The Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce’s Share the Warmth Coat Drive to benefit the children in Westfield public schools from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 will continue through Dec. 15.
In the spirit of giving, the Chamber is asking for new or gently used winter coats of all sizes. Hats, snow pants, boots, gloves, mittens and scarves are also welcome, along with donations of new socks and new undergarments.
Drop-off locations, all of which are in Westfield, include the Chamber office at 16 N. Elm St.; the Westfield schools office at 94 N. Elm St., Suite 101; Amelia Park Arena, 21 S. Broad St.; Shortstop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield Rd.; Anytime Fitness, 415 E. Main St.; Results in Wellness, 93 Springfield Rd., Suite B; Richard’s Jewelers, 146 E. Main St.; Cannabis Connection, 40 Westfield Industrial Park Rd.; Betts Plumbing & Heating Supply, 14 Coleman Ave.; Westfield Bank, 300 Southampton Rd.; Rehab Resolutions, 1111 Elm St.; and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport’s terminal building at 110 Airport Rd.
School Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said he is thankful that the Chamber’s new director Amanda Waterfield and Chamber members are still supporting the coat drive.
“I love that the Chamber wants to continue doing this with us, and how the community comes together to support our students. This is the seventh year we’ve been doing this, and we never end up with leftover clothing,” Czaporowski said.
The coats and other winter clothing go to whatever school has pupils who need them. He said a lot of the clothing goes to the elementary kids, and adult sizes go to the clothing closets at both high schools.
Czaporowski said the schools added snow pants to their wish list this year, because it is one of the items that students often don’t have.
“I used to love making igloos. When I would go sit in my igloo, I loved having snow pants,” he said.
Czaporowski said schools are seeing the effects of price inflation on some families’ ability to purchase warm clothes for their students. He said the schools will accept both new and gently used clothing, because sometimes kids grow out of their clothes so quickly they do not show a lot of wear. The schools are asking that any undergarments and socks that are donated be new.
The clothing is also offered to new families that come to Westfield, some from milder climates. Czaporowski said when a new student comes in, the topic of adequate winter clothing is worked into the conversation.
“It’s also good for our recent immigrants to Westfield,” he said.
The final collection will take place at the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce Holiday Breakfast, 7-9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at East Mountain Country Club, 1458 E. Mountain Rd. Czaporowski said the Westfield High School Chorus will perform holiday tunes at the breakfast.
For more information or to sign up for the breakfast, visit www.westfieldbiz.org or call 413-568-1618.
https://www.thereminder.com/Localnews/westfield/westfield-schools-coat-drive-continues-through-mid/
Congratulations to all of our Girls on the Run who completed their 5K this past weekend at Western New England University! Thank you to our Coaches and all of the Running Buddies! Way to go!
If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week we spoke with Devin Streeter from the Gandara Center about all the programs and services available to Westfield students and families. Their Family Resource Center is located on 16 George Street in Westfield, and they can also be reached at 413-417-2020 if you would like to learn more. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1dlbJ4BaVM
If you missed the latest "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, please click on the link below. This week, we spoke with Westfield Technical Academy's School Resource Office Bryan Turgeon about school safety, threat assessments, and our most recent safety drills. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WazZZHC4gIY
We had beautiful weather for Fall Fun Day at Highland! Students and staff showed school spirit in their cozy, fall flannel! Students in every grade participated in the Annual Pumpkin Patch. Pumpkins with math problems were placed out in our “pumpkin patch.” Our PreK and K students went on a scavenger hunt for shapes, colors, and numbers while our 1st- 4th graders worked individually or in small groups to solve math problems. Thank you to our PBIS team who did an amazing job organizing this event!
Yesterday Miss Miller's preschool class was able to participate in STEM stations run by 11th Grade Biomedical Chemistry students from WHS. They had so much fun exploring the inside of a pumpkin, making corn dance, painting trees, making nature collages and creating mini volcanos! Thank you to Mrs. Ayers and Mrs. Cadigan for making this experience possible for our students!
If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this week, please click on the link below. This week, we visited Highland Elementary School for STEM Week. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k4-h2sdeSI
As part of its continuing work with the Westfield Police Department and ongoing training for students and staff, the Westfield School Department will conduct lockdown drills the week of Oct. 23-27, using the enhanced procedures of what is called ALICE, which stands for “alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate.”
Christopher Rogers, director of operations and safety, said Westfield has been using the ALICE protocol since 2014-15.
“It’s research-based, and it provides our staff and at the upper grades our students the ability to make decisions in real time based on the information they have that is critical to their safety,” he said.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/10/westfields-public-schools-will-conduct-lockdown-drills-later-this-month.html
Click here for the latest Westfield Public Schools District Newsletter: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1997/WPS/3618809/WPS_NEWSLETTER_2023-Q1.pdf
A HUGE "Thank You" to Highland moms Beth Stanton and Jessica Bazanchuk, who spent time this weekend doing to some much needed weeding to the area outside of our gym. Take a look at the before and after photos!
PumpkinFest is back, rain or shine, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, on the athletic fields behind Amelia Park off South Broad Street in Westfield.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/10/westfield-on-weekends-pumpkinfest-promises-family-fun-amid-autumn-traditions.html
Hello Highland Families! Our Lost and Found has already acquired quite the collection from the first month of school. Take a look at some of the photos and see if you recognize anything. If something belongs to your family, please have your student stop by the office to pick it up!
Good afternoon,
If you have already started the process of completing the Back to School Forms, please complete the forms and submit online. If you need assistance in completing the form, please contact the main office at your child's school.
Thank you,
Westfield Public Schools
A nationwide test of the emergency and wireless alert systems will be conducted Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. ET, when a message will be sent to all cellphones, TVs and radios.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a news release in August that a message that reads, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed,” will be sent to all phones.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/national-emergency-alert-test-cell-phone-wednesday-text-rcna118468
If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" yesterday, please click on the link below. This week, we met our Special Education Administrators and talked about some of the special education programming in the district. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXJRLwVJTMM
Our next SEPAC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 5 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Tiger's Pride Restaurant in Westfield Technical Academy. Please click on "view image" for more information. Thank you!
CALLING ALL LOCAL STUDENT ARTISTS!
The City Clerk's Office invites local students K‐12 to enter the Westfield Elections' Coloring Contest. The first of hopefully many coloring contests will be to design your own ‘I Voted’ sticker. Winning artwork will be used in Westfield Election materials, promotions and outreach and exhibited through the City. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2023. A completed entry form must accompany each sticker design. Official details and entry form can be found here: "I Voted" Sticker Design Competition | Westfield, MA - Official Website (cityofwestfield.org) Need a paper copy? Stop by the City Clerk's Office, 59 Court Street, Room 210 between 9AM-5PM.
https://www.cityofwestfield.org/895/I-Voted-Sticker-Design-Competition
If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week we talked about the registration process while featuring our new "Welcome Center" located at 94 North Elm St. Suite 101. We also talked about the upcoming autumnal equinox. Thanks for watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzckbTm7IvM
As summer break comes to an end and classes head back into session, one teacher at Highland Elementary School in Westfield got the surprise of a lifetime when the Hyundai dealers are back this month to celebrate an educator whose light shines as bright as a diamond.
“We have a great staff overall, but there is always some staff that are shining stars and Miss Diamond has gone above and beyond and for her students and teachers as if they’re her own,” said Highland Elementary School Principal Jill Phelan.
“…She epitomizes what good teachers in this district are all about,” added Westfield School Committee Vice Chair Bo Sullivan.
[Reporter: What was it like having her as a teacher?]
“It was fun to have her,” said student Boaz Jones.
With all the praise in the world, that only meant one thing. It’s time for the Western Mass. Hyundai Dealers to give Ms. Olivia Diamond, the kindergarten teacher at Highland Elementary School, the surprise of a lifetime…
“On behalf of the Western Mass. Hyundai Dealers, we want to recognize you for all that you do and we know that you were extra special and making sure that everyone was extra safe, spending your own money during the pandemic and you’re like it and you’re like a diamond and we wanna congratulate you and recognize you for being so special. We want to give you $500 to spend any way you want,” said Gary Rome, president of Gary Rome Hyundai.
“…And we have $500 that we are going to donate to the school under your name,” said Mike Paquette, general sales manager of Country Hyundai.
“We do spend a lot of our own money, so this is very nice. Thank you so much,” Diamond said.
The surprises did not end there. Diamond’s aunt, Lisa Killips, nominated Diamond for the Surprise Squad, but since she couldn’t be there in person, we shared this video with her.
“You provide a classroom that is warm and inviting, ensuring they have all the materials that you need through the school system through your own funding, as well as engaging in grant funded activities. I hope that your prize helps you through the school year,” Killips said.
Diamond told us her teaching career was a happy accident.
“It’s actually a funny story. I used to play softball in high school and I actually didn’t want to play my senior year, so I took a job at the YMCA in Granby, CT. I fell in love with teaching and everything I did there made me realize I want to become a teacher,” Diamond added.
It’s something Sullivan told us is a win-win for the community.
“I have a great connection with the Boys and Girls Club in town, to a lot of our employees. A lot of the kids that we work with go onto teaching, which is great, which is exactly what we want this community to do,” Sullivan explained.
However, it has not always been smooth sailing for Diamond, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I started my student teaching right when COVID hit, so I did a little bit in-person and I was also learning with all the other teachers who do it online,” Diamond explained.
While the world was adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic, Diamond managed to finish her master’s degree in teaching.
“Being there in the moment, learning besides everyone else helped me learn all the online and technical stuff and then the following year,” Diamond noted.
It certainly paid off, especially for everyone at Highland Elementary.
“She makes their first school experience here in Highland, amazing…We’re just thankful she’s part of our team,” Phelan said.
The Hyundai dealers said the celebration is well-deserved.
“How exciting (it must be) to teach kindergartners every day…You got to be on your game with these kids as far as they are so excited to come in every day and have like you said, these parents request her as a teacher and that shows what she’s doing every day is fantastic,” said Brian Houser, general manager of Balise Hyundai.
“It’s very awesome to celebrate her and see how dedicated she is to the kids to have the parents come back looking for her. It’s been just a great day to celebrate her,” Paquette added.
Diamond told Western Mass News why teaching the young students is so important to her.
“I love that they come in and have their first school experience. I get to welcome them to the school and make sure they love school going forward,” Diamond said.
The students told us the feeling is mutual.
“She did fun activities with us and she was very sweet,” Jones added.
https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/09/20/surprise-squad-honors-westfield-elementary-school-teacher/?fbclid=IwAR1emjy1oSFiiGulGb1OqgvZ67FIhI2lPyPJCKPZ4k6TsDIaHtJLJkAc9FI
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