Westfield Arrow
Aiming to Keep You Informed
SEPTEMBER 17, 2021
From the Office
Westfield supported "Go Orange Day" today in hopes of raising awareness about hunger in our community. Please consider donating to local food banks in order to support members of our community who are dealing with tough times.
Next Friday, we are "Going Gold" in support of funding for pediatric cancer research. Students and staff are encouraged to wear gold shirts next Friday and are invited to attend a Community Walk at Erickson Elementary School between 4:30 - 6:00PM. If you would like to help us raise money or for more information on the community walk, please see the flyer in today's Arrow.
Cross Country
Our Cross Country team participated in their first meet of the season on Tuesday, 9/14. Next week, the team will compete @ Medinah on Tuesday, 9/21 and @ Westfield on 9/23. The Conference Meet is scheduled for Monday, September 27th at Lake Park East Campus. We invite you to come out and cheer on our athletes at any or all of these meets!
Cell Phone policy reminders
Students are allowed to carry a cell phone to and from school each day if their parents or guardians approve. Once inside the building, phones should be turned off or silenced. Upon entering classrooms, students are asked to place their silenced phones in our pocket holders.
Teachers reviewed the cell phone policy with students at the start of the year and outlined the expectations of respecting the personal property of other students. With the approval of both staff and administration, students do have times in their day to utilize their phones in appropriate ways.
Students risk losing the privilege of having their cell phone in their possession during the school day if they violate our expectations for cell phone usage. Please assist us in reminding students that it is a violation of school policy for a student to use their phone to take photos or record audio or video while in the building, unless they receive permission from a staff member. Thank you!
Attention 8th Graders - PSAT 8 Testing at Lake Park HS on 10/23/21
Parents & Guardians of 8th grade students will be receiving information from Lake Park regarding PSAT 8 testing. The date for Westfield students to take the PSAT 8 test at Lake Park West Campus is Saturday, October 23rd, at 7:45AM. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kate Foster, Assistant Principal at LPHS, at (630) 529 - 2275 or kfoster@lphs.org.
Emergency Preparedness
Next week, we will continue conducting our annual safety drills. Each school year, we work in cooperation with both the Bloomingdale Fire and Police Departments to insure our students and staff are as prepared as possible in the event of an actual emergency. As part of our annual safety drills, students and staff will participate in a lockdown drill, a severe weather drill, and several fire drills.
The purpose of conducting safety drills is to make sure that students and staff have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with new locations, practice routines that we will use in the event of an actual emergency, and ensure the safety and comfort of everyone at Westfield. Students and staff are notified in advance of the drills and students are able to ask questions during each of the practice sessions. If you have any questions or concerns related to our safety drills, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Main Office at 630-529-6211.
Picture Day - Monday 9/20
Picture Day is Monday, September 20th. Please see the Student Information section for more info!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Stefan Larsson
Principal
Amanda Vreeland
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!
- All-School Picture Day: September 20th PICTURE DAY ORDER INFO
- Cross Country Meet: September 21st, 4:00pm at Medinah Middle School
- Club Create in Art Room: September 22nd (see more info below)
- Cross Country Meet: September 23rd, 4:00pm at Westfield, Circle Park
- Wear GOLD for Pediatric Cancer Awareness: September 24th
- "Going Gold" Walk honoring Michael Carr: September 24th, 4:30-6:00pm (see registration flyer below)
- State of Illinois Deadline for 6th Grade Physical: October 15th
IMPORTANT: 6th Grade Parents
Please, remember to turn in all physical, immunization, medication forms, and emergency care plans to the Health Office as soon as possible. Remember to complete and sign the required parent portions as well! We have many 6th grade students who are still non-compliant!
State of Illinois Health Requirements: Sixth-grade "students will NOT be able to attend school after October 15, 2021, until ALL required physical exams and immunizations are received."
Thank you for attending to these important health mandates; this paperwork allows us to give your students excellent health care! Our goal is to keep them safe and healthy.
WESTFIELD THIS WEEK
Extra Discussion
Choosing a Good Book
Socratic Seminar in 8th Grade Science
Grade Level News:
The teams will update these weekly during the school year with news and any upcoming information.
STUDENT INFORMATION
Bring Your Best Smile
Your parents may purchase pictures online with this link: PICTURE ORDER FORM INFO
Register to "GO GOLD": Fundraiser for Pediatric Cancer
Club Create--Make Something Fun!
Westfield’s Club Create is for students who love to create --whether it be with pencil and paper, fabric, nature, clay, cameras --whatever artsy materials they like to use!
Our first after-school session is planned for September 20th.
Complete this Fall 2021 Club Create Sign Up
NEW! Video Production Club
To SIGN UP: Email Mr. Segatti at dsegatti@sd13.org
NEW! Gaming Club
To SIGN UP: Email Mr. Segatti at dsegatti@sd13.org
You Can Still Sign Up for Choir Club
STUDENT COUNCIL
- Watch for Upcoming Events!
Lake Park Football Game Info
Lancer Fans,
Please be advised of the following policies regarding attendance as it relates to non-Lake Park students before coming out to the game:
- Any non-high school-age students (elementary and middle school) attending games at Lake Park High School must be accompanied by a supervising adult. Students arriving without an adult chaperone will not be admitted to the game.
- Backpacks and opened beverage containers are not allowed in the stadium, so please plan accordingly and bring what you need to be prepared for all weather.
- Admission of $3 is charged to non-high school-age students over the age of five (5) years old.
- If the child is not being driven home by an adult chaperone, please arrange for a ride for pick up by 9:30pm in the circle drive in front of West Campus and not in the stadium parking lot. This helps to reduce traffic near the stadium and pedestrian areas.
Make your plans to come out and support the football team and GO LANCERS!
PARENT INFORMATION
Don't Miss Picture Day This Monday, September 20th
ONLINE PICTURE ORDER INFO
Info for Parents: 24/7 Online Student Tutoring
1. Parent Webinars [English | Spanish] - 45-minute live sessions for parents
2. Parent Handout PDF - helpful to print and handout at parent meetings
3. Pre-Recorded YouTube [English | Spanish] - helpful resource for parents
Order a Westfield Yearbook Today
Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of the school year for friends & teachers to sign. Order now to save 10%!
YEARBOOK ORDER LINKFROM THE WESTFIELD NURSE
- Bring in your 6th-grader's full physical, so that your student is compliant to be in school; 6th grade will automatically be good-to-go for sports as well.
- To be eligible to play sports, 7th and 8th graders need only a current sports physical on file with the nurse.
- Questions? Email Mrs. Jones at bjones@sd13.org
Thank you!
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.
Otus Student Progress for 6th & 7th Grade Parents
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:
FROM THE WESTFIELD SOCIAL WORKER
Want to give someone a shout out?
Reminders
Social-Emotional Supports
If you feel that your child is struggling on a social-emotional level, please do not hesitate to contact our Social Worker, Mrs. Sheila Zagotta, and she can work with you to coordinate supports for your child both inside and outside of the classroom.
The Middle School years can be very tricky for students to navigate even during the best of times, so with a uniquely challenging year like this one, it's even more important for all of the adults in a child's life to collaborate on supporting each student's needs. We are here to help, so please reach out if we can be of assistance and we will continue to do the same!
Academic Supports
Paper is academic support that connects students in grades 1-8 to a live, human tutor in that content area via chat. Students can access this support through their school login whenever they have questions on homework, would like someone to review an essay, or need help reviewing for an assessment. Please see this video for Parent Information on Paper tutorial for more information. (Papel para Padres en Español)
Daily Attendance
Please contact the Main Office at 630-529-6211 or email Laurie Spejcher to report any student absences. This will help us to keep accurate records of every student present in our building. Thank you!
Quarantining due to Close Contact
A Close Contact is anyone with whom the confirmed COVID case had close contact, within 3 feet, for at least 15 minutes throughout the course of 24 hours. Exposure on a bus must include everyone who sat within 3 feet of the confirmed or probable COVID case for 15 minutes or longer. At lunch, with masks removed, close contacts are anyone within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer.
Westfield Middle School does not have to exclude all students in a classroom from attending school because a student in the classroom tested positive for COVID...Only those students who were Close Contacts with the confirmed student will be required to quarantine for 14 days. It is important for students to wear a mask & maintain 3-feet of social distance from others at all times.
If your child is quarantining at home, student work will be made available by each of their classroom teachers. Students and their parents/guardians should stay in regular contact with each teacher to determine the best method to access materials and resources. Some work may be accessible through digital sites, while other work may need to be picked up from school. Individual teachers may exempt students from portions of the work that is missed or provide alternative activities for lessons that are difficult to recreate at home. In addition, students will receive extended time to complete school work upon their return to the classroom.
Any student who tests positive for Covid or is a Close Contact to an individual who tests positive for Covid may be required to quarantine for up to 14 days. We ask that parents speak with the school nurse to determine the length of the quarantine and return date to school. Students who need to quarantine due to being a Close Contact will not qualify for Remote Instruction. Assignments will be made available to students during their absence.
If your child is in quarantine in excess of 14 days, per doctor's note, remote instruction MAY be made available based on the following criteria:
Unvaccinated
INELIGIBLE for vaccine AND
IN Quarantine due to Positive Covid Test.
Please contact Samia Hefferan, Director of Student Services, shefferan@sd13.org to start the application process
★ Remote Learning/Instruction is defined as: At least one hour of instruction
each school day or five hours in each school week provided by a certified teacher.
The Glenbard Parent Series
Join other parents, high school and middle school students, and professionals to learn about issues facing today’s youth such as Student Social Skills and Anxiety, Rethinking Parental Pressure.
The Glenbard Parent Series engages top experts, parents and school staff to become proactive and informed in pursuit of the mutual goal to strengthen our communities. Programs are free and open to the public.
Local Food Pantry at Bloomingdale Church
Roselle Community Food Pantry
Teenage Depression and Anxiety
WESTFIELD'S PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO)
New Board Contacts for Westfield PTO
Vice-President: Linda Baker, parent of a 6th grader sasha0708@yahoo.com
Secretary: Loriann Hoyle, parent of a 6th grader hoylefamily04@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Ranna Kothari, parent of 6th & 8th graders ranna3@yahoo.com
Volunteering is Back!
- Westfield Parents and Guardians! Sign up to volunteer for school year 2021-2022.
- CLICK HERE to fill out what you would like to do.
- Questions? Email Loriann Hoyle or Linda Baker for information.
PTO Membership Dues
- All-school parties
- Teacher appreciation
- Scholarships
- Field Trips
- Student awards
BLOOMINGDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY
BLOOMINGDALE PARK DISTRICT
WESTFIELD SOCIAL MEDIA 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: