Westfield Arrow
Aiming to Keep You Informed
April 24, 2020
From the Office
Bloomingdale School District 13 schools are closed for the remainder of the school year due to the pandemic threat for students and staff. Please continue to check the District 13 website for the most up-to-date information.
Like all of you, we were saddened to hear that all Illinois school buildings would need to remain closed through the end of the school year. Although understandable, it is no less disappointing to know that we would not be able to gather in person this spring to laugh & learn together, to travel on wonderful field trips, to recognize the academic achievements of our students, to cheer on and attend spring concerts and athletics, to celebrate the accomplishments of our 8th graders, and SO MUCH MORE.
Although not an ideal situation to be in, we continue to be impressed by the efforts of our students, staff, and parents to continue the teaching and learning process from remote settings. Keep up the great work!!
End-of-the-Year planning
We are in the process of working with District 13 and Westfield staff to create safe and practical ways of celebrating our students and closing out the school year. We will share the final plans as soon as we can.
Here are a few updates:
- Warrior Excellence Awards: We are planning to recognize student nominees and award winners with certificates/plaques as in previous years. The names will be shared via a slideshow tentatively scheduled to be released in late May. The physical awards will most likely be distributed as part of the student supply pick-up. Stay tuned for more information.
- 8th Grade Graduation: Unfortunately, we are unable to plan for an in-person Graduation Ceremony at this time. However, we are planning alternate ways to celebrate our 8th graders. I am working with staff and our PTO Board to create some fun and meaningful memories for our 8th grade students. We will be sending a google form to 8th graders next week asking them to contribute. Please encourage your 8th grader to complete the form. On a related note, we are still planning to distribute diplomas, medallions and gowns to our students sometime close to June 1st.
- 3rd Trimester Grades and Cumulative GPA: Our Remote Learning plan calls for students to receive either a PASS or NO GRADE designation for the current grading period based on the percentage of completed work, with 50% being the minimum to receive a PASS. Therefore, work that may have been graded at the start of the 3rd Trimester and entered into PowerSchool, will be factored into the completion percentage and the entire Trimester will receive either a PASS or NO GRADE. We are working with staff to determine the best way to handle grades for Exploratory courses, which were either close to finishing the 3rd Quarter (6th and 7th grade) or which had completed quite a bit of work in the 2nd Semester (8th Grade) prior to the closure. Determining final GPA calculations for the year is also in discussion. We will update everyone as soon as possible.
- Supply pick-up: Dr. Bartelt and other district leaders are working on a plan for parents to be able to pick up student items that remain at each of the District 13 schools. The current Stay-At-Home order from the Governor does factor into the logistics and we want to make the best decisions for our students, parents and staff. Our main priority will always be to keep people safe and healthy. Look for more information from Dr. Bartelt and I in the near future.
~Be sure to check out our Virtual Warriors of the Week and the Virtual 5K flyer!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Principal
Nicole Gabany
Assistant Principal
Warriors of the Week
We Are Warriors Virtual 5K Run/Walk/Bike - April 30th
Please reach out to Mr. Buchholz with any questions.
Yearbook Orders - Updated on 4-17-2020
The Westfield Passcode is: 1014041382501890
Art for All
District 13 Remote Learning Plan
As per the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) guidelines, new learning will be provided by teachers in order to minimize the loss of learning due to the school closure. Our main goal continues to be the health and well being of students and families. Please know, that the lessons provided during Remote Learning are recommended, but we understand if students are unable to complete every single assignment or activity.
District 13 Remote Learning Plan
Remote Learning - Parent FAQ's
Students will receive feedback and a completion grade from their teachers on assignments & activities they complete. Students will also receive either a grade of PASS or NO GRADE at the end of the grading period based on their participation in learning activities. Students must complete a minimum of 50% of the assigned activities in order to receive a grade of PASS. Completion is based on attempts and not on accuracy. Feedback from teachers will relate to accuracy and proficiency, but will not negatively affect a students overall grade as per the ISBE. For students who would like to go beyond the recommended daily classroom activities, additional activities will also continue to be provided by teachers and specialists. We ask that you strongly encourage your student(s) to participate in any and all recommended activities provided by their classroom teachers. We believe it will benefit your child's academic and social-emotional development.
As a reminder, student participation/attendance will be tracked in each classroom in an effort to stay connected with each student. If a student fails to participate, teachers will attempt to contact students and their parents/guardians via email to help problem-solve the situation. If the email correspondence is unsuccessful, our administrative assistant, Mrs. Spejcher, will attempt to contact parents/guardians by phone. As mentioned in Dr. Bartelt's email, the phone number will appear as the District number of 630-893-9590. If at any time, you know your child will not be able to participate, please call Westfield at 630-529-6211 to report an absence for that day, either the evening before or prior to noon on the particular date.
Students
We strongly encourage you to participate in the learning process on a daily basis in all of your classes!
Each day/week, please do the following:
- Review each teacher's Google Classroom daily
- Check your email and respond when necessary
- Participate in large group activities on Google and Zoom
- Contact your teacher for assistance with an assignment or activity
Contact us if you need assistance beyond a specific class assignment
Team Leaders
- 6th Grade: Mr. Cikesh - ncikesh@sd13.org
- 7th Grade: Mrs. Foley - afoley@sd13.org
- 8th Grade: Mr. Sparks - asparks@sd13.org
Social Worker
- Mrs. Zagotta - szagotta@sd13.org
Principals
- Mr. Larsson - slarsson@sd13.org
- Mr. Gabriel - jgabriel@sd13.org
Teachnology Department
A Scholarship for Graduating High School Seniors Who Attended District 13 Schools
7th Graders: Taking Spanish Next Year?
Be Counted! 2020 US Census
Assistant Principal's Office - Substitute
Beginning on Monday, March 9th, Mr. Jeremy Gabriel will serve as our Assistant Principal for the remainder of this school year, while Mrs. Gabany is out on maternity leave. Mr. Chris Shamet will serve as the long-term PE substitute for Mr. Gabriel. Feel free to reach out to either Mr. Gabriel or Mr. Larsson for any assistance you need from Westfield Administration.
Upcoming Dates
Please visit our Google Calendar for all activities and schedules!
*At this time, events that were cancelled have not been rescheduled. Once school resumes, we will provide updates on past & future events that may have been affected. Thank you for your understanding!
2020-21 Online Enrollment for Students New to the District
New Student Online Enrollment is open--only for those students new to District 13. Please check the Bloomingdale School District 13 website for more information: sd13.org
2020-2021 Proposed School Calendar
WESTFIELD'S PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO):
We're using SignUp.com to organize our upcoming Westfield Hot Lunch 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.