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I have been in education for 26 years, (22 years as an administrator) served in three different districts and have heard a common concern throughout my career; School Lunches. I think back to the years that I was in elementary school. (Yes there were school lunches in the 60's and 70's!) I remember standing in line to bang my tray in the trash barrel. It would be full the day that hominy was served! The days that peas were on the menu were always a nightmare for cooks and custodians.
Once in a while we would even have real fried chicken! However, the "HOT ROLLS" have always been to die for!!!! I have spoken to a few concerned parents this year because of the portion sizes. I assured them that the portion size is not because we are trying to save money! Due to the fact that public schools accept Federal Funds we are bound by a multitude of mandates throughout the K-12 program. If a school district receives federal funds in ANY area they are required to adhere to the mandates in ALL areas. Mandates in the School Lunch program are extensive including total calorie count, fat content, carbohydrate content, sodium content etc.. The requirements are monitored daily as well as on a weekly basis. Matt Mercer, Willard R-II Director of Food Service has worked with several other area directors to find new menus which will meet federal standards. We share in the frustration that we are unable to comply with the standards and continue the same portion sizes as allowed in the past.
On the positive side, this has resulted in considerable more fresh fruit served and enjoyed by students. We fully understand that a full stomach is essential to learning. Approximately 45% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunches reimbursed by the Federal Government. Approximately 8% of the Willard R-II budget totaling over 3.2 Million dollars is Federal Funds. These funds are essential to fund the quality K-12 educational program the Willard Community deserves. Unfortunately we simply have to comply with all mandates whether or not we are in agreement. Matt will continue to work to develop menus which allow for greater potion size and don't end up in the trash barrel!
Have a great weekend!
Kent
Dr. Kent Medlin Superintendent |
The Willard CoxHealth Four-State Tournament is underway and, as usual, the community of Willard has outdone itself. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of so many. We are truly blessed and I just want everyone to know how grateful I am (next week I will attempt to list everyone!).
The Tigers are off to a 2-0 start after defeating Rolla last Saturday and Ft. Scott last night. They will play Springdale Har-Ber tonight at 8:30 and will finish the tournament with Broken Arrow at 5:45 on Saturday. Next week, they will host Parkview on Tuesday night and will travel to Lebanon on Friday.
The Lady Tigers had one for the ages last night as they defeated Ft. Scott in double overtime to raise their record to 2-1 on the season. The girls will play Springdale Har-Ber tonight at 7:00 and will play Broken Arrow at 2:30 on Saturday. Next week, they will host Stockton on Thursday.
The wrestling Tigers will start their season tomorrow as they travel to Neosho for a very tough opening tournament. They have a very busy week coming up as they host Kickapoo and Rolla on Wednesday and will host Marshfield and Camdenton on Thursday.
What a great turnout for the Speech and Debate team at the Buffalo Tournament last weekend! Mercer Martin won first in International Extemporaneous speaking, in Radio Speaking Dusty Bacon won fourth, Mercer Martin third and Greg Hamilton first. In Humorous Interpretation Kayleigh Amstutzwon third and Greg Hamilton won second, and in Dramatic Interpretation Greg also won second. We had three members in prose ready with Chenoa Schwenn winning sixth, Dusty Bacon fourth, and Hayden Onstott second with Dusty also placing second in Poetry Reading! The team also won first place in overall sweepstakes! Great Job!!
It's Good To Be A Tiger!
Jeff Staley - Activities Director |
After finishing an evening of the Four-State Classic Basketball tournament and watching our students perform in the DECA-sponsored talent show, it is very apparent how talented and gifted our students truly are. Willard continues an outstanding tradition of excellence in academics, the arts, and athletics.
We are quickly approaching a number of important assessment dates.
* Next week, a number of juniors participate in the national ACT Field Study, December 5-6. * Saturday, December 8th, is an ACT National Test day. * December 11-13 marks our EOC testing for the fall semester specifically in Government. * Building-wide finals are scheduled for December 19-21 .
A finals schedule and other information can be obtained from he high school website.
It is truly great to be a TIGER!
Thank you for making Willard High School the premier high
school in the Ozarks!
Curt Graves Principal |
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is to be presented next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (Dec. 6-8) nights at 7:00 pm in the Black Box Theatre. If you get a chance, come see this WMS production, it will be worth your time.
NJHS adopt-a-family campaign is in full swing and their annual party has been scheduled. WMS Golf and Archery Clubs are in full swing as well as boys and girls basketball and wrestling.There is lots of sweat and hard work going on right now by all the team members. We wish them lots of good luck!
Plans are being made for our annual Grandparents Tea, Talent Show and, for the staff, our second annual Tacky Tea. These are always well attended and fun events. Parents are invited to attend the Talent Show and should watch for more information.
Issue 3 of our school newspaper was published this week and can be found on our website. It is full of articles, art work, questions & answers, and more. This paper is put together for students, by students, and is worth checking out.
Amy Sims
Principal |
December already?
With Thanksgiving break behind us and Christmas vacation on the horizon we find ourselves rapidly approaching the mid-point of the school year. It is our sincere hope that your 5th or 6th grader has found value and purpose in their time at WIS. One of the concerns parents often have about their Intermediate student is "Will my child develop a positive peer group at school?" The pre-teen years are full of both success and failure in developing friendships. It is very normal for students to express frustration verbally and emotionally as they experience these struggles in their life. It is our job as parents and teachers to listen and guide them with good counsel. But most importantly, we must actively play a role in their daily lives.
By making it a point every day to have real conversations with our kids about the struggles they are going through, we show them how important they are to us. It also gives us an opportunity to share our own experiences and help them to temper their emotions with a good dose of reality. Our kids need to know that it is ok if we do not like everyone and everyone might not like us, but we must make an effort to not have conflicts with others. Enjoy the weekend and take a few minutes to have a conversation with your child!
Tom Davis
Principal |
Willard North has been bustling with a lot of holiday activities. Kindergarten has been reading versions of the Gingerbread Man and comparing the different stories.
First grade is getting ready to begin Holidays around the World.
Second grade has spent this week learning about rocks and soil and exploring descriptive writing.
Third grade has been working on non-fiction writing pieces from the National Geographic for kids. If you haven't seen one of those magazines, they are fabulous, full of color and interesting facts and information for kids.
Finally fourth graders have been practicing for their holiday music program next Friday! Can't wait to see it.
We ended the week with our monthly Super Tiger Celebration to honor students for their efforts in school this month. They were thrilled to all learn the "SID shuffle". If you are a fan of the movie Ice Age, students really got into shuffling around the cafeteria! Have a great weekend and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts.
Angela Stevens
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Our November Tiger Pride Assembly was held on Tuesday, November 27th. We had a full house and numerous awards for students.
This month we also recognized three parents who have been a vital part of our volunteer program this year. Daniel Sexton has two girls who attend Willard South. He volunteers in our building by participating in our Lunch Buddy program and is a Homeroom Helper. We also recognized Royce and Beth Denny. They are parents of a kindergartner. They help with our Lunch Buddy program, classroom projects and as special guests during community helper week. We truly appreciate the partnership and time that these individuals have devoted to Willard South.
Don't miss our annual Make-It Take-It Night on Tuesday, December 4th from 6:00-7:30 in the Willard South cafeteria. This is a very special evening for families to share the holiday spirit. You will enjoy making an ornament, decorating sugar cookies, having your picture taken with Santa and watching our talented fourth grade After School Actors perform. This is a FREE event!!!
Kara Crighton-Smith
Principal |
We tried something new this year at Willard East. Instead of a brochure fundraiser for our PTO we hosted a Write-a-Check Campaign. Students did not have to sell things. Families could simply write-a-check to Willard East. In order to accomplish all our "extra" activities and events it costs approximately $55 per student. So that was our goal! Well we didn't meet our $13,000 fundraising goal for the whole year, but we did raise a little over $6,000! This was almost as much as we made last year with our brochure fundraiser! We got some great feedback about how easy this was for families. We did have some families that would prefer the brochure sales. We might alternate each fundraising idea on a rotating yearly basis. If you would like more information on schools who have tried this you can Google "Write a check campaign" and see lots of examples. Mrs. Barnes' 4th grade and Mrs. A. Smith's 2nd grade had 50% participation and celebrated with a popsicle party this week! Student Council hosted our 2nd "Teacher Turkey Feather Contest." Each staff member has a "naked" turkey on display in the hallway. Students could purchase turkey feathers for $0.10 each to decorate their teacher's turkey. Mrs. Woods Kindergarten Class won this contest and celebrated with a popcorn party this week.
Upcoming Events at Willard East:
Holiday Food/Hygiene Supply Drive Dec. 10-14th
Costumes For Community Service Dec. 14th
Royal Reader Celebrations Dec. 14th
Melinda Miller Principal |
Central Elementary School
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Tis the season to buckle down and fill the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break with new learning! Students have been busy editing, revising and publishing their 2nd quarter writing pieces. They are also gearing up for semester benchmark testing in reading to see our progress for the 1st semester. Overall, there is a chill in the air and a flurry of learning in the classrooms!
As we look ahead to the coming weeks, we will be celebrating our All-School Family Book Club with our Talent-palooza Night on Thursday, Dec. 6th at 6:00. It will be a fun evening together as a school family to celebrate reading The Talented Clementine. Our 4th grade students will be presenting their music program on Dec. 11th at 7:00. Come enjoy a holiday show and celebrate their hard work!
Shane Medlin
Principal |
Orchard Hills Elementary School
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It is hard to believe that November is over and we are just a few weeks away from the year being half over! It has been a wonderful, busy, and productive fall! Our monthly Tiger Pride was last Wednesday. In addition to the classroom awards and apple awards, we celebrated Abby and Lane for being the two fastest kids in school. They both received Academy gift cards to help purchase new running shoes. Our 5K was a huge success and we wish to thank everyone for their help. I don't know an EXACT figure, but I will soon. I do know its BIGGER than last year. Looking forward to sharing our results. We were also excited to have a hat day at school! We raised $216.00 for Care To Learn! In addition the teachers paid to wear jeans during our Thanksgiving short week. We raised another $84.25 which brings a total of $300.25 dollars is support of our local chapter! We are gearing up for the holiday season. The 4th Grade Program will be December 14th and we have parties and movie nights coming up as well. Have a wonderful weekend! Dr. Rhonda Bishop Principal |
"Poignant and Intimate" -Los Angeles Times "Delicately wrought, deeply felt"-Variety We have a movie star among us! Recently, several of our Willard families gathered at the Hollywood Theatre in downtown Springfield to watch the premier showing of "Somewhere Between" featuring our own Galia Holle, 1st grade student at Central Elementary. The movie was created by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, also known for her work on "The World According To Sesame Street." Overall, the movie profiles four Chinese adoptees and their journey to America. Each of these girls reveal their quest in discovering who they are and the people that have influenced their lives and have helped them make sense of their complex issues including belonging, race, gender and family. Along the way, one of the teenage girls named Fang tells the story of Run Yi, known affectionately to us as Galia. Fang's story shows the relationship that she and Galia developed over a period of several years while she traveled to China visiting the orphanages trying to understand where she, herself, had come from. From the first moment she met Galia, she knew she was special! The documentary also reveals how Kevin and Sheryl Holle (Galia's parents) came to know of Galia and follows them through their process of meeting and adopting her. I can guarantee you that there was not a dry eye in the theatre. Their story is truly miraculous! The Holle's have a large family made up of both biological and adoptive children including Graycen, Galia, Greg, Gavin and Garrett. Galia is one of their three children adopted from China. We are so blessed to have this family and ALL their children as part of our Willard community! Although this was a one-time only showing, there is a possibility that it could be shown again in Springfield if there is enough interest. If you would like to see this heartwarming story, please contact our Special Education office at 742-0930. You can also check it out online at www.somewherebetweenmovie.com If you know the Holle family, let them know how much you appreciate them and you might even want to ask for an autographJ Have a great weekend! Caryn McDonnell Director of Special Services |
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