Members of the community are invited to immerse themselves in the work of talented art students of all ages adorning the walls of Westfield High School at “Into the Arts” Saturday, April 27, and then gather in the gym and enjoy student musicians from elementary to high school perform in “Bandtastic.”
Artwork by students in second and fourth grades on up will be on display from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. throughout the school, and at 1 p.m. in the gym, musicians from elementary, intermediate, middle and both high schools will be showcased.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/westfield-student-artists-musicians-getting-ready-for-combined-showcase.html
Now that the solar eclipsed has passed, Westfield’s public schools are passing on the special viewing glasses to students in South America.
Westfield school district Curriculum and Instruction Director Susan Dargie said the schools are working with the Holyoke Fire Department to collect glasses to be donated to Argentina and Chile, where an annular solar eclipse will be visible on Oct. 2.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/westfield-students-will-donate-used-eclipse-glasses-to-kids-in-south-america.html
Lauren Cadigan, supervisor of science, technology and engineering for Westfield schools, and K-6 STEM coach Lyndsey Ayers, said they are ready to distribute more than 5,700 solar eclipse safety glasses, a pair for every student and staff member in the public school system. Any leftover glasses will be given to the preschools at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club.
“Students won’t get them until Monday,” Cadigan said. She said 3,000 of them were donated from UMass Amherst, and the district purchased the rest. Administrators made sure these glasses have been tested to protect eyes from the intense rays of the sun.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/safety-glasses-pinhole-viewer-project-have-westfield-pupils-ready-for-eclipse.html
Please join us for our Solar Eclipse Viewing Party? We will meet and watch some or all of the Eclipse together at Stanley Park on Monday April 8, 2024. The viewing event is optional, and we will meet by the swings at Stanley Park around 1:30. We will be providing glasses to students who attend!
Tonight's SEPAC Meeting is now being held virtually only. Thank you.
The much-anticipated solar eclipse is just days away and areas schools are preparing their students to have a front row seat for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“This is called a pinhole viewer…and some classrooms, we provided instructions, so that teachers can create these, and kids can use them and safely view the eclipse with things they have at home,” said Lauren Cadigan, supervisor of Science Technology and Engineering at Westfield Public Schools.
Throughout Westfield Public Schools, teachers have received resources ranging from directions on how to create a pinhole viewer, reading materials, maps, and more. Some of the masterminds behind it are Cadigan and Pre-K through Grade 4 STEM Coach Lindsey Ayers.
“I think students are more excited about learning when they can see something in real life. We’re excited about that real-life experience,” Ayers added.
However, preparations for the eclipse are extending outside of the classroom too. Across the district, after-school sports practices and games have been cancelled so students can take in the eclipse.
To view the eclipse, you need the right lenses to protect your eyes. Elementary school students were given eclipse viewing glasses, but teachers throughout the district had the chance to request them. We’re told the demand was so high that by Monday, the district plans to order and distribute nearly 3,900 pairs about 2,500 pairs were donations from UMass Amherst.
“I hope we inspire the next generation of scientists. As always, we try to create a space where all kids, if they want to be, can be successful in STEM and can see themselves in stem,” Cadigan noted.
https://www.westernmassnews.com/2024/04/03/schools-preparing-use-eclipse-learning-moment-students/?fbclid=IwAR1lAUd35NgO0rf-OqlCMdx5WBr0Y8gDgwaR-im7MpVClfrp_NcbRewMTO0_aem_AUtfRf3DEHnxeT87bc9iDiYdtPrI8iY9RQl8fnC4CRYKFiYJL5XLsB50hz-u0fQjjidQwBTV9qq_ayNSw1VdGzUQ
A reminder that schools are closed tomorrow, March 29, for Good Friday. Thank you. Have a great weekend!
Our in person meet-up takes place tomorrow, March 28th from 10:00-11:30 am at the Westfield Boys and Girls Club. The Boys and Girls Club is located at 28 West Silver Street. We hope to see everyone there!
In Massachusetts, students with attendance rates consistently above 95% in pre-kindergarten through grade 3 outperformed students with lower attendance rates during any year between pre-kindergarten and grade 3 on the grade 3 MCAS tests.
Our next in-peron meet up is one week away! We hope you will join us at the Westfield Boys and Girls Club from 10:00-11:30 am. Come for the fun while we play games and exciting activities! As always, we look forward to this event.
Click below for the Quarter 3 Newsletter from Westfield Public Schools.
https://www.schoolsofwestfield.org/documents/district/district-newsletters/quarter-three-newsletter/598820
MCAS Testing for Grade 10 is happening on March 26 and 27th. Students at the Virtual School take the test in person at the Virtual School. Please have your student arrive no later than 7:50 am. We are located at 94 North Elm Street, Suite 401
After successfully duplicating the classroom via the internet, the Westfield Virtual School is looking at an online version of another pillar of high school: sports.
“It’s essentially playing video games, but you’re doing it competitively,” Principal Stacy Burgess told the Westfield School Committee recently. E-sports, she said, “has really grown throughout the nation.”
She said staff at the school, a Westfield public school that serves grades 6-12 via computer, are excited about adding extracurricular activities and volunteer opportunities to their offerings, including a student council. She said the school already hosts in-person social events so that the students can get to know each other and make social connections.
Additionally, students enrolled at Westfield Virtual School can compete in the usual varsity sports by playing on Westfield High School teams. But getting sweaty isn’t for everyone, Burgess said at the March 4 meeting of the School Committee.
“It provides an opportunity for all students — not every student is athletic,” she said of e-sports. “Some students really enjoy playing video games.”
E-sports is more than just playing video games, however. Though competitors may be using the same software and controllers that the average teen plugs into his or her Xbox or Playstation for an impromptu gaming session at home, an e-sports program is a real team.
“You have a coach. There’s a curriculum you teach,” Burgess said. She added that there are also restrictions: the school wouldn’t sponsor an e-sports team for an inappropriately “violent or dangerous” video game.
Like traditional sports at traditional schools, e-sports would allow students to express themselves in a non-academic way within the Westfield Virtual School community, Burgess said. It also allows avid gamers to compete online within a regulated league, rather than against anonymous strangers.
Not everything at the virtual school is online. Burgess said once a month, she tries to have an in-person event, sometimes “out in the community” such as an ice skating day at Amelia Park Arena.
“They really are the best day of the month when it happens, because the kids are so happy and excited to be together and see their friends in person,” she said.
Westfield Virtual School’s enrollment has increased from 64 to 98 since November, Burgess said. As a local public school, enrollment is open to Westfield residents only. She said there are only nine virtual schools in the state, most of them in eastern Massachusetts. School Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said there is a bill on Beacon Hill to allow out-of-district students to attend local virtual schools.
Families choose the virtual school for a variety of reasons, Burgess said. Some students cannot leave the hospital or home for medical reasons. Some have anxiety or other emotional reasons for not attending class in person. Some have been expelled from in-person school. Some are gifted and talented teens who work better with the project-based learning model of online education.
“We really accept all students,” Burgess said.
As the enrollment grows, the school staff is growing, from the equivalent of 13 full-time positions to 15 this year. One of the new positions was a staff member to work with students whose first language is not English.
Burgess said it takes a special kind of teacher to succeed at virtual instruction.
“You have to be ‘better than the average bear,’ because it’s that much more challenging to engage the students” through a screen, she said. When hiring staff, administrators pay special attention to the candidate’s ability to form personal relationships and support a student.
The school shares some of its academic staff with Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy. The virtual school staff are based in the Westwood Building on North Elm Street, the same building as the School Department central offices.
https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westfield/e-sports-teams-being-considered-for-westfield-virt/
Students in grade 11 from Westfield, MA High School, Westfield Virtual School, Westfield Technical Academy, and St. Mary's High School participated in our 6th Annual Career Fair at Westfield State University this morning. After the event, students were treated to lunch at the Dining Commons on campus. Special thanks to Westfield State University, Westfield Gas + Electric/Whip City Fiber, the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, and the over 75 businesses in attendance for making this even a success again this year!
Our next In Person Meet up is taking place on March 27th from 10:00-11:30 at the Westfield Boys and Girls Club. Plan on fun activities that will get your mind going and your body moving! We can't wait for our next meet up
Attendance is the most important factor in student success in school. Attendance is taken each period. A student is marked present when their teacher calls their name and they respond that they are here. The expectation for all students is that they have their cameras on and will actively participate in class. Please remind your student of these expectations. If you have a concern, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here to help.
Tryouts are currently being held for Gator Swim Club's spring and summer season! Gator Swim Club is a nationally-ranked USA Swim Club based right here at Westfield High School. We accept swimmers as young as 6 years old, of varying ability levels. We even offer a discount for Westfield High swimmers looking for somewhere to train when the high school season ends!
For more information about the club, visit us at www.westernmassgators.com, or follow us on instagram @westernmassgators. To arrange a tryout, contact Coach Tom Avila at (978) 771-0332 or CoachTAvila@gmail.com
Many WPS teachers in grades PK-12 attended the annual Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Spring PD Day at WPI, organized by the Mass Learning Project. Teachers attended sessions that focused on curriculum mapping, collaborating, networking, utilizing artificial intelligence, and helping students solve meaningful problems through authentic skills. Teachers left the day feeling prepared and inspired to continue facilitating applied learning with their students through PLTW.
If you know a student in high school who is nervous about what their future holds, whether they’re interested in college or not, have them attend an upcoming career fair.
Susan Dargie, Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Westfield Public Schools, and Stefan Czaporowski, Superintendent of Westfield Schools, are here to talk about the importance of these events.
https://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/career-fair-for-high-school-students-offers-options/
A big THANK YOU to the Westfield Home Depot for their generous donation of seeds and soil for our must recent meet up day. The students had a wonderful time welcoming spring.
