Westfield Arrow
Aiming to Keep You Informed
December 4, 2020
From the Office
Happy December! We hope everyone had a wonderful time last week visiting with family and friends over the break, even if it was from a safe distance away or online.
With this being a challenging time for all, it's even more important to look out for our fellow neighbors and friends. Along with seeking out charitable organizations to support, we encourage you to see the Kindness Calendar below for some great ways to make a positive impact on others.
Reminder: Full Remote Learning - until 1/4/2021
As Dr. Bartelt shared in his message on Monday, 11/16, District 13 will continue to use Remote Learning for all students until after Winter Break.
District #13 Focus Groups
Superintendent, Dr. Jon Bartelt, is holding several focus groups to discuss the return of students. The first meeting was held last night, 12/3, with additional meetings scheduled for Tuesday, December 8 and Wednesday, December 9 between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. Please contact the District Office at 630-893-9590 if you are interested in participating.
Focus groups will discuss the following topics:
- Adding an additional day of in person learning for students;
- Figuring out alternatives to delivering instruction at the middle school;
- Thinking of useful interventions that can help students and families with academic recovery;
- Compiling a useful list of resources for social emotional support of students, families and staff
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Thank you to everyone who participated in Parent-Teacher conferences recently! This year, we used a wider window, from November 16th - December 4th, as our main conference time, rather than only the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. As always, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher at anytime throughout the year if you have a question or concern regarding your child's academic progress.
Winter MAP testing - January 2021
This year, Winter MAP testing at Westfield will take place during the 2nd or 3rd week of January. We will proved exact dates as we move closer. We ask that all parents encourage their child(ren), grades 6 - 8, to approach the MAP test with confidence and to put forth their very best effort.
This year, our MAP testing data will also be used by Lake Park HS to help determine appropriate class placements for our current 8th graders. Traditionally, Lake Park conducts their own testing (PSAT8) to assist with placement decisions, however Lake Park HS did not administer the PSAT 8 in the fall due to health precautions related to COVID-19.
Attention 8th Graders - Message from Lake Park HS
The following link contains a message from Lake Park East High School Principal, Mrs. Amanda Brode-Rico and Associate Principal at East, Mrs. Jessica Foster, talking about why it is so important that the 8th graders take their MAP exams seriously this year. (click here for video).
1st Trimester Report Cards
Today, teachers submitted final grades to the main office for the 1st Trimester. Please look for Report Cards in the mail at the end of next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Stefan Larsson
Principal
Nicole Gabany
Assistant Principal
Warrior of the Week
Each week the staff recognizes students for demonstrating outstanding character based on attitudes or actions that fall under the Character Counts Pillars and our WARRIORS Mission and Vision.
UPCOMING DATES
Please visit our Google Calendar for all activities and schedules!
- Virtual Book Fair Closes: December 6th (see below)
- Trimester 1 Report Cards Mailed Home: Week of December 7th
- Early Dismissal Schedule: December 16th
- Student Supply Pick Up-only those who received email: December 16th 2-5pm
- District 13 in Fully Remote Learning (no in-person students): Present Day - December 18th
- Winter Break: December 21st - January 1st
WESTFIELD THIS WEEK
See the Westfield Drama Performance!
Grade Level News:
MORE SMILES BEHIND THE MASKS!
STUDENT INFORMATION
You Can Check Out Books Remotely! Get Some Before the Winter Break...
The Book Fair Will Help with Your Holidays
Parents & Students: Email Your Cross Country Snapshots
Order Your Yearbook
Order by April 18th to make sure it arrives by the end of the school year! Please use this link>> to order your 2020-21 Yearbook
Parents/Guardians: Please Call in Your Student's Absence
Want to give someone a shout out?
FROM WESTFIELD TECHNOLOGY
Chromebook Trouble?
If you need assistance from the Technology Department, please use this link to request support.
Students: Please log out of your Chromebook and log back in daily
See this video on how to log in and out of your chromebook.
Get the Parent PowerSchool App
Similar to the PowerSchool Parent Web Portal, parents can download the PowerSchool Mobile App from the App store on your iOS device or the Play Store on your Android device. Simply search for “PowerSchool” to find and install the mobile app on your smartphone or tablet.
- After downloading the mobile app to your device, connect the Mobile App to the correct PowerSchool server for Bloomingdale School District 13, by entering our unique, four-character code: G M K T
- You can also search for Bloomingdale SD13 by district or school name.
- The PowerSchool Mobile App will display your child(ren)’s schedule and assignments.
- PowerSchool Mobile app users can also enable Push Notifications to receive alerts when attendance is recorded or a final grade changes. To setup notifications within the app: Tap Account, then tap Notifications to configure the notifications you want to receive. Use the slider icons to turn the notifications on or off.
- Note: Parents must have a PowerSchool Parent Web Portal account created and students linked to their account before using the PowerSchool Mobile App. Click here for instructions on how to create a parent Portal account.
'How-To' for Parents/Guardians:
Otus for 6th grade Parents
FROM THE WESTFIELD SOCIAL WORKER
Parents, please complete this needs assessment:
FROM THE WESTFIELD NURSE
PARENTS:
The State of Illinois is not waiving the requirements for all students who have mandated health forms (physicals, immunizations, dental and eye exams), even though students are not currently physically present in the schools. Please submit the mandated forms to your child’s school as soon as possible. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact your school’s building nurse for assistance (Westfield Middle School nurse is Beth Jones bjones@sd13.org) Please scan, fax, or drop off hard copies of medical documents to the school. We are unable to accept photographs of medical documents. Thank you!
{Students who are transferring into our district from out-of-state must speak with the building nurse.}
The exclusion date for non-compliant students remains October 15th, except for the dental exam which is not due until May 2021.
The required forms are available at your Doctor offices and on your school’s website, located under “Health Information”.
Please see below for the grades which have mandated paperwork due October 15th:
Kindergarten (or 1st grade, if your student did not attend kindergarten): physical examination, up-to-date immunizations, eye exam and dental exam. (Dental exam is due in May 2021.)
2nd grade: dental exam. (Dental exam is due in May 2021.)
6th grade: physical examination, up-to-date immunizations and dental exam. (Dental exam is due in May 2021.)
Teenage Depression and Anxiety
Student Expectations for Remote Learning
We ask that all parents take a moment and review the expectations for proper school behavior and on-line etiquette provided in the following links. Please reference our Student Handbook for general policies and procedures and this Virtual Etiquette for Google Meets infographic to assist students with Remote Learning expectations. Thank you!
WESTFIELD'S PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO)
When students return fully, we'll use SignUp.com to organize Westfield Volunteers.
1) Click this link to see our SignUp: https://signup.com/go/xZeejVZ
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
VILLAGE OF BLOOMINGDALE PROGRAMS
Bloomingdale Park District
WESTFIELD SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
How-To Videos
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
PowerSchool: Coming Soon
- Logging in
- Checking grades
- Seeing assignments
- Comments from Teachers
FlipGrid:
Chromebook: