Westfield Arrow
Aiming to Keep You Informed
JANUARY 29, 2021
From the Office
We appreciate all of the efforts of our students, parents, and staff who helped make our first "Remote Snow Day" on Tuesday, 1/26, a productive learning day despite everyone working from home. Hopefully, our community benefited from students using their "PE time" to help clear some snow! 😊
Academic Supports
In addition to our current academic supports, we are very excited to add the use of Paper for our students, which will begin on Monday, February 1st!
This support 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)
On Monday, students will receive an email with instructions and information. They will also be watching a quick introduction video during Acceleration next week. We hope students find this resource useful, especially during afterschool hours and on weekends!
Celebrate Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of the achievements and contributions made by African Americans throughout U.S. history. Although students at Westfield learn about the achievements and history of African Americans throughout the school year in all courses, we also believe it is important to use this month to encourage students and families to learn more. We encourage students to have conversations at home about the contributions made by African Americans throughout the history of the United States. The links below from History.com and the Smithsonian have wonderful resources.
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Picture Day Next Week:
Students will take pictures during PE next week; Group A on Wednesday 2/3 and Group B on Friday 2/5. Fully remote students interested in picture day, please call the front office to schedule an appointment.
Updated District 13 Calendar
A reminder to see the updated January - June District Calendar shared in December. Please take note of the Noon Dismissals on February 10th, March 10th, April 21st, and May 19th.
Next week - In-Person Learning Schedule
Monday, 2/1 - Group A
Tuesday, 2/2 - Group B
Wednesday, 2/3 - Group A
Thursday, 2/4 - Group A
Friday, 2/5 - Group B
Groundhog Day - 2/2/21
On Tuesday, February 2nd, also known as Groundhog Day, the “Prognosticator of prognosticators” Punxsutawney Phil will reveal whether he thinks we will have an early spring or six more weeks of winter. How accurate is Phil? Check out Weather.com for more information.
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!
- 8th Grade Lake Park HS Course Selection Deadline: January 29th
- 12:00 Noon Dismissal: February 10th
- Student Picture Days: February 3rd, February 5th and February 10th (see below)
- Virtual Author Visit with Alan Gratz: February 10th
Picture Day is Coming!
Picture Day Schedule: (RETAKES WILL NOT BE OFFERED THIS YEAR, You may also email a photo for review or if you are 7th or 8th grade your previous years photo can be used.)
Hybrid A Students: Wednesday, February 3rd during PE class
Hybrid B Students: Friday, February 5th during PE class
Full Remote Students: Wednesday, February 3rd 3:30-4:15pm MUST MAKE APPOINTMENT - call Westfield at 630-529-6211
Full Remote Students: Wednesday, February 10th 1:00-4:00pm MUST MAKE APPOINTMENT - call Westfield at 630-529-6211
If you pre-pay online or by phone before Picture Day, you do not have to pay shipping costs, but you must pre-pay online or by phone before your child's picture is taken.
Prepaid prints will be delivered to Westfield within three weeks, given to in-person students and then available for remote students during supply pickup around March 10th.
{ If you would like to email your student's own picture for the yearbook, please email to: wfyearbook@sd13.org }
Reminders
Daily Pre-Certification form needed for all In-Person Learners
All students attending In-Person learning must have a health pre-certification form completed by their parents through Raptor each day that they attend In-Person learning.
Daily Attendance
Please contact the Main Office at 630-529-6211 to report any student absences. We also ask that parents/guardians notify the Main Office if your child is listed for In-Person Learning, but will be attending classes Remotely for the day. This will help us to keep accurate records of every student present in our building. Thank you!
Out-of-State travel - 14 Day Quarantine
If out-of-state travel becomes necessary for your child, students will be required to attend classes remotely upon returning to Illinois for a period of 14 calendar days. Please reach out to our Nurse if you have any health related questions or concerns. Thank you for helping us keep our building as safe as possible for our students and staff!
Check the New Hybrid In-Person Calendar
- Remember to follow the new hybrid calendar for student in-person A and B days.
- Parents will be able to update their choice again for Trimester 3.
WESTFIELD THIS WEEK
Grade Level News:
STUDENT INFORMATION
Join the Yearbook Team!
Westfield's Got Talent 2021: Virtual Edition
- Send in your Flipgrid video before 3:00pm on January 29th to Drama Teacher, Mrs. Bringer. There are many indoor AND outdoor talent suggestions on the attached information sheet.
- The performances will be collected and released to the Westfield public on February 12th.
- Do it--record it--upload it! (Questions? Email Mrs. Bringer)
Acts of Kindness to Others...and Yourself!
Check Out Westfield Library Books Remotely
Westfield Art Needs Your Frosting Containers!
Parents/Guardians: Please Call in Your Student's Absence (even if they are 'full remote')
Mrs. Gabany's Virtual Office
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.
Otus Student Progress for 6th 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
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)
An Easy PTO Fundraiser!
Graduating High School Seniors: District 13 College Scholarship 2021
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.
BLOOMINGDALE CHARACTER COUNTS!
Annual CC! Nomination Form
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: