WillardPublicSchools
 Student Focused | Strongly Connected | Success Driven
The Pride
February 26, 2016
In This Issue
Quick News
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The last day that patrons can register to vote in the April election is March 9. School Board members and a district bond issue will be on the ballot in that election. Patrons can register during regular business hours at:
 
Greene County Court House
Willard City Hall
Willard Schools District Office
Willard High School
Willard Branch Library

In addition, a special Voter Registration table will be set up for Willard Patrons at these times & locations: 

North Elem, Tues, 3/1, 7:30-10a
Orchard Hills, Wed, 3/2, 7:30-10a
Intermediate, Mon 2/29 - Fri3/4, 10a - 4p
 

Seven patrons have filed to run for the three open school board seats in the upcoming April 5 election. Voters will elect two directors for three-year terms. 


Willard Parks
 
Youth Spring Soccer Registration Now Open
Registration Ends: March 5th  
 
Youth Spring Volleyball Registration Now Open
Registration Ends: March 5th  

The Great Easter Egg Hunt
March 19th @ THE REC
Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast
March 5th @ The Community Building 
http://www.willardparks.com/green-eggs--ham-breakfest.html  

   
       
District Office
 
Willard Ranked "Top School" by Niche.com

Since 2002 Niche has been ranking K-12 public schools and colleges.  Once again Willard is placed in the Top 30 out of 520 Missouri Public School Districts.  The site compares schools based upon several criteria including:
  • Academics
  • Health and Safety
  • Parent / Student Survey
  • Student Culture and Diversity
  • Teacher Quality
  • Resources and Facilities
  • Extracurricular and Activities
  • Sports and Fitness
The site lists the Top 100 Districts across the state.  I am proud of this report.  However, people continually share with me the blessings that they receive because of the incredible people and the positive culture of our district.  Our growth mentality admits that we continually need to reinforce intentional actions steps to improve.  Today specific district administrators were discussing an opportunity to consider improvement.  These discussions are commonplace in our organization. This acknowledgement by Niche.com is a nice "pat on the back" for Willard Public Schools.  The only way that recognition such as this occurs is because of the strength of the team!

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Medlin
Athletics & Activities
No deep thoughts this week as our Tigers have been too busy winning awards and representing our school and community as only they can!!!!!  So proud to be at Willard!
 
The tigers finished off their 2015-2016 season at the pinnacle of their season the State Tournament this past Thursday through Saturday.  Going into the tournament they knew there was an outside shot that the 6 qualifiers could compete for a top 4 team finish and bring home a team trophy.  Thursday started off great with 5 of the 6 (Alex, Niko, Kyle, Christian, & Hunter) winning their first round matches and the 6th winning his 1st round wrestleback.  Tigers went into day two with all 6 wrestlers still alive.
 
Tigers would fair pretty well again Friday morning as 4 of the 5 (Niko, Kyle, Christian, & Hunter) would win their quarterfinal match, placing themselves in the semifinals and securing a state medal.  Alex and Austin's fate would lie in their 2nd round wrestleback where Alex would win but unfortunately Austin would not.  Friday night is probably the most exciting/stressful part of the state tournament as it brings the semifinals and 3rd round wrestlebacks/Bubble Match (Win and you medal, Lose and its over).  The evening would start off great with Alex Garrett avenging a loss, defeating his opponent in the bubble match and placing himself in the medal rounds.  Next would be the 4 Tiger semifinalist where Niko Chavez would avenge a loss and place himself in the State Finals along Hunter Yeargan who pinned his opponent in the first period.  Kyle Caldwell would lose a heartbreaker in overtime and Christian Smart would lose a close 5-3 decision which would place them both in the medal rounds.
 
High School

Our daily announcements are beginning to show the "light at the end of the tunnel".  Items such as yearbook orders and graduation details are a telling sign that summer is fast approaching.  However, it's not here yet.  As we push through the third quarter lull, I'm still simply amazed each time I enter Willard High School.  Elements such as banners displaying the names of students who have achieved academic excellence, self-made canvas's covered in a beautiful work of art, and individuals rehearsing for their upcoming speech tournament adorn these stone hallways yet represent only a portion of what makes Willard a great place for kids.  

 

Dr. Josh Ladd

Success Program Director

Middle School
This past weekend the Archery Club hosted a tournament at Willard Middle School.  The team performed well and is looking forward to the state competition.  Once again, Carson Gehring did a great job scoring 284 out of 300 and placed 2nd place in the Middle School Division.  

The Willard Band Program performed at the Parkview Jazz Festival last weekend.  Willard Middle School Winter Guard program did very well in their respective division. The Middle School Jazz Band received 2nd place in the Middle School Division along with an Honor II rating.  A special recognition was given to Ariana Rios and Hannah Hartman for individual musicianship.  This is a direct reflection of the many hours the band directors and students put in to the program.  It is great to be a Willard Tiger!!! 

Amy Sims
Principal
Intermediate
Orchard Hills
At the February Board of Education meeting two Orchard Hills teachers and a small group of students presented how they are making use of the concept of growth mindset in their classrooms. Growth mindset is a term coined by Carol Dweck in her book Mindset.
 
Growth mindset is an approach to life in which you understand that your skills and abilities are ever-evolving and ever-developing; with practice we can get better over time. Mrs. Lee Ann Peterson, a 4th grade teacher, and Ms. Devon Bowen, a 3rd grade teacher have been teaching and helping students embrace the growth mindset in their classrooms since the beginning of the year. These two teachers, along with others doing similar things, are not only helping students approach their learning with this mindset but are also helping to shape the way these students see other challenges in life which will help them in the future. Thank you to these teachers and students for their efforts!

Sincerely,

Dr. Prevo
Principal
Central

Willard Central students shared their love and support for their classmate Joey B. this week.  On Wednesday, students dressed up as superheroes to encourage Joey as he "Heroed Up" starting chemotherapy this week.  Students and families also shared Legos to entertain Joey as he receives treatment and they donated over $1700 for their family.  You can check out pictures of our school family by visiting our school's webpage or Facebook page at: 

 https://www.facebook.com/WillardCentral/
 

 


 


 


 


 

Dr. Shane Medlin

Principal

East

Willard East would like to recognize Mrs. Hillenburg and Mrs. Coffey for their extra efforts for kids the past couple of weeks. Both of the these ladies host a Tuesday club for kids after school. They also organized last week's Astronomy Night. On top of all this they were able to schedule Ozark Electric Coop. to present to all Willard East students on power and electricity safety.

 

Melinda Miller

Principal 

North

South
Thursday evening you could not find an empty seat during our evening 1st grade music program!  Our 116 first graders performed Go Fish and did an amazing job.  These ocean animals displayed the importance of friendship and accepting everyone's unique talents including the great white shark, a tuna fish who could not carry a tune, a zebra fish with polka dots and more.  Special thanks to our very talented music teacher Mrs. Christensen for going above and beyond to ensure each child has a special part in each program. It was a hit!

Help us celebrate Read Across America Week next week by participating in our special dress up days!
READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK ACTIVITIES
 
Monday, February 29th                PJ DAY
Tuesday, March 1st                        CRAZY HAT & SOCKS DAY
Wednesday, March 2nd                WACKY WEDNESDAY
Thursday, March 3rd                    TWIN DAY
Friday, March 4th                          FAVORITE STORYBOOK CHARACTER

Kara Crighton-Smith 
Principal  
Special Education

 

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment




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