From the Office

Whether you are heading out of town or staying close to home, we would like to wish everyone a very relaxing and safe time next week! We look forward to seeing everyone back in school on Monday, April 6th. Enjoy Spring Break!

8th Grade Volleyball Conference Champions!

Congratulations to our 8th Grade Boys Volleyball team for winning the conference title! A big shout out to Coach Gabriel and all of the players for their hard work and great play this season!

Congratulations to our 8th Grade Girls Volleyball team on tying for 1st place in conference! Shout out to Mrs. Andrews and all the players for a great season!

IAR Testing - April 8, 9, & 10th

When school resumes after Spring Break, our students will be completing the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). IAR focuses on Language Arts and Math skills and will take place over the course of 3 days. In order to prepare for the IAR, teachers have recently spent time reviewing skills and strategies that will benefit students. With testing falling the week after the break this year, we ask that parents encourage your student to take a few minutes from time to time over the break to practice both Math and ELA skills using IXL and other resources in order for students to feel as prepared as possible for the tests when they return. Thank you!

During the week of testing, please urge your child to:

Get a good night's rest (8-9 hours minimum)
Eat a healthy breakfast
Charge their Chromebooks fully each night
Bring their corded headphones each day (ear pods will not work)
Think positive and approach these tests with confidence!

We encourage our students to view tests like the Illinois Assessment of Readiness as a chance to show how much they have grown academically this year. Please encourage your child to do their very best on each assessment. We are very proud of the work our students and teachers have put forth this year!

Each week the staff recognizes students for demonstrating outstanding character based on attitudes or actions that follow the Character Counts! Pillars and our WARRIORS Mission and Vision:

''We are W.A.R.R.I.O.R.S. Our mission and vision for the future are for all staff and students to be Welcoming, Ambitious, Respectful, Responsible, Innovative, Optimistic, Reflective, and Successful."

Drive train mechanism in STEM

Band performance at Chicago Wolves Game

Book Club 2026 Caudill Award list reveal

Sketchbook design in Art

8th science concepts for Egg Drop Challenge

Natural selection lab in 7th Science

March Madness IXL Challenge

8th girls volleyball Conference Champs

8th boys volleyball Conference Champs

8th Grade T2 Arrow Awards

7th Grade T2 Arrow Awards

6th Grade T2 Arrow Awards

Donate Essentials for The Humanitarian Project and Character Counts!

Food and essential-need items will be collected at Westfield April 6th through May 6th.

All donations will be given to children and seniors in need through The Humanitarian Project of Carol Stream.

non-perishable food: cereal, pasta, rice, canned foods, nutrition bars
paper products: napkins, toilet paper, kleenex
cleaning supplies: laundry soap, dish soap, sponges

Please review the following information to ensure a smooth registration process for your family. To streamline the process, we have two distinct registration pathways:

New Student Portal: For families brand new to District 13.
Returning Student Portal: For any student currently enrolled in District 13 during the 2025-2026 school year.

Important Note: If your child currently attends a District 13 school, they are considered a returning student. You should use the Returning Student Portal even if your child is moving from one building to another (for example, moving from DuJardin Elementary to Westfield Middle School).

Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night on May 7th at Westfield

We would like to invite all parents/guardians of current 5th grade students to visit Westfield Middle School on Thursday, May 7th from 6:00pm - 6:45pm. Doors will open at 5:40pm. Please enter through either our Main Entrance (Door 1) or through the Park District Entrance in the back parking lot (Door 20). Parents & Guardians will begin the evening in our East Gym (Park District Gym) and will be provided with a brief introduction by our staff, an opportunity to tour our 6th grade classrooms, and a chance to meet our 6th grade teachers. May 7th is reserved for Parents/Guardians only.

We are also excited to be hosting the 5th grade students for a daytime visit to Westfield on Tuesday, May 12th with their 5th grade teachers. Students will have a chance to visit our current 6th grade classrooms, meet our 6th grade staff, and participate in mini-presentations.

Nominate a Paraprofessional for the Shining Star Award

One of the most critical roles in Bloomingdale School District 13 is the paraprofessional. These individuals support instruction from within the classroom, can be directly assigned to students whose goals are outlined on an Individual Education Plan, and, in many cases, are the source of substitute teaching in each building. They supervise lunch and buses, deliver curriculum under the teacher's supervision, and are often the ones helping calm down and dry the tears of children.

With the Shining Star Award, District 13 wants to recognize the work of this group of employees through the special work and support they provide daily. If you as a staff member, or you as a parent through your child have had a wonderful experience working with a paraprofessional, please take the time to complete this brief Shining Star Award form to nominate them for this recognition.

Nominate a community member or staff member for the ABC Award

A Bloomingdale Champion (ABC) is a community member or a staff member who exemplifies one or more of the core values of District 13 through intentional acts that:

Ensure every child will learn;
Treat everyone with honor and respect, and;
Demonstrate a willingness to work together to achieve a goal.

The nominee must have specific experiences that demonstrate key elements of at least one of the core values to be considered as a finalist.
Nominees shall be brought to a committee made up of members of the Bloomingdale Council of Teachers, the Board of Education of Bloomingdale School District 13 and the Administration.
Using a rubric, each nominee will be scored by each member of the committee until one community member and/or one staff member has been selected for recognition.
The form should only take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Please use this ABC Award link to complete a nomination form.

Athletic Competitions - Spectator Information

Family members of student athletes are always welcome to attend our athletic competitions, both at Home and Away.
Spectators will treat all visitors, players, coaches, referees, and staff with respect at all times. No profanity or inappropriate language will be tolerated. Visitors who are unable to follow School District 13 policies will be asked to leave and may risk losing the privilege to attend future events at the school. We encourage all visitors to immediately report any inappropriate behavior to the nearest staff member.

Important Reminder: MySchoolBucks and Student Fees

School fees for the 2025-26 school year are available in your MySchoolBucks account. If you haven’t received email notifications regarding fees, please ensure your student is "attached" to your account.

How to get started:

Sign in to your MySchoolBucks account.
Attach your student(s) to your profile if you haven't already.
View and pay fees directly through the portal.

Late Fee Policy: To avoid a $25.00 late fee, please ensure payments are made within 60 days of the due date. This policy is also posted on the District Website.

Parent Access to ALMA Student Information System

ALMA: is used to register students, contains attendance information, grades and progress reports. ALL families have login information for ALMA.

Please utilize this site to view grades, attendance, and for trimester and quarterly progress.

CLICK HERE for Alma Parent Login Instructions at westfield.getalma.com

Parent Access to OTUS Student Information System

OTUS: is our District's Data Warehouse (https://my.otus.com/login).This site contains historical (K-8) data and current student assessment data: MAP data, IAR data and CoGat data. Please review this OTUS PARENT LETTER to learn more about accessing your child's information in OTUS. If you are a returning student, you created an OTUS account last year and can view the assessment data.

About Your Child's Medication:

The district's medication administration policy mandates that all medication administered by the Nurse requires a Medical Doctor's order. This includes over-the-counter medications; students may NOT keep over-the-counter meds in their backpacks or in their lockers--including cough drops, Advil, etc. This is an important safety concern!
If your incoming 6th grader requires an inhaler, Epi-Pen, or any oral medication, please obtain the medication form and appropriate health care plan from your physician when your child has their mandated, 6th grade physical exam.
Questions? Please email the Westfield Nurse at WFHealthOffice@sd13.org

DOCTOR MEDICATION AUTHORIZATION FORM
PARENT MEDICATION AUTHORIZATION

PRE-ORDER HOT LUNCH HERE

> > ALREADY HAVE A WESTFIELD HOT LUNCH ACCOUNT? UPDATE YOUR STUDENT'S GRADE!

Please, remember to update your student's profile. This information ensures accurate distribution of your student's lunch for the 2025-26 school year. UPDATE STUDENT PROFILE HERE

> > NEW TO WESTFIELD HOT LUNCH?

1. Go to LUNCHLINK then select 'Sign Up!'

2. Click 'Create Account' and set up a profile for each student by selecting 'Add New Profile' under the 'Profiles' tab

3. Select School name; select 'Order Now' to view menus and place orders

4. Enter your credit/debit card information to pay securely online

**LAST DAY OF HOT LUNCH IS MAY 13th

Questions? Email Westfield Parent Teacher Organization

Parent hot lunch volunteers needed! SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER AT HOT LUNCH

Scan Receipts for Education All Year-Round!

Westfield Middle School collects Box Tops for Education™.

All you need is your phone!

Download the Box Tops app
Use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase
The app will identify Box Tops products on your receipt and automatically credit your school’s earnings online

Twice a year, Westfield will receive a check for whatever the school needs!

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact the PTO at westfieldmpto@gmail.com Thanks for your support!!

Student Attendance Reminders

School Day Hours: 8:30am- 3:30pm.

Students are guided into the building by staff between 8:10 - 8:20am and are expected to be seated in their 1st period class at 8:30am. All classes are 44 min with a 3 min passing period. Lunchtime, Flextime, & Study Hall for all grades are between 11:38 - 12:22pm. Students will be dismissed from school at 3:30pm. All students attend the following courses: ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, PE, & Exploratory.

ATTENDANCE EMAIL FOR LATE OR ABSENT STUDENTS: wfattendance@sd13.org

Standards & Expectations for Student Behavior
Westfield Student Handbook
Social Worker, Sheila Zagotta (szagotta@sd13.org)
School Counselor, Lindsay Fenton (Lfenton@sd13.org)

2025-26 Dates for Your Calendar

Student attendance is essential to academic success. Please review the important dates below to help maximize your child’s time at school, ensuring they have the best opportunity for academic growth. Thank you for your partnership in prioritizing student learning.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL August 14, 2025
[TENTATIVE] LAST DAY OF SCHOOL May 22, 2026

THANKSGIVING BREAK November 24, 2025 - November 28, 2025
WINTER BREAK December 22, 2025 - January 2, 2026
SPRING BREAK March 30, 2026 - April 3, 2026

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS/NON-ATTENDANCE DAYS FOR STUDENTS

September 1, 2025
October 10, 2025
October 13, 2025
January 19, 2026
February 16, 2026
February 27, 2026
March 2, 2026
May 15, 2026

MAP TESTING

FALL August 25, 2025 - August 29, 2025
WINTER January 12, 2026 - January 16, 2026
SPRING April 20, 2026 - April 24, 2026

Attention 8th Grade Parents & Guardians - End-of-the-Year Dates for the Class of 2026

On February 20th, an email went out to all 8th grade Parents and Guardians regarding tentative dates for some of our 8th Grade end-of-the-year events. As we get closer to the end of the school year, we will provide you with more details for each event.

8th Grade Dance - Wednesday, May 13th
8th Grade Celebration Field Trip - Thursday, May 14th
Warrior Excellence Awards Assembly - Tuesday, May 19th
Graduation Ceremony - Wednesday, May 20th at 6:00pm

You should have also received an email, sent on behalf of the Westfield PTO, regarding Class of 2026 t-shirts and yard signs.

Honors Recognition - ARROW Awards

Honors Recognition - ARROW Awards

Students who demonstrate excellence in a combination of academics, citizenship, and effort will be recognized throughout the year by their teachers and awarded an ARROW ribbon for their achievement. The A in ARROW represents Academic achievement, the R's represent Respect & Responsibility to reflect citizenship, and the O and W represent being On target and displaying a great Work ethic in regards to working towards individual goals.

Staff members collaborated to nominate a list of students for the 1st trimester to be added to our yearly Arrow Award list. All students who are selected will receive an ARROW Award ribbon prior to winter break and their names will be displayed in our main hallway. Each trimester the staff will collaborate to recognize additional students and more names will be added to the yearly list.

Trimester Progress Reports

Trimester Progress Reports are available through Alma. At the end of each Trimester, the office will notify parents that the latest progress report is available in Alma. To access the Progress Report, please go to westfield.getalma.com and on the left hand side, select your child’s name. Then select the “Report Cards” tab. Underneath this tab, you will see a Trimester 1 Progress Report PDF. This will show you your child’s current progress for the school year.

E-Learning

This year, District 13 will most likely be utilizing our D13 E-Learning Plan 2024-2027 in the event of an emergency school closing due to severe weather or other circumstances that may arise. Winter weather increases the likelihood of school closures, so we are asking all Westfield parents, guardians, students, and staff to review the Westfield E-Learning Schedule & the D13 E-Learning Plan 2024-2027 at their earliest convenience in order to be prepared if we implement an E-Learning day in the near future.

Teachers will also be reviewing the Westfield E-Learning schedule with students in classes, along with the expectations for an E-Learning Day. The D13 E-Learning Plan does account for the possibility that some students may not have access to the internet and/or the ability to attend classes on an E-Learning day, therefore students will have up to 3 days to complete any work that was assigned on an E-Learning day.

Reminder - Upcoming Westfield Remodel and Renovation

As you are aware, Westfield is set to undergo a remodel & renovation project beginning Saturday, November 22nd and stretching into early 2027. First up, is the start of the gym remodel along our southwest corner.

The space needed for the project will affect some of our parking spaces and will require us to adjust some of our typical entrance and exit procedures for students. Door 32, located just off of our front parking lot, will not be available as an official entrance and exit during the gymnasium construction. All students will be directed to our Main Entrance upon arrival in the morning and the Main Entrance will also be used as our primary exit at the end of the school day. A few other internal adjustments will be made to insure student and staff safety and to accommodate for the construction project.

We are excited for the updates and we look forward to viewing the construction progress along the way. Please expect a little more congestion along Fairfield during arrival and dismissal times. When visiting Westfield, the parking nearest the building may be occupied, so please plan accordingly and expect to park further down along the street at times. We appreciate everyone's patience, flexibility, and understanding!

District 13 Virtual Backpack

The Bloomingdale School District has a Virtual Backpack that is filled with flyers and information from District 13 and various organizations located throughout Bloomingdale.

Please click on the link if you are also interested in activities or information from outside organizations.

DISTRICT 13 AND COMMUNITY VIRTUAL BACKPACK FLYERS