WillardPublicSchools
 Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success Driven
The Pride

  
August 21, 2015
In This Issue
Your Voice

Back-to-School Survey

 

Please click on the link above to participate in a quick 5 minute survey asking for your input on an important school issue.   

Willard Parks
Willard Parks Upcoming Events
  
Doggie Dive - September 12

Back to School Dance - August 29
 
Tumbling Toddlers - Starts: September 2

THE REC Youth Cheer - Registration Ends: August 29

Youth Soccer - Registration Ends: August 29
  
Youth Volleyball - Registration Ends: August 29

Mighty Mites Football - Registration Nights: August 26 & 27

Youth Dance Class - Begins: October 13
    
District Office
Willard Kids!

I have something in common with the Senior Class at Willard High School!  The kids that have attended Willard all their lives and I, experienced the first day of school at Willard together.  All of us started school in Willard thirteen years ago!  I hope that they have loved the last thirteen years as much as I have. 
  
Willard kids continually impress me.  The first day of school I visited buildings most of the day.  I was at the High School during lunch and I saw a young Freshman Girl looking very lost.  She was walking around with her tray trying to spot a friendly table that she could join.  I asked Mr. Wead, HS Assistant Principal, to find her a friend.  He walked to a nearby table and whispered to a young lady (Volleyball Player) who immediately sprang into action.  She went over and invited the young lady to sit with her table.  Space was created by others at the table and the young lady was welcomed to the group.  That is an example of Willard Pride! 
  
We exist as a school to help young people learn academically in order to be prepared for success after graduation.  However, Willard teachers do so much more than teach academics!  They help young people grow!  They do this by modeling integrity and high character.  I appreciated this as a parent of three young people who graduated from Willard and I appreciate this as Superintendent of Schools.  It has been a great first week of classes.  Just like the young volleyball player who demonstrated leadership and kindness we have many student champions who exemplify what is best in Willard! 

Tonight:  Willard Community Tail Gate!!!  At the District Office by the football field. Free Hot Dog and Free Admission to the game if you get your hand stamped.  Come enjoy Willard Tiger Football.
  
Have a great weekend!
  
Dr. Medlin
Athletics & Activities

 

What's one word I would use to describe the summer break.....Blur!  Believe it or not, our Tigers never stopped working and are ready to represent our school and community in a way that only our students can.....Together, With Class, and With Pride!  I am sincerely in awe of what our students/athletes do both on the field of play and in the classroom.  Here's an example....not too many people are aware that our baseball team finished 2nd in the state... in team GPA!!!  This is happening in all of our programs.  So proud of our coaches, directors, and students!
  
The Tigers open the football season with high expectations as they host Nevada tonight.  Gates will open at 5:30pm with kickoff scheduled for 7:00pm.  The weather looks to be perfect for football so come out and support the Tigers!  It is also "Black Out" night so wear your black apparel.  A special "Thank You" to the Willard Chamber of Commerce for supplying workers for the concession stand.  It will also be the debut of the 2015 Cheerleaders, Tigerettes, and the Cutting Edge!
  
Good luck to the softball Tigers as they will open their season tonight at Hillcrest.  First pitch is at 4:30pm.  The ladies looked great at the jamboree and look to have a great season!  Next week they will travel to Monett on Monday and Kickapoo on Thursday.  Good luck ladies!!!
  
The soccer Tigers open their season today at the Sedalia Tournament.  They will play Marshall at 1:00pm and Sedalia Smith-Cotton at 5:00pm.  The tournament will conclude tomorrow.  Next week, the Tigers will travel to Joplin on Thursday.
  
The VolleyTigers start their season at home as they will host Buffalo on Tuesday.  Freshmen will start at 5:00pm followed by the Junior Varsity and Varsity.  The girls will then host Hillcrest on Thursday before hosting the prestigious Lori Endicott Tournament next Saturday.  Good luck ladies!!!
  
The Cross Country Tigers have been working hard and putting in the miles preparing for their season.  They will open with the SWCCA meet in Lebanon on Sept. 5th.
  
The Girls Golf Team is also working hard and will tee it up in the first tournament of the year on Sept. 1st in Marshfield.  Good luck ladies and hit 'em straight!
  
It's Good To Be A Tiger!
  
Jeff Staley
Director of Athletics/Activities
Intermediate School

 

And their off...................Willard Intermediate is fired up about the 2015-2016 school year as we wrap up our first full week.  It is awesome to have kids back in the building and we know this is going to be a great year with this group of students and teachers.   Students spent their first day getting to know the building along with their team and classmates followed by some time learning about technology at WIS during our "Chromecamp" on Friday.  Monday saw our students learning about what Fitness Monday is all about followed by their special class rotation kicking off on Tuesday.  


 

Several of our classroom spaces have undergone some dramatic changes over the summer in an attempt to become more student friendly.  New paint, furniture, and classroom design can be seen throughout the building and the student response to these changes has been overwhelmingly positive.  Thanks to our teachers for stepping up to make these awesome ideas a reality.

Be on the lookout for information about Team Night for each of the teams in our building.  This is a great opportunity for our parents to find out the details of how their child's team  operates and expectations for the year.

Enjoy the weekend!

Tom Davis
Principal 

North Elementary School
Willard North is off to a CHAMPION start and I am very excited for some great things to happen this year!  

"Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it.  The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their CHAMPIONSHIP CHARACTER."
--T. Allan Armstrong

We have added a few new faces to Willard North:  
Lindsey Lovekamp:  Autism Teacher
Chelsea Sleme:  Para/Autism
Amy Willard:  Para/Autism
Deana Allie:  Para
Bethany Collins:  Para/EC

Next week we will have our first Super Tiger on Wednesday, along with our school-wide picture.  Every student will receive a WOW shirt provided by our PTO and Freedom Bank.  We will wear our WOW shirts every Wednesday to show school spirit.   

We are looking forward to the first Willard Tiger home football game TONIGHT!  There is a community tailgate party at District Office at 5:30, so come and get a hot dog and attend the football game for free! Hope to  see everyone there showing their support for the Willard Tigers!

Looking ahead to next week...
Wednesday, August 26-Super Tiger @2:30
Friday, August 28-Picture Day K-4


Have a great weekend!

Amanda Hambey
Principal   
South Elementary School
The 2015-2016 school year is up and running!  We have completed our first full week of school and it was a success.  Our current enrollment for Preschool-4th grade is 454 students. I would like to welcome some new members to the Willard South Elementary team this year.  They have been a great addition to our building and our students:
  • Mrs. Laine Towe - 1st Grade
  • Mrs. Kara Boehmer - 4th Grade
  • Mrs. Kylee Matlock - Art
  • Mrs. Stephanie Anderson - Instructional Coach
  • Mr. Keith Brandt - Daytime Custodian
Don't miss the Back-to-School Community Tailgate and watch the TIGERS kick-off their football season tonight!  MORE INFO HERE  

Kara Crighton-Smith
Principal 
East Elementary School
Happy New Year 2015-2016 from Willard East!! We would like to welcome the following staff members to our Willard East family this year:

Katelyn Schmitt - 3rd Grade Teacher
Megan Smith - 3rd Grade Teacher
Tracia McGuire - Computer Lab Teacher
Ashley Freeman - Special Services Teacher
Coach Furtkamp - PE Teacher
Michelle Chatman - Full Time Music Teacher
Codey White - Special Services Para

We look forward to sharing our successes with you and our school community this year. Please "Like" us on Facebook for a daily inside look into what is going on at Willard East.

Melinda Miller
Principal
Central Elementary School
Willard Central is "All In" for developing student leaders!  Last year, we introduced Stephen Covey's 7 Habits for effectiveness through the  process of The Leader in Me.  Staff members joined together 3 days this summer for training  on how to teach and model the 7 Habits for students to unlock the leadership potential in each child.  All of these efforts are being focused towards our school's mission of Learning, Leading, Leaving a Legacy. 
 
 In addition to learning about teaching the 7 Habits, our building is also taking on a new look to support this process.  A special thank you to former WC student and current WHS senior, Molly Gault, for painting our 7 Habits mural.  Staff members were also busy painting and decorating to welcome students back for our new adventure.  Keep tuned in to our webpage, Facebook and information coming home on the 7 Habits and opportunities to support our student leaders!

Shane Medlin
Principal 
Orchard Hills Elementary School
The 2015-2016 school year is up and going at Orchard Hills Elementary. It was so great to welcome our students back in the building and the energy they bring. We would also like to welcome our new teachers to Orchard. Mrs. Ashley Bean has joined our 3rd grade team. Mrs. Bean student taught with us last year and has been an excellent addition to our staff. Mrs. Karen Barrett joins us as our art teacher. Her enthusiasm for art and helping students learn to love art was evident as we spoke with her and we look forward to the great things in store for our art students. Ms. Whitney Adams is new to our team as a paraprofessional in one of our special services classrooms. She has already proven her love for kids and we are blessed to have her. This is also my first year in the Willard District and I will be serving as Principal of Orchard Hills Elementary. An excellent team has been assembled at Orchard Hills and I look forward to the opportunity to serve alongside them.

The major focus at Orchard Hills this year will be the implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS). This is a system designed to bring more consistency and a common language to the behavioral expectations in the building. Our hope is that this approach will help students have a more clear understanding of the expectations and support them in reaching those expectations with the ultimate outcome of making instructional time more efficient and effective. During the first two days of school Orchard specials teachers led stu dents through a PBIS bootcamp to teach them the various expectations throughout the building. We are using the acronym PAWS to help students understand the expectations. Our students are catching on to things very quickly and the common language is already becoming part of our culture. Below are pictures of our students engaging in PBIS bootcamp.

Wishing you a blessed weekend,

Dr. Garrett Prevo




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