Students in Westfield got a little dose of adult life Wednesday participating in the high school’s “Credit for Life Fair.” Westfield area students were age 25 for a day and put through the paces of emerging adulthood at the fair, hosted by Westfield High School.
“It’s definitely a lot more. Like there is more to it,” said Westfield Technical Academy student Maya.
Each student picked a profession, was assigned a credit score and tasked with visiting 15 booths around the gymnasium, each an educational opportunity on an aspect of post-education life.
“It’s a budgeting exercise and we’re doing it with seniors because these are the kids that are about to graduate and have these expenses maybe in a few months,” said Edward Nunez, a volunteer with the Springfield Credit for Life program.
Some of those expenses were surprisingly high for student Savanah, “The unforeseen expenses. It could be $50 at the supermarket or $900 because your car got towed.”
“I was very surprised with the student loan debt. I did think it was really going to be that much,” said student Brady.
While the expenses were a revelation, job hunting was an exercise in goal setting. Students selected a career in the area they hope to go after school. Carefully planned finances and dream jobs only get you so far in life… some things you can’t plan for. That’s where the reality check booth comes in.
“We did have someone who landed on a spring break trip, so they had to deduct $900 from their balance,” said Kara Wood from Westfield Savings Bank.
“This is not an easy thing to do every month. Managing what you want to do with your money and what you need to do with your money,” said Linda Saltus of Western Massachusetts Credit for Life.
https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/students-learn-budgeting-skills-through-credit-for-life-fair-in-westfield/
The much-anticipated solar eclipse is just days away and areas schools are preparing their students to have a front row seat for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“This is called a pinhole viewer…and some classrooms, we provided instructions, so that teachers can create these, and kids can use them and safely view the eclipse with things they have at home,” said Lauren Cadigan, supervisor of Science Technology and Engineering at Westfield Public Schools.
Throughout Westfield Public Schools, teachers have received resources ranging from directions on how to create a pinhole viewer, reading materials, maps, and more. Some of the masterminds behind it are Cadigan and Pre-K through Grade 4 STEM Coach Lindsey Ayers.
“I think students are more excited about learning when they can see something in real life. We’re excited about that real-life experience,” Ayers added.
However, preparations for the eclipse are extending outside of the classroom too. Across the district, after-school sports practices and games have been cancelled so students can take in the eclipse.
To view the eclipse, you need the right lenses to protect your eyes. Elementary school students were given eclipse viewing glasses, but teachers throughout the district had the chance to request them. We’re told the demand was so high that by Monday, the district plans to order and distribute nearly 3,900 pairs about 2,500 pairs were donations from UMass Amherst.
“I hope we inspire the next generation of scientists. As always, we try to create a space where all kids, if they want to be, can be successful in STEM and can see themselves in stem,” Cadigan noted.
https://www.westernmassnews.com/2024/04/03/schools-preparing-use-eclipse-learning-moment-students/?fbclid=IwAR1lAUd35NgO0rf-OqlCMdx5WBr0Y8gDgwaR-im7MpVClfrp_NcbRewMTO0_aem_AUtfRf3DEHnxeT87bc9iDiYdtPrI8iY9RQl8fnC4CRYKFiYJL5XLsB50hz-u0fQjjidQwBTV9qq_ayNSw1VdGzUQ
On Tuesday, Westfield Technical Academy senior softball pitcher Allyssa Slack saved the best for last.
Slack closed out a 20-5 win over Pioneer Valley Regional with her 11th strikeout of the day. More importantly, it was the 500th of her career.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/the-westfield-news-scoreboard-allysa-slack-records-strikeout-no-500-in-tigers-victory.html
Westfield High School baseball sophomore pitcher Josh Wagner scattered five hits, three walks, and one run over 6 2/3 innings of a home opener Friday to pick up a win over Minnechaug at Bullens Field. He struck out eight batters.
Lead-off hitter Patrick Moore paved the way for Westfield (1-0) on offense, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Bombers’ Nick Lenfest went 1-for-4 with a run scored and Wagner and Emmett Garfield each had a hit.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/03/the-westfield-news-scoreboard-josh-wagner-bombers-baseball-silence-minnechaug-in-opener-3-1.html
It was a pitcher’s duel that wasn’t decided until the very last out. Westfield Technical Academy senior softball pitcher Allyssa Slack scattered four hits, struck out 13 batters, walked two, and allowed just one earned run as the Tigers turned back the St. Mary’s Saints, 5-3, in a season opener Monday at Whitney Field.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/allyssa-slack-homers-strikes-out-13-in-westfield-technical-academy-softball-win-over-st-marys-5-3.html
Bombers junior hockey goalie Evan Mastroianni will receive the Bruce Landon Award and a $500 scholarship at the April 11 reception hosted by the Amo Bessone Awards Committee.
The committee gives awards annually to several players, coaches and supporters of high school hockey in Western Massachusetts. This year, Mastroianni is the only winner representing a school in Westfield or Southwick.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/03/westfield-bombers-hockey-player-evan-mastroianni-wins-landon-award-for-goalies.html
Adopt-a-Classroom alert! Second graders from both Franklin Ave and Abner Gibbs Elementary Schools visited John Raaymakers and Allison McMordie at a job site where they were able to observe changes to the land along the bank of the Little River. Students learned about the importance of safety meetings (hard hats included), natural causes of erosion, and how contractors and engineers work together to design solutions to prevent erosion. This real-world experience is related to what students have recently learned in a Project Lead the Way Module titled "The Changing Earth". This partnership not only extended students' understanding of science concepts, but also introduced them to career options in their own hometown.
A reminder that schools are closed tomorrow, March 29, for Good Friday. Thank you. Have a great weekend!
Retired Westfield Bombers coach C.B. “Moose” Matthews will be inducted to the Massachusetts State High School Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame on May 4, honoring several decades of success.
Matthews, who retired in 2021, said he wasn’t expecting to be honored, and that coaching high school students was enough of a reward.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/03/westfield-bombers-hockey-coach-moose-matthews-chosen-for-state-hall-of-fame.html
Students in the Junior Criminal Justice class at Westfield High Westfield High School had the opportunity to visit the Massachusetts State Police Headquarters in Framingham, MA. During their visit, they learned about the history of the State Police, the recruitment process to become a state trooper, and the immense opportunities available after completion of the academy. They toured the facility, which included an information session with the Lieutenant in the Fusion Center, and a lesson on their portable Alcohol Checkpoint busses that they use to look for drink drivers. They were also informed about a Cadet summer camp that they can participate in for a more hands-on experience. It was a great day!
Ms. Diamond's Kindergarten class at Highland Elementary School has been working on their Project Lead the Way unit about Forces of Motion. The unit investigates ways to help move rocks to build a swing set. Students engaged in push and pull centers to see how pushes and pulls can help move the rocks. They experimented pushing and pulling on different surfaces as well as with different levels of force. For their final project, the students worked together in groups to create a box to help push and pull the rocks to make room for the swing set.
Westfield Technical Academy had 59 students participate in the SkillsUSA District 6 qualifying competition against nine area high schools, and did very well against the competition in the written portion.
“We received 30 medal winners: 14 first-place gold medals, five silver second-place winners and 11 bronze third-place winners,” said allied health department head and SkillsUSA advisor Maureen Baillargeon.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/03/westfield-skillsusa-district-winners-raising-funds-for-state-competition.html
In a presentation to the School Committee on March 25, Franklin Avenue Elementary School Principal Chris Tolpa talked about the school’s collaboration with different organizations in the community that bring the students unique opportunities they would not otherwise have.
“It’s something we’re very proud of and I strive for every day as a leader [to involve] our community and all its organizations,” Tolpa said.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/03/franklin-avenue-elementary-school-staff-students-excited-about-collaborations.html
In Massachusetts, students with attendance rates consistently above 95% in pre-kindergarten through grade 3 outperformed students with lower attendance rates during any year between pre-kindergarten and grade 3 on the grade 3 MCAS tests.
Students from the Westfield Technical Academy (WTA) Aviation program are intently listening to Ms. Colleen D'Alessandro, New England Region Regional Administrator. Ms. D'Alessandro is the principal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representative for the six New England states: Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
WTA’s FAA students will play an incredibly important role in keeping people safe while flying. Upon graduation, and as a licensed FAA technician they will perform inspection checks, troubleshoot, repair and maintain aircraft, and ensure that aircraft continue to function as expected, and safely.
Preschool educators from WPS, the Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA, and Amelia Park Children's Museum gathered for a STEM Professional Development session with Instructional Coaches Lindsey Ayers & Kelly O'Sullivan. Teachers prepared to implement another "It STEMs from a Story" unit (Spring Edition) utilizing resources from Project Lead the Way. It was a great opportunity for collaboration among early childhood community partners in Westfield.
Click below for the Quarter 3 Newsletter from Westfield Public Schools.
https://www.schoolsofwestfield.org/documents/district/district-newsletters/quarter-three-newsletter/598820
Click on the link below for the latest episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we spoke with winning Science Fair students from Westfield, MA High School about their incredible projects. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlBy_4ohHN4
After successfully duplicating the classroom via the internet, the Westfield Virtual School is looking at an online version of another pillar of high school: sports.
“It’s essentially playing video games, but you’re doing it competitively,” Principal Stacy Burgess told the Westfield School Committee recently. E-sports, she said, “has really grown throughout the nation.”
She said staff at the school, a Westfield public school that serves grades 6-12 via computer, are excited about adding extracurricular activities and volunteer opportunities to their offerings, including a student council. She said the school already hosts in-person social events so that the students can get to know each other and make social connections.
Additionally, students enrolled at Westfield Virtual School can compete in the usual varsity sports by playing on Westfield High School teams. But getting sweaty isn’t for everyone, Burgess said at the March 4 meeting of the School Committee.
“It provides an opportunity for all students — not every student is athletic,” she said of e-sports. “Some students really enjoy playing video games.”
E-sports is more than just playing video games, however. Though competitors may be using the same software and controllers that the average teen plugs into his or her Xbox or Playstation for an impromptu gaming session at home, an e-sports program is a real team.
“You have a coach. There’s a curriculum you teach,” Burgess said. She added that there are also restrictions: the school wouldn’t sponsor an e-sports team for an inappropriately “violent or dangerous” video game.
Like traditional sports at traditional schools, e-sports would allow students to express themselves in a non-academic way within the Westfield Virtual School community, Burgess said. It also allows avid gamers to compete online within a regulated league, rather than against anonymous strangers.
Not everything at the virtual school is online. Burgess said once a month, she tries to have an in-person event, sometimes “out in the community” such as an ice skating day at Amelia Park Arena.
“They really are the best day of the month when it happens, because the kids are so happy and excited to be together and see their friends in person,” she said.
Westfield Virtual School’s enrollment has increased from 64 to 98 since November, Burgess said. As a local public school, enrollment is open to Westfield residents only. She said there are only nine virtual schools in the state, most of them in eastern Massachusetts. School Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said there is a bill on Beacon Hill to allow out-of-district students to attend local virtual schools.
Families choose the virtual school for a variety of reasons, Burgess said. Some students cannot leave the hospital or home for medical reasons. Some have anxiety or other emotional reasons for not attending class in person. Some have been expelled from in-person school. Some are gifted and talented teens who work better with the project-based learning model of online education.
“We really accept all students,” Burgess said.
As the enrollment grows, the school staff is growing, from the equivalent of 13 full-time positions to 15 this year. One of the new positions was a staff member to work with students whose first language is not English.
Burgess said it takes a special kind of teacher to succeed at virtual instruction.
“You have to be ‘better than the average bear,’ because it’s that much more challenging to engage the students” through a screen, she said. When hiring staff, administrators pay special attention to the candidate’s ability to form personal relationships and support a student.
The school shares some of its academic staff with Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy. The virtual school staff are based in the Westwood Building on North Elm Street, the same building as the School Department central offices.
https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westfield/e-sports-teams-being-considered-for-westfield-virt/
On March 13, Southampton Road Elementary School students from preschool to fourth grade participated in an obstacle course of the circulatory system, as part of the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge.
The students practiced jumping, balance and gymnastic skills, while hearing about how the heart is a muscle that gets stronger with exercise. Physical education teacher Kate Bust said the focus of the AHA challenge is on healthy habits that can help keep hearts healthy.
“I focus on nutrition, sleep, drinking water and physical activity. In our PE classes, we have been focusing on our cardiovascular health, learning jumping and jump rope skills,” she said.
Before Joanne Hewins’ third grade class went through the obstacle course, Bust explained to the students that the four chambers of the heart are like a house with four rooms, and talked about the circulatory system, the relationship between the heart and lungs, red blood cells and blood vessels, and the jobs they all do every time the heart pumps 100,000 heart beats a day.
“You guys have so much power over your body,” Bust said. “The more you exercise, the stronger your heart gets.”
She said choices over decades keep the valves and aortas open, “such as the veggies and fruit in the cafeteria — to eat them or skip them. Poor choices build plaque, make the opening smaller and the blood goes slower. An athlete’s heart rate will be lower because the heart gets better at doing its job, and doesn’t have to work as hard.”
The obstacle course had obstacles labeled as arteries, heart valves and aortas that the students had to crawl through, jump over and somersault down as they carried foam pieces representing oxygen and carbon dioxide to the correct buckets. There was also a heart rate monitor so they could check themselves at the end.
The third and fourth graders also watched a hands-only CPR video, and by the end of the week had a chance to practice on life-sized stuffed animals.
As part of the challenge, Southampton Road Elementary School students raised more than $2,400 for the American Heart Association through an online fundraiser.
https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westfield/obstacle-course-helps-teach-heart-health-to-westfi/