Westfield Public Schools

At the School Committee meeting on Sept. 18, Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and School Business Administrator Shannon Barry asked members to approve the creation of a new Arts Gift Account, for monetary gift donations to the district earmarked for the arts. Czaporowski said he was contacted by the trustees of the estate of Gerald Patrick, a Westfield alumnus who had a successful career as a professional artist and designer. The trustees said Patrick left a $100,000 donation to the arts programs in the schools in his will. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/09/estate-of-artist-raised-in-westfield-donates-100k-for-arts-in-city-schools.html

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week we talked with our Director of Curriculum and Instruction Susan Dargie about our curriculum renewal process and our new Social Emotional Learning Curriculum PreK-12. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL0RBFEBDVk

If you missed the season premiere of "Superintendent's Spotlight" yesterday morning, click on the link below. This week we talked all about Westfield Middle School with Principal Jesse McMillan. Happy Friday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VvhT5bQdak

Nine seniors from Westfield Technical Academy participated in the heat this week in the Massachusetts Pre-Apprenticeship and Vocational School Training Program, sponsored by MassDOT through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration. For the past several years, students in the program have been working on digging up the broken slate entrance to the school at 33 Smith Ave., Westfield, to prepare for pouring concrete slabs, under the auspices of program director Jeffrey Cathcart and lead instructor Thomas Lemon. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/09/westfield-tech-seniors-gain-construction-union-experience-in-massdot-program.html

While we were expecting a cooler day on Friday, September 8, the latest forecast from the National Weather Service predicts that the Heat Index tomorrow will remain between 95-100 degrees. The Heat Advisory also remains in effect. As a result, Westfield Public Schools will dismiss staff and students early again tomorrow. High School students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m., Middle and Intermediate School students at 11:30 a.m., and Elementary School students at 12:15 p.m. Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center will be closed. Thank you.

Hello Families, We are excited to announce that all back-to-school forms and medical information will be completed through the PowerSchool Parent Portal and SNAP Student School Health Portal this fall rather than using paper forms. You should have received 2 emails with instructions about how to do this today. If you did not receive two emails, please check your SPAM folder. If you don't receive either of these emails, please contact your child's school

This evening's SEPAC Meeting is postponed (September 7). We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you.

Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center Principal Jonathan Scagel said staff and families just received the news that the preschool peer model program will be tuition-free this year. The change means that Fort Meadow’s program will join the Southampton Road, Munger Hill and Highland elementary schools in offering free preschool to families. All of the preschools open on Sept. 6. Scagel said they just received word last week that Fort Meadow would be tuition-free, which he said lines up with the objective of Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski’s goal to expand preschool throughout the city. He said families that have already made a payment for this school year may call or stop by the main office for a refund. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/09/westfields-early-childhood-center-offers-free-preschool-tuition-this-year.html

Good afternoon, There is a heat advisory in effect for our area on Wednesday, September 6 and Thursday, September 7. Heat indices are expected to reach between 95-100 degrees. These temperatures make teaching and learning especially difficult in the majority of our buildings that are not air conditioned. For that reason, Westfield Public Schools staff and students will be dismissed early the next two days. High schools will dismiss at 11:00 a.m., Intermediate and Middle Schools at 11:30 a.m., and Elementary Schools at 12:15 p.m. Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday as well. Sincerely, Superintendent Czaporowski

A reminder that schools are closed on Monday, September 4, 2023, for Labor Day. Schools will reopen on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Thank you.

As is their normal practice, central office staff members visited public schools throughout the city on Wednesday morning to observe the first day of school, with plans to return in the afternoon. Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said he visited Westfield High School, Westfield Middle School and Munger Hill Elementary School, and would visit Westfield Technical Academy at the end of the day. “There are seven of us, and we divide ourselves around,” Czaporowski said. Also onsite was the district’s new transportation manager, Bridgette Marquis, who will record all of the times that buses are arriving or departing. Czaporowski said sometimes it takes a week or two to perfect the bus schedules. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/08/westfield-school-administrators-report-smooth-opening-day-for-2023-24.html

Approximately 20 incoming Westfield High School freshmen are meeting staff, learning their way around and having fun at the school’s free two-week summer transition program. Participants Raeghan McGrath and Gabriella Melo were at the school early waiting for the doors to open. “It makes me nervous to start high school,” said McGrath. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/08/incoming-freshmen-learn-to-navigate-whs-at-transition-camp.html

Friday was the last day of band camp at Westfield Middle School, a one- or two-week session for 125 student-musicians entering fifth through 10th grades. Students spend part of their camp sessions, which run from 8 a.m. until noon, in small groups, then come together as a whole, receiving invaluable guidance from four band directors — William Choe and Amanda Metcalfe from Westfield Intermediate School, Ryan Emken from Westfield Middle School and Patrick Kennedy from Westfield High School. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/08/westfield-band-campers-benefit-from-attention-of-directors-teen-mentors.html

Westfield Public Schools is hiring: Speech and Language Pathologists Special Education Teachers ESL Teachers Paraprofessionals Click on the link below to view our current openings. Thank you! https://www.schoolspring.com/jobs?employer=11953&fbclid=IwAR1GNsNa8Kvxp-JJN--3K6AuBq0q3d6vHQUsWwUIrmfgXYI1N6IrLcygiMg

To encourage their students to continue reading over the summer, the staff at the Southampton Road School gave every student in the school a copy of “The Lemonade War” by Jacqueline Davies in June, before school ended. The book is about two siblings who compete with each other to have the most successful lemonade stand. “We encouraged the kids to read it, and raise money for the Community Closet,” said Southampton Road principal Mary Cieplik. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/08/second-grader-takes-school-project-to-heart.html

One hundred forty soon to be fifth graders from elementary schools across the city attended the Westfield Intermediate School’s summer transition program during the mornings of Aug. 7-10. Principal Greg Miller said the class coming in at 368 students is much bigger than the 315 rising sixth graders. Next year the school will have 683 students. “It’s exciting for us. It’s the first time all of the students in the district come together,” Miller said. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/08/incoming-fifth-graders-work-to-unlock-their-future-at-transition-camp.html

The School Committee voted July 17 to approve a new grant-funded position of early childhood coordinator. Whoever is hired will oversee the Westfield Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative, a three-year $750,000 grant the school district recently received in collaboration with the Greater Westfield Boys & Girls Club and YMCA. Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said the coordinator position being advertised is a requirement of the new grant, and the person who is hired will report to Christine Shea, director of assessment and accountability. Shea said the grant is in year 1 of a three-year cycle. The new coordinator, managing the grant, will be responsible for building a community of support and gathering a leadership team of partners, principals, school staff, a parent or caretaker representative, and a community representative. Shea said Diane Chambers, the new director of the Amelia Park Children’s Museum, has already stepped forward, as has CFCE coordinator Paula Hebert-Pike. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/07/westfield-schools-to-hire-grant-funded-coordinator-to-lead-expanded-preschool.html

Click below for the latest newsletter from P3 Project Planning Professionals who are working on the new Franklin Ave/Abner Gibbs Replacement School Project and to sign up to receive email alerts about progress on the construction. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Construction-on-the-new-Elementary-School-continues--July-2023-Newsletter.html?soid=1127583543316&aid=I1JZJHddeBs

Christine Shea, Westfield public schools’ director of assessment and accountability, said 152 new English language learners moved into the district this past year. English language learners are students whose native language is not English and who are not yet able to complete ordinary classroom work in English. According to state and federal laws, each school district must arrange for them to receive instruction from certified ELL teachers trained specifically to work with students still learning English. Most of the new families in Westfield are coming from Ukraine, a total of 102 students this past year, some from the same families. Other students are from Russia, Moldova and Turkey, and 15 are from Afghanistan, families that are still trickling out after the end of the U.S. occupation. There are also several families from Ecuador that recently arrived. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/07/families-from-ukraine-afghanistan-among-english-learners-in-westfield-schools.html

Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski recently gave an update on ongoing maintenance projects at Westfield schools, some of which are completed, some ongoing and some slated for the future, and all of them expensive. Czaporowski said parking lots at Paper Mill Elementary School and the adjacent playground are being paved this week at a cost of $205,000. He said a couple of years ago, the driveways and parking lots at Munger Hill Elementary School and Westfield High School were also paved. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/07/paving-renovations-keeping-school-sites-active-this-summer-in-westfield.html