Westmont Programs

We are finding innovative ways every year to enhance our students’ learning experience. One day, students may work with a new computer-based program to improve their reading and math skills and be outside learning about nature the next. Below is a list and brief description of some of the programs we offer at Westmont.

  • High Ability Learner (HAL)—Westmont and Springfield Elementary schools offer HAL services through the Discovery program. Both elementary schools share a High Ability facilitator who travels between the two schools to provide services to students. Services involve enrichment and/or acceleration of the regular curriculum to ensure that students work at a level in sync with their abilities. The services we provide vary from student to student based on their needs.
  • The Destination Imagination (DI)—This program is a fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage, and curiosity through open-ended academic challenges in the fields of STEM (science, technology,engineering, and mathematics), fine arts, and service learning. Our participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process. Teams showcase their solutions at a range of competitions.
  • Elementary Community Choir—This is a non-auditioned group created by combining fifth and sixth grade students from both Springfield and Westmont elementary schools. This group has the opportunity to sing more challenging music and have more performance opportunities than what most schools typically offer in a classroom setting. We perform multiple concerts at Platteview High School as well as throughout the community.
  • Student Council—This is a group of student leaders from fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. These students meet once a week with their sponsor and plan different activities to build the culture of our school. They are in charge of many different fundraisers and community service projects throughout the year.
  • Safety Patrol—This is one of the many responsibilities our sixth grade students perform at Westmont. Students are responsible for safely crossing students across streets before and after school. They ensure students are following rules, making safe choices, and being good Westmont citizens. We conclude each year with a celebration of their hard work!
  • Outdoor Education—This is a two-day program that involves all sixth graders in our school district from Westmont and Springfield elementary schools. The purpose of this program is two-fold:
  1. Students will develop a better understanding of our natural resources and habitats. The program attempts to enhance their appreciation and awareness of our environment by creating a classroom under the skies for two days and one night. The experiences they share at Outdoor Ed are targeted toward a better understanding of environmental concepts.
  2. Realizing that the transition from two elementary sites to one junior high facility can be difficult, we take this opportunity to join the sixth grade students from Springfield Elementary and Westmont Elementary. Our goal is to provide opportunities to make new friends and interact with staff members from the junior high school. We have seen friendships formed in Outdoor Education that have continued through college.
  • Yearbook—Sixth grade students, along with the advisor, work together to design the yearbook layout. Students also assist in taking photos of special events, classroom activities, groups, etc., to be placed in the school yearbook.
  • Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)—Our pathologists work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, and auditory processing disorders in children.
  • Band–The curricular SPCS Band program builds on the foundations that students have developed in their K–5 curricular music classes. Beginning in 6th grade, students have the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument in small group, like-instrument weekly lessons to start the year. In addition to their weekly lesson, in November all students at each school also combine once per week to learn how to rehearse and perform as an ensemble. You will be amazed at how quickly these students learn and improve when you see them perform and participate in concerts during the year.