Willard East April 17th
Willard Central April 9th
Willard Orchard Hills May 6th
Willard North April 18th
Willard South April 16th |
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For Sale!
This beautiful house built by Willard students working with area contrators is now up for bids. More info |
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When I was a youngster, my mother and father would try to educate my sister and I on the finer qualities of life such as Asparagus, Liver and Onions, Chicken Gizzards, and several other foods. I resisted their "learning", however my school experience had many similarities. As a young boy reading was not my number one objective, my goal was to go outside and destroy a good pair of jeans.
As I have grown older, my teachers and parents became smarter, and slowly I have evolved into an avid reader. Autobiographies on leadership are some of my favorite readings in both Kindle and iBook. You will find abundant literature of current and past political, military, and business leadership. When reading stories of success, consistently you will find the role of teachers being a significant factor in the individual's life.
Great teaching can change a child's life. That kind of teaching is a remarkable combination of things: art, science, inspiration, talent, gift, and incredibly hard work. Teachers have earned every bagel breakfast, celebratory bulletin board, gift card and thank-you note. Given the importance of their work and the challenges they face, teachers absolutely deserve every form of appreciation their communities can muster.
As we enter the final days of Teacher Appreciation Week 2013 (May 6-10), I am reminded of the many individuals who committed to my growth and the thousand plus teachers I have been fortunate to work with over the past 28 years in education. Willard Teachers....Thank you for what you do for our 4,250 students every day.
Stewart Pratt
Assistant Superintendent |
Well the spring seasons are about to wrap up so I will give you the district tournament schedules this week and let you know how we did next week. Willard will be hosting the Class 5, District 12 tournament starting this Saturday. Neosho will take on Joplin at 11:00am followed by Webb City vs. Republic at 1:30pm. The semifinals will be held on Monday with Carthage taking on the Neosho/Joplin winner at 4:30pm followed by Willard vs. Republic/Webb City winner at 7:00pm. The championship game will be on Tuesday. Due to graduation at Carthage, if Carthage is in the championship game it will be held at 1:00pm. If they are not, then the game will start at 6:00pm. Hope this is clear! The Lady Tigers have their district soccer tournament at Republic next week. They are the #1 seed and have a first round bye. They will play on Wednesday at 6:30 vs. the Hillcrest/West Plains winner. The championship game will be held on Friday at 3:00pm due to Willard's graduation that night. Track will be traveling to Camdenton this Saturday for their district tournament. The top 4 in each event will qualify for the Sectional meet the following Saturday in Ozark. The top 4 from that meet will qualify for the state meet in Jefferson City. It's Good To Be A Tiger! Jeff Staley Director of Activities |
Baccalaureate is this Sunday, in the WHS Theatre, at 3 PM. Seniors complete finals on Monday and Tuesday mornings, May 13th and 14th. Friday evening, May 17th, graduation begins at 7:30 PM. Doors open at 6:30 for ticket holders and at 7 PM for all others.
The weather watch has begun with so many rain showers and, dare I say it, SNOWSTORMS! So far, I believe we will have grand weather and a great graduation ceremony!
It is GREAT to be a Tiger!
Curt Graves
Principal |
This week we celebrated the most rewarding occupation in the world...TEACHING! Did I mention that it is also an occupation that can be physically, mentally and emotionally challenging? That is why you need the best staff members on earth working in your building and district. I am lucky to have such an outstanding group of individuals that I get to work beside each and every day. Willard South teachers are resilient, risk-takers, patient, compassionate and come to work each day to make a difference in the lives of children. I personally would like to thank each and every teacher that has taken on the every day challenges and rewards by working with children. You truly are amazing! Thursday evening we also hosted our annual Fine Arts Night and our first ever School Wide Book Read Celebration. The halls were filled with beautiful artwork and writing samples from every child. Each grade level also had activities related to the book The Lemonade War. Families had fun voting for their favorite lemonade, counting money to pay for lemonade at our 2nd grade lemonade stand, creating and decorating signs, discussing comprehension strategies, eating popcorn, buying books at our book fair, playing math games in the computer lab and enjoying a special performance by our After School Actors. Other Upcoming Events: Tuesday, May 14th-Muffins with Mom 7:30-8:30 Thursday, May 16th-Field Day Tuesday, May 21st-Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30 Friday, May 24th-Last Day of School (students dismissed at 12:30) Kara Crighton-Smith
Principal |
Central Elementary School
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It has been a memorable week at WC! Parents and students celebrated our wonderful staff through Teacher Appreciation Week. From wonderful lunches, breakfast treats, mountains of desserts and treasured notes our PTO helped spoil our staff (and expand our waste lines) this week! Thank you for blessing our wonderful staff and thank you to all of our teachers for teaching and caring for our little blessings each day! WC also had a busy week of learning and celebrating. All week long was our Book Fair with Mrs. Roth in the library. It looks like it was a record breaking year! On Monday, our 4th grade students headed to Jefferson City to see our state's capital in action. On Tuesday, we celebrated Grandparents' Day with several hundred very important guests in the building. We also celebrated our students' talents at Fine Arts Night with musical performances and student artwork on display across the building. On Wednesday, we were treated to some great entertainments by the WHS Fast Forward group. Students enjoyed singing and dancing along. Friday marked the culminating activity for our 2nd grade students' economic lessons with the hotdog restaurants serving family and community members while demonstrating math and economic principles. 4th grade students celebrated their successful elementary school years with our PTO 4th grade party after school. It was a busy, but great week at WC! Here are the exciting events coming up before the end of the school year. 13 - PTO Meeting 6pm 16 - 1st Grade Field Trip 16 - 2nd Grade Field Trip 16 - 4th Grade Transition Day to WIS 17 - 3rd Grade Field Trip 21 - Field Day 23 - Snow Make-up Day 24 - Snow Make-up Day 24 - Last Day of School - 12:30 Dismissal
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Orchard Hills Elementary School
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Another busy week at WOHE! This week we have celebrated our fantastic staff for Teacher Appreciation Week. They go above and beyond, working hard for all our students. The students have brought in little surprises for them each day. PTO will be providing lunch for the staff on Friday. WE THANK OUR GREAT FAMILIES for their support of our staff. We are blessed.
This week we also celebrated Nurse's Day! Nurse Lacy has been a great addition to our team and does a fantastic job. We appreciate the extra efforts she gives to the students (and the staff). We could not survive without her! Thanks Lacy for all you do!
Next week is a busy one! Monday is Field Day. Coach Sweet has a lot of activities planned and if you want to have some fun, stop by and help. Tuesday, 3rd and 4th grade students will be heading out for their MAP reward party. We will be going to the movies, heading back to school for a Dad's BBQ, and then on to Cardinal Stadium for private tours. Wednesday we have a guest speaker, Randy Nadler, who will be talking to us about Switzerland, Thursday is the Talent Show and PTO Silent Auction, and Friday is the 4th Grade Field Trip to Jefferson City.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Rhonda Bishop
Principal |
I am so proud of all of our students! The past several weeks have been filled with testing, end of the year activities and preparation for transition. They, along with the support of a fantastic staff, have made it through each of these things with excellence! Here are a few highlights: -
Last week, students, staff and parents participated in the 6th Annual Partner's In Strength Rally. Over 55 students with disabilities came out to enjoy free food and fun. A record number of student athletes and volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure that everything ran smoothly and everyone had a safe and fun-filled evening. Thanks to Jon Gold for coordinating the event; it was truly a memorable night!
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This Tuesday, students who receive physical therapy services from Willard were given the opportunity to spend a day outdoors. They spent the day fishing, practicing their archery/shooting skills, cooking out and then making a pinecone bird feeder at the 7th Annual Fishing with Friends Day. Thanks to Maria Harless, Physical Therapist for leading this effort!
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Even with all of these activities, the year isn't over just yet! May has been designated as Better Speech and Hearing Month. In Willard, we have over 120 students that receive Speech and Language services. Our staff consists of 10 highly qualified and caring Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP's) and we appreciate all they do to help our students succeed! Our SLP's across the district have worked hard to promote better understanding of speech and hearing difficulties that our students face. Teachers were encouraged to participate in "Dress Down Mondays" by donating a $1.00 each week to be donated back to Willard Charitable Children's Foundation (WCCF). WCCF has provided needed screenings, equipment and services for students in this area through their Health and Dental Committee Grants.
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Finally, this week marks the celebration of our teachers. It is officially designated as Teacher Appreciation Week and we want to say THANK YOUto each teacher who serves this district with excellence and pride. If you want to make a teacher smile, just send them a note of appreciation and let them know what a difference they have made in the life of your child!
Have a great weekend, Caryn McDonnell Director of Special Services |
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