Westgate Elementary School ~ The Home of the Wildcats
Westgate Elementary School is located in Benton County, in the city of Kennewick, operated by the Kennewick School District education agency. It is classified as a primary school offering Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. The student population is approximately 400 students and 24 teachers, which make up the student-teacher ratio of 17 students per teacher.
About Westgate
The school’s building, with 16 acres of land, was constructed in 1952 and was remodeled in 1984. There are 18 classrooms, a music room, a gymnasium, a kitchen, and a library. The mission of Westgate Elementary School is to provide a learning environment in which students will be able to reach their fullest potential. School year 2005-2006 was the school’s highest achievement with regards to the Kindergarten Reading and Mathematics assessments. In WASL, the Fourth Graders got very high scores. These accomplishments were achieved through the help of the hardworking and dedicated teachers in the Kennewick School District. The teachers of Westgate Elementary School have an average of ten years of teaching experience and more than half of them have recieved their master’s degree.
Reading Block
The Westgate Elementary School uses the reading block, wherein there are only small groups of students in each reading class. For individualized reading, Waterford Reading Program is being used. Open Court Reading, a comprehensive reading, writing, and learning program is being implemented as well as Everyday Math, and Step Up to Writing.
Special Programs
The Westgate Elementary School assisted by the Kennewick School District offers special programs like Math Help, wherein the class size is lessened for more individualized instruction and for better understanding of the subject. Reading Block is being done for two hours. It teaches comprehension, fluency, phonics, writing, reading strategies. Read Naturally helps fluency in the English language. English as a Second Language is designed for children who grew up with a language other than English. Another program is the Early Childhood Educational Assistance Program. Parental support is of utmost importance. Parents, teachers, the community, and the students should work hand in hand to be able to achieve the very best education for every child.