Dear Friends,

Westgate is closing in on the middle of our third year of operation.  We believe that many goals have been accomplished during this time.  Westgate is a unique educational program here in St. Charles County and in my "letter space" this month, I'd like to recount for you those characteristics of our school that make us different.  As registration time approaches in January, we encourage parents to share this information with friends and family who might be interested in Christian education.

Also note that the calendar page here on the website has been updated and takes you through the end of January.  Please check the calendar for dates that will affect your family.

Also, note that we are establishing Thursdays, from 9:00 to 12:00 as an OPEN HOUSE time.  Please feel free to bring a friend with you and you can give them a tour.  Otherwise, just have them come visit us and we'll be happy to give tours.  If the parents would like to speak with the principal (Mrs. Barratt), I just need them to give me a call in advance so I know they are coming.

What Makes Westgate Different From

Other ChristianSchools? 

• Westgate intends to produce Christian scholars.  We believe there is no conflict between being taught to think (to learn facts; comprehend those facts; apply the learning; analyze the idea or concept; synthesize info gained from many sources; and evaluate the worth of an idea or object) and being taught to know and love God.  Daniel 2:21 - He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. There are 25 passages in the Bible where God affirms the acquisition of both wisdom and knowledge.  One cannot think without facts. But the reverse does not hold true. Putting the accent on facts and recall does not in turn spontaneously generate higher level thinking. "The most important single message of modern research is that it is false to think that there is a sequence from lower level activities that do not require much independent thinking or judgment to higher level ones that do" (L. Resnick quoted by Kohn, 1998). 
• We are non-denominational – seeking to teach the truth of the Bible without teaching the doctrine of a specific denomination.  Our goal is to leave doctrinal teaching to the parents and the church.  We serve children and families from a wide range of Christ-seeking churches.
• Children learn in situations that are hands on rather than simply completing work sheets.  This enhances their ability to think at higher levels.  They also complete many projects in small groups which causes them to learn how to get along with other people who have a sin nature to match their own!  They learn the benefits and consequences of working with others who do and don’t pull their weight; they learn that not everyone sees a problem in the same way they do; they experience pride in themselves or in other people and learn how that affects outcomes.  This kind of important learning doesn’t take place where children independently spend their time on work sheets daily.
• Certified teachers teach our children.  The curriculum we teach is more difficult than teaching students to memorize facts.  To teach so that kids can apply what they have learned; sort out the information into its component parts; recombine ideas to form a new concept; and be able to evaluate a situation takes greater instructional skills than simply having children memorize information.  Fortunately, God has blessed us with people who are capable of doing this.
• Our teachers are part of the Westgate community and they teach here because they love the Lord and they feel called to their work no differently than a missionary.  As they set challenging academic goals before the kids, they are constantly helping children understand that God is a part of everything we do; think; work on and a part of every relationship we have.  They care about the kids; they pray with and for the kids; and they model Christ’s love in the way they handle the kids.  Parents know the teachers and each other.  As children interact at school, they are with students whose values and world view are likely to be fairly similar.  This reduces peer pressure.
• We offer continuous curriculum from our Early Childhood program through eighth grade.  Educational research shows students make better grades during their middle school years in a K-8 configuration of grade levels than in any other school delivery system.  As students go through adolescence, they are known by their peers and by the principal and teachers.  They don’t have to re-establish their identity in a huge middle school, with new rules, principal, teachers, and kids at the same time everything internally is changing.  Educators agree that you can measure the difference in grades earned but there is also a social/emotional benefit that is hard to quantify, but undoubtedly present just the same.
• We seek to offer communication to and with parents through emails, phone calls, Ren Web, and our school website.  We truly feel that parents are the persons who are most responsible for a child, so in order to help them parent effectively, we must make parents aware of their child’s behavior at school where they display through their behaviors the direction of their heart.  Ren Web is our student data base.  Parents can log on to Ren Web and check their child’s grades as well as gain other vital information at anytime.
• We have specialist teachers to provide instruction in PE, Art, Music, Band and Computers.  We feel that God gives students talent and interests in many areas.  As a school, we owe it to our kids to help them develop and hone those skills.  Our specialists are able to focus on their specific area to give the kids the best possible instruction in these areas.
• Extra-Curricular offerings are intended to do the same thing – allow students to explore different activities in order to find out if it really is something they are interested in.  Currently we have Westgate soccer teams, t-ball teams, basketball teams, track and field and cross country, cheerleading, choreographed dance team, chess, and Latin club.
• Accredited status with the North Central Association was something we sought and achieved in our first year of operation.  North Central examines a school’s operations; curriculum; teaching staff; and instructional goals.  They expect schools to constantly seek improvement and gain feedback from both the staff and parents in that process.  Westgate is committed to maintaining good standing with the North Central Association as we constantly seek to improve the program we offer our students.

Our desire is to serve as many students as possible and we need the help of all our Westgate community to fill every seat.  If  you have a friend you would like  me to meet with personally, just let me know.  I'm more than happy to  spend  time with people  who are interested in  Westgate enrollment.  If you want to pull a group of people together and meet in your home - I'll come!  

As Thanksgiving nears, I want to say how appreciated all our Westgate staff and families are.  I believe we have worked together to produce an excellent educational experience for our kids and it feels great to be a part of the Westgate community.  May God bless each of you with peace and health as we enter the holiday season.

Peg Barratt
Principal

 

Psalm 78:3-4 - Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. . . .We're not keeping this to ourselves, we're passing it along to the next generation - God's fame and fortune, the marvelous things He has done.