Welcome to École Wîhkwêntôwin School
We are so pleased to let you know that our school has a new name: Wîhkwêntôwin School.
Wîhkwêntôwin is a Cree word that can be translated into English as ‘circle of friends’. Wîhkwêntôwin is pronounced we-kwen-to-win.
We are excited to share the same name as the community we call home!
Online and digital updates are underway, and the rollout of new signage and other changes at the school will take place over the next few months.
click here for more information
Watch our Nellie McClung Junior High Slideshow to find out more about our amazing all girls junior high program. Check out the choosenellie website for more information. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @ choose.nellie
We offer French Immersion and Regular Kindergarten. Click here for Kindergarten Slideshow
NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION 2024-2025
If your child is new to Edmonton Public Schools, you can register for school online. Visit the Division website to learn how to register for school.
If you have any questions about registering for school, contact the school office, 780-488-1221.
For the 2024 - 2025 school year, École Wîhkwêntôwin School is full in planned classes in Kindergarten to Grade 6 in the regular program, and Grades 7 to 9 in the Nellie McClung program. We will no longer accept enrolment requests for Grades 7 to 9 in the Nellie McClung program. For the regular program, a Kindergarten student who is a resident and lives in the school's attendance area may still register. We will only accept resident students in Grades 1 to 6 whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have newly moved into the school’s attendance area for the regular program. A resident student of Edmonton Public Schools has at least one parent or legal guardian living in Edmonton who is not Roman Catholic. Non-resident students can enroll in another Division school with space in planned classes.
For the French immersion program, École Wîhkwêntôwin School is full in planned classes in Grade 2. We will no longer be accepting enrolment requests for these grade levels in this program. We continue to accept registrations for Kindergarten, Grade 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
If you are registering for Kindergarten or if you are new to Edmonton Public Schools, you must register online.
WELCOME
In one of Edmonton’s oldest school buildings, located just off Jasper Avenue and 118th Street, only a short distance from the river valley and downtown, a very exciting cohabitation can be found. In École Wîhkwêntôwin School, the stately, three storey, red brick school built in 1910, three widely diverse and remarkable programs live and work—the École Wîhkwêntôwin Elementary Regular and French Immersion Program, the Nellie McClung Girls’ Junior High Program, and the Alder Academy: Early Learning Programs for Children & Families. Together, these three programs represent the wide range of opportunities, choices and voices that Edmontonians and Canadians so proudly endorse and encourage. Our society values its diversity; its welcoming of all things—its mosaic—and Wîhkwêntôwin School is a microcosm of this very Canadian character.
École Wîhkwêntôwin School was built in 1910 and officially opened in March of 1911. The solid brick school was viewed as quite a modern wonder with classrooms that could accommodate fifty students. It had electric lights, indoor toilets, a miniature rifle range and a heating/ventilation system that was truly unique for its time. The total cost of construction was $100,000 which was a considerable amount of money in 1910. The west annex was built in 1928 to accommodate the growing population, and the gym added in 1958. Oliver currently has the proud status of being a Heritage B site of which we are very proud.
École Wîhkwêntôwin School has been the center of the École Wîhkwêntôwin Community for more than 110 years and many, many children and staff have passed through its doors over this great span of time. The history of the school is rich and diverse and the building has seen many changes over the century, the most significant being a 3.5 million dollar upgrade in 1999-2000. As well as providing school programming, the building has served the community over the years for political functions, church meetings, air raid preparations, community gatherings and even as a hospital during the 1918 flu epidemic. The school gymnasium is still available through the joint use agreement with the city for groups to use for sports activities and meetings.
On April 9, 2024, the Board of Trustees announced our new name Wîhkwêntôwin School! Wîhkwêntôwin is a Cree word that can be translated into English as ‘circle of friends’. The neighbourhood, where our school is located, was recently renamed Wîhkwêntôwin by the City of Edmonton, following a renaming process led by the community league. Students, staff and families were engaged during that process, and feel Wîhkwêntôwin reflects the values of our school community. We are excited to share the same name as the community we call home!
École Wîhkwêntôwin School serves students from kindergarten through grade six in the Regular Elementary Program and French Immersion program. The Nellie McClung Girls’ Junior High Program provides programming for girls in grades seven, eight and nine. It is our hope that you will find our website both user friendly, informative and enjoyable, whether you are part of our elementary program or our unique Junior High. Should you have any questions regarding our policies or practices, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or the school administration.
