Munger Hill Elementary School

Click on the link below for the latest edition of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we talked about the new IEP and more with our Special Education Leadership Team. We also celebrated National Angel Food Cake Day with staff and students from Westfield Technical Academy's Culinary Arts Department. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np4jTwSqU8k

October is National Principals Month, and we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the amazing principals who lead our schools. Their dedication, passion, and commitment shape the educational experiences of our students and foster positive school cultures. Every day, our principals inspire teachers, staff, and students to strive for their best. They navigate challenges with grace and create environments where every student can thrive. This month, join us in recognizing and thanking these remarkable leaders. To our wonderful principals, thank you for all that you do. Your leadership and tireless efforts make a profound difference. Let’s all take a moment to #ThankAPrincipal and show our appreciation for their invaluable contributions to our schools and communities.

Westfield Public Schools continues to update our school district’s comprehensive safety plan in conjunction with the Westfield Police and Fire Departments. A team of Westfield Administrators and other staff members representing every level from elementary to high school, has been working collaboratively with the Westfield Police and Fire Departments to make sure our students, staff, and families have a current, research-based, and educationally sound emergency operations plan. As part of our continued work with Westfield Police Department and our ongoing training for students and staff, our city departments working together will conduct lockdown drills in our schools the week of October 15-18 utilizing the enhanced lockdown procedures known as A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate). If you have any questions regarding our drills, please contact Mr. Christopher Rogers, Director of Operations and Safety for the Westfield Public Schools at 413-572-6495.

Hello, Munger Hill families. I would like to inform you that Mrs. Susan Buchanan is no longer the Assistant Principal at Munger Hill School. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors and are grateful for her service and time at Munger. We will begin working immediately on filling the Assistant Principal vacancy. I will share more information by midweek on that topic. In the interim I will be assuming the additional administrative duties and you may see district staff at the building supporting us in the coming weeks as well. Thank you for your understanding and please let me know if you have any questions.

Two important events are coming on Tuesday, October 1st! It's School Picture Day for students and there is a PTO meeting (virtual) that night for families. Flyers went home with students to order pictures, call the office if you need another copy. The link for the meeting will be sent out soon!

Rain in the forecast may have stopped some people from attending the Big E on Sept. 26, as the fair only managed 48,078 admissions, far short of the pleasant-weather standard. But on Salute to Westfield Day, it couldn’t keep several city residents from making the short trip to the West Springfield fairground to see their exposition favorites, like the Avenue of States. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/09/westfield-residents-enjoy-food-business-sightseeing-on-citys-day-at-big-e.html

PTO fundraisers are coming home! We hope you can support the PTO and our school!

We hope you will join us at Open House on Wednesday, September 11th!

If you missed last week's Rock on Westfield with host Harry Rock, click on the link below. Guests Superintendent of Schools Stefan Czaporowski and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Susan Dargie talk with Harry about the 2024-2025 school year and more. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLyi7YDDK20

Westfield Public Schools and Offices will be closed on Monday, September 2, in observance of Labor Day. Have a great long weekend! Thank you.

Welcome back! We can't wait to see all of our new and returning students on Day One, Thursday, August 29, 2024! If you are a late enrollment and didn't get a letter with your teacher name, we'll have staff members out in the morning to tell you who your teacher is and help you find them. As in years past, all teachers will be on the blacktop Thursday and Friday morning to meet students, walk them inside, show them where the classrooms are, get their bearings, and get everyone settled for the first days of school. Teachers will have signs with their names on them and all other staff will be outside to help guide our students. We are so excited for Day One and hope you are too! See you Thursday!!

To emphasize the importance of attending school, DESE's "Power of Presence" initiative asks you to submit a creative piece of artwork, music, photography, videography, writing, etc. to express why you attend school. We hope to hear from everyone:pre-K to adult students, families, school staff, educators, and administrators! Some examples include a short story about your school community, a painting of your favorite teacher, a photo of your classroom decorations, a video interview of your favorite teacher, a song you've been practicing for the school play, a testimonial about a new skill you learned - we are encouraging you to get creative! We will choose one entry to be featured this spring, highlighting you and your school community! We can't wait to see what you create and what makes your presence so powerful. This opportunity is open to all students, school staff, educators, and families in Massachusetts public pre-K-12 schools and adult learning classes. Deadline: December 20, 2024 To Submit: Complete the Entry Form (with included Media Agreement language) Attach your submission to the form. Deadline is Friday, December 20th, by 11:59 p.m. The creator of the entry that will be featured in the spring will be notified on or before January 10, 2025. https://www.doe.mass.edu/sfs/attendance/?utm_source=DA-Commissioner%27s+Weekly+Update&utm_campaign=bcd0ba25fc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_08_26_08_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-bcd0ba25fc-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

Thank you to St Joseph’s Church for their donation of school supplies. These supplies will be distributed to our refugee and McKinney Vinto families

The Munger Hill Main Office will be closed on Monday, August 12th. It will reopen on Tuesday, August 13th at 8am. All messages will be returned when the office reopens. Thank you!

Beginning on Monday, Aug. 5, hundreds of students entering Westfield Intermediate School, Westfield Middle School and Westfield High School this fall will have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with their new schools ahead of the first day at the schools’ transition programs. Unfortunately, all of the programs are filled, but there will be scheduled orientations for some of the schools later in the month. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/08/hundreds-of-westfield-5th-7th-9th-graders-sign-up-for-transition-programs.html

Mrs. Piper and Mrs. Clines will be out of the office on Monday, August 5 and Tuesday, August 6. Due to our absences, the Munger Hill Main Office is closed on these days. We apologize for the inconvenience. The office will reopen at 8am on Wednesday, August 7th and return to regular hours at this time. Thank you!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break so far! Kindergarten and Preschool families should be receiving letters this week with important dates and information, so be on the lookout for that. Those dates have also been added to our calendar, so you can also find them all at the bottom of this page! For students in Grades 1-4, we expect to be mailing home placement letters on Friday, August 16th. If you don't receive on in the mail the following week, please call the office after Wednesday, August 21st (give them a few days to arrive in case of any post office delays). As we get closer to the start of school we'll be introducing our new staff members so keep checking here for the updates! Enjoy the next five weeks and we'll see you soon!

Westfield Public Schools and offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday. Thank you.

Have a wonderful and restful summer! Teacher supply lists can be found on our website under Menu, then Parents: https://www.schoolsofwestfield.org/o/munger-hill/page/supply-lists-by-grade Class assignments will be mailed out in August and we will post more information as that time approaches Please feel free to email Mrs. Clines over the summer with any questions: alexandra.clines@schoolsofwestfield.org Enjoy the break and we'll see you soon!

I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Susan Buchanan has been hired to be the new Assistant Principal at Munger beginning July 1, 2024! Mrs. Buchanan comes to us from the Northampton school district, where she has served as a Math Instructional Coach for the past three school years. While there she has run data meetings, monthly math department meetings, is part of their Instructional Leadership Team, has co-taught and modeled in classrooms to help implement their math curriculum, provided math intervention, served as a math champion, and taught Math Recovery. While in Northampton she has also served as a 504 and Assessment coordinator. Mrs. Buchanan has also been an adjunct professor of education at Elms College and Westfield State University. She has a wealth of knowledge that will be of great benefit to the Munger community. Prior to her hire in Northampton, she was employed in Westfield and served as an Assistant Principal at Paper Mill School. She is excited to be returning to Westfield, a district near and dear to her heart. She is a Westfield resident and has children who have gone through the district in addition to having worked here. Throughout the interview process she kept talking about how much she wanted to come back to the Westfield schools and how much she loves it here, so we are thrilled to have her as part of our team! I will work with the PTO to set up an event in August for families to be able to meet Mrs. Buchanan before the school year starts and get to know her. Be on the lookout for communication over the summer about that. Thank you for your patience as we waited for her hire to be official so we could announce to to the families. We are looking forward to having her at Munger and for you to get to know her as well. Welcome Mrs. Buchanan!