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The Pride
September 20, 2013

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As a parent, staff member or fan of Willard Schools we hope you'll enjoy reading about school happenings each week. In addition to the new look we've included a few new features as well. 
 
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Willard Parks

New Fitness Class Schedule

 

Willard parks new fitness class schedule will start the week of September 23rd.

 

We will have Yoga, Zumba, Xtream Fitness, Golden Gooves

 

Fitness classes for all ages.  Check out Willardparks.com for all times and days!!!

 

District Office
"The 6 Most Important Words a Parent Can Say To Their Student Athlete"

Seldom do I not have an educational topic that I could write about! However, today I choose to pass on a bit of parenting wisdom that I read in an article. We are incredibly blessed to live in our community. Our school and community have an outstanding partnership. Kids are continually the centerpiece of decisions in the Willard Community. This week I spoke to Jeff Staley, Willard Director of Activities. No one bleeds black and white more than Jeff Staley. Jeff was born in Willard, grew up playing for Willard, is a leader in not only our school but also our community. I spoke with him yesterday and he was so excited about tonight's game he sounded like one of the players instead of the district AD. We talked about the great year we are having in multiple sports and activities. It was a great conversation. My kids have all graduated from Willard and participated in sports and activities. We would leave games and talk about the great competition, the positive contributions, and how they could possibly get better to improve and grow. I tried to always be positive about coaches and referees in times of victory and loss. All sounds good right????

I read an article that I wish I would have read 15 years ago. The article was entitled "The 6 most important words a parent can say to their student athlete" The words are not "Great Win", or "Great Effort" , or "You the Man!" or "Better luck next time", "You tried your best", "If you keep working you may get to start next game", "the other team cheated", "the refs were terrible", etc................... Those six most important words are: "I love to see you play!" I agree totally with the article. Those words speak to your child and basically says: "You are important to me!" It does not say winning is important, losing is bad, or any other message besides "you are important to me unconditionally". I wish I would have used those words more with my son and daughter. When your child gets home tonight from the game as a Football Player, Cheerleader, Tigerette, Band Member, ROTC Color Guard, or even a member of the student cheer section simply say that to them and enjoy their reaction.

Have a great weekend!
 
Dr. Kent Medlin
Superintendent
 

 

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Athletics & Activities
Duck, Duck, Goose....one of the classics! I just walked through the gym and watched 30 or so high school students acting like they were in the 1st Grade again. They were laughing and having a great time playing a game that they have played since they were old enough to remember. Athletics should be like that; it should be fun. It should teach us that sometimes you win (easier to have fun!) and sometimes you lose (harder to have any fun when this happens!). Sport teaches us many things, some of those are difficult to handle, but while this process is taking place we should always try to make sure that "fun" is still happening.

A special congratulations to our Willard Cheerleaders as they competed in the State Competition last weekend and took 5th place! From all accounts, the girls performed a flawless routine and represented Willard with pride! Great job ladies!!!!

Speaking of fun, the Tigers took care of business down at Neosho last Friday and are now 3-0 on the season! This sets up a big COC matchup tonight of two undefeated teams as we will host Nixa at 7:00pm. Come early as we will also be recognizing the 2013 Final Four baseball team just before kickoff. The rain is suppose to end and it will be a beautiful Fall night for football!

I think the softball Tigers had some fun last night as they fell behind COC foe, Republic, 0-6 before mounting a huge comeback and defeating them 7-6 in 8 innings! The girls are now 9-4 on the season and 3-2 in the COC. They are in Liberty this weekend for a tournament before heading home to host Ozark on Tuesday and will travel to Branson on Thursday.

And let the fun continue......The soccer Tigers had a HUGE win over Ozark this week 7-2! This runs their COC record to 2-0. They will look to ride that momentum next week as they host Republic on Tuesday and travel to Carl Junction on Thursday.

Congratulations to the VolleyTigers on the 2nd place finish in the Lori Endicott Invitational last weekend! The girls struggled this week but will look to get back on track next week as they will host Rogersville on Monday before taking a break until next Saturday when they play in the Camdenton Tournament.

Cross Country will run later today here at the high school against Rogersville. They will run in Nixa next Tuesday before taking a break until the Willard Highline Invitational on Oct. 3rd.

Girls golf has had some successes lately, here are some results:
Below are our results from the MSU Relays played today at Stewart Golf Course:

Team Score: 456

Brooklyn Teague - 111
Brooke Mitchals - 112
Morgan Johnson - 114
Carolyn Dawson - 122
Jordan Smith - 135

COC @ Horton Smith
Team Score: 413
Team Place 6th/6

Brooklyn Teague 96 (new career low)
Brooke Mitchals 98 (new career low)
Katie Badger 107
Morgan Johnson 112
Carolyn Dawson 112 (new career low)

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

WHS will be the site for ACT testing as well as EdCamp this Saturday.Students will be taking the ACT administered by our own staff.EdCamp is technology professional development for teachers to learn and share various applications, programs, and uses to increase student engagement and facilitate student achievement.Learning is truly a life-long endeavor and our staff continue to model by growing themselves.

 

DECA and FBLA will be in St. Louis next Wednesday, September 25, for a career day.And, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is organizing for 'See you at the pole' at 7 AM onWednesday, September 25.

 

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves

Principal

Middle School
The middle school was a flurry of activity this week when it comes to our athletic programs! Volleyball kicked off with victories all the way around against Reeds Springs last night. The 7th & 8th grade football teams played Republic last night and made an excellent showing against tough teams. They did not win their games but, like all first games, they learned the areas that need to be focused on. Cross Country performed very well at their first meet of the season in Lebanon. Boys took first place overall and girls took third overall! A good many of our middle school students play for Lake Country Soccer and they remain undefeated with a record of 4-0! Looking ahead, there was a meeting this week for all boys interested in trying out for basketball. The athletes are working hard to keep their grades up and practice on those skills needed for their particular sports.

Members of the National Junior Honor Society were inducted on Thursday morning. We are proud of these 8th graders that were invited to join based on last years grades and activities. The first WMS dance will be held on Friday, Sept. 27th with ticket sales starting on Tuesday.

eTime has become something that the students are looking forward to every day. We have experts joining us from all walks of life working with the students on various projects. We have had children's book authors, SGA students from the high school to discuss how to make a good assembly and give ideas for Spirit Week activities. We have had several speakers talk to our students about public relations and local newscasters talking about video specifics. We will have lots of news coming on those eTime activities.

Thanks for checking in on us.

Amy Sims
Principal 
Intermediate School
Students received their first grade-report of the new school year this week. Our mid-term reports are designed to give students and parents an update on academic progress and behavior expectations. Although we are still 4 weeks from the end of the grading term, we hope our parents find this information valuable. We are very proud of the progress our students have made over the first 5 weeks!

Keeping our parents up to date on their child's progress is a priority at WIS. Please bookmark our building page http://is.willardschools.net/. as it is the hub for all building information including calendars, our parent portal, and teacher blogs. We know that having quick access to this information is important for the busy lives our families lead.

Enjoy your weekend!
  
Tom Davis
Principal 
North Elementary School
  
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South Elementary School
This week our teachers have been working hard to complete Development Reading Assessments for each student. Parents should receive information by next Friday regarding their child's current reading level and benchmark levels for each grade level. It is hard to believe that the end of first quarter is only three weeks away. Please don't forget to check out all of the available resources on our school website related to our transition to Standards Based Grading.
  
Next week we will kick off our FUNDRAISER for the year. We will have a brochure sales from Great American Opportunities from September 23rd-October 7th. This one and only brochure sale for Willard South Elementary has helped support the purchase of our sound system, playground equipment, school shirts, classroom supplies and more in the past. This year our focus is to raise enough money to continue purchasing school wide t-shirts for all students and staff members and a new piano for our Music room.

Upcoming Events:
Friday, September 20--Early Dismissal for Students at 12:30
Monday, September 23--Fundraiser Kick-Off
Tuesday, September 24th--Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30
Wednesday, September 25th--Health Fair from 9:00-2:00
Thursday, September 26th--Picture Day

Have a great weekend!
Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal   
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East Elementary School
You're invited to Pizanno's Family night Monday Sept. 23rd 5:00 - 8:00PM!! Join the Willard Family as we have dinner together and teachers will be your hosts! Teachers will receive all profit and tips from the night to go toward items for their classrooms.

Willard East will be kicking off our Fall Fundraiser today Sept. 20th. Students can win fabulous prizes as families support Willard East students and teachers. At this time we are determining our highest need for the money collected. Last year we purchased new and colorful classroom carpets, paid for new signs and painting in the hallways, Friday t-shirts, and consumable items for different classrooms.

Melinda Miller
Principal
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Central Elementary School
Sadly, one of our WC students lost his home and all of their possessions in a fire last week. On Wednesday, WC students wore "Caps for Christopher" to show our support for his family and raise money to help them in their time of need. The generosity was overwhelming with more than $1700 in donations! What an amazing blessing to this family in need and testament that WC is not only "Wild about Learning", but we are "Wild about Helping" as well. A huge heart-felt thank you to all who contributed. If you would like to help Christopher's family, you may contact our district's elementary social worker at [email protected].
  
We hope students enjoy the extended weekend with our Early Dismissal on Friday. Teachers will be working in grade level teams on our MasteryConnect assessment platform and they will be looking at reading assessment data to better plan and meet the needs of our students.

Have a blessed weekend!

Shane Medlin, Principal   

Orchard Hills Elementary School
 
Special Services
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Department (CIA) has been busy working to support the needs of students, teachers, and parents. To support parents, we have been expanding our department website to include parent resources for the Missouri Learning Standards and what each student's curriculum will include, as well as information regarding Standards-Based Grading. The site contains print, presentation, and video resources. Many of the print materials have been sent home with students or distributed at parent orientation events, but the online resources are also informative and helpful. We encourage all parents to visit the website: CIA Department. Thank you for partnering with us to support all Willard students!

Danielle Sellenriek
Director of CIA



Willard Public Schools | 417-742-2584
500 E Kime
Willard, MO 65781

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