The Franklin Readers and Leaders STEAM club was lucky enough to have a visitor from a woman and her puppy that she is raising for The Seeing Eye of Morristown. The Seeing Eye has paired more than 18,000 dogs with owners, that enables people who are blind to lead independent lives. The cost to raise, train and match the dogs is about $75,000, and the cost for a person to adopt their partner is only $150. This cost has remained the same since the organization began in 1929. Please consider sending loose change in with your child so they can add to the Pennies for Puppies donation containers in each class.
ICYMI 📬 Dr. G’s Budget + Bond email updates are posted in News section of district website. While each message contains important info, #1 explains how to vote, #2 outlines estimated costs, #3 breaks down school-by-school projects, and #4 provides a recap. westfieldnjk12.org
You received your Vote By Mail ballot and are ready to submit it – now what? There are three convenient ways to deliver your marked ballot. More voter information is available on the “How to Vote” section of the portal. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
Spring Break is next week — but don’t forget! Westfield residents will vote next Tuesday on an additional spending proposal for the 2025-2026 school district operating budget, a facilities bond referendum, and school board candidates. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
📚 The FAQ page on our Budget + Bond portal is one of the go-to resources for detailed answers and important information. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
Traveling for Spring Break? No need to miss casting your ballot in the April 15 Budget Vote + Bond Referendum. Visit the Fraser Building to apply for a ballot, mark it, and turn it in all at once. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
Westfield is one of the few school districts in New Jersey without Full Day Kindergarten. Bond Proposal 2 on the April 15 ballot aims to address this educational need to support student success. Visit our Budget + Bond portal to learn more. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
Congratulations to our Spotlight on Character students who caught the eye of their teachers for upholding the pillars of character!
Franklin's Music Students of the Month demonstrated respect, kindness, a positive attitude and strong effort in every class.
Franklin's Artists of the Month demonstrated creativity and excellence in their artwork and were kind and respectful to others.
The bond referendum proposes relocating the high school woodshop to a new space—one that will reflect modern technologies and techniques to further prepare students with 21s century skills in design, fabrication, and innovation. WHS Engineering & Design teacher Laura Doyle explains the reasons behind this move. https://youtu.be/c0uW1UZep3s?si=Ry-JXVRy31gKhO2o
Thank you to everyone who has come out to learn about the budget vote and bond referendum on April 15. There’s still time to get your questions answered by Dr. G and BA Patty Ramos. Join tonight's (4/3) remote community session at 7p, tomorrow's (4/4) Coffee with the Superintendent at Wilson (weather permitting) or one of next week's offerings. Link to tonight's session posted here:
https://bit.ly/WPS-BudgetBond-Engagement
The bond referendum on April 15 includes up to $57.5 million in debt service aid from the State of New Jersey. What would this mean for our district? westfieldnjk12.org/vote
Fourth grade had an adventurous field trip to The Stirling Mine today.
Spring break is less than two weeks away, but there's still time to get your mail-in ballot if you act fast! Re-watch this quick video to learn about the deadlines and how to quickly and securely return your ballot once it arrives. If you will be traveling, don’t miss your chance to vote ahead of April 15. https://bit.ly/BudgetandBond-How-to-Vote
Restroom renovations are proposed to update plumbing and electrical systems and improve accessibility. Bond funding, with the help of state debt service aid, makes it possible to address these capital improvements in a timely manner. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
Second graders study their community during Social Studies class. For one unit they also study another country to help compare and contrast with our country. This week they culminated that studying with a morning dedicated to China. Each classroom had a different theme and classes rotated from class to class for hands on experiences. They ranged from Tai Chi, to kite decorating, Chinese writing and the symbol importance of the dragon just to name a few. Many also wore red to celebrate!
In ELA we use our reading and writing goals to support student learning like how nonfiction has common text feature that can help you quickly learn about a topic. Students can also utilize those text features to help with their writing project. We also engage in research. These two popular activities in 3rd and 4th grade have students reading biographies and then writing about what they learned. The final part is to share what they've learned with others. The pop bottle project lets students be creative and the poster project has students placing their heads through the hole in the poster and giving a speech about themselves as the famous person. Both are a big hit!
Parents came in this week to share their family's traditions for Eid and Ramadan. We have also been collecting food donations to give to the Westfield Food Pantry. Giving those in need is a common part of Ramadan.
Our schools have served generations of students, but they are showing their age. Learn more about how the bond referendum proposes important upgrades. westfieldnjk12.org/vote
