WillardPublicSchools
 Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success Driven
The Pride
November 20, 2015
In This Issue
Willard Parks
  
Turkey Trot
Nov. 26th
  
Christmas on the Frisco
Nov. 20th & 21st
        
District Office
In the  November 6th Pride Article, we examined the collaborative professional development of educators with STAR Summit. Educators in Southwest Missouri continue to seek ways of joining forces to improve student learning and assist educators in improving their craft.  

Greater Ozarks Cooperating School Districts (GOCSD) is a newly formed consortium of school districts in Southwest Missouri.  The mission is for area school districts to plan, build, learn, advocate, and celebrate together.   GOCSD is in the infancy stages of development, however 18 schools consisting of 60,000 students, have committed to the collaborative vision.  

Willard Schools is excited about being a part of GOCSD, and looking forward to harnessing the power of area schools to improve student success.

Stewart Pratt
Assistant Superintendent
Athletics & Activities
Is it possible that I'm about to update you on winter sports?  Unbelievable.  Well, I can tell you that based on how hard our Tigers are working in practice, Willard will, once again, be proud of the effort they will see on the court and on the mat.  And speaking of "Working", the theatre department is putting on a show called "Working" this week.  I encourage you to come see it as they have a performance tonight and Saturday night.  Both shows start at 7:30pm.  It's another reminder that Willard is blessed with MANY different, but equally amazing, talented students!

The wrestling Tigers got started last night as they held their first annual intrasquad scrimmage.  I was very impressed with the team.  They will open their season on Saturday, Dec. 5th in the prestigious Neosho Tournament.

The basketball Tigers and Lady Tigers will get underway tomorrow as we will host the jamboree with Gainesville, Reeds Spring, and Strafford.  The girls will start at 1:00pm followed by the boys at 3:00pm.  The Lady Tigers will then open their regular season on Monday vs. Monett.  The game will be held at the Middle School gym starting at 6:00pm.  They will then host Glendale at the high school on Tuesday.  The Tigers will open their season next Saturday as they will host Central starting at 2:00pm.  We will then be hosting the 28th annual CoxHealth Four-State Classic starting Dec. 3rd!  Teams are Broken Arrow, OK., Harrison, AR., and Ft. Scott, KS.  Games will start at 4:00pm on the 3rd and 4th and will start at 1:00pm on the 5th of Dec.

Last weekend Speech and Debate competed at the Nixa Tournament. At the novice tournament John Baker went to semifinals in International Extemporaneous Speaking and Jett Bumgarner in USX.  Going to Finals at the Novice tournament and placing, Ethan Gambriel 1st in HI, and Madi Jones and Ethan Gambriel 1st in Duo. In dabate Tina Pan placed 4th in Novice Lincoln Douglas.  
 
At the Varsity Tournament in semifinals, Courtenay Turner in Informative Speaking, Joe Amundson/Cole Baker and Matthew Crosby/Zach Kauffman in Duo, and Aly Marshall in HI. Placing in Finals, Hayden Windmiller 4th in Original Oratory, Elijah Pitts 3rd in International Extemp., and Katelynn Wilson 1st in HI.  Carson Kroenke went to Congress Super Session while James Ritzendollar placed 3rd and Emily Raney 2nd in Student Congress.  In Debate Matthew Crosby/Zach Kauffman went to Quarter finals placing 4th in Policy Debate, Ashlyn Wadle/Jonah Perry 4th in Public Forum.  Cole Baker placed 3rd in Champ LD, and Courtenay Turner placed 2nd in Lincoln Douglas Debate.  In Sweeps Novice placed 5th, Varsity 4th, and the Team placed 5th Overall! 

It's Good To Be A Tiger!
 
Jeff Staley
Director of Activities/Athletics
High School
I was able to see our students perform in a different arena on Thursday night.  It wasn't a mat, gym floor, or field.  They were on stage in front of spotlights and cameras.  WHS students exhibit so many talents and on the stage is no exception.  If you get a chance to come see, "Working", please enjoy the talents of our students.  I assure all that the 'Traffic jam' and the 'burger' will amuse and the talent to perform impress!  Performances begin at 7:30 PM on Friday and Saturday evenings.

We are on a short week next week with Thanksgiving break starting on Wednesday.  I am proud of our students in giving back and their generosity to support others.  This week SGA organized a canned food drive.  Other students showed support for two students struggling with severe sickness (#TeamChase).  This a great season for giving!

First semester finals information will be released on November 30.  The finals schedule and exception forms will be in the office.  Specific criteria is necessary when requesting an alternate test date.  Finals are scheduled for December 16-18.  Only four weeks from Christmas break!

It is GREAT to be a Tiger!  
 
Curt Graves
Principal
Middle School
Willard Middle School was blessed for many years to have a very special lady work in our cafeteria.  Maria Garland served thousands of students and did it every day with a warm welcoming smile.   She greeted students and staff with one word that will forever remind me of this wonderful lady, "honey."   We are saddened to say that Maria was called home to the Lord on Sunday.   She was a lady that touched many lives and will be greatly missed.  Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts.
Amy Sims
Principal
Intermediate
WIS students continue to amaze me with their desire and ability to give back to our school community.  For the 5th year in a row our building participated in the Sole Food program.  Shoes in any wearable condition are collected and passed on to an overseas distributor where they go to people in need at a low cost, and the proceeds raised go to Friends Against Hunger.  What a great use for some old shoes!  Special thanks to Mrs. Harron for organizing this effort and to our Student Council for sorting and packaging all the shoes.

Mrs. Thompson's Life Skills class worked hard to raise money, shop for groceries, and prepare their very own Thanksgiving feast for their families and special school guests on Thursday.  The food was spectacular and we are so proud of these students and their desire to give back to the adults that care for them!
 
Tom Davis
Principal
Orchard Hills
 
The last couple of weeks have been busy at Orchard Hills. Last week we honored our nation's veterans during our annual assembly. I am thankful for the committee who took the time to orchestrate such a remarkable event for our students and our school community. We are also so thankful for the service these military men and women provided to our country and for the sacrifices they made to do so. I was so impressed with the respectful behavior of our students and with the performances of those who had an active part in the assembly.

Last Thursday our third grade students performed their musical for our student body during the day and for parents and the school community in the evening. The hard work of these students and teachers was evident. Thank you to Mrs. Kuchta and Mrs. Barrett for the time and energy they invested to make this happen.

The countdown has started toward our Christmas break. It is hard to believe it will be here in 17 school days. The year is definitely moving quickly. Thank you to those who have made 2015-2016 successful thus far and we look forward to a fantastic rest of the year.

Blessings,

Dr. Prevo
Principal
Central Elementary School
Last night at the school board meeting, our Miss Joe was recognized with the Willard Board Excellence Award.  Miss Joe has been a fixture at Willard Central Elementary for 11 years.  She has served the needs of our staff taking care of tasks for them to free them up to focus their efforts on our students. Miss Joe has logged more copies, worn out more staplers, bound more student books and cut out more lamination than any individual in the school's history!  She has repaired the copy machine more times than we can count and she is always willing to help a student or staff member in need.  Tuesdays are a blessing at Willard Central because we know, Miss Joe will be in the workroom working away while brightening everyone's day with her kind, yet a little sassy, smile and personality.  
 
Miss Joe Venzlaff is extremely deserving of this award.  As our school has focused on Leadership with our students, Miss Joe lives out the example of servant leadership before our students' eyes.  She is an unsung hero who gives selflessly of her time and energy to invest in our teachers and our school.  While Willard was never her home school, she brings the feeling of home and family into our school each time she walks through our doors. Thank you to Miss Joe for your years of service, and a special thank you for your excellence in modeling a servant's heart to our students and staff. 
 
You are truly a blessing.
 
Shane Medlin
Principal
East
Tuesday night was Willard East Family Night at Skyzone! We had about 109 students/parents jump and raised a little over $300 we can add to our playground improvement budget. 
 
Thursday night Willard East presented the Academic Spotlight at the school board meeting. Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Whistler, and Mrs. Angel shared how they have been using ClassDojo. ClassDojo is a classroom management app, motivational app, and includes parent communication. These teachers have found great success with this app and have also overcome various challenges and implemented new ideas. 

Melinda Miller
Principal
North
South
This is the 4th year Willard South has made the Lunch Buddy program available to our students.  The Lunch Buddy program was established as another support for our students needing extra attention to make their school experience more successful.  Teachers nominate students at the beginning of each school year who they feel like can benefit from this program.  Once a student has been nominated, a permission slip is sent home.

This program is the highlight of many students' week and would not be possible without the selfless volunteering of many community members.  Volunteers fill out information sheets which give us permission to look at their background.  Each lunch buddy comes bi-weekly to eat lunch with their student and then they have time to play, talk, and/or read in order to form a positive and trusting relationship.  Willard South provides a lunch to each of our volunteers who wish to eat a school lunch.

When the Lunch Buddy program was established, around 15 students were paired with a buddy.  Over the years volunteers have come and gone and our waiting list of students who were wanting to be matched far exceeded our volunteer base.  We are happy to say that this year has been an exceptional year for our program.  This year, we have partnered with a local business and they have supplied wonderful volunteers.  Stamina Products, located in the industrial park off of West Division, has supplied us with 12 volunteers.  Combined with our other community volunteers, a total of 28 students meet bi-weekly with their buddy.  We are so thankful for Stamina Products stepping up and helping our school and also for our volunteers from other areas who take the time out of their day to make the students in our building feel special.
 
 
 

Kara Crighton-Smith

Principal 

 

Special Education
We have many things to be thankful for.  This week I am thankful for the experiences that we share while our children are school age.  If you are like me, you may remember a special Valentine's day party, a Veteran's assembly, or even a Grandparent's Tea.  Whatever it was, you probably remember it like it was yesterday because it was a special day.  These experiences were important for us as children and they are still important for our kids today.  This afternoon, I was able to share in one of those experiences that I know created a lasting memory for all that were there.   

Mrs. Paige Thompson's 5/6th life skills class planned, purchased, prepared and served a Thanksgiving feast complete with turkey, stuffing, potatoes and dessert.  It was delicious!  The students did all of the work and they were fabulous. Although we enjoyed the food, what I most enjoyed was the time to sit down around a table and talk with teachers, parents and students about their day and express my appreciation for the tremendous effort that they made as our hosts. Job well done!  

As we approach Thanksgiving, I hope that you get to take time to sit down with your family and friends this next week and make lasting memories together. Don't forget to take a minute and say thanks for all that you have.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Caryn McDonnell
Director of Special Services 
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
As the District strives to provide high quality professional development to the teachers in the Willard School District, as a curriculum department it is very important to insure quality training for substitute teachers in the district.  

This year for the first time, the Curriculum Department partnered with Penmac (an educational staffing company) to ensure training for substitute teachers.  This year substitutes will have three training opportunities from the district.  The trainings include classroom management tools for new and veteran substitutes.  A second tier of training is to offer technology training.  In order for the district to continue to move forward with our technology initiative, it is important that all staff and teachers involved be trained in the technology systems the district currently uses.  

The district had the first training for substitute teachers this past Monday on November 16th.  We had 45+ substitutes show up for the training.  

We appreciate each of you attending the training in order to ensure our students continue to get a quality education in Willard!

 

Angela Stevens

Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment 





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