Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT Cloudy Skies. Low of 49.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 262
Mass. Office of Education official visits Westfield Tech
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2016
75 cents
Lights proposed for two local ball fields 23rd Annual Rag Shag Parade delights hundreds
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–Assistant secretary of career education Robert LePage visited Westfield Technical Academy (WTA) Friday to observe several facets of the school’s burgeoning technical skills programs. The visit allowed LePage, as well as members of faculty and the Commonwealth Corporation, to see the facility and the many programs it offers. In particular, they witnessed the Signal Success Curriculum–a career readiness program created by Commonwealth Corporation–implemented in the classrooms, as well as areas where a recent $500,000 grant from the state was used to improve education. “I think the desire is to get more workplace curriculum for soft skills, which improves workplace retention,” LePage said about the programs he and others saw on Friday. “We hear about it all across the state.” The group saw the Signal Success curriculum used in two classes–allied health and automotive technology. The program was being used to help students problem-solve practical, real-life problems that may occur in the workplace or while seeking a new job, as well as work on communication skills and strategies. “The curriculum is about 180 hours, and schools decide what is most important, then we design a curriculum for them,” Jennifer See Visit, Page 7
One of the aviation simulation machines at Westfield Technical Academy.
The Westfield News will run its masthead in pink, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
PHOTOS BY LYNN F. BOSCHER
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will be holding a public hearing Nov. 2, to discuss a proposed plan of lights being added to the Sadie Knox and Papermill ball fields. The meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chambers of city hall, will provide the public with a chance to WILLIAM ONYSKI ask questions or voice any concerns that the lighting project may induce, especially following the Roots Athletic Center lighting issue. “We are looking to put lights on the back field of Paper Mill and the back field of Sadie Knox,” Ken Diegel, president of the Westfield Little League, said. “Once we get all the go-aheads, four to six weeks to get all the material and Westfield Gas and Electric will be doing all the construction for us.” Diegel said that Westfield Gas and Electric will be donating their time to the project to get the lights constructed. The materials though, will cost $60,000 and are purchased through Musco Lighting, who is also in charge of designing the project. Money for the project is coming from donations and grants, although the Westfield Little League still needs money for the project. They already put down 25 percent, which was enough to get the project up and running. Diegel said that there will be a total of four poles per field, but was uncertain how many lights would be on each pole. Ward 6 city councilor William Onyski said that the decision to provide residents with a public hearing on the project was to make sure people had a say. He also said that it is merely a coincidence that this has come up around the same time as Roots Athletic Center’s lighting issues. “My main concern is making sure the public has some input before the lights go up–at least at Paper Mill, the lights are literally in people’s backyards,” Onyski said. “It’s a number of things that the planning board would normally look at, but since it’s public property they won’t look at it.” Onyski also voiced a concern regarding lighting between the fields and the parking lots, which have a fair amount of distance between them at Papermill Park. Diegel said that they will try to address that, as well, either by adding more lighting to the scoreboard or by getting older, out-of-date lights up-todate near the Papermill tennis courts, which he said would provide enough lighting at night. Diegel added that the Westfield Little League is still seeking donations for the project. If anyone is interested in assisting, Diegel can be contacted at: wllumpire@comcast.net
Franklin Avenue principal explains Level 1 designation By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Frances St. Peter, principal of the Franklin Avenue Elementary School, is pleased with the school’s newly assigned Level 1 status from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), up from a Level 3. “We are so pleased with our students and our staff. It’s an effort that’s been many years in the making,” St. Peter said on Friday. St. Peter is in her third year as principal and eleventh year at the school, having previously served as a speech pathologist and lead teacher. She said in her former role, she was part of many of the changes that were made in the curriculum. She also believes that it is the school’s focus on reading fluency that is behind their success. The school started with the Reading First program, a federal program that changed the way reading is
taught. Now, continuing with the Massachusetts non-profit Bay State Reading Institute (BSRI), the school focuses on data analysis, strong team building, and meetings around student performance. The strategy also involves employing coaches who work primarily with staff to achieve their goals. “Reading has been targeted, because in order to have access to curriculum, you must be a good reader. Obviously, our goal is to have all students read fluently with good comprehension by grade 3,” St. Peter said. She said the school intervenes as early as kindergarten with students who are struggling, working with them on letter naming, sound fluency, decoding (looking at words to figure out how they sound), and writing. Franklin Ave. reading coach JoAnn Roselli also spends time in classrooms that have a high number of students who are struggling. She helps to figure out what the students need, how to design
and implement changes, and then releases the responsibility to implement them back to the teacher. “Coaches are the experts,” St. Peter said, giving the analogy of a parent who holds the back of a bicycle until the child knows how to pedal. In last year’s MCAS, the scores upon which the new assessments are based, Franklin Avenue made the gains in both reading and math. St. Peter said the students’ ability to be good readers helps with math, understanding the academic language in sci/tech questions, and with fifth grade comprehension and thinking. “If you’re a good reader, you can access everything. We are ensuring our students are the best readers they can be,” St. Peter said. St. Peter said that having quality professional development, training on strategies and research-based programs, has been very important. She said coaches See Franklin Avenue, Page 7
Franklin Avenue principal Frances St. Peter sits with some first graders at lunch on Friday. (Photo by Amy Porter)