The United States Attorney’s Office will be hosting a virtual internet safety presentation for all adults who wish to keep children safe online. Assistant United States Attorney Luke Goldworm and Victim Witness Specialist Lauryn Mackey will be joined by Special Agent Andrew Kelleher from Homeland Security Investigations Child Exploitation and Digital Forensics Unit to present a Webex Webinar:
Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online: A Project Safe Childhood Presentation for Parents
Wednesday, June 4th from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.
A Q & A session will follow the presentation. The presentation will bring awareness to how predators are sexually exploiting children online and how to keep them safe.
Advanced registration is required. You may register for the webinar at the link below:
https://usao.webex.com/weblink/register/r4617269953953d7a4aaa839f6c3e110b
No EBT Card Access April 26-27: The state Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is changing Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) vendors. As part of the transition, families will not be able to use their food benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP) or withdraw cash benefits (Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, TAFDC; or Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children, EAEDC) from 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 through mid-day on Sunday, April 27. No food purchases can be made during this time.
Spring Vacation starts on Monday, April 21, 2025, and ends on April 25, 2025. School resumes on Monday, April 28, 2025. Have a safe and enjoyable break!
Westfield Public Schools and Offices will be closed on Monday, April 21, in observance of Patriots Day. Thank you.
The yearbook deadline has been extended until Friday, May 2, 2025! All orders must be submitted by the deadline. To order your yearbook today, go to ybpay.com and enter our school code: 15197925. Please email Mrs. Osowski at jacqueline.osowski@schoolsofwestfied.org with any questions!
At the School Committee meeting on April 7, Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and Human Services Director Michael Morris introduced Dr. Gregory Rosenthal as the search committee’s pick to be the new administrator of special services and student support services. Rosenthal will replace Debra Ecker, who is retiring after serving five years at the top special education post and previously as a supervisor.
Rosenthal is the current director of special education and student services for the Douglas Public Schools. Before to that role, he had a similar one with the Northbridge Public Schools. He has also worked as a special education teacher and administrator in public schools and out-of-district private special education schools. He has led professional development on topics such as differentiated instruction, student engagement, and co-teaching, said Morris.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2025/04/dr-gregory-rosenthal-hired-as-new-administrator-of-special-services-in-westfield.html
Career Expo at Westfield Middle School
May 29th, 2025, 9:00-12:00: Introduce our Middle School students to career paths. Sign up to participate in the Middle School Career Expo. See the flyer for more information. Thank you!
Dear Incoming WMS Families: I am delighted to invite you to join us for our Westfield Middle School Informational Night on Monday, May 19th from 6:00-7:00 PM in the WMS auditorium. Middle school represents an exciting new chapter in your child's educational journey, and we can't wait to welcome you into our community! This evening is designed especially for families of incoming students to help you learn about our programs, meet our administrative team, and get answers to all your questions. We understand that the transition to middle school brings both excitement and questions. Our goal is to ensure you and your child feel confident, informed, and enthusiastic about becoming part of the WMS family. We look forward to meeting you and your family! -Principal McMillan
The School Committee Budget Review Meeting scheduled for Monday, April 14, 2025, has been postponed to Monday, April 28, 2025, at Westfield intermediate School at 6:00 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. Thank you.
Hear ye, hear ye! Amelia Park Children’s Museum invites you to join our tea party on Friday, May 9th. Come dressed as fairytale royalty or your favorite fantasy character. Adorn yourself with jewels and designs, paint a teapot, and decorate a mask (we provide the supplies). Your reign lasts from 10am to noon, with light refreshments beginning at 11am. Regular admission fees apply. Members of Amelia Park Children's Museum are admitted free of charge.
Amelia Park Children's Museum is located at 29 South Broad Street in Westfield, MA and is open 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Thursday-Tuesday. The museum offers hands-on learning for children ages 1-7 in a safe and welcoming environment. Cost of admission is $8 per person. Grandparents and seniors are admitted at a reduced rate of $4. For those who present a valid EBT card, the rate is $2 per person (up to 6 people). Questions? Call us at (413) 572-4014 or email us: fun@ameliaparkmuseum.org. Learn more about the museum at ameliaparkmuseum.org.
Elm Electrical, the Westfield Food Pantry and engineering students at Westfield High School and Middle School teamed up on March 28 in the Parenzo Gym at Westfield State University for a CANstruction Contest and Food drive to benefit the Westfield Food Pantry.
The event showcased larger-than-life structures built entirely from canned goods and non-perishable food items raised by the participants to be donated to the Food Pantry.
All of the structures were judged, and cash prizes awarded to the winning teams. Judges included Paul Nesbitt, minister of First Congregational Church in Westfield, Ward 3 Councilor Bridget Matthews Kane and Superintendent of Schools Stefan Czaporowski.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2025/04/elm-electrical-and-westfield-food-pantry-team-up-for-canstruction-contest.html
After a successful seventh and eighth grade band concert on March 25, the Westfield Middle School 125-member band is looking forward to more exciting events in April.
On Saturday, April 5, eighth graders will participate in the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductor’s Association Concert Festival at Belchertown High School. WMS band leader Ryan Emken said he has been taking the students to MICCA for the last three years.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2025/03/westfield-middle-school-band-director-talks-events-collaboration.html
The last 4 dates of Volleyball Club are: March 31st, April 7th, 14th & 28th
Dear WMS Families,
Please review the following for important information regarding tomorrow night's dance.
Dance Information:
-Students can be dropped off by the cafeteria beginning at 5:45 p.m.
-Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and will close at 6:15 p.m.
-Students cannot leave the dance early.
Parking/Pick Up Information: In an effort to ensure a safe evening dismissal with 200+ students, please follow the protocol below for parking.
-The dance ends at 8:00 p.m. sharp. All rides should arrive no later than 7:55 p.m.
-Both pick-up locations (front bus loop and main parking lot) will have one-way traffic. Please enter from W. Silver Street.
-There will be multiple one-way traffic lanes. When one lane fills, please proceed to the next lane.
-When students depart at 8 p.m., please STAND OUTSIDE of your vehicle to greet your child. We will know you're ready when families are in their vehicles.
-PLEASE WAIT until your lane is dismissed. We recognize this might take 10-15 minutes, but this is to ensure students' safety in a dark parking lot.
-Once your lane is dismissed, you will depart by Amelia Park.
See attached photo for visual of parking lot.
Thank you,
Principal McMillan
It is time to order your yearbook! Yearbooks must be purchased online by April 25th. Packages start at $20 and can be purchased by visiting ybpay.lifetouch.com. The yearbook ID is: 15197925. Questions? Please contact Jackie Osowski, Yearbook Advisor, at jacqueline.osowski@schoolsofwestfield.org. Thank you!
Sarah Christenson from the Springfield Museums was at WMS this week to give a presentation called "Us & Them" to Ms. Kostecki & Ms. Cook's classes. Through hands-on activities and primary source interpretation, students learned about local Holocaust survivors while examining historic cases of discrimination, identifying upstanders vs. bystanders, and tracking the progression of hate from individual acts of prejudice to genocide. Ms. Dion and Mr. Dougherty's classes will be participating in this program next week.
If you missed this morning's brand new "Superintendent's Spotlight" about our English Language Learner Program, click on the link below. This week, we had the pleasure of meeting a few of our EL students from Afghanistan, Ecuador, and Ukraine. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPuO36CcpNM
Join us for Into the Arts on Saturday, April 5 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Westfield High School!
Project 351 is an independent youth-led service where an unsung student hero from each of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns is recognized for the work they do in their individual communities. Ella Golec, the Westfield Project 351 Ambassador, joins us today to talk about her involvement.
https://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/westfield-project-351-ambassador-explains-program/
Check out our very own Ella Golec talk about her Project351 experience on Mass Appeal! Great job, Ella! https://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/westfield-project-351-ambassador-explains-program/
