STEFAN CZAPOROWSKI
The 2013-2014 school year begins in a few days and our school community is finishing up preparations for the first days of school. Families are wrapping up their back to school shopping, our schools have been cleaned, and teachers have been setting up their classrooms. At Westfield Vocational Technical High School, we will continue our endeavor to work with parents as our partners in preparing students for career and college readiness. We believe that schools and parents must work together to positively affect student performance and achievement. Research overwhelmingly supports the idea that children develop optimistic attitudes toward school when they see that their parents and families value education and monitor their children’s progress.
Parents and guardians are able to demonstrate to their children that they value education by showing an interest in reading, giving time to our Parent Volunteer Organization, Technical Program Advisories, or library, attending athletic and other school events, and offering to chaperone field trips, dances and other activities. Parents and guardians can also help their children succeed in school by limiting television viewing and video game playing on school nights and by helping their children use the Internet properly and effectively. Other strategies include establishing a routine for meals, bedtime, study time, and providing students with their own quiet place to do homework.
Parents and guardians can contribute to their child’s performance and achievement in school by monitoring their progress. This can be accomplished by checking quarterly report cards carefully for grades and attendance. This year, WVTHS will be introducing an online parent portal so that parents and guardians can check this information more regularly. Parents should also be comfortable communicating with their child’s teachers, counselors, and administrators regarding their child’s progress. Contact information, including e-mail addresses for all staff, is located on our website at wvths.schoolsofwestfield.org. The school website can also be a resource for keeping up with school events, locating information about our admissions policy, becoming familiar with the Student Handbook and the WVTHS Program of Study, and perusing individual course curriculum maps. Another way for parents and guardians to monitor student progress is to attend our fall Open House on October 3 from 6-8 p.m., and parent-teacher conferences, scheduled on October 24 and February 27 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Studies show that children whose parents and guardians value and share in their formal education tend to do better in school. Benefits that have been identified with increased parental involvement in schools include higher grades and test scores, sustained long term academic achievement, an increase in positive attitudes and behavior, more successful school programs, and overall more effective schools. As we look ahead to this school year and beyond, Westfield Vocational Technical High School recognizes the importance of school and parent/guardian partnerships to help ensure student success. We look forward to continuing our work with all members of the school community. On behalf of the entire staff, we wish students and parents an exciting and successful 2013-2014 school year. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Finally, we would like to invite all parents and their teens to a very special event on Tuesday, August 27 at South Middle School from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Motivational speaker Michael Pritchard will present, “Parents & Teens: Negotiating Today’s World.” Dr. Pritchard will offer strategies on managing the stresses of being a teen or parent in today’s challenging world. He will cover a range of topics including bullying prevention, healthy boundaries, using humor in stressful situations, cyber safety, dealing with change and much more. Dr. Pritchard’s work has been recognized by CNN, Time Magazine and The Today Show. We hope to see our parents and students Tuesday at South Middle School.
Stefan Czaporowski
Principal
Westfield Vocational Technical High School
