Westfield Arrow
Aiming to Keep You Informed
January 7, 2022
From the Office
It was great to be back in session this week and we enjoyed hearing from students about their winter break experiences! We felt very fortunate to have such high attendance this week and we feel it is a direct result of the efforts made by our students, staff, and parent community. We appreciate students wearing masks, washing their hands often, doing their best to maintain social distance, and staying home when they feel sick. Thank you to everyone for their continued support of our health and safety guidelines!
Winter Weather
Please assist us in reminding your child to wear appropriate winter clothing to match the temperatures. This is especially important for students who are waiting at bus stops or walking to and from school. If you are in need of any assistance please reach out to our Main Office and we can connect you with resources available through Westfield and the community.
Monitoring Social Media
We believe that it is extremely important for parents & guardians of middle school age children to frequently monitor their child's texting and social media usage and continuously review the expectations for appropriate use of electronics and social media accounts. We continue to receive reports from both students and parents in grades 6th through 8th regarding student texts and postings containing, among other things: foul language, mean and negative remarks, threats and harassing statements, and bullying type behavior.
It is our goal to partner with parents and guardians to insure that all students feel comfortable and safe at school on a daily basis. When inappropriate behavior occurs at school or affects a child at school, we issue consequences in accordance with District 13 School Board policy. We encourage parents and guardians to assist us by limiting or restricting access to texting and social media accounts if students are not using them appropriately.
As a school, we strive to promote and encourage positive and respectful interactions among students both at school and in the community. As part of our social and emotional learning program we work daily with students to educate them on appropriate social skills, appropriate technology usage, responsible decision-making, respectful interactions, problem solving techniques, and conflict resolution.
8th Grade
Lake Park counselors will meet with all 8th graders on Thursday, January 13th to discuss scheduling for next year. Information regarding Course Selection and Registration will be provided by Lake Park on Wednesday, January 12th as part of their Virtual Incoming Freshman Family Night. Please see this document for more information from Lake Park.
Looking ahead
Noon dismissal on Friday, January 14th.....No School on Monday, January 17th.....Please see the Revised District 13 Calendar for 2021-2022 for additional important dates.
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: ''We are W.A.R.R.I.O.R.S.; our mission and vision for the future are for all staff and students to be Welcoming, Ambitious, Respectful, Responsible, Innovative, Optimistic, Reflective and Successful."
UPCOMING DATES
Please visit our Google Calendar for all activities and schedules!
- 8th Graders/Incoming Lake Park VIRTUAL Freshmen Night: January 12th (see info below)
- Lake Park Counselors Visit 8th Grade: January 13th during the school day
- NEW! 12:00 Noon Dismissal: January 14th (no lunch period/no hot lunch)
- NO SCHOOL/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day: January 17th
- End of Quarter 2: January 21st
WESTFIELD THIS WEEK
'Zentangle' 3-D Stars in Art
Interact Cub at DuJardin
'Favorite Things' Tetris Mural Art
Grade Level News:
The teams will be updating the links weekly during the school year with news and any upcoming information.
Weather & School-closing information
Remember to check the District 13 website in the event that weather patterns dictate the closing of district schools. The District will also use phone messages and/or email blasts to alert parents of any school closing. Please make sure we have your current contact information.
Otus: Student Progress for 6th & 7th Grade Parents
How Parents Can Log in to Otus:
- Sign in to Otus (if you have not set up your family account, please follow the directions in this video or this article to do so.)
- PLEASE READ FIRST: Your student already has an Otus account from the school district. To avoid confusion, it's best to use your own name rather than your student's name when creating the Family account. Both the video and the article have the same information. Please view whichever is more convenient for you.
- (If you have created your family account, but need to connect your student's code, have your child log in to Otus and click Edit Profile. Their student code is located at the bottom of that page.)
- To check your child's progress on Otus, click on Gradebook, then choose which class you would like to see progress in.
- To check your child's completed assignments on Otus, click on Gradebook, then click the three dots in the top right corner to change the "Grading Scale" to "Completion Scale."
STUDENT INFORMATION
Yearbook Club Needs You!
We are getting our Westfield yearbook prepared and would love for you to join us!
Our next meeting will be after school on Wednesday, January 12th 3:40pm until 4:45pm. We will meet in Mrs. Foley’s room, 210. See you there!
Order a Westfield Yearbook Today
Yearbooks will be delivered in May 2022. Students can get signatures from teachers, friends, etc. the last day of school in 2022.
If you need a School Code: 1014041382501890
PARENT INFORMATION
8th Graders: VIRTUAL Incoming Freshman and Family Night for Lake Park HS
This year's VIRTUAL event will be on Wednesday, January 12th from 6:30 - 7:30pm for Westfield. Click on the link below to visit multiple Zoom sessions. There is also a video presentation if you miss the live session.
Live-Streamed Webinar for Parents
LIVE YOUTUBE LINK for 1/25/22 at 6:30pm
New Year, New Gear!
Questions? Email Linda Korbel at sasha0708@yahoo.com
>> IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT HOT LUNCH ORDERED FOR JANUARY 2022
NEW MENU ITEMS FOR HOT LUNCH!
Please use this link for ONLINE ordering information:
- HOT LUNCH INFO & ORDERING
- Questions? >>Email Linda Korbel at sasha0708@yahoo.com
Students Will Need Their P.E. Shirt for Gym Class Every Day
- Students are required to wear their uniform shirts for P.E. class each day. This year, the students are only required to change into a P.E. shirt. However, they do have the option to purchase P.E. shorts, bring their own athletic shorts, or simply wear the pants/shorts they wear to school that day. [Students now have their own gym lockers with locks.]
- P.E. shirts and shorts are $10 each and can be purchased throughout the school year by writing a check to Westfield Middle School or paying with $10 cash and having your child give the payment to their PE teacher.
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
FROM THE WESTFIELD NURSE
FROM WESTFIELD TECHNOLOGY
Chromebook Trouble?
If you need assistance from the Technology Department, please have your student 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:
FROM THE WESTFIELD SOCIAL WORKER
Want to give someone a shout out?
Teenage Depression and Anxiety
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,
Academic Supports
Paper is academic support that connects students in grades 1-8 to a live, human tutor in that content area via chat. 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:
A Remote Learning Support Teacher (RLST) will provide two and a half hours (2 ½) of daily contact for students using Google Meets.
By the 3rd day of absence, a RLST will email each student and their parent/guardian with the link to join the support sessions.
Students are expected to work independently on their school work in conjunction with the 2 ½ hours of direct contact they receive from our RLST.
- 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.
- 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.
- Students will receive extended time to complete school work upon their return to the classroom.
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
WESTFIELD'S PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO)
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
Want to Volunteer at Westfield?
- 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.
Volunteer to Help at Hot Lunch
PTO Membership Dues
- All-school parties
- Teacher appreciation
- Scholarships
- Field Trips
- Student awards
BLOOMINGDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Upcoming Library Programs
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: