.

Suitability for the

Montessori Program

Westmont recognizes that a Montessori program of instruction is able to accommodate a much larger range of learner needs than a conventional program. However, there are limits to what can be accommodated within the typical Montessori curriculum for a specific developmental realm.

It is also important to recognize that Montessori programs differ from the conventional model in that the programs are multiple years in duration, with mixed age groupings in each class:

  • Lower Elementary: 3 years (Grades 1-3 in a conventional setting)
  • Upper Elementary: 3 years (Grades 4-6 in a conventional setting)
  • Middle School: 2 years (Grades 7-8 in a conventional setting)
  • High School: 4 years (Grade 9-12 in a conventional setting)

With multiple year programs, students who enter into the program part way through a cycle, i.e. in year 2 or 3 of a 3 year program, may miss content that might be covered in a different sequence than in the conventional setting.

Students who are coming from a conventional system into a Montessori program face the additional challenge of learning to use Montessori materials. This is not an insurmountable concern as the Montessori materials typically make the curriculum easier to comprehend and are intuitive in nature. However, it is an aspect worth considering particularly for students who have additional learning needs.

Finally, students who have been enrolled in a Montessori program from the start of their schooling have developed “executive functioning” skills that allow them to be self-directed, self-disciplined, and independent learners. Students who come late to a Montessori program, and find success, are those students who have fostered a certain level of independence within the conventional system.

Impact on the Social Dynamic

Due to the smaller student groups we purposely create within our classrooms, the impact of adding an additional student into the social mix needs to be considered. More often than not, this does not pose a problem as our Westmont student body is very welcoming and non-discriminatory. We also have a varied student body in terms of social, ethnic, and economic background.

Criteria for

Special Needs Admission

Westmont believes that all students have an essential role to play in the school community. An inclusive model of education has been set up whereby all students are educated with their same-aged peers in regular classrooms as much as possible. To learn more download our Special Needs Policy below.

Special Needs Policy

Criteria for

International Students

​In order for our school to receive government funding for a student’s enrolment, at least one of the student’s parents, or legal guardian, is required to be both “lawfully admitted into Canada” and a resident of B.C. Accordingly, if neither of the parents, or legal guardian, of​ the enrolling student have Canadian Citizenship they are required to provide:

R

Documentation proving the parent’s/legal guardian’s BC Residency

R

Documentation proving the parent’s/legal guardian’s lawful admission to Canada

Where this documentation cannot be provided, an additional fee will be charged for the student’s enrolment.

Learn More