WESTFIELD – Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and the Central Office leadership team tried something new at the start of this school year. Instead of holding a convocation, and inviting all of the faculty from all of the schools to gather, the team went to each school last week and met with the faculty and administration on their home turf.
“What I like about it is I had face time with every teacher in the district,” Czaporowski said.
The visiting team also included Chief Financial Officer Ronald R. Rix, Director of Human Resources Paula Ceglowski, Director of Curriculum Susan Dargie, Administrator of Special Education Martha von Mering, Director of Assessment Denise Ruszala, Administrator of Student Interventions Christopher Rogers, Director of Transportation Pamela Kotarski and Grants Coordinator Shannon Barry.
Czaporowski said they started by thanking the teachers for doing what they do every day. They also talked about some of the changes in the district this year, many of which include technology upgrades. All of the schools are now equipped with key-less entries, so that instead of leaving the back doors open for teachers at the start of the day, the doors remain locked; and teachers enter by swiping their badges in the doors.
Also, by next month, MySchoolBucks will be operative, allowing families to pay for lunches and athletic fees online.
Last year, the district added 2,000 Chromebooks for grades 3 to 12, and there are more coming this year. Students in kindergarten, first and second grades use IPads. In a few weeks, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) will be implemented in both high schools, allowing students to bring in whatever device they’re using at home, and log that device into the network with their ID numbers. Czaporowski said between the Chromebooks and BYOD, every student should have a device to use.
The superintendent said more teachers are also moving to Google Classroom every day, which allows students to check in, receive assignments and upload them online, as the district moves to reducing paper.
Other technology upgrades at the schools include upgraded camera security, and new phone systems at Paper Mill and Munger Hill elementary which were installed over the summer.
Blizzard bags, assignments to bring home on snow days, will also be used this year, but the district is waiting on the state to set additional guidelines for the in-home projects. Czaporowski said they are interested in starting the projects earlier than after five snow days are called, but have to wait to hear what the state has in mind.
A presentation to the teachers focused on having a growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset. Czaporowski said a growth mindset drives motivation and students’ achievement, when they believe they can learn anything they want to through effort and failures alike.
He also presented three new R’s of learning: Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor.
Regarding the first R, the team brainstormed with the teachers in each school, asking them how students know that they care about them. Knowing their names, asking about their interests and their families, offering help and asking what they think are some of the ways teachers show they care about their students, Czaporowski said, adding that relevance in the material makes rigor on the part of students possible.
Czaporowski said the district’s big push for students is high level thinking, promoting different ways to learn and giving students a voice in learning. The infusion of technology also brings a focus on new skills, media fluency, analytical thinking and creativity; skills employers are looking for.
At the end of the meeting with the schools, Czaporowski said he surveyed the teachers on whether they liked the central office team coming to them rather than holding a district-wide convocation. He said 95% said they did, and 94% want the practice to continue.
“It was more personal. The Central Office team enjoyed it as well,” he said.
Asked how the new transportation routes are going, Czaporowski said there have been some challenges, but that Pam Kotarski is working “like crazy” to make some adjustments to the routes. He said some of the buses have been late in arriving and getting students home as they learn new routes, and face challenges such as road construction.
“We are getting the usual complaints, but I’m asking to please be patient. It takes a couple of weeks to iron itself out,” Czaporowski said, adding, “We’re driving kids all over Westfield.”
Czaporowski was also present for opening days at the Westfield Intermediate School and the Westfield Middle School. “We started off very well,” he said. An open house is scheduled at the Westfield Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 13, beginning with a cookout sponsored by the Parent Teachers Organization at 5 p.m.
