Westfield Arrow

We hope everyone had a wonderful start to the school year! It was so nice to meet our newest Warriors, catch up with familiar faces, and hear all about everyone's summer experiences.

We truly appreciate all of the support our students receive from parents & guardians, grandparents, office staff, custodians, teachers, our PTO, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, siblings, and more! It all helps tremendously to make a transition like the first days of school a success for our students!!

A huge SHOUT-OUT to our PTO for providing the Welcome Back Warriors message on the front lawn, a start of the year breakfast and T-shirts for our staff, and popsicles for all of our students! We truly appreciate the kind gestures and tremendous support for our students and staff from our fabulous Westfield PTO!

Safety Drills

Today, we conducted our annual safety drills with the cooperation of both the Bloomingdale Fire and Bloomingdale Police Departments. We would like to thank both departments for all of their help! Students and staff participated in safety drills for fire evacuation, lockdown, and for severe weather situations. We would like to thank all students and staff for their cooperation during our drills and for helping them run smoothly! Your children might also mention to you that we had the opportunity to practice our fire drill evacuation twice today when a false alarm took place. As they say, practice makes perfect, so we take those things in stride and look for the positive side of things.

Grade-level talks

Yesterday, we met with each grade-level to welcome them into Westfield. As administrators, we use this time to introduce ourselves to students, welcome them to a new year, and review our procedures & expectations in order to assist students with a smooth and comfortable start to the new school year.

We were joined by staff members from the PE, Exploratory, and Guidance departments.

In addition to reviewing aspects of our Westfield Handbook, one of our goals for the meeting was to make sure that students see that we have a number of staff members, including their core classroom teachers, who students may turn to if they need any support or assistance.

We hope that after our meeting students have a better understanding of the opportunities available to them at Westfield, as well as, the high standards and expectations we have for all of them. We were proud to see so many students on day 1 already modeling what it means to be a WARRIOR!

Fall MAP Testing - 9/4 & 9/5

• Dates: Wednesday, September 4th, and Thursday, September 5th.

• Testing on both days will take place in the morning between 8:30am and 11:35am.

• Lunch (period 5) remains the same time, 11:38 - 12:22.

• Afternoon classes on 9/4 will run 1, 2, 3 & 4

• Afternoon classes on 9/5 will run the normal line-up of 6, 7, 8, & 9

• Links from NWEA MAP that you may find useful: Parent FAQ & MAP Fact Sheet
  
  

Teachers will provide students with specific details regarding the testing format, times, breaks and locations. If possible, please avoid student absences on testing days. Thank you!

Curriculum Night - September 5th, 6:00 - 7:30pm

We would like to invite all parents & guardians to attend Curriculum Night on September 5th, at 6:00pm. Curriculum Night is an opportunity to walk your child's schedule, briefly visit each of your child's classes, and meet their teachers. Each period is only 8 minutes long, with a 4 minute passing period, so unfortunately there is not enough time to conference with teachers that evening. However, at any time during the year, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or team leader to schedule an individual or group conference with our staff.

Teachers will have a copy of your child's schedule in their 1st period room that you can pick up at 6:00pm, so please confirm the 1st period room number with your child. Parents/guardians can also access their child's schedule through ALMA at any time. For your convenience our Curriculum Night Schedule shows you the times for the evening and has a column where you can add your child's classroom numbers for all periods. PE classes will meet in our East Gym and all Exploratory classes will meet in our Commons. Building maps will be available by each entrance.

You may enter the building through either Door 1 (Main Entrance) or Door 32 (Athletic Entrance) beginning at 5:45pm. Parking can be challenging, so please plan accordingly. The evening will begin promptly at 6:00pm. Please proceed to your child's 1st period classroom when you arrive.

Westfield Band members - Informational Meeting at 5:30pm on Curriculum Night

Our Band Director, Mr. Craig Hatter, will be hosting an informational meeting for parents & guardians of Westfield Band members on Thursday, September 5th from 5:30 - 5:55pm in the Band room. Please enter through door 32 which is right off the front lot. After the Band meeting, parents & guardians may then proceed directly to their child's 1st period classroom for the start of Curriculum Night.

Town Hall meeting with Dr. Bartelt at 7:40pm on Thursday, September 5th

Following our Westfield Curriculum Night program, our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jon Bartelt, will be hosting a Town Hall meeting regarding the upcoming referendum questions that will appear on the ballot in November. The Town Hall will be held in our West Gymnasium. Please enter through door 32, located along the front parking lot. Participants will be able to tour parts of the building, ask questions, and learn more about the referendum questions. We hope to see you there!

Looking ahead

No School on Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Stefan Larsson

Principal

Amanda Vreeland

Assistant Principal

• AUGUST 26 Cross Country Team Practice Begins 3:40-4:50pm
• AUGUST 26 D13 Board of Ed. Meeting at District Office 7:00pm
• SEPTEMBER 2 Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
• SEPTEMBER 5 Curriculum Night 6:00-7:30pm at Westfield
• SEPTEMBER 16 Student Picture Day [retakes on October 21]

The teams will be updating the links weekly during the school year with news and any upcoming information.

• 6th GRADE TEAM
• 7th GRADE TEAM
• 8th GRADE TEAM
• EXPLORE TEAM (grades 6, 7, 8)
• P.E. TEAM (grades 6, 7, 8)
• WF SPECIALISTS (grades 6, 7, 8)

6th GRADE: (Choose one or MORE!)

• How They Croaked by Georgia Bragg & Kevin O'Malley
• Zach's Lie by Roland Smith
• Darkroom by K.R. Alexander
• The 39 Clues by Rick Riordan

7th GRADE: (Choose one or MORE!)

• A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
• The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
• Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

8th GRADE: (Choose one or MORE!)

• Dan vs. Nature by Don Calame
• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman
• "The President Has Been Shot!" by James L. Swanson

If a student needs Chromebook/Password/Repair assistance from the Technology Department, the student must use the link below to request support:

Technology Support TICKET

Parents can expect to see charges for some Chromebook repairs.

District 13 will absorb the first $50.00 of the Chromebook repair annually.

These repair costs will be charged through My School Bucks.

Your student's picture day will be here soon!

Parents may pre-pay before September 16th:

1. Go to: ordercp.com
2. Enter student info and code 10020701
3. Choose package and background

Parents/Guardians:

• You received an invoice email of fees for 2024-25 on August 16th. If it is not in the inbox, please check the spam folder.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Please sign into My School Bucks and create an account and attach your student(s).

2. Click on the Person Icon in the upper right hand corner

3. In the drop down that appears select "My Students"
4. On the My Students page click the blue "Add Student" button

>> Once the fees are posted to your student(s) account(s), you will receive an email notification from My School Bucks. If you have not received an email, this means the fees were probably posted prior to you creating an account

>> The payment deadline has been extended to October 1, 2024.

Westfield Families:

• Along with the registration fee, 8th-grade students will have their graduation fee applied to their account to be paid at the beginning of the school year.
• Sixth-grade students will have their lock fee applied to their account to be paid at the beginning of the school year.

MY SCHOOL BUCKS INSTRUCTIONS

WESTFIELD GRADES 6,7,8 STUDENT SUPPLIES LIST 2024-25

Parents may purchase their student's own supplies or purchase an online supply kit for the 2024-25 school year.

The online order link: SCHOOLTOOLBOX.COM

>> TO ALL INCOMING 6th GRADE PARENTS re: FULL HEALTH PHYSICAL for 2024-25
A current, physical examination is required by the Illinois Department of Public Health for all children entering 6th grade -- completed by a Physician and signed by a parent/guardian.
STATE OF ILLINOIS HEALTH EXAM FORM

>> TO ALL 7th and 8th GRADE PARENTS re: SPORTS PHYSICAL for 2024-25
A current, sports-physical exam is required if your 7th or 8th grade student wishes to participate in sports -- BEFORE their sport season starts and in time for tryouts.
SPORTS PHYSICAL FORM

[The Cross Country Team practice begins August 26 after school.]

Questions? Email Westfield's Nurse: dawnrider@sd13.org [see info below regarding medication]

• The district's medication administration policy mandates that all medication administered at school requires a Medical Doctor's order. This includes over-the-counter medications; students may NOT keep over-the-counter meds in their backpacks or in their lockers--including cough drops, Advil, etc. This is an important safety concern!
• If your incoming 6th grader requires an inhaler, Epi-Pen, or any oral medication, please obtain the medication form and appropriate health care plan from your physician when your child has their exam. Forms may also be obtained on the district website.
• Questions? Please contact Mrs. Rider, Westfield Nurse at dawnrider@sd13.org
• DOCTOR MEDICATION AUTHORIZATION FORM
• PARENT AUTHORIZATION

• President: Cynthia Perez
• Vice-President: Melissa Graham
• Treasurer: Agata Rojba
• Secretary: Kavita Maharaj

Benefits of your $20 membership for all students:

(Please, pay with MySchoolBucks) MEMBERSHIP FORM

• All-School parties and dances
• Classroom 'wish' lists
• Teacher appreciation
• Scholarships
• Field Trips
• Student awards

Westfield Parents and Guardians! Sign up to volunteer for the school year 2024-2025:

• Committee Chairpersons still needed: Hot Lunch, Parties/Dances, Teacher Appreciation, Spirit Wear, Social Media, Box Tops
• CLICK HERE to fill out what you would like to do.
• Questions? Email westfieldmpto@gmail.com for information.

Westfield Middle School collects Box Tops for Education™.

All you need is your phone!

• Download the Box Tops app
• Use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase
• The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit your school’s earnings online

Twice a year, Westfield will receive a check for whatever the school needs!

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact the PTO at westfieldmpto@gmail.com Thanks for your support!!

School Day Hours: 8:30am- 3:30pm.

Students are guided into the building by staff between 8:10 - 8:20am and are expected to be seated in their 1st period class at 8:30am. All classes are 44 min with a 3 min passing period. Lunchtime, Flextime, & Study Hall for all grades are between 11:38 - 12:22pm. Students will be dismissed from school at 3:30pm. All students attend the following courses: ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, PE, & Exploratory.

• Standards & Expectations for Student Behavior
• Westfield Student Handbook

• Social Worker, Sheila Zagotta (szagotta@sd13.org)

• School Counselor, Lindsay Fenton (Lfenton@sd13.org)

Your child can take IXL with them anywhere with the IXL app for tablets and smartphones! This app is tailor-made for mobile devices to create a fun and immersive experience that learners love.

On October 30, 2023, the Illinois State Board of Education released the 2023 Illinois Report Card for schools. Westfield received a summative designation of Exemplary for 2023. The Exemplary rating is given to schools performing in the top 10% of schools statewide, with no underperforming student groups. This is the second year in a row that Westfield has received the Exemplary rating. We would like to congratulate everyone in the Westfield Community, including our students, staff, and parents. We are extremely proud of the students and staff at Westfield!

Schools are rated on a number of factors, including student scores on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in both ELA & Math and on the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). This year the School Report Card also included the percentage of students who showed growth on IAR in ELA & Math. For a quick comparable, here are some scores from Lake Park feeder schools showing the percentages of students who Met & Exceeded on IAR and ISA along with the growth of students relative to other students in the state in ELA & Math.

We are working with students to create "How-To" Videos to support students and parents. Below are some of the topics we have videos for so far. We will continue to cover different topics as they come up. (*If the video is not linked here it is in the process of being made and edited, but we wanted you to know it is coming!)

Gmail:

• How to delete all email (6th grade)
• How to appropriately write an email
  
• You can only email other sd13.org email addresses
• Creating Bookmarks
• Starring and snoozing Emails

Google Classroom:

• How to Join Classroom(with Code)
• How to Join with Teacher Invite
• Check Stream and classwork page
  
• How to Turn in assignments

FlipGrid:

• Accessing
• Creating
• Responding/Replying

Chromebook:

• Pinning Apps to Chromebook Shelf

• How to set up Google Classroom email summaries for Parents and Guardians