WillardPublicSchools
 Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success Driven
The Pride

 
February 13, 2015
In This Issue
Your Voice

District Communication Survey

 

Please click on the link above to participate in a quick 2 minute survey asking for your input on an important school issue.   

Willard Parks

 

Youth Soccer Registration

Opens: February 23rd - March 14th

http://www.willardparks.com/youth-soccer.html

 

Youth Volleyball Registration

Opens: February 23rd - March 14th

http://www.willardparks.com/youth-volleyball.html

 

NEW PROGRAM: 

Youth Flag Football Registration

Opens: February 23rd - March 14th

http://www.willardparks.com/youth-flag-football.html

  

Summer @ THE WAC

Register today for Willard Aquatic Center Activities

http://www.willardaquatics.com/

  

  
  
  
District Office

"Change a Life"

 

What does it take to "Change a Life"??  I have seen many lives changed over the years.  My life has been changed multiple times because of positive and negatives life issues.  My life was changed forever when I married Angie 31 years ago.  (Since it is the day before Valentine's Day I should note that my marriage was a POSITIVE change!!!)  I have seen students that have their lives changed by teachers, coaches, and activity sponsors. 

 

For the last three years the district has sponsored a "Change a Life" campaign to support the Willard Children's Foundation.  All buildings participate and thousands of dollars are raised to support this great local charity. 

 

This year a family member of the Willard staff suffered a life changing event.  Willard South teacher Amanda Pearson's husband was recently shot in the head in the line of duty.  Officer Pearson has defied the odds and miracles have occurred.  He is now walking and talking and continues to make progress.  The district goal for the Change A Life fundraiser is $1 per student which equals approximately $4,500.  The decision was made to give the first $0.50 to WCCF and all additional funds would go to the Pearson family.  This year smashed all expectations with the district raising $15,484.39.  South Elementary alone raised $7047.39.  No amount of money will buy a miracle however; it may make life a bit easier for the Pearson family.  We all continue to pray and hope for a full recovery.  

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Dr. Medlin

Superintendent  
Athletics & Activities
I'm finding out that the Proactive Coaching Facebook page is full of thoughts and quotes that reflect my philosophy on extra-curricular activities.  Here is another one that I loved:
"Thoughts from athletes to spectators...."Let me enjoy myself on the court."  "Please don't try to give me advice while I am in the middle of a game."  "Don't try to improve my game by being negative."  "I want to make my own decisions during the game without feeling pressured."  This is one area we need to meet THEIR needs and not our own.
  
It's turning out to be a great week for the Tigers!  Congratulations to the boys team on their victory over Webb City on Tuesday.  They are now 2-1 in the COC.  They will be hosting Carthage tonight with the freshmen starting at 5:00pm.  Next week, they will host Republic on Tuesday (Senior Night) and will travel to Neosho on Friday.  The Lady Tigers had a huge win last night over Carthage!  The girls will look to build on that momentum as they host Republic next Monday (Senior Night) and will travel to Neosho next Thursday.
Our wrestling Tigers are ready to see who we will be taking to the state tournament as they will be traveling to Branson today and tomorrow for the district tournament.  The top four wrestlers in each weight division will advance to the state tournament next week.
  
43 FBLA members competed in 31 events at the 2015 District Leadership conference.  We had a very successful day, with 23 top 5 finishes and 14 students qualifying to compete at the State Leadership Contest in April.  Please congratulate them if you have them in class.  They worked very hard.  The following qualified to represent Willard at state:
  
Hayley Cole - 1st Place, Business Communications
Cameron McMurtrey & Conor Wadle - 1st Place, Emerging Business Issues
Cole Baker & Conor Wadle - 1st Place, Marketing
Ryan Henslee - 1st Place, Sales Presentation
Madi Hinds - 2nd Place, Securities & Investments
Emily Raney - 2nd Place, Healthcare Administration
Christine VanDoren - 2nd Place, Introduction to Business
Levi Larimore - 3rd Place, Cyber Security
Alex Fox - 4th Place, Business Procedures
Allie Marshall - 4th Place, FBLA Principles & Procedures
Elijah Pitts - 4th Place, Computer Problem Solving
Courtney Weatherford - 4th Place, Introduction to Business
Joe Griffin - 5th Place, Accounting 1
  
Others students who placed in the top 5 of their events:
Chance Curtis & Lauren Voyles - 2nd Place, Digital Design & Promotion
Christine VanDoren & Courtney Weatherford - 2nd Place, Hospitality Management
Elijah Pitts - 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking
Hayley Cole & Jeremy Dean - 2nd Place, Management Decision Making
Evan Schwartz - 2nd Place, Spreadsheet Applications
Hayley Cole - 3rd Place, Accounting 2
Ryan Henslee & Madi Hinds - 3rd Place, Entrepreneurship
Jasmine Berry, Bailey Hays, & Amanda Wilson - 4th Place, Business Presentation
Grant Hutchison & Cameron McMurtrey - 4th Place, Digital Video Production
Leora Yates - 4th Place, Spreadsheet Applications
  
It's Good To Be A Tiger!
  
Jeff Staley
Director of Athletics/Activities  
High School

School is not in session on Monday, February 16, for students.  High school teachers will be training on the use of Canvas.  Canvas is a digital platform for instruction.  Teachers are receiving training in how to incorporate this tool into the classroom to enrich and enhance learning opportunities for students.  This is an exciting possibility for staff and students to collaborate digitally, provide documents electronically, assess online, and provide feedback immediately.

 

Activities are going strong.  DECA just returned from district competition.  NJROTC is in New Mexico competing.  Speech and debate are at Joplin on Friday and Saturday.  Jazz band and archery groups are active this weekend.  Please come support our groups.  WHS has the best students and truly represent their school and community very well.

 

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!

 

Curt Graves

Principal 

Middle School
Willard Middle School's participation in the Change A Life Fundraiser was in the form of DODGE FOR THE CAUSE!!  Each of our eTime groups raised money for the week and the winning eTime group played a game of Dodgeball today against a group of volunteer teachers!  The eTime groups that raised over $40 were allowed to go to the gym to watch the game.  All total our students and staff raised over $1,100 toward this worthwhile fundraiser. 
  
We are gearing up for Track which officially kicks off March 2!!  If your student is interested in participating they should pick up an information packet from the rack outside the office or talk to Coach Hutcheson. 
  
Peer Ambassadors will be sponsoring another Dodge Ball and Activity Night on Friday, February 27th.  Tickets will go on sale Tuesday the 24th.  The first Activity Night was so successful, they decided to do a repeat!!
 
Student Council members sold carnations and beads this week for delivery to students. This successful fundraiser is always popular with the students and kicks off the Valentine's Day weekend.  Hope yours is a fun one, too!!
  
Amy Sims
Principal 
Intermediate School

 

North Elementary School

 

South Elementary School
CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs. Bailey's Kindergarten class for raising the most money for our Change a Life Fundraiser.  They raised $760.93!!!  They earned a pizza and movie party last Friday for their help by supporting our local Willard Children's Charitable Foundation and Officer Aaron Pearson.  Willard South helped raise over $7,000!  Special thanks to all of the parents, local businesses, community members and churches for their support and generous donations.  I am proud to say that with all of the efforts throughout our district, we will be presenting a check for over $13,000 to the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police Foundation for Office Aaron Pearson. Your generosity is truly inspiring!  Don't miss these upcoming events at Willard South.
  • Monday, February 16th--NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
  • Tuesday, February 24th--Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:45
  • Thursday, March 5th--1st Grade Music Program 2:45 & 6:30
  • Friday, March 6th--Students Dismissed at 12:30 & School wide Book Read KICK-OFF

Kara Crighton-Smith

Principal 

East Elementary School

Love is in the air for Valentine's day! The kids had a blast at Valentine parties on Thursday! We want to thank all of our parents who came to help.

 

Speaking of parents.....we have our February PTO meeting Tuesday night at 7:00PM. We would love to see you. 
  
If you know a 3rd or 4th grader at Willard East ask them about ConnectED BINGO. A group of principals and teacher across the nation put together a challenge for free books. Once the students complete the challenge they can submit their BINGO board via Twitter and the hashtag #StuConnect for a chance to win free books. You can play along too if you would like! Check out the link below!
  
  
Melinda Miller
Principal  
Central Elementary School

WC enjoyed some laughs together while supporting some great causes these past 2 weeks.  At Community Time this morning, Mr. Helms was crowned "Little Miss WCCF" for raising the most money in our Change a Life Fundraiser.  Mr. Madden was crowned "Little Miss Food Pantry" after a come-from-behind victory in having the most food items donated in his name for Noah Lawson's Eagle Scout Project food drive for the Willard Food Pantry.  Both princess were great sports in receiving a make-over and enjoyed a princess tea party in their honor.  Students, parents and staff enjoyed the festivities while supporting two wonderful causes for the Willard Community.

 

On Thursday, our students enjoyed their Valentine's Day Parties thanks to the help from our PTO and wonderful room parents.  The students enjoyed the time together and even had time to shine as leaders.  Two examples that stuck out were 4th grade students flocking to purchase Valentine Grams from our Student Council for one of our new students who just started and would not be receiving Valentines on his first day.  Another example was one of our kindergarten students, Noah, who heard from a classmate that he wasn't going to be able to make a box or get Valentines so Noah decided to make two boxes and double Valentines to surprise his friend on the day of the party.  I appreciate the hearts of our students looking out for their fellow classmates and stepping up to be leaders to support others!
  
As we look ahead to next week, our teachers will have a full day of professional development on Monday, while the students enjoy the winter weather at home.  Teachers will be presenting to our staff about The Leader in Me in the morning followed by a session on Brain-Based Learning and Engagement in the afternoon.  It will be a full and powerful day of learning!
  
Have a great Valentine's Day and enjoy the long weekend!
  
Shane Medlin
Principal 
Orchard Hills Elementary School

 

Special Services

I would add a 4th....chocolate- it seems like it never lasts very long in a workroom, especially this week! It is true that the biggest motivation for becoming or continuing to be a teacher is the love of learning and the love for those they teach.  Money, fame and even summer vacation aren't enough to keep teachers coming back. The job is too demanding and requires much  more than the knowledge of math and reading.  The motivation is truly the students and their learning and they often do much more than just teach.

 

This week, I have been in two special education classes where the teacher has gone above and beyond to support students and lived out this truth.  In one classroom, a teacher had purchased extra Valentine's for a student who couldn't afford to bring his own and in another classroom, a teacher had taken time to work with a student who was really struggling to finish her work after school had ended.  They don't have to do these little things, but they do because they LOVE what they do and who they do it for.  We are blessed with many things at Willard including great facilities, technology and programs, but our teachers are the best!  

 

Caryn McDonnell

Director of Special Services

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment




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