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The Pride
December 13, 2013

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Welcome to THE PRIDE
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Willard Parks
 
December 14, 2013
Santa's Workshop
For all event information visit:
  
District Office
SNOW DAYS!
(Every child's dream and every Superintendent's nightmare!)

Willard has improved communication processes for school cancellation by leaps and bounds compared to days gone by when kids would sit by the radio and tune in KTTS while silently praying to hear their school called.  The district now implements several different ways to communicate with parents but BEWARE there are fake communications being sent out using Social Media!  Unfortunately individuals are using the Internet attempting to portray school officials and issue false information.  This has not only occurred in Willard but is a growing problem throughout public schools.  In order to be confident that you have accurate information you should review the following official school cancellation methods:
  • Check the district website at www.willardschools.net. This is the most reliable source of information. Every effort is made to post closings by 5:30a.m.
  • Check our district Facebook (www.facebook.com/willardschools) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/willardschools) accounts.
  • Our district notification service sends an automated email, text message, and/or phone call to parents with their information set up in our Student Information System.
  • The district notifies media outlets to add Willard schools to their list of closings. Keep in mind however that this can be the LEAST RELIABLE source of information. It's always best to confirm what you see or hear in the media.
It is going to be a good weekend to get close to the wood stove, cook a big pot of chili,  and watch the Chiefs play the Raiders.  That rivalry is almost as big as Willard vs Republic!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Kent Medlin
Superintendent  
 
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Athletics & Activities
It's the saddest thing....It's only December 13th and I'm already running out of bad weather jokes!
Here's the latest:

Boy's basketball is 4-0 after defeating Parkview this week!  They also found out that they are the #2 seed in the Blue Division of the Blue and Gold.  They will play at 6:30pm in Hammons Center on Dec. 26th vs. Buffalo.  In the meantime, they will be in St. Louis on Saturday for the Midwest Showdown Shootout vs. Jennings at 4:00.  The game will be played at McCluer North High School.  Next week, they will travel to Hillcrest on Thursday before hosting Marshfield on Friday.

Girl's basketball lost a tough one last night to Stockton to fall to 2-3 on the season.  They will look to rebound next week as they host Central on Thursday.  The girls also found out that they will open with DuPont Manuel out of Louisville, KY in the first round of the Pink and White.  They will play on Dec. 27th at 7:30pm in Weiser Gym on the Drury Campus.

The wrestling Tigers are off to an impressive 4-0 start after defeating Rolla, Kickapoo, Marshfield, and Camdenton this week!  They will travel to NIxa next Tuesday and will host Republic on Wednesday.

A special congratulations to Jordan Turner and Forrest Merrill on being named to the 1st Team All-State football squad.  Jordan and Merrill are only the 3rd and 4th players in school history to receive this honor in football!  Also, congratulations to Zachory Barr on being selected for 3rd Team All-State!  And......John DeLaTorre on being named to the 3rd Team All-State soccer squad.  John is the first soccer player in school history to achieve this honor!

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

WHS students and staff are working diligently to prepare for final exams while maintaining busy activity schedules.  To note, this weekend both the choir and band perform.  Saturday, December 14 at 7 PM, the WHS Choirs will be performing their Holiday Concert.  Sunday, December 15 at 2 PM, the high school and middle school bands will be performing their Christmas Concert.   These are always great events.

 

Next Tuesday, December 17, SGA will be holding the annual Christmas Assembly starting at 1:40 PM. Final Exams are scheduled for December 18, 19, and 20.  The schedule has been posted on the high school website.

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!


Curt Graves
Principal
Middle School
As the first semester draws to an end, the middle school will still be in full swing next week.   Due to school closings, teachers have been working to shift curriculum to meet the needs of students.   This will again happen next week as we hopefully are able to attend all five days.  
We were lucky enough to have two showings of The NeverEnding Story on Saturday.   The cast and crew did an amazing job!!! Just when you think there is no way Ms. Graves can top the last production, she does!! Way to go!!

Choir students added to the holiday cheer on Wednesday night.   Tiger Tones and the choir performed their Christmas ensemble.  The choir was so large that they had to add chairs in front of the risers and some students had to stand on the floor.  Mrs. Witt has done an excellent job growing the choir and continues to deliver fantastic concerts!

Band will have their Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 15th at 2 pm at the High School.  Come out to watch their wonderful performance!

Check out our activities for Friday, December 20th:
7:30-8:00: Team Award Assemblies
8:00-9:00: Grandparent's Breakfast
9:30-10:30: School-wide Talent Show

Intermediate School
North Elementary School
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South Elementary School

Willard South Elementary

 

I have to admit I was a little excited for the first snow day this year. However, three in a row in early December was a bit much!  I guess this means that Winter has officially arrived early this year.  The snow brought about a few cancellations in our building.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel our annual Make-It Take-It Night this year due to a full schedule.  

We did get to see an amazing performance by our fourth graders on Thursday evening.  They performed the Gingerbread Christmas to a packed house.  A special thank you to Mrs. Christensen for another wonderful performance.  She does an amazing job and always gives each child a part in the grade level performance. 

We have one more full week of school before our Winter Break.  Please take a look at the upcoming events we have scheduled for next week.  Have a great weekend! 

Upcoming Events:
Friday, December 13th---Movie Night hosted by the Kindergarten teachers at 6:00 CANCELLED
Tuesday, December 17th--December Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30 and Head Start Christmas Program at 7:00
Thursday, December 19th--Winter Classroom Parties at 2:30
Friday, December 20th--After School Actors Performance at 9:30 and Students Dismissed at 12:30
  
Kara Crighton-Smith
Principal  
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East Elementary School
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Central Elementary School
The weather outside has been frightful, but the students returned to school delightful!  It seems the snow days provided the opportunity for students to recharge and they were excited to get back in to the swing of things.  As the 2nd quarter winds down, teachers and students are busy with math and reading assessments.  3rd grade students took some down time between reading benchmarks and finding the area of on object using the distributive property to work on painting their holiday t-shirts since they could not make it outside for recess.  It put the kids and teachers in the holiday spirit!  Thank you to all of the parent volunteers who came in to get their hands messy and help out!
The snow days gave us a late start, but our WC All-School Family Book Club is off and running.  Students and staff members received their books this week and we are starting our reading journey together following Rose, Almanzo and Laura Wilder to their new life in Missouri.  

Due to our snow days this week, the 4th grade Christmas music program has been rescheduled for Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm.  Our PTO Christmas Parties will be Thursdayafternoon at 2:45.  We hope our families can join us for these holiday activities as our students celebrate the season.

Shane Medlin
Principal 

Orchard Hills Elementary School

 
Special Services

  

This picture illustrates my week.  Although it was a short (very short) week, it has been a full one!  The end of the semester always brings a certain amount of extra business that has to be completed and I want to applaud students, staff and parents for working hard to finish strong!


Personally, when I do finish something, I've made it a practice to pause and reflect on what has just been accomplished, what went well, where could I improve and how to keep moving forward.  Sometimes that means recognizing and following through with things that I don't want to do...the "grind."  However, to get to the success and the celebrations, you have to put in the preparation and work to see your dreams become reality. This time of year it is easy to get distracted! This week, I encourage everyone to stay focused and know that all of the work you have put in since August is going to pay huge dividends for yourself, your students and your families.  A free education is an incredible gift that we have and those who make it possible are special people!  Hopefully, your list of "have to do's" and "like to do's" is balanced and maybe a little heavy on the latter for the rest of the year!


With thoughts of snow,


Caryn McDonnell

Director of Special Services

 
Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Although Mother Nature had other plans in store for us this past week, Willard High School was still able to complete End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments for students.  A small group of students tested in the areas of Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and Government on Wednesday and Thursday.  Some students have completed this coursework with plans to move on to early graduation and higher education, or to start careers in a chosen field, or even to finalize requirements along their high school path.

The EOC Assessments are required for all students and measure what a student knows and is able to do specifically aligned to a content area course.  Unlike Grade-Level Assessments in grades 3-8 which occur in the spring, EOC Assessments occur throughout the school year: summer, spring, and fall.  This fall, I had the opportunity to assess all the content courses myself, and along the way, meet some great high school students who are excited about their futures.  Next week, the larger student body will experience classroom final exams, and have their chance at showing all they know!

Have a warm weekend,

Danielle Sellenriek
Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment 



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