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The Pride
September 6, 2013

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Welcome to THE PRIDE
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Willard Parks

Adult Volleyball & Basketball registration 

is open.

Deadline is Sept. 13th.

 

Doggie Dive @ THE WAC 

Sept. 7th 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

$4.00 per dog

 

Youth Competitive 

Volleyball Registration

Deadline is Sept 13

 

Registration forms online @ willardparks.com

 
District Office

 

 

Who would you rather play for:

A: The head coach who is a tyrant and uses foul language, threats, humiliation, fear, punishment, as motivational strategies. However he wins championships!
B: The head coach who is everyones best friend, mentor, counselor, and the ultimate student advocate. However he has losing seasons year after year!

My answer is neither. I have seen great coaches, played for great coaches, and coached alongside great coaches. I have also seen and played for coaches that I choose to forget. Sometimes the politically correct answer is that we don't play because of wins and losses. Really? Really? I will admit right now publicly that I like to win. I will not apologize for that fact. However, I also know that some of the moments I cherish as the greatest victories were not when the scoreboard ended in my favor.
  
This year I am focused on growth. Growth is difficult and painful. Growth results in wins as well as losses. The leader will learn from both and improve. Wednesday evening Willard hosted Dr. Rick McGuire, author of "Winning kids with sport". Dr. McGuire outlined the principals of positive coaching. The greatest teachers,coaches, leaders, know how to build positive relationships. They know how to create expectations and hold individuals accountable to perform at high levels. They understand how to tap into the internal motivation of kids /adults causing them to desire to work their heart out to be the best they can be. I agree with Dr. McGuire, I believe in positive motivation. I also believe it can produce successful teams that win championships. It works for students, athletes, and adults! Willard Public Schools is full of these types of leaders / coaches / teachers, and I recognize and appreciate their efforts!
  
Have a great weekend!
Kent
  
Dr. Kent E. Medlin
Superintendent
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Athletics & Activities
The Tigers are all officially underway, and as we expected, the wins are already starting to pile up. Let's look at some of the early season successes....
The football Tigers flexed their muscle last Friday as they came from behind to defeat Marshfield 30-16! They will look to ride this momentum tonight as they host Nevada. Game time is 7:00pm. Tonight is also "Willard Wear" night. Any Willard student wearing a Willard shirt will get into the game at no charge!

The softball Tigers got off to a roaring start as they defeated Hillcrest, Kickapoo, and Bolivar. However, they fell short last night vs. Neosho but will look to improve on their 3-1 start tonight as they host Strafford. Game time is 5:00pm. Next week they will travel to Nixa on Tuesday and will host Webb City on Thursday.

Congratulations to the VolleyTigers on their 2-0 start as they defeated Buffalo and Hillcrest this week!!! Next week the ladies will travel to Central on Tuesday and Bolivar on Thursday.

The soccer Tigers had a rough start to their season as they lost to Joplin last night. However, the team is young and Coach Magee is confident they will continue to improve throughout the season. Next week they will travel to Webb City on Tuesday and to Waynesville on Thursday.

The girls golf team got underway by playing in the Bolivar Invitational. Here are the results:
Team Score: 481
Team Place: 10th/13

Brooke Mitchals 118 (T-32 out of 66 players)
Morgan Johnson 120 (T-38)
Katie Badger 120 (T-38)
Carolyn Dawson 123 (T-46)
Brooklyn Teague 127 (53rd)

Cross Country gets started tomorrow as they will be running in Neosho. They will start at 9:00am.

Good luck to our cheerleaders as they will travel to state next week!!!!!

It's Good To Be A Tiger!
  
Jeff Staley
Director of Activities
High School

WHS has and continues to host numerous events and activities.Wednesday evening the Central Ozark Conference General Meeting was held in the commons and auditorium.Every league school was represented by coaches, athletic directors, principals, and superintendents.On Thursday, a new student luncheon took place at the park.Mr. Wead, assistant principal, and Mr. Burns, 9th grade counselor, cooked for the students.With the 1st home game this week, SGA held the 1st pep assembly of the year motivating students' school spirit and instilling school pride.

 

It is Willard Wear night for all current high school students of WHS at the football game versus Nevada.Current students wearing Willard school colors with at least one Willard logo get in free to support our Tigers!

Next week ROTC students are visiting the Air Force Academy in Colorado.As well, next Friday, September 13, marks the middle of the 1st quarter.

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves,

Principal

Middle School

 

The middle school is ROARING this week!
Student now have laptops in their hands and Tiger Time is in full swing.
Students and teachers are excited to be a part of WMS!!   
  
  
 Thanks for checking in with us!

Amy Sims
Principal
Intermediate School
Parent Info. Night at WIS

Thanks to everyone that came out last night for our first ever Parent Information Night. We had a great turn out along with 5 very informative sessions. The feedback we received was very positive and our hope is that everyone that attended left with at least one thing about WIS they did not know before. Our plan is to make this even bigger and better next year!

We hope to see everyone at the game tonight! 
  
Tom Davis
Principal
North Elementary School
Willard North is buzzing with lots of activity. Students in Mrs. Reed's Music class are learning songs and the culture of China. 3rd grade is also gearing up for the first music program of the year.
  
Our big event this week is celebrating our grandparents. This is a big event every year for our second grade and will be happening this Friday. Second grade works hard to honor their grandparents by showing off their reading and writing skills as well as their use of technology. We are excited to share our learning with our grandparents and look forward to seeing them at Willard North.

Have a wonderful weekend!
  

Angela Stevens

Principal

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South Elementary School
This week our second graders were busy preparing for our annual Grandparent's Day Tea on Friday afternoon. This is always a special time for students to share their school experiences with their Grandparent's and enjoy a special treat. A big thank you to the classroom teachers, our kitchen staff and school social worker for all of their help in setting up for this grand event.

Next week, teachers will begin administering the Developmental Reading Assessment to students. This is an assessment tool that classroom teachers use to identify a students reading level, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Once student levels are identified, classroom teachers use this information for instructional planning. Teachers often have questions from parents asking how they can help their child become better readers. The simple answer is...READ, READ, READ! Make reading a nightly priority, bedtime routine and special time to share with your child. You are an exceptional model for your child. Your support and partnership is necessary for student growth.

Have a wonderful weekend and READ!
  
Kara Crighton-Smith
 Principal 
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East Elementary School

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Central Elementary School
The new school year has brought new partnerships. Starting Friday, students from Mrs. Ahrens' Life Skills classroom will be joining our 4th grade classes for Reading Buddy/Tech Friends time. This collaborative time will provide 4th grade students the opportunity to be student leaders supporting our special needs students with the use of technology through shared reading. This partnership will also help students develop effective communication and social interaction skills. We are looking forward to this time to learn, share and grow together.
Speaking of great partnerships, all are invited to our first PTO meeting of the year on Monday evening, Sept. 9th at 6:00. Come be a part of our school community team supporting students, teachers and learning. Childcare will be provided for the meeting.

Have a great weekend and good luck to the Tigers on Friday night!

Shane Medlin, Principal

Orchard Hills Elementary School
 
Special Services

It was a short week, but classes were in full swing. I had the privilege of visiting a few of the classrooms this week at the elementary level. One of my favorite things to observe is the interactions between students as they are learning. Peer modeling and cooperative learning are great strategies that help a variety of learners. Sometimes students give the best feedback to their peers!


For example, this week I overheard a student "sharing" a piece of his writing with his classmate. The student had drawn a picture to illustrate his work and was showing the picture to a neighbor as he read the story out loud. The story was about the two children eating lunch together and being friends. After the story, the student who was listening looked up and said, "That was really nice!" Immediately a huge smile came across both the boy's and the teacher's face, (and mine!) While this may not sound extremely exciting to you, to me it was incredible-not because he wrote a story, but because of what the story was about. These students have been working on their social skills and are learning how to interact appropriately at school with teachers and friends. They are obviously helping each other to learn more than just writing skills. I hope that those small, daily interactions continue in whatever we are trying to teach and students are trying to learn. Those lessons stick for a lifetime!


Have a great weekend!

 

Caryn McDonnell

Director of Special Services

Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
 
This week marked the beginning of our district CAP work - the comprehensive Curriculum and Assessment Plan which guides instruction K-12. Teachers across the district in all content areas work each year to update curriculum and fine-tune activities for student learning. Fifth and sixth grade teachers in math, language arts, and science collaborated on Thursday to prepare units of instruction for Intermediate students. The teachers shared ideas and instructional strategies, as well as prepared assessment tools to monitor the mastery of standards. In the next few weeks, all grade levels will meet for first quarter work. The district's commitment to a high-quality and rigorous curriculum is supported by the hard work of our teachers, and we are proud to report that it is created locally to reflect excellence in learning opportunities for all Willard students!
  
Have a great weekend,
  
Danielle Sellenriek
Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment



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Willard, MO 65781

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