Inside The Rock

Dr. Grate talks to HR Dir. Chris Baldwin, and SRO Tyler Doughtery, about school safety! They talked about our great partnership with WPD, provided an informative safety update, and discussed how building relationships helps keep kids safe!

Dr. Grate talks to new WHS Athletic Director, Andy Tebbe. Andy talks about the transition into his new role and what WHS families can expect to see with athletics in the years to come!

Dr. Grate talks to Dr. Joe Montalone about construction! Listen to hear construction updates, challenges they’ve experienced along the way, and details on the timeline.

Dr. Grate talks to the Westfield Middle School admin team - new principal Mike Hall, and assistant principals, Doug Luce, Valerie Love and Molly Trambaugh. Listen to learn how the transition is going how they’re connecting with kids and building relationships in interesting ways!

On this episode, Dr. Grate talks construction with Dr. Joe Montalone, WWS Operations Manager, and Victor Landfair from Skillman Corp. Listen to learn what will be happening this summer and what changes to expect when we return!

This week’s episode of Inside the Rock is all about the Grand Summer Kick-Off! Dr. Grate talks to Jan Skinner and Ashley Knott with the Westfield Education Foundation, and Kelley Wells with the City of Westfield, about this amazing last day of school community celebration on May 24th at Grand Park. It includes a family adventure course, dodgeball tournament, food, music and much more! Visit www.grandsummerkickoff.com for registration information (on-site registration available).

Dr. Grate talks to our Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction, Brooke Watkins, about the new requirements, the benefits, and what students and parents need to know!

On this week’s episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks to Dr. Chase Stinson, WWS Director of Student Services. They discussed the wide variety of services WWS provides for children ages 3 to 22 and how social and emotional learning plays such an important role in those services.

Dr. Grate talks with WIS Innovation Specialist, Katie Belloli, and Science and Social Studies Teacher, Jaime Kircher! They talked about the Space Exploration Educators Conference, their SLED (Science Learning Through Engineering Design) framework, and how their co-teaching model is creating authentic learning experiences at WIS!

Dr. Grate talks to Westfield Intermediate School Principal, Annette Patchett, and Assistant Principals, Mike McKinney and Carmen Carnes. Listen to learn about the exciting initiatives happening at WIS and what they’re doing everyday to create collaborative communities in their building and better prepare students for life at Westfield Middle School.

In honor of National Public Schools Week, Dr. Grate interviewed our school board members on this week’s episode of Inside the Rock. Listen to learn about their backgrounds, what called them to be school board members, and what they wished every parent knew!

Dr. Grate talks school safety with Chris Baldwin, Director of HR and Safety, along with Assistant Principals, Alicia Denniston, Doug Luce and Krstin Parisi. The provided a comprehensive school safety update and talked about how school safety looks different at every building.

This week’s episode of Inside the Rock is all about the Westfield Youth Assistance Program (WYAP). Guests include Christine Brown, WYAP’s Early Intervention Advocate, Edvin Cortez, formar WYAP student, and Chad Gross, Edvin’s mentor. They discussed how the program works, how it has benefited our community, and how the program positively impacts the lives of students and volunteers!

On this week’s episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks summer camps with Marci Derado, Director of Student Support Programs. They discussed the wide variety of programming, field trip opportunities, transportation, cost and much more! Listen to learn about the awesome opportunities available to WWS families!

On this week's episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks to Doug Luce, Assistant Principal and AD at WMS, and Bill Davis, AD at WHS. They discussed the wide variety of sports we offer, how athletics is keeping up with our rapid growth, and what athletics will look like after construction is completed.

On this week’s episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks to Mary Beth Riley, Principal at Maple Glen, about their exciting partnership with Columbia University’s Teachers College. Listen to learn about how this professional development partnership is helping teachers build a joy for reading across all grade levels!

On this week’s episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks with WHS Dean of Wellness and Football Coach, Jake Gilbert! Listen and learn about their Life Ready initiative and how it is teaching kids the skillset to accomplish anything they set out to accomplish in life!

On this week’s episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks with Lynn Schemel, Director of Organizational Systems, Assessment and Analysis, and Gracia Lane, Innovation Specialist at Oak Trace, about Digital Citizenship! Learn how they are teaching students how to behave in the digital world while making good choices using technology and creating their “digital footprint!”

WWS Chief Financial Officer, Brian Tomamichel, is back on Inside the Rock this week! Brian talks with Dr. Grate about the changes in budgeting and finance which became effective January 1st. Learn how these changes are impacting our district!

On this week’s episode of Inside the Rock, Dr. Grate talks with Mayor Cook about the new and exciting Wellbeing Coalition of Westfield.