Mrs. Piper and Mrs. Clines will be out of the office on Monday, August 5 and Tuesday, August 6.
Due to our absences, the Munger Hill Main Office is closed on these days. We apologize for the inconvenience. The office will reopen at 8am on Wednesday, August 7th and return to regular hours at this time.
Thank you!
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break so far! Kindergarten and Preschool families should be receiving letters this week with important dates and information, so be on the lookout for that. Those dates have also been added to our calendar, so you can also find them all at the bottom of this page!
For students in Grades 1-4, we expect to be mailing home placement letters on Friday, August 16th. If you don't receive on in the mail the following week, please call the office after Wednesday, August 21st (give them a few days to arrive in case of any post office delays).
As we get closer to the start of school we'll be introducing our new staff members so keep checking here for the updates! Enjoy the next five weeks and we'll see you soon!
Westfield Public Schools and offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday. Thank you.
Have a wonderful and restful summer!
Teacher supply lists can be found on our website under Menu, then Parents: https://www.schoolsofwestfield.org/o/munger-hill/page/supply-lists-by-grade
Class assignments will be mailed out in August and we will post more information as that time approaches
Please feel free to email Mrs. Clines over the summer with any questions: alexandra.clines@schoolsofwestfield.org
Enjoy the break and we'll see you soon!
I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Susan Buchanan has been hired to be the new Assistant Principal at Munger beginning July 1, 2024!
Mrs. Buchanan comes to us from the Northampton school district, where she has served as a Math Instructional Coach for the past three school years. While there she has run data meetings, monthly math department meetings, is part of their Instructional Leadership Team, has co-taught and modeled in classrooms to help implement their math curriculum, provided math intervention, served as a math champion, and taught Math Recovery. While in Northampton she has also served as a 504 and Assessment coordinator. Mrs. Buchanan has also been an adjunct professor of education at Elms College and Westfield State University. She has a wealth of knowledge that will be of great benefit to the Munger community.
Prior to her hire in Northampton, she was employed in Westfield and served as an Assistant Principal at Paper Mill School. She is excited to be returning to Westfield, a district near and dear to her heart. She is a Westfield resident and has children who have gone through the district in addition to having worked here. Throughout the interview process she kept talking about how much she wanted to come back to the Westfield schools and how much she loves it here, so we are thrilled to have her as part of our team!
I will work with the PTO to set up an event in August for families to be able to meet Mrs. Buchanan before the school year starts and get to know her. Be on the lookout for communication over the summer about that.
Thank you for your patience as we waited for her hire to be official so we could announce to to the families. We are looking forward to having her at Munger and for you to get to know her as well. Welcome Mrs. Buchanan!
The Westfield Starfires are thrilled to announce that hometown hero and finalist of NBC's 'The Voice,' Madison Curbelo, will be performing at Bullens Field as part of the pre-game entertainment on Saturday, June 29th. In addition to her pre-game performance, Curbelo will also have the honor of singing the National Anthem.
Curbelo, whose powerful performances on 'The Voice' captivated millions, will bring her incredible talent back to her roots in Westfield. This special appearance is a testament to her connection to the community that has supported her journey to national recognition.
“I am so excited to be back in Westfield for my official homecoming event with the Starfires,” said Curbelo. “My Westfield community got me through every round of The Voice and it’s an honor to be able to connect with them again after this journey.”
The festivities will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with Curbelo's pre-game performance, followed by her rendition of the National Anthem at 6:30 p.m., just before the first pitch. Fans will also have an exclusive opportunity to meet Curbelo during a special meet and greet during the Starfires game against the Worcester Bravehearts. The game is presented by Berkshire Heating & Air Conditioning.
Tickets for the game are available by visiting https://ci.ovationtix.com/36043
The last day of school is on Monday, June 17. It is also an early release day. High school students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m., Middle and Intermediate School students at 11:30 a.m., and Elementary School students at 12:15 p.m. Thank you.
Amelia Park Children’s Museum announces the opening of their new permanent train exhibit. The new nearly life-size train houses a three-level train table, crawl-through train tunnel, and conductor controls so children can roleplay driving a train.
“Our train table has long been one of our more popular exhibits at the museum, so it’s very exciting to see an upgraded version installed on-site,” said Brianne Zulkiewicz, APCM’s Assistant Director. “We are excited to see how children choose to interact with the train’s new features and learn about train transport. In the coming months, we hope to build off of the enthusiasm for our new exhibit to educate our visitors about the history and importance of trains in our region.”
The new train exhibit was made possible through financial support from Shurtleff Children's Services, Inc. and The Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) through the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant Program.
Amelia Park Children’s Museum is open Thursday through Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The museum is closed to the public on Wednesdays.
The second graders at Munger Hill Elementary School brought some of their favorite people to life in their annual Wax Museum on May 22, a 10-year tradition at the school.
A team project of the second grade teachers, the students first pick a person of interest. They draw a portrait of that person, research information for a fact sheet and timeline, and put together a speech. Then for the Wax Museum, they dress up as their subjects, and wait for a tap on the shoulder to begin talking about them.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/westfield-2nd-graders-bring-favorite-people-to-life-in-munger-hill-wax-museum.html
If you missed yesterday's "Superintendent's Spotlight", please click on the link below. This week, we were live from the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield to talk with Kellie Brown all about the great things they have going on at the club. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYNr7FNzZlA
If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" yesterday, please click on the link below. This week, we talked with Westfield Technical Academy Substance Abuse Counselor Kristine Hupfer and Westfield, MA High School Adjustment Counselor Carrie Fiordalice about student mental health on National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NksJZsQmko
A message to our fourth grade families from WIS principal Greg Miller:
Fourth-grade students and families are invited to Westfield Intermediate School for an information session to begin the transition to 5th grade at WIS.
The WIS Information Night is scheduled for Monday, May 13 at 6:00 pm in our auditorium.
In addition to the WIS Information Night, here are other important dates to support students and families and make the transition to 5th grade at WIS as seamless as possible:
Step-up Days
May 28 - Franklin Avenue & Abner Gibbs
May 31 - Southampton Road
June 3 - Munger Hill
June 4 - Paper Mill
June 5 - Highland
Summer Transition Camp (registration opening next week)
August 5 - August 8 (8:30 am - 11:30 am)
WIS Orientation (presentation and tours)
August 13 (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm)
August 20 (6:00 pm - 7:00 pm)
Many students have already registered for our band and chorus music ensembles, but please complete the form (WIS Band & Chorus Registration) as soon as possible, if you have not. I look forward to getting to know all of you and hope to see you at WIS on Monday night. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the transition to WIS.
Sincerely,
Gregory Miller
Principal
Westfield Intermediate School
Email: g.miller@schoolsofwestfield.org
All kids ages 4-12 are welcome to participate in POP Club, a fun, free program that encourages kids to discover the abundance of fresh local produce at the market. Kids exercise their own buying power while exploring the market, trying new fruits and vegetables, learning about where their food comes from, and participating in weekly activities.
How POP Club works:
Sign up at the POP Tent on any Thursday between June 6th - August 22nd.
Each time kids attend the market, they receive $2 in POP Bucks to spend on fruits, vegetables, or seedlings at the market.
Kids can choose between spending their POP bucks or saving them for a larger produce item.
Kids can participate in weekly activities like planting seeds, learning about pollinators, movement activities, and more.
https://www.farmersmarketwestfield.org/pop-club-for-kids/
Members of the community are invited to immerse themselves in the work of talented art students of all ages adorning the walls of Westfield High School at “Into the Arts” Saturday, April 27, and then gather in the gym and enjoy student musicians from elementary to high school perform in “Bandtastic.”
Artwork by students in second and fourth grades on up will be on display from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. throughout the school, and at 1 p.m. in the gym, musicians from elementary, intermediate, middle and both high schools will be showcased.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/westfield-student-artists-musicians-getting-ready-for-combined-showcase.html
Now that the solar eclipsed has passed, Westfield’s public schools are passing on the special viewing glasses to students in South America.
Westfield school district Curriculum and Instruction Director Susan Dargie said the schools are working with the Holyoke Fire Department to collect glasses to be donated to Argentina and Chile, where an annular solar eclipse will be visible on Oct. 2.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/westfield-students-will-donate-used-eclipse-glasses-to-kids-in-south-america.html
As we head into April, we start to get into Appreciation Season! There are a lot of days in April and May where we appreciate many different school staff and I wanted to take a moment to highlight them for you since they are all so important for helping our students and our school in so many ways.
April 3: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day (we have the most incredible team!)
April 7-14: Assistant Principal Appreciation Week (the always wonderful Mr. Manfredi!)
April 14-20: Volunteer Recognition Week (starting with the hardest working PTO around and including our lunch volunteers and the VIPS crew!)
April 24: National Administrative Professionals Day (the backbone of the school, Mrs. Piper!)
May 3: School Lunch Hero Day (Ms. Chris and her team, bringing smiles to the students each and every day!)
May 5-11: Teacher Appreciation Week (there aren't words to describe how amazing our teachers are, they are just the best!)
May 8: School Nurse Day (Nurse Fitzgerald goes above and beyond every day for the staff and students at Munger!)
Without all of these amazing people, our building would not be able to run! As we celebrate on all these days, I hope that you will take the time to reach out and say thank you to the many staff members and volunteers who help us at Munger Hill and work so hard every day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Lauren Cadigan, supervisor of science, technology and engineering for Westfield schools, and K-6 STEM coach Lyndsey Ayers, said they are ready to distribute more than 5,700 solar eclipse safety glasses, a pair for every student and staff member in the public school system. Any leftover glasses will be given to the preschools at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club.
“Students won’t get them until Monday,” Cadigan said. She said 3,000 of them were donated from UMass Amherst, and the district purchased the rest. Administrators made sure these glasses have been tested to protect eyes from the intense rays of the sun.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/04/safety-glasses-pinhole-viewer-project-have-westfield-pupils-ready-for-eclipse.html
Tonight's SEPAC Meeting is now being held virtually only. Thank you.
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
A reminder that schools are closed tomorrow, March 29, for Good Friday. Thank you. Have a great weekend!
