Friday, February 17, 2023 | Westford Public Schools

Good afternoon!

Whew, we made it to the winter break! It sure doesn’t feel like winter, however, we know this can change at any time. This is New England! I always feel like vacations come at just the right time. Exams are over, the second quarter is over, we are getting to the middle of the third quarter and students and teachers are tired! Once we return after the break, our seniors will be getting ready to begin their Senior Capstone Project and then we are off to the end of the year festivities and graduation! How exciting!

As we approach the winter vacation, I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we shift to our new student information system. The transition has not been easy or seamless, but we are making progress. We are figuring out the nuances of PowerSchool vs. iPass. We appreciate your flexibility while we make this important update to our school!

This week was filled with a host activities for the incoming Class of 2027. We hosted the two middle schools on Tuesday morning and the two classes became one for the first time. The students were greeted by our peer counselors, they were introduced to the many talents within our Visual and Performing Arts Department and much more. It was great. We then welcomed the parents/caregivers of the Class of 2027 for an information night on Wednesday night and provided an opportunity for individual questions. Again, another great event!

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Scheduling Update

Our PowerSchool portal will open today at 3pm for course registration. If you have any questions about a particular course recommendation or are missing a recommendation, please email your classroom teacher directly. As a reminder, the counselors will have drop-in hours during long block on Tuesday 2/28, Wednesday 3/1 and Thursday 3/2 for all students. Availability will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please swing by your counselor's office during your lunch block on those dates. The portal will be closing promptly at 2pm on Friday, March 3rd.

Students: Use this link on your Chromebook or laptop (not your phone) to log-in to PowerSchool using your Westford Google account. Scroll down to the Student Sign-In. https://westford.powerschool.com/public/home.html

For information on scheduling, please visit this webpage:

https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/counseling-department/pages/scheduling-202...

That’s it for today! More announcements below, happy reading!

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Panorama Survey Information

We thank you and your family for being our valued partners as we work together to educate the children in our district. Westford Public Schools values input from our community – and we need to hear from your child or children! Students are important partners as we work to improve our communication, academic program and overall experience for everyone.

In order to learn more about student experiences at school, we will be asking for your child’s feedback via an online survey they will be completing at school. The survey is scheduled to take place during the week of March, 20 2023. The survey shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to complete. The survey is available to view in Westford Academy’s main office. Please complete the Google Form by March 10, 2023 ONLY if you would like to OPT OUT your child out of taking the survey.

Click here for more information: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIk95hzYuzlZ5059EOgkp0whJF2DDU...

WPS Master Plan Feasibility Study Community Discussion and Feedback Session

When: Mar 9, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Where: Stony Brook School Auditorium and remotely via Zoom

Westford Public Schools is currently conducting a feasibility study with the design firm SMMA to develop a new District Master Plan to identify facility and educational needs for the next ten years. This feedback session is designed to gather input and feedback from stakeholders as to the grade configurations and the geographic assignment of students at our elementary schools as well as the transitions between schools within our district. During the January 30th School Committee meeting, the project team leaders from SMMA gave an update presentation to provide examples as to what types of data and information will be included in their final study report towards the end of the year. It might be helpful to watch that presentation on the WestfordCAT YouTube channel to gather additional context prior to this upcoming feedback session.

This event will take place both in person at the Stony Brook School Auditorium as well as remotely via a Zoom Webinar. If you prefer to participate remotely, please register in advance using this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CnfZmVqqQnS151Nr8orFpA. A... registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

School Lunch Menu

We are going to post this each week for you to review.

https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/students/links/school-lunch-menu

Reminder To All Graduating Seniors

The WA Trustee and Community Scholarship applications opened on February 16th. The FIRM deadline for students to submit applications is Monday, March 13, 2023 at 2:00 PM - NO exceptions or extensions. For detailed information and instructions, please refer to the WA website, under Counseling, click on Trustee Awards & Senior Scholarship Listing & Applications link.

https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/trustees-westford-academy/pages/trustees-a...

From the Yearbook Advisor

Please reserve your copy of the 2023 Westford Academy Yearbook! We will have some extra copies, but the only way to guarantee you get one is to pre-order it now.

Link to the publisher https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1065285/Westford-Academ...

Thank you for your support!

March ELPAC Meeting, March 1, 2023

https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/principals-corner/files/march-elpac-march-...

SEPAC Workshop, Spring 2023

https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/principals-corner/files/sepac-workshops-sp...

LAST NIGHT 2023

WA Last Night 2023 is the all-night, substance-free celebration for our Westford Academy graduating seniors, which will be held on Friday, June 2nd starting at 10:00 PM. With almost 100% participation, Last Night is a highlight for WA graduates. It takes over 300 volunteers and many, many generous donors to make this evening a success. Parents of all students from K to 12, are encouraged to volunteer. For more information on how to sign up to volunteer or to donate, please see the Last Night website at www.walastnight.org

Working Papers

Working papers are requested online. If your student has been offered a job, please have them go on the Westford Academy webpage. Click on “For Students” and then click on “Working Permit – Ages 14-18”. https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/students/links/working-permit-ages-14-18

Enjoy the winter vacation!

Respectfully, Jim Antonelli