September 2022
Embedded Files
Superintendent's Corner
The 2022-2023 school year is off to a great start! It has been wonderful to see the smiling faces of our students, the energy in our schools, and the enthusiasm in our classrooms. To catch a glimpse of what I'm talking about, scroll through the photo carousel here, check out the Live Feeds on our district / school websites, and keep an eye on our district social media posts. There's a lot of dynamic instruction and learning taking place in our schools and we will continue to share news and images with you throughout the school year.
Have a great year!
Dr. González
Each year, the administration and Board of Education identify common areas of focus that will serve as the District Goals for the next 10 months. These annual goals, of course, are not the only areas of focus for the district; however, they signify current year priorities as recommended by the administration and adopted by the Board.
Over the course of the year, we look forward to providing updates directly to the community on our progress in each of the areas through school / district communication and public presentations.
2022-2023 District Goals
2022-2023 District Goals
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: Develop and implement consistent practices that serve to align learning objectives and instructional practices across schools, content, and grade levels.
STRATEGIC PLANNING: Engage the Westfield community in a strategic planning process to establish common goals and objectives that will provide a clear path to move our District forward.
FISCAL PLANNING: Provide clear, timely, and factual information regarding the 2023-2024 District operating budget to ensure an informed electorate in April 2023.
DIVERSITY EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI): Continue to develop and deepen DEI practices and programs in the areas of professional development, recruitment, selection and retention of diverse candidates, curriculum and curricular materials, community engagement and school-wide programming.
Communication Update
Communication Update
As mentioned in the Back-to-School edition of The NEWS Letter, there are many ways to stay connected with the district and our schools. Effective communication is key and we continue to strive to keep our school community informed. Here is an update on some of our additional communication tools:
Weekly Principal Update: Check your email inboxes on Fridays for a weekly update from your school principal with important reminders, upcoming events, and visual glimpses into our classrooms and schools.
Chain of Command: If you have a student- or school-specific question or concern, adhering to the chain of command is the district's standard policy and practice in order to ensure any problems are addressed at the most local level as possible. Our FAQ page on the district website outlines the chain of command.
Specific district-related question or concerns: We want to hear from you! Email info@westfieldnjk12.org with any questions or comments so that we can route it directly to the appropriate department for review and a response.
Broadcast notification system: We will be conducting a test of our new emergency alert system on Thursday, October 6. Families and staff will receive a text, phone call, and email based on the emergency contact information you provided.
Communication Plan: Our District Communication Plan is posted on the district website and provides a detailed breakdown of the types of communication our school community can expect, along with primary goals, methods, and frequency.
Curriculum Corner
Curriculum Corner
STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS NOTIFICATION
New Jersey school districts are required by statute (N.J.S.A. 18A: 7C-6.6) to annually notify parents or guardians by October 1 of any statewide student assessment or commercially developed standardized assessment that will be administered over the course of the school year. The assessments included in the table provided with this letter include all state-mandated testing that the district is obligated to administer this year. Additional information about selected district testing is also provided via links in the table.
In light of our updated policies and practices, families were introduced to revised processes through our annual Back-to-School digital forms. To summarize, the following updates were included in the packet:
EXCUSAL FROM HEALTH EDUCATION INSTRUCTION
EXCUSAL FROM HEALTH EDUCATION INSTRUCTION
In accordance with Policy 5250, parents have the opportunity to request that their child be excused from "any part of the instructions in health education, family life education, sex education, or instruction that includes dissection of animals that the parent or legal guardian of the student or the adult student finds morally, conscientiously, or religiously offensive." Details from the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Programs were included in the recent weekly updates from our school principals. The Health Education curriculum and excusal request forms by grade can be found on the department page. If you have any further questions about student excusal requests, please contact your principal.
As a reminder, for planning purposes, the deadline to submit an excusal from instruction request is this Friday, September 30.
STUDENT SURVEYS, ANALYSIS, EVALUATIONS, EXAMINATIONS, TESTING, OR TREATMENT
STUDENT SURVEYS, ANALYSIS, EVALUATIONS, EXAMINATIONS, TESTING, OR TREATMENT
Board Policies 2415.05 (Student Surveys, Analysis, Evaluations, Evaluations, Examinations, Testing, or Treatment) and 9560 (Administration of School Surveys) address the issue of the school district administering a survey, analysis, evaluation, examination, testing, or treatment in alignment with State and Federal rules and regulations. In brief, depending on the topics and circumstances, parental and student rights will universally include advanced notification and, where applicable as outlined in the policies, the opportunity to consent or opt-out. You can refer to the details in the policies or feel free to reach out to your principal if you have any questions.
Board Policies 2415.05 (Student Surveys, Analysis, Evaluations, Evaluations, Examinations, Testing, or Treatment) and 9560 (Administration of School Surveys) address the issue of the school district administering a survey, analysis, evaluation, examination, testing, or treatment in alignment with State and Federal rules and regulations. In brief, depending on the topics and circumstances, parental and student rights will universally include advanced notification and, where applicable as outlined in the policies, the opportunity to consent or opt-out. You can refer to the details in the policies or feel free to reach out to your principal if you have any questions.
BOARD CORNER
BOARD CORNER
The Board of Education held a meeting on September 20. Board members will meet in Cafeteria B at Westfield High School for their regular public meeting on Tuesday, October 18.
A Reminder
A Reminder
The Board election has been moved from Tuesday, November 8, 2022 to Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Westfield residents also will vote on the 2023-2024 school district budget on April 18. Read more in the June 2022 edition of The NEWS Letter.
Community Corner
Community Corner
The district website provides important connections to our school community.
Visit the Parent Teacher Council webpage for monthly meeting dates, ways to get involved, and much more. Information from our school PTOs are found on their respective school websites.
The Community Flyers page lists upcoming events sponsored by Westfield-area non-profit community organizations.
The NEWS Letter is archived on the website as well. If you missed it, check out the Back-to-School issue with links to many of our community partners.
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Dedication of the Dr. Derrick Nelson Memorial Courtyard at WHS
Celebrating National Hispanic / LatinX Heritage Month at McKinley on "Dance Fridays."
Roosevelt students utilize engineering, design, and communication skills.
First Place Honors for
WHS Marching Band
GOOD NEWS
Westfield High School Courtyard Dedicated in Honor of Former Principal - nj.com / Suburban News
Look Out for Hi's Eye Sports - Hi's Eye
Westfield Senior Citizens Get Free Passes to School Events - Tap into Westfield
Meet Kobi Reese, Local Rocker / Edison 6th Grader - Westfield Local
WHS Senior Accepted into National Choir - Courier News
Strengthening Skills during Extended School Year Program - Westfield Monthly
IMPORTANT DATES
IMPORTANT DATES
October 1: Shoprite Cup Award Presentation @ 1:30 p at Gary Kehler Stadium
October 5: Schools Closed in observance of Yom Kippur
October 10: Schools Closed for Columbus Day; Staff In-Service Day
October 18: Regular Board Meeting
2022-2023 School Calendar rev 6-14-22.pdf
October Heritage, History, and Religious Observances
October Heritage, History, and Religious Observances
In October, we celebrate:
World Mental Health Day on October 10,
Diwali - the Hindu Festival of Lights - on October 24,
Global Diversity Awareness Month, and
Heritage Months for Italian Americans, Polish Americans, German Americans, and Filipino Americans.
Our Mission
The Westfield Public School District, in partnership with families and community, educates all students to reach their highest potential as productive, well-balanced and responsible citizens who respect individual differences and diversity in an ever changing world.
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