Washington School has long been one of the most treasured gems of Westfield. If you were to ask anyone who has gone through the school why that might be- they will likely tell you it is all about the community.

While I am indifferent to the full day kindergarten, I strongly feel the construction plan presented will completely change the fabric of how Washington School operates.  As someone who grew up in Westfield attending Washington School myself, I would be remiss to blindly accept the plan presented for Washington without highlighting a few critical flaws in hopes that enough people voicing concern could help us push our district to re-evaluate the design:

From the time I was a student here over 25 years ago, the playground and corresponding courtyard areas have served as a central gathering place for families and students.  From this space, parents can watch siblings play on the playground as they wait to greet their kids running out of school (all but 1 grade dismisses here) and often congregate after school to watch their children play on the playground and adjoining field.  By moving the playground to the back of the school, we will undoubtedly see a marked decline in families willingness to gather and connect due to the inability to safely monitor their children across all play areas and by the simple fact that it is likely out of sight and out of mind.

In further alignment with the concerns of safety, building out the school over the playground space will create a drastic reduction in lines of sight for staff to safely monitor recess as well as almost eliminate any desire or ability for students to move from the courtyard (a heavily used play area), to the fields and playgrounds effectively forcing children to choose where they'd like to play for the duration of recess rather than affording them the freedom to freely circulate around the school without being on top of the road.

The design proposes relocating the playground to the back of the building in a very small parcel of the property that is mostly taken up by storage sheds and fenced in utility equipment.  This drastically reduces the play space available to the students and creates a frankly lackluster experience in what is already a diminishing focus on play in elementary school curriculums.  In addition, this space was recently fitted with picnic tables serving as the only outdoor space available for the kids to enjoy lunch on nice days - a benefit I assume will be eliminated once the playground moves.

Additionally, in moving the equipment it was already noted that they don't believe they will successfully be able to relocate all of it.  This is disappointing not only due to the reduced play facilities to be utilized by more children but because the new playground is a memorial to a parent lost by a Washington School family. 

Lastly, it is also worth noting that no other school flagged for construction is facing an impact to their playground area and in fact some are even slated for playground expansions.

If you have concerns about the future of our school and community as a result of this re-design I urge you to sign this petition in hopes that our voice will be heard - not in dissent against full day Kindergarten, but in support of a design that supports our community and fosters its growth.