Westfield Virtual School

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

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

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

The Governor's Youth Advisory Council will give young people from across the Commonwealth the opportunity to advise the Healey-Driscoll Administration on innovative solutions to some of the critical issues we face today such as climate, education, mental health, gun violence, housing, and more. Please click on the image below for more information on how to apply.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

With school ending today, the Westfield Athenaeum is offering a fun program with prizes that is aimed at helping children and teens stay engaged with reading over the summer months. The Athenaeum’s annual Summer Reading Challenge program has reading challenges for all ages, complete with different levels of activities. One program is for children up to grade 6, and a second one is for teens from grades 7-12. There’s even a reading challenge for adults who want to join their kids in summer reading. All participants are challenged to read at least 20 minutes a day. Reading challenges run from June 26 to Aug. 12 — at least 1,000 minutes of reading, total. Signups are being taken at westath.beanstack.org/reader365. The Athenaeum uses a program called Beanstack, which allows participants to sign up, track their reading and earn extra raffle tickets toward prizes online instead of using a paper log. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/06/summer-reading-programs-for-youth-adults-begin-next-week-at-westfield-athenaeum.html

A reminder that Westfield Public Schools are closed on Monday, June 19. Tuesday, June 20 is the last day of school, and it is an early release day. 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 a.m. Thank you.