Westfield Public Schools

Westfield Public Schools and Offices will be closed on Friday, November 11, for the observance of Veterans Day. Thank you.

The School Committee considered a proposal Nov. 7 to add school safety attendants to Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS), starting with veterans and retired first responders. Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said the proposal came out of a meeting with Lesley Lambert, the VIPS coordinator; Christopher Rogers, administrator of student interventions and safety for the district; state Sen. John Velis; and city Veterans Services Director Julie Barnes. “The idea is to add a layer of protection at our schools, … to deter by having skilled eyes on site,” Czaporowski said. He said the main goal is to have educators and students feel safe. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/westfield-looking-at-former-military-first-responders-as-school-safety-attendants.html

Tune in this Thursday, November 10, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we are talking with our Director of Curriculum and Instruction and our Substance Abuse Counselors about the results of our youth risk survey that administered last spring. Thanks for watching!

Westfield High School students Sydney Drugan and Rebekah Ruiz, who are taking Renee Sweeney’s Principles of Engineering class, recently participated in the 2022 STEM Week Challenge in their class and won $10,000 for their school. The money will be used to fund four internships in the community this spring and summer. The STEM Week challenge was to interview a professional in a field that interested them, and submit the interview online. Drugan said they reached out to Tighe & Bond, and interviewed civil and environmental engineer Tiffany LaBrie, manager of the water resource line. #STEMWeek #AchievingExcellenceTogether https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/teens-interview-project-wins-10k-to-support-internships-at-westfield-high-school.html

A reminder that there is no school for students on Tuesday, November 8. Thank you!

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week we talked about special education programming in the district with our special education leadership team. We also had a little fun with National Cliche Day. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMQb5MWMoaw

A new Exploring group organized by the Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America is starting up for young people in sixth grade to 20 years old, and adult mentors, to learn about the aviation industry. Art Lobdell, assistant director of the council, said BSA Aviation Exploring will hold its first meeting at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 12, in the second floor conference room of the Terminal Building at 110 Airport Road, Westfield. Lobdell, who came to Massachusetts in 2020, said aviation is one of the major clusters for BSA Exploring. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/aviation-exploring-scout-group-taking-off-at-westfield-barnes-airport.html

One year ago, the Westfield Technical Academy High School boys soccer team was shut out of the Western Massachusetts tournament because of a complicated mathematical formula they just could not solve. This year, the Tigers taught everyone a history lesson they will never soon forget. Westfield Technical Academy sophomore Sean Johnson delivered the game-winning penalty kick, striking a shot into the back of the net in a shootout, sending the top-seeded Tigers into a frenzied celebration as they outlasted the No. 3 Lenox Millionaires, 1-0, in a grueling Class D boys soccer final Tuesday night at Clark Field in West Springfield. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/westfield-technical-academy-boys-soccer-claims-first-ever-western-mass-class-d-championship.html

Tune in this Thursday, November 3, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we are talking with our Director of Special Education and Special Education Supervisors about programming in our district. Thanks for watching!

The Westfield Education to Business Alliance (WE2BA) marked its sixth anniversary during a morning meeting at the Westfield Gas & Electric Operations Center on Thursday. Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said the organization, which provides opportunities for the business community and the schools to collaborate, survived COVID-19 and remote meetings, and is still thriving. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/10/westfield-school-business-alliance-still-thriving-as-it-marks-6th-anniversary.html

A sophomore from Westfield High School is spending her free time giving back to those who give their service to the country. She’s collecting items for care packages that will be sent to soldiers. This is the second year in a row that Jillian Battles is collecting items for soldiers. Exactly 800 care bags will be filled and donated across western Massachusetts, as well as overseas. She started the drive on September 11 and will collect items until Veterans Day. The packages will then be filled at the YMCA in Westfield and distributed around Christmas time. She told Western Mass News how coming from a military family and seeing how little veterans are appreciated pushed her to create these packages. “There are a lot of homeless veterans, which is very wrong because they put their lives on the line for our country and our freedom and they should be respected most out of anybody in our country,” Jillian Battles noted. That is when Battles started reaching out to big and small companies for help and with donations from companies like MGM Springfield, Big Y, Stop and Shop, and Costco, she started to fill her house with boxes of donations for the care packages. “She was very heartbroken to find out how little our troops and veterans get and that especially the troops, while overseas, they have to provide things for themselves,” said Jillian’s mother, Jen Battles. Western Mass News spoke with Jen Battles, who is helping her daughter reach out to the community on social media to collect toiletries, packaged snacks, blankets, and books. She added how the care packages from last year had notes in them from Jillian, who is planning to do the same thing again this year. “It says a little something from me to you to say thank you for being you. Thank you for our freedom, Jillian Battles…It’s just a little bit of appreciation for everything that they do and have done for us,” Jillian Battles noted. As for what items they still need the most, Jillian said instant coffee and blankets. “Blankets are the biggest thing. They make the troops feel at home and, especially, I am sending them overseas this time. I wasn’t able to because of COVID the last time I did it, but this time, when they get the blankets, they get that sense of comfort,” Jillian Battles explained. Donations are being collected at: Westfield YMCA Westfield High School Shortstop Bar and Grill in Westfield Fitness First in Feeding Hills If you are interested in learning how to donate, you can visit Jillian’s Amazon Wishlist. In addition, large print crossword books and large print word search books are also being accepted. https://www.westernmassnews.com/2022/10/27/westfield-teen-collecting-donations-soldier-care-packages/?fbclid=IwAR2T4BNgzSv1KgqBWs_-lJYzqIC1tLHgSjXnV3WXWGcgk_2ODXGeQMGE0a4

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week, we spoke with staff members from the Westfield YMCA about their programming and their collaboration with Westfield, MA Public Schools. We also recognized National Civics Day. Thanks for watching #NationalCivicsDay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru7n9ccxzuo

📣Calling all Teachers, Staff, and PTOs of the Westfield Public School District: Our 2022/23 Grant Application is posted on our website, and officially OPEN for submission!! We are so excited to be back from the COVID shutdown and are thrilled that we are able to offer this program once again.🍎✏️🎓📚 Grants of up to $1,500 will be awarded to fund dynamic classroom and curriculum projects. Grants will be considered in all disciplines including the arts, sciences, reading and writing, physical education and social competency. The link to the Grant Application is below. Should you have any questions, we are here to help! Contact us via e-mail at: westfield.foundation2013@gmail.com We are looking forward to receiving your awesome and unique ideas for our students! https://www.westfieldfoundation.org/grant-application

More than 30 storefronts are expected to participate in the annual downtown trick-or-treat Friday, Oct. 28, 4-5 p.m. Signs provided by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield will be displayed in the windows of participating merchants along Elm and Main streets, declaring “Trick-or-Treaters Welcome Here.” https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/10/downtown-merchants-are-ready-for-trick-or-treating.html

Tune in this Thursday, October 27, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we are talking with Andrea Allard about the Westfield YMCA. Thanks for watching!

As part of our ongoing efforts to increase communication with our school community, the district is publishing a quarterly newsletter that contains updates, important dates, and other information. Please click on the images to view our first newsletter of the school year. Thank you.

Westfield Middle School science teacher Patrick Dufraine brought students from his computer science and robotics classes to visit Westfield Gas & Electric on Oct. 18 for STEM week. The students got a tour of the operations center, learned about gas and electric safety, mechanics and robotics in the field, computer programming at the utilities and what it’s like to be a dispatcher. Students also heard from a career panel about each of the various jobs at the municipal utility, hosted by John Leary, WG&E director of internet technology. #STEMWeek https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/10/westfield-middle-school-computer-science-students-visit-utility-hub-for-stem-week.html

Christopher Rogers, administrator of student interventions and safety for the Westfield public schools, has announced that lockdown drills in all the schools will be conducted next week to update the school district’s comprehensive safety plan in conjunction with the Westfield Police, Fire and Health departments. “As part of our continued work with Westfield Police Department and our ongoing training for students and staff, both city departments working together will conduct lockdown drills in our schools the week of October 24-28 utilizing the enhanced lockdown procedures known as ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate),” Rogers said. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/10/westfield-schools-drill-for-lockdowns-including-stinky-at-preschool-center.html

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week we broadcasted live from Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center to see our Westfield High School Science students work with our preschool students at STEM learning stations. During the last 15 minutes of our show, WHS students and Southampton Road preschool students showed us their STEM learning stations as well. #SeeYourselfinSTEM Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXl0puyYXo4

As part of Massachusetts’ fifth annual STEM week, Westfield Middle School students were given the opportunity to learn about the different coding and technology jobs offered at a municipal utility. STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It has brought together schools, non-profits, colleges, museums, and employers from Massachusetts to showcase potential career paths and enthuse students about them. For the second day of STEM week, 22News visited Westfield Gas and Electric and Whip City Fiber. Continuing the theme from last year, students were encouraged to “See yourself in STEM” on Tuesday. “The world is so different beyond our classroom, so take our classroom as an experience, learn a little bit, but really you’re going to apply your skills and passions when you get out into the workforce. We really want to prepare them for that,” said Pat Dufraine, Computer Science teacher at Westfield Middle School. Before students began a day of learning, they met with the Director of Information Technology who explains that in order to take meter readings 14 years ago, they had to deploy meter readers into the neighborhood. “Today all those meter readings come to us automatically, we don’t have to send anybody out into the community. And I asked them this question, where is it going to be 14 years from now,” said John Leary, Director of Information Technology for Westfield Gas and Electric. As they discovered the value of technology throughout the day, this question persisted in their minds as to how they could improve the processes inside the facility. Workshops helped students to learn about gas and electric safety, mechanics and robotics in the field, computer programming at utilities, and being a dispatcher. They were also given a tour of the company’s facility and trucks and heard about the company’s career opportunities. “I think it’s incredibly important for kids to realize that there’s another opportunity from your traditional schooling. Especially, with a vocational-technical school, said Ryan Callan, Westfield Gas, and Electric Journeymen lineman. “I think it’s important for the younger folks to have a sense of purpose, to serve something bigger than yourself.” “See how it implies to reality, I think that is a good start for these kids,” adds Thomas Flaherty, Westfield Gas, and Electric General Manager. One 14-year-old student shared what he enjoyed most. “I just like electricity and like learning about it, and how they explain it to me, and I wanna do what they do someday,” expressed Christian Edward, Westfield Middle School 8th grade student. This experience helps prepare students like Edward, for STEM-related jobs one day. STEM week is to continue until October 21st. https://www.wwlp.com/news/digital-first/students-learn-from-westfield-gas-and-electric-employees-during-stem-week/