Willowdale Christian School

Our students arrive at school in a variety of ways. Many parents drive their children to and from school. Car pooling is strongly encouraged. Some children travel to school on public transit.

In addition, a school bus runs south on Yonge Street from Richmond Hill making various stops along the way to accommodate families coming in from the north GTA. The following is a list of some of the stops.

•  Elgin Mills (Subrisco)
•  Richmond Hill Plaza
•  Crosby
•  Wright
•  May
•  Weldrick
•  Westwood
•  16th Ave
•  Highway 7

WCS employs Big Man Transportation for this service. Families who use the school bus for transportation pay an additional annual fee for this service.

2010/2011 School Bus Fees

2 days/week/child: $700.00
3 days/week/child: $980.00
5 days/week/child: $1,400.00
Max: $2,240.00/family

Bi-annually each student in grades 5 - 8 participates in the WCS Science Fair.  Science projects are considered part of the curriculum and will be included in class time as well as marked for the June report cards. Project time lines begin during the month of December and end in the month of April. Approximately one science class per week is to be designated for preparing for the science fair during the months of January through March. Students receive a detailed handbook in advance to help them through the process.  Winners of the school Science Fair participate in the Christian School Science Fair held at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario.

On an annual basis students from grade 5 through 8 participate in the school's Speech Fest. Winners from the WCS Speechfest attend the regional Christian School Speech Fest where they enjoy healthy school to school competition.

This past year, WCS Gr. 8 students, Sabrina and Baron shared first prize!

Special developmental off-site programs are run for the senior grades to provide the opportunity for students to bond in an external environment, experience God's blessing of nature and learn teaming themes.

Examples are:

• Annual grade 6 winter trip to the outdoor retreat Fair Glen
• Annual grade 7 canoe trip at Fair Glen
• Annual grade 8 trip to Ottawa.

Childcare is available from 3:30 to 6:00 pm after school every day. Children are encouraged to do their homework, play games, read or participate in activities in the gym. In good weather they may go outdoors. An adult supervisor is always present.

The cost of After School Care is:

• $4.00/hour for one child
• $6.00/hour for two children
• $7.00/hour for three children

If your children require care, please let the office know.

WCS participates in the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills every two years. The CTBS is a trusted assessment tool that enables schools to identify student achievement in major curriculum areas including Vocabulary, Reading, Language, Mathematics and Science. We also use these tests to gather information that can be used to improve instruction and provide parents with information that helps them make responsible decisions about the education of their children. 

Our students in Grades 3 to 8 most recently wrote these tests in October 2008 and we are happy to once again report that our students ranked well above the national average. Our scores are also higher than the OACS (Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools) average. The students will write the tests again in October 2010.

The chart below shows a breakdown of the 2008 WCS percentile rankings for each grade and how they compare to the national ranking and the OACS ranking. A national percentile ranking of 75% means that 75% of schools rank below and 25% rank above for that grade. 

CTBS National Percentile Rankings for 2008

In addition to its Physical Education program, Willowdale Christian School has extra-curricular sports teams for Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton and Track & Field. These boys' and girls' teams compete against other Toronto area Christian Schools. 

Typically tryouts are open to Grade 6 - 8 students and sign up sheets are posted prior to tryouts. Students are required to provide some of their own equipment and will be informed by the coaches what is required. The students miss one day of school for each sport to play in the tournaments. Practices are held at lunch recess and occasionally after school.  

Students who have special needs are provided for in our Special Education Resource Program. We believe all children - the average child, the learning-disabled child, the intellectually gifted child - are unique gifts of God, deserving the best possible opportunity for learning. Our Resource Program attempts to meet the needs of students beyond the scope of the regular classroom.

Referrals are made by classroom teachers and approved by the Principal. An educational assessment is made by the Special Education teacher. If deemed necessary, further diagnostic work is completed through other professional agencies. Using the results of the assessment, the Special Education teacher will plan an individualized program in cooperation with the classroom teacher and the student's parents. The program could consist of daily assistance by the Special Education teacher and/or modified programming in the regular class.

Student progress and program evaluation take place at regular intervals. If warranted due to sufficient progress a student's participation will be terminated in consultation with teachers and the Principal. Consultation with teachers takes place on a frequent basis. Regular conferences with parents are scheduled and parents are invited to request conferences whenever necessary. No concern is too small.

Enrichment is considered an important part of all programming. A school-wide program offers a level of enrichment to all students. Academic enrichment is incorporated into the regular classroom program.

WCS offers English as a Second Language for the children of recent immigrants to Canada. We recognize that these students feel the extra stress of not understanding their peers and teachers so we do all that we can to alleviate their added burden. Students are withdrawn from class daily and receive extra English language instruction.

Admission of ESL Students


All ESL families must provide the school with the following:

• Birth Certificate (proof of age)
• Passport
• Valid Student Visa
• Valid proof of health insurance

 Cost

The cost of the ESL program will be determined annually by the Board of Trustees (see Tuition). This cost must be paid in full at the beginning of each school year. A pro rata portion of the ESL tuition may be refundable only if the school decides a student is able to graduate from the program.

Enrolment

All enrolments including ESL will be accepted only in September and January unless there is a transfer from another Christian school because of a family move.

Class and School Numbers for ESL

The maximum number of ESL students per class in all grades (K-8) will be four. This number may represent any percentage of that class. The total ESL population is not to exceed 8% of the total enrollment. More would overload our resources in teachers, time and curriculum.

WCS is happy to offer a full curriculum for students from the JK/SK to Grade 8 levels.  Our students' progress in comparison to other schools is monitored using the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills which is administered to Grades 3-8 every other year.  WCS compares very well with other OACS schools and is substantially ahead of the national average of the public and separate schools across the country.

Art


Art work enables children to recognize, explore and develop creative talents. Students learn to use different media skillfully and apply concepts of line, colour, shape, form, space and value. In all grades, art is often interrelated with other areas of the curriculum.

Bible


The purpose of teaching Bible is to a) impart knowledge of the Bible, b) open up ways for children to know and love their Lord and c) move children to a deeper faith. The Story of God and His People, a Bible series developed by Christian Schools International, is used in all our classrooms. The curriculum focuses on the story of God and His people in every lesson at every grade level. The stories are presented chronologically to emphasize the relationship between individual stories and the overall theme of the Bible. Students are given opportunity to retell the story in a variety of ways, so they can remember the stories and share them with others. Students who complete all levels of the K-8 Bible program will have studied the Bible stories three times.

Devotions


Devotions are held daily in each class and usually consist of a Scripture passage or reading from a devotional book, prayer requests and praise through songs. Each day is concluded with prayer as well. A weekly community building assembly is held for
all students and staff in the gym.

French

French is taught to students in grades 1-8. Our purpose is to learn to speak and understand the French language and to appreciate French culture. French is taught primarily through a conversational method. Vocabulary, pronunciation and grammatical structures are developed mainly through situation dialogues.

Language Arts

Since God's gift of language is intended for communication, enjoyment and praise, we affirm that students need skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening and thus develop their gifts to God's honour.
For Kindergarten, Language Arts emphasizes good speaking and listening habits and reading readiness skills. For grades 1-8, our Language Arts program includes literature (reading and comprehension of poetry, short stories and novels), phonics, grammar, spelling, vocabulary studies, creative writing, journalling (once or twice a week), silent reading and read-aloud time.

Penmanship may also be considered part of Language Arts. Cursive writing is begun in the latter part of grade 2 or in grade 3. Pens are used in grades 4 and up. Neatness is an aim. The typing program "Mavis Beacon" is taught in Grades 4 through 8 to ensure computer typing proficiency. Grade 6-8 students must use the computers for some assignments.

Spelling


As grade one students learn their phonics, they also use those skills for spelling. Grades 2-8 have lessons, using various different texts and workbooks. Spelling is related to the curriculum in other subjects. Grade 6-8 also may use Wordly Wise as they work on building vocabulary.

Mathematics


The Mathematics program emphasizes knowledge of the basic skills at all levels. Continuous reinforcement and drills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills at the lower grade levels provide good building blocks for work at grades 5-8. Our Math texts emphasize math teaching from a "problem-solving" point of view. Concepts are introduced and reviewed from grade to grade. Students learn new skills by making practical and logical applications of those skills previously learned. We use "Math Makes Sense" in GR.K-6, and "Math Power" in Gr. 7 & 8.

Social Studies and Science


Each grade unfolds different parts of God's great creation. Students are taught that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit as they study healthy living. From grade 4 up the social sciences become more specific with geography units on parts of Canada, cultural studies of various other countries and historical background to where we are as a Canadian nation today. Science is taught as a separate subject to Grades 5-8. All students from grade 5 through 8 do a major science fair project and display board which is judged by science experienced community. In addition, the students participate in a formal Science Fair evening event.

Music


In the primary grades we concentrate on singing, rhythm and beat, using some Orff instruments and rhythm instruments. In the junior grades we continue with this and hope to accomplish part singing. The recorder is played in grades 4-5. Grade 6 students learn to play hand chimes as they continue to study theory, history and appreciation. Grade 7-8 students participate in a band program. The school owns the instruments.

Physical Education

The emphasis in Physical Education is on the use of physical activity as a development medium in which the prime goal is not the activity itself, but rather the achievement of personal potentials through the activity. In the primary and junior grades, the emphasis lies on the development of motor coordination, development of muscle tone and create movement as well as initial sports skills. The senior grades continue to develop these skills and focus on team sports skills such as softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball.

Technology


WCS has a full computer lab with 27 workstations to accommodate a one to one computer to student ratio for technology class work. Students learn about how to leverage technology using common programs for presentation preparation, responsible web surfing for research, website design and general computer competencies.