Westfield Arrow

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year!

We look forward to seeing everyone at Information Day on August 14th and we are very excited to welcome all of our students back to school on August 22nd!

Please note - Registration fees

There is a delay in registration fees being posted to the MySchoolBucks accounts. The district is working on syncing MySchoolBucks to the new student system in ALMA. Parents/guardians will be notified when invoices have been created. The payment due date will be adjusted due to the delay. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused to families. If you haven't already created an account, please do so now: My School Bucks Instructions

Information Day - August 14th

Westfield students and their family members are invited to visit Westfield on Wednesday, August 14th, between 3:00 - 6:00pm for Information Day. Students are welcome to pick up a hard copy of their schedule, walk the building to locate classrooms, purchase or pick-up locks*, and drop-off items in their locker if secured with a Westfield lock. Information Day is also a great time for parents/guardians to drop off registration and medical documents in the office, sign-up for PTO opportunities, order Spirit Wear, and visit with staff members who are on hand to assist.

*Locks - With the delay in lock fees being posted in MySchoolBucks, our plan is to hand out locks to all 6th grade students on Information Day and then invoice families at a later date. For returning 7th & 8th grade students we encourage you to use your lock from last year, however, if 7th & 8th graders wish to purchase a new lock they may also do so through MySchoolBucks once the fees are posted.

Start of the year Information

In order to help you and your student(s) prepare for the new school year, please take a moment and review the following key dates and information listed below.

• District 13 Website
  
  
• Westfield Student Handbook.

• 2024-2025 District 13 Calendar
  
  

• Register for the 6th Grade Back-to-School Camp

• Start of the Year Parent & Student Information
  
  

• Standards & Expectations for Student Behavior
  
  

• Extra-Curricular opportunities at Westfield
  
  

Starting a New School Year

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. Lunch & Study Hall for all grades are between 11:38 - 12:22pm. Students will be dismissed from school at 3:30pm.

We understand that students may have some anxiety and worries about starting a new school year. If you feel that it would benefit us to know specific information regarding your child that you have not recently shared, please do not hesitate to reach out to our School Counselor, Ms. Lindsay Fenton (lfenton@sd13.org), our Social Worker, Mrs. Sheila Zagotta (szagotta@sd13.org) or our School Nurse, Mrs. Dawn Rider (dawnrider@sd13.org). Once you receive your child's schedule, you may also share information with any classroom teacher if you feel it would benefit your child's experience at Westfield. We are all here to help! Please contact our Main Office at 630-529-6211 if you have any questions.

Meet the 2024-2025 Westfield PTO Board

We are excited to introduce the members of the Westfield PTO Board for 2024-2025.

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

Please join us in welcoming our new PTO Board members and thanking them for their service! There are still committee positions that need to be filled. If you are able to help, please consider Signing up to volunteer for the school year 2024-2025. Email westfieldmpto@gmail.com for information.

Don't Forget to Register for the 2024-2025 School Year

If you have not had a chance to register your incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for the new school year please take a moment to do so. Please visit the NEW REGISTRATION PORTAL to register your student(s).

Looking ahead

Thursday, August 22nd - First Day of School for 2024-2025

Have a wonderful weekend!

Stefan Larsson

Principal

Amanda Vreeland

Assistant Principal

• NOW THROUGH AUGUST 16 Summer Office Hours of 8:00am-3:00pm Monday-Friday please call for an appointment if needed 630-529-6211
• AUGUST 14 Westfield Information Day 3-6pm in the Commons

• AUGUST 16 6th Grade Camp at Westfield 8:15am-12:00pm
• AUGUST 22 First Day of School 2024-2025 8:30am-3:30pm
• 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 with this information:

COLOR PORTRAITS PICTURE PREPAYMENT FORM

Parents & Guardians should have received login credentials from District 13 on March 1st. As the District moves to Alma >> a NEW REGISTRATION PORTAL for the 2024-2025 school year, ALL families (New and Returning) will be required to prove residency. Previous documents submitted are not able to be transferred to Alma, the new registrations system. Please reference this REQUIRED RESIDENCY DOCUMENT for more information on the proof of residency documents.

• RETURNING STUDENT = CHILD IS CURRENTLY AT WESTFIELD OR COMING FROM DUJARDIN OR ERICKSON
• NEW STUDENT = CHILD IS BRAND NEW TO DISTRICT 13

District 13 Registration Information

REGISTER YOUR STUDENT FOR 2024-2025

2024-2025 School Fees - Parent/Guardian Instructions

District 13 has a new online fee payment system called My School Bucks (MSB).

MSB is a user-friendly, online payment system with a single sign-on. You can create an account, add your student(s), and see ALL of your students in one account.

Parents/Guardians:

• You will receive an invoice email of fees for 2024-25 after August 12th.
• If it is not in the inbox, please check the spam folder.
• Parents must create an account in MSB. Please follow the Parent Instructions
• Fees for 2024-2025

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

Fee Waiver Application

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 season will begin in August.]

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

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

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.

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:

• CLICK HERE to fill out what you would like to do.
• Questions? Email westfieldmpto@gmail.com for information.

• Parents will join a volunteer list at Information Day
• Committee Chairs still needed: Hot Lunch, Parties/Dances, Teacher Appreciation, Spirit Wear, Social Media, Box Tops
• PTO Email: westfieldmpto@gmail.com

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)

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