Westfield Middle School

As part of its continuing work with the Westfield Police Department and ongoing training for students and staff, the Westfield School Department will conduct lockdown drills the week of Oct. 23-27, using the enhanced procedures of what is called ALICE, which stands for “alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate.” Christopher Rogers, director of operations and safety, said Westfield has been using the ALICE protocol since 2014-15. “It’s research-based, and it provides our staff and at the upper grades our students the ability to make decisions in real time based on the information they have that is critical to their safety,” he said. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/10/westfields-public-schools-will-conduct-lockdown-drills-later-this-month.html

Dear WMS Community, Mr. McMillan is seeking student representatives from both 7th and 8th grade to join the Principal's Advisory Council! Please see below for more information. Please encourage your student to join by emailing Mr. McMillan their interest.

Please click here to view October's "Howler" newsletter from Westfield Middle School: https://www.smore.com/tpyhx

Click here for the latest Westfield Public Schools District Newsletter: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1997/WPS/3618809/WPS_NEWSLETTER_2023-Q1.pdf

PumpkinFest is back, rain or shine, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, on the athletic fields behind Amelia Park off South Broad Street in Westfield. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/10/westfield-on-weekends-pumpkinfest-promises-family-fun-amid-autumn-traditions.html

Good evening, We are looking forward to welcoming all families to the Westfield Middle School's Open House tomorrow evening, October 5th, between 6-7:30 p.m. Open House will be "drop-in" style so that families can arrive and leave as you'd like. We encourage families to bring their students, as they can provide a tour around the building and introduce you to their teachers. If you are unable to bring your student, counselors will be available to share your student's schedule and provide directions to their PACK. In addition to meeting teachers and seeing classrooms, we encourage you to visit the food trucks outside of the school, the community vendor tables near the auditorium, and the Scholastic book fair in our library. Mrs. Leveille (7th Grade Assistant Principal), Ms. Kells (8th Grade Assistant Principal), and I will be floating throughout the building and we welcome any questions. We hope to see you tomorrow evening! Thank you, Principal McMillan

Good afternoon, If you have already started the process of completing the Back to School Forms, please complete the forms and submit online. If you need assistance in completing the form, please contact the main office at your child's school. Thank you, Westfield Public Schools

A nationwide test of the emergency and wireless alert systems will be conducted Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. ET, when a message will be sent to all cellphones, TVs and radios. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a news release in August that a message that reads, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed,” will be sent to all phones. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/national-emergency-alert-test-cell-phone-wednesday-text-rcna118468

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" yesterday, please click on the link below. This week, we met our Special Education Administrators and talked about some of the special education programming in the district. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXJRLwVJTMM

Our next SEPAC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 5 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Tiger's Pride Restaurant in Westfield Technical Academy. Please click on "view image" for more information. Thank you!

CALLING ALL LOCAL STUDENT ARTISTS! The City Clerk's Office invites local students K‐12 to enter the Westfield Elections' Coloring Contest. The first of hopefully many coloring contests will be to design your own ‘I Voted’ sticker. Winning artwork will be used in Westfield Election materials, promotions and outreach and exhibited through the City. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2023. A completed entry form must accompany each sticker design. Official details and entry form can be found here: "I Voted" Sticker Design Competition | Westfield, MA - Official Website (cityofwestfield.org) Need a paper copy? Stop by the City Clerk's Office, 59 Court Street, Room 210 between 9AM-5PM. https://www.cityofwestfield.org/895/I-Voted-Sticker-Design-Competition

Jillian, one of Westfield High School's juniors, is accepting donations for veterans. She is looking for Westfield Middle School's help to collect puzzle books, notebooks, and travel games! Please send in your donations with your student and each homeroom teacher will have a collection box. The 7th and 8th grade homerooms that collect the most will be treated to an ice cream party. Thank you for your support!

Dear WMS Community Members, When I joined Westfield Middle School last December, I shared an entry plan that outlined my first six months of listening and learning tours with students, staff, caregivers, and community members. As a result of these listening tours, I am pleased to share my "100 Day Report" that outlines my entry plan findings and strategic initiatives that we will begin working on during the 23-24 school year. If you have any questions or comments, I always welcome the opportunity to meet with you. Click here to access the report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZCVjCFBy01B5VTLPlponE5kv53ZOT32pHlekKkbkww0/edit?usp=sharing Thank you, Principal McMillan

Please join us for our annual Open House on Thursday, October 5th from 6-7:30 p.m. We will have four featured local food trucks stationed in the front of the school, as well as community vendors and partners. We hope to see you there!

At the School Committee meeting on Sept. 18, Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and School Business Administrator Shannon Barry asked members to approve the creation of a new Arts Gift Account, for monetary gift donations to the district earmarked for the arts. Czaporowski said he was contacted by the trustees of the estate of Gerald Patrick, a Westfield alumnus who had a successful career as a professional artist and designer. The trustees said Patrick left a $100,000 donation to the arts programs in the schools in his will. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2023/09/estate-of-artist-raised-in-westfield-donates-100k-for-arts-in-city-schools.html

Please "like" the Westfield Middle School Facebook page to learn more about upcoming events and to see photos of the day-to-day happenings of the Westfield Wolves! Follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/westfieldmiddleschool -Principal McMillan

The SEPAC meet and greet has been scheduled for Thursday, September 21st from 6:30-8 ! Please see the attached flyer for additional information.

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, click on the link below. This week we talked with our Director of Curriculum and Instruction Susan Dargie about our curriculum renewal process and our new Social Emotional Learning Curriculum PreK-12. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL0RBFEBDVk

Please join me in welcoming our new staff members to the Westfield Middle School pack!

For information regarding your student's school pictures please contact Lifetouch at Customer Care 800-736-4753. Online chat service is also available! Please visit https://lifetouch.com/support-us Click "Get Support" at the bottom right of the main page