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The Pride

November 14, 2014
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Your Voice
 
Each week this section will feature a 2 minute survey asking for your input on an important school issue. Please take a couple minutes to let Your Voice be heard.
Willard Parks

 

Christmas on the Frisco

November 22nd

Visit: http://www.christmasonthefrisco.com

 

Turkey Trot

November 27th

Visit : http://www.willardparks.com/thanksgiving-turkey-trot.html

 

Winter Basketball Registration

December 1st - 13th

Visit: http://www.willardparks.com/youth-basketball.html

 

Santa's Workshop

December 13th

Visit: http://www.willardparks.com/santas-workshop.html 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

  
District Office

The Willard Thanksgiving Community Service will be held this Sunday, November 16, 6:00p.m. in the high school theater.  The service is sponsored by the Willard Ministerial Alliance and is open to all who would like to attend this community worship event.  I am honored to have been asked to offer the message at the service.  I would like to personally invite all Willard staff, community members, and friends to attend!  This is a time that we can join together as a community, and be thankful.  The reasons to be thankful are many and sometimes we fail to focus on the most important.  I intend to share some ways that I have personally failed and how I have always succeeded to find the path back to truth and joy!  I hope to see you there!

 

It won't be long until we are watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  I love the scene at the end when his heart melts and increases 10 times in size!  It almost bursts out of his chest.  I felt this way Tuesday as I attended our schools Veteran's Day assemblies.  I was able to attend three assemblies at schools and witnessed the pride demonstrated.  Students were incredibly respectful as they honored many veterans present in the audience.  Staff members and loved ones who are previous veterans, as well as some that continue to serve, were present to participate in the events.  I watched as our students honored these men and women who have served and sacrificed for their country. 

 

Colonel Glen Kiesewetter, husband of Mrs. Stephanie Kiesewetter, Assistant High School Principal, spoke at the high school assembly.  Colonel Kiesewetter led a group of veterans into the gym passing between an honor guard of NJROTC cadets.  Cadets circled the entire mezzanine, numbering almost 200.  HS students were standing on their feet honoring the veteran's with applause. 

 

Willard Intermediate School honored several veterans including Retired Seargent Major Robert Haymes a retired veteran of over 30 years.  The student body celebrated Seargent Major Haymes upcoming 96th birthday by singing "Happy Birthday".  Mr. Jeff Wead, Assistant High School Principal, and former Army Ranger, was the main speaker. 

 

Other assemblies and activities were held across the district to celebrate this special day.  It was a day when I was very proud of not only the veterans but also the students who honored them.  We truly have the greatest students in the country!!

 

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Medlin

Superintendent  

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Athletics & Activities
Well, the fall season has come to a close for athletics and winter sports are in full swing preparing to have successful seasons of their own.  Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches who helped make this past season a memorable and historic one!!!

Last weekend Speech and Debate competed at the Nixa Tournament. At the novice tournament Elijah Pitts and Jessi Schoolcraft went to semifinals in International Extemporaneous Speaking. Also, going to semifinals, Tory Butler in USX, Alysia Wells in HI, Hannah Scott, Alyse Christensen, and Hailey Rawhouser in DI.  Going to Finals at the Novice tournament and placing, Joe Amundson 4th in HI, Kira Ray 6th in DI, and Joe Amundson and Kelsy Christianson 5th in Duo.

 

At the Varsity Tournament in semifinals, Kimberly Jones in DI, Jacob Burnett and Cole Baker in Duo, James Ritzendollar in Student Congress.  Placing in Finals, Hayden Onstott 6th and Ryan Largent 2nd in HI, Brie Jarvis and Lindsay Smith 5th in Duo, and Emily Raney 1st in Student Congress.  In Debate Irish Amundson went to Quarter finals placing 4th in Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Emily Raney placed 1st in Champ Lincoln Douglas Debate.  In Parliamentary Debate, Willard closed out the Debate with Cole Baker 3rd and Ryan Largent and Conor Wadle tying for 1st!

 

In Sweeps Novice placed 5th, Varsity 6th, and the Team placed 5th Overall! 

 

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

 

Jeff Staley

Director of Athletics/Activities


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High School

Staff continue to collaborate about ways to better assist students to be college and career ready.  Following is a bulleted list of ideas, initiatives, and activities WHS students have opportunity for participation.

  • Next spring, April 28, during the state-mandated Junior ACT testing,  freshmen and sophomores will practice the ACT and receive feedback on progress as well as test-taking strategies.  Seniors during this time will be doing several transition-prep activities. 
  • November 15, WHS will host a practice ACT.  Students must sign up in the counseling office and bring their $5.  Students and/or parents may inquire through the counseling office for more details. 
  • TNT Rewards students will have opportunity during 2nd semester to participate in ACT prep.
  • The science department continues to do afterschool ACT prep.
  • Sophomores recently visited OTC campus to learn of dual credit and vocational opportunities as juniors and seniors.  Another trip is planned for early second semester.
  • The 3rd World Simulation continues to develop minds and stretch student thinking about life outside of Willard.

 

Part of preparation for post-secondary is the development of life skills.  Our students showed tremendous honor and respect during the Veterans Day assembly November 11.  SGA students welcomed and hosted visiting veterans and their families prior to the assembly.  NJROTC and Mrs. Kiesewetter organized an awesome program with the inclusion of band, choir, and student leadership.  It is amazing and exciting to watch more than 1300 students come together and collectively exhibit such awesome maturity, respect, and decision-making.  We truly have great students at WHS!

 

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves

Principal

 

  
Middle School

"Tigers Give Back" is the theme at Willard Middle School for several enrichment projects that are benefiting members of our community.  The student body had a chance to participate in Disability Awareness Month by donating a dollar to wear a hat.  There were three different Fridays, during the month of October, that students put hats on to support different disability related events in the Willard community.  Over $150 was raised by Willard Middle School students that will help fund events that directly benefit students with disabilities in the Willard Public School District.  Two of these events are Partners in Strength and Sporting Chance.  At Willard Middle School, Tigers Give Back!

 

WMS Presents

MSTA invited WMS to present at a break out session at their annual convention. Jennifer Coffer, Sarah McDowell, Kim Nelson-Gramm, Carolyn Nixon, and Amy Sims spoke about the journey WMS has been on for the last 8 years. They shared with a crowd of educators from across the state how WMS has progressed through deconstruction of curriculum, creation of common assessments, and standard based reporting.

 

        Veterans Day Assembly

 

WMS hosted their annual Veterans Day Assembly on Tuesday, November 11th. On this special day, students were able to recognize over 50 dedicated veterans in our community through a dessert reception and assembly. The Hometown Heroes Club and WMS students presented a program full of pride and respect for the veterans and their service. Thank you veterans!!!
 

 Egg Drop Protection Device

 

The science room was bursting with student excitement and the smell of boiled eggs as seventh grade students kicked off their Energy Transformation Unit this week with the creation of an egg drop protection device.  Students were given the task of building a device that will keep an egg from breaking when dropped at three different heights.  One group of students named their egg Bob, and were relieved to discover that "Bob" was still holding it together even when dropped at 2.74 meters, the height of the ceiling.  Other eggs were not as lucky as "Bob" which led to group discussions of possible causes or ways that the break could have been prevented.  The process of science and engineering were put into practice as students brainstormed solutions to a real world problem (how to reduce impact), worked together as a team, improved designs using their creativity and understanding of science concepts.  In the follow up lesson, students will evaluate their efficiency before beginning their next project, "Save the Penguins."
 
8th Grade Science
Students have been studying parts of a cell.  They were give a project to create a cell model.  These 8th graders stepped up to the plate on this project!! Check out some of the models that these awesome students created!!
 

Ameilia Yates

Assistant Principal

Intermediate School
WIS celebrated our 9th annual Veterans Day assembly on Tuesday and we were honored to have over 80 veterans from our school community in attendance.  There are very few things we do as a building that is more moving and meaningful to our students than honoring our veterans.  We know their service and sacrifice is the core of what makes our country so great!  Thank you to all our guests that were in attendance and a special thanks to Mr. Jeff Wead for sharing his thoughts as our veteran speaker.
  
The 2nd annual Willard Intermediate 5K Color Run will be next Saturday, November 22nd at 8 a.m. This will be in conjunction with the many other Christmas on the Frisco activities going on next weekend here in Willard so come out and start your day with a fun and colorful 5K!  Packet pickup/registration will be at WIS on Friday the 21st from 5-8 pm, and again starting at 7 am on race day.  Cost is $20 for 5-17 years old and $25 for 18 and up.
 
Tom Davis
Principal  
North Elementary School

 

Willard North held our very first Art Walk on Monday night!  It was a huge success!  We raised $1269.00!  Thank you to all the families who came out to support and our PTO for putting on the event.  I would also like to thank all of the teachers and students who worked hard on making an art piece to contribute to the silent auction.      


Looking Ahead...

Super Tiger-Tuesday, November 25 @ 2:30


Have a great weekend!

Amanda Hambey

Principal


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South Elementary School
The cowboy boots and hats were in full gear on Thursday for our second grade hoedown!  The students performed to a packed house full of parents and family members. It was another amazing performance directed by our talented music teacher Mrs. Christensen.

 

Ella Hobson, former Willard South student and local Girl Scout member, will be offering a Stranger Awareness class.  She is partnering with Next Level Sport Karate to offer this free class to all students.  It will be held on Tuesday, November 18th from 6:30-7:30 in the Willard South Elementary cafeteria. You can find more information and a flyer on the Willard South Elementary website.  

Kara Crighton-Smith
Principal

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East Elementary School

  

This week we hosted an amazing Veteran's Day assembly! We had a great turn out of Veterans and provided breakfast and some presentations. Our students really enjoy being able to honor their friends and relatives who have served our country.

       

Next week we have some exciting events:

 

Food drive to help fill the Willard Food Pantry
Tuesday PTO 6:00PM
Family Movie Night Friday 6:30!
  

Melinda Miller

Principal

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Central Elementary School

 


Orchard Hills Elementary School

This week at Willard Orchard Hills Elementary we celebrated Veteran's Day. Our assembly took place on Tuesday morning and we were host to 49 veterans with a total of 458 years of service for our country. Thank you to the Willard Junior ROTC Color Guard for presenting the flags. 

 

Also appreciation goes to kindergarten teacher Sarah Blakemore for singing our National Anthem and parent Rachel Young for singing "Letters from War". First grade students presented a poetry reading and 4th grade students sang "You are our Heroes".  Our guest speaker was Lt. Col Retired Chris Baird who is also dad to WOHE's own Allie and Brady. Mr. Baird spoke to the students about freedom, how to thank a veteran, and his dreams when he was child. He spoke briefly about 9/11 and how that day changed the world we lived in.

 

Thanks to our awesome Veteran's Day Committee for all their hard work!

  

Have a wonderful week! 

 

Dr. Rhonda Bishop

Principal

 
Special Services
What Is Occupational Therapy?

In its simplest terms, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include:

  • an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person's goals,

  • customized intervention to improve the person's ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and

  • an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client's home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. -Taken from http://www.aota.org

 

We have an amazing Occupational Therapy (OT) team at Willard.  It is comprised of our lead OT Sara Watkins and two Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs) Ashley Coffer and Brooke Tuck.  Together they work diligently to assist and support staff and students in the school environment.  They are continually looking for ways to creatively adapt or instruct students with special learning needs. They have also been a tremendous resource to our general education staff and students by providing professional development for all teachers, facilitating groups in the general education room and providing recommendations for students who are in need but don't qualify for special education services.  We appreciate their investment of time, expertise and collaboration.  If you would like more information, the OT staff also have a blog that you can access on our website at  http://willardspecialservices.weebly.com/

 

On Saturday, November 22nd, you are invited to come out and support this department by attending the annual Pancakes with Santa breakfast.  The breakfast will be held from 7-10 a.m. in the middle school cafeteria.  Pictures with Santa will be available and all proceeds will go to support the Occupational Therapy department.  We hope to see you there!

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Caryn McDonnell

Director of Special Services  

 

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
This week the Willard High School Advisory Committee met to visit about Counseling Department goals as well as an A+ Tutoring update for the committee.  The counseling department at the High School shared their 3 major goals for the 2014-2015 school year.  They are: to continue to research and implement new strategies to prepare students for college and careers, continue to work towards meeting the needs of a 21st century student through technology, checklists, electronic communication, etc., and to develop a process for implementing the ACT to all juniors, and a practice ACT to all freshman and sophomores.
 

The A+ Program has been a part of the Willard High School for 16 years.  Since designation, approximately 1,700 students have met the requirements for A+ status upon graduation qualifying them to utilize state funding to attend a two year program of study at a community college or technical school.  There are three major goals for the A+ Program:

Goal 1 - All students will graduate from high school
Goal 2 - All students will complete a selection of high school studies that is challenging and for which there are identified learning expectations.
Goal 3 - All students will proceed from high school graduation to a college or vocation/technical school or high-wage job with work place skill development opportunities.  

Stakeholders from all over the district from students, teachers, counselors, business owners, and parents are a part of this committee.  Willard High School is doing a great job in being proactive to student needs and preparing them for their future adventures!

Angela Stevens
Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment




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