District Newsletter

 ACTIVITIES

WILLARD EAST

Happy Super Bowl weekend! I do enjoy the Super Bowl commercials but I have to admit that I do not know a whole lot about football. For those of you football fanatics we hope you have a fun weekend of Super Bowl celebrations. At Willard East today we are "celebrating" by wearing our favorite team or sports outfit and hopefully raising $300 for our Joplin Adopt-a-Classroom. We will keep you posted.

Tuesday night was our monthly PTO meeting. Below are some topics we discussed and some possible ways you could help Willard East students:
Valentine Grams go on sale next week! An order form will be sent home and/or you can stop by school between 8:00-8:40 and purchase these from our Student Council.
PTO will be hosting our 2nd Valentine dance Friday February 10th at 6:30PM. We would like to be able to offer the students a little treat and need cookie donations. If you are able to donate store bought cookies please drop them off in our school office.
Spring Carnival Planning - It's that time of the year to really dive into planning. During our carnival we offer a variety of activities for families. We also host a silent auction and are in need of some auction items. If you know of anyone who has connections with businesses or would like to donate items for our auction the PTO would appreciate your help.

Be on the look out for student Midterm grades next week and have a great weekend!

Melinda Miller, Principal
Willard  East Elementary

WILLARD NORTH

Punxsutawney Phil says it will be six more weeks of Winter. Hopefully the next six weeks provide us with as many beautiful outside recesses as January did!  It is hard to believe that we are a whole month into the new year and Fabulous February is here! Willard North has been a busy place the past couple of weeks! Thank you to all of the parents and students who supported our school at McTeacher night on January 23^rd.  Congratulations to Mrs. GurneyÂ’s first grade class for having the highest percentage of attendance. They will be celebrating with a Happy Meal party in their classroom!

                Kindergarten is wrapping up their unit on weather.  They read the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and will be comparing and contrasting it to the movie.   First grade has been learning about the sun and groundhogs. They have begun working on the writing process and how to prewrite and edit their pieces.  Second grade has finished a three week non-fiction writing unit on animals and will be celebrating with an Animal Extravaganza! Third grade is gearing up for MAP prep with the students. They have been using technology to practice fluency for Rocket Math and just concluded their Economics unit.  Fourth graders have been busy writing persuasive letters in preparation for the Jefferson City field trip in March. They just finished their Missouri Regions unit and began a unit on government. 

Angela Stevens
Willard North Principal

 ACTIVITIES

MIDDLE SCHOOL

This week was busy for the boys basketball teams as they wrapped up the season in tournaments. Thank you to all the students and parents who were there to cheer them on. Our eighth graders are making schedules for next year and many attended Freshman Orientation on Tuesday night. Seventh graders will begin scheduling their classes in the next couple of weeks. We are now allowing students to bring their e-reader devices to school with release forms. We hope this will encourage students to read when they have time throughout the day.  

Thanks for checking in with WMS.

Stephanie Walters

Assistant Principal 

ORCHARD HILLS

Willard Orchard Hills Elementary is pushing technology!  Thanks to our supportive PTO, each classroom in the building now has an iPad or two Kindle Fires. In addition, we have three traveling COW's (Computers on Wheels) for grade levels to check out. Each cart has twelve netbooks and the students are using the various devices on a daily basis.

The purchase of technology raises the need for professional development in this area. On February 17th, students will not be at school, but teachers will and they will be increasing their knowledge of embedding the use of all devices into the curriculum to enhance student learning. The teachers are excited and this trickles down to the students who are more than willing to try their hands at the new devices.

We are still reading Mr. Popper's Penguins!  Some families are finished. We will have the chapters on our Facebook Page if you want to hear the audio version.

Next Saturday, WOHE will be hosting the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) Block Kids project. You should have received information through your school.  We hope to have Willard represented well!

Have a great weekend!

WILLARD CENTRAL

During the last two weeks at Willard Central, we have been learning how to be “Heart Smart!”  Students have been able to experience the Heart Obstacle Course during P.E. and have been having a blast while learning important facts about their cardiovascular system and how it functions.

This course consists of various pieces of equipment; large tunnels, hula hoops, scooters, playground balls, ropes, archways, jump ropes, hurdles, and jumping bands.  All of this equipment is laid out onto the gym floor strategically to symbolize the pathway of the blood flow through the heart, lungs, brain, and rest of the body.  Students are to imagine that they are the blood traveling through the body.

The first week of the unit was focused on the functions of the atrium, ventricles, valves, aorta, and the lungs in relation to the blood and how the blood travels through the body.  During the second week, we discussed the negative effects of not exercising, poor nutrition, and smoking.  We placed yellow butcher paper in the aorta to symbolize plaque in the arteries, we placed red cones in the brain to symbolize a blood clot leading to a stroke, and we used a fog machine near the lungs to symbolize smoking and its negative effects.  This unit is so exciting because it gives each student an opportunity to learn through all five senses of the body, it is hands on, keeps all students on task at all times, and gives them a great workout!

The Heart Obstacle Course has been a great introduction to our Jump Rope for Heart event February 6^th through 10^th!  This event is sponsored by the American Heart Association. The purpose of this event is to educate students on the importance of heart health and give them an opportunity to raise funds to help support the American Heart AssociationÂ’s efforts to create healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke, and provide research needed to help treat children born with heart defects. ~Luciana Brown, PE Teacher, Willard Central Elementary

INTERMEDIATE

For those of us that have been a part of our school system for any period of time, you already know what I am about to say........ we have phenomenal teachers in Willard! I do not say this because of any one person or event. This is based on 11 years of personal experience as a teacher, coach, administrator, and parent in the district.

I had the opportunity this week to participate in a few of the workshops provided for our teachers by the district. The desire to grow in instructional practice and assessment of learning was impressive. Just like we ask our students to do, we must always look for ways to improve. We expect our teachers to do so many things that it is easy to skip the "extras" like professional development in favor of the normal school routine. I am very appreciative of the tremendous effort and positive attitudes our teachers bring to their classrooms every day!

Tom Davis, Principal Intermediate School

MIDDLE SCHOOL

I would like to start out by saying thank you to all the teachers that have worked on incorporating more multiple intelligence in their lessons.  Stephanie and I had the privilege of seeing some great lessons being taught in several classrooms this week.  Students were singing in math class, up and moving in reading class, using their hands (gestures) to remember generals in social studies class, and responding to video clips in health class.   The teachers work hard on reaching all types of learners in their class and using the different multiple intelligences is one great way to do that in a classroom setting.   This is a quote from one of the teachers after she taught a lesson that had multiple intelligence activities: "I am pretty happy with how the lesson went and I like adding MI's.  I am trying to do more and more because of the results I saw."  Thank you teachers and That's What We Do At WMS!!!

ORCHARD HILLS

January has been a busy month!  We are back in the swing of things as we have returned from the Holiday break. This year, WOHE is doing a school-wide book study using the book Mr. Popper's Penguins. My family is almost done with the book and have enjoyed it immensely!  Thank you Mr. Medlin at Willard Central for launching a great a idea for a schoolwide book study several years ago.

The WOHE PTO has been busy!  This month, they have purchased a LOT of technology for the classrooms. Students will soon be seeing more iPads and Kindle Fire's to support their learning in the classroom. The PTO has been amazing to the teachers this year as well. We have had three, yes I said three, home cooked meals since October. The teachers and staff are very humbled by the efforts of the PTO to support them.

On this past Monday, the district teachers also gathered to learn more about the English Language Arts Common Core Curriculum. It was a long professional development day, but very rewarding and our teachers are feeling more comfortable with this process.

Next week on Wednesday we will celebrate our Tiger Pride at 2:30 p.m.  Barring no snow days, the 100th day of school will be Thursday. WOHE SGA will be sponsoring Twin Day on the 100th day of school!  It will be a great time!

Just a reminder tonight is movie night at WOHE. Come join us at 6:00 p.m. for THE SMURFS!  Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and dinner. We will have concessions for sale including Peachware Yogurt. Hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful week!

Dr. Rhonda Bishop

Willard Orchard Hills Elementary

"Be All You Can Be at WOHE"

WILLARD NORTH

The hallways have been filled with tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week.  We have writings and murals about his life and his dream posted throughout our halls.  In first grade, students are learning about the water cycle.  They have been reading and writing about water, and participating in ice cube experiments. Second graders have been researching the different kinds of animals and their life cycles.  They are creating wonderful animal group projects in the classroom.  Many classrooms have been working hard to fill in their Tiger Token Charts and earn a party.  They do this by following our school wide G.R.R. Expectations (Go safely, be Respectful, and be Responsible).  I think all of the hard work is paying off because the number of discipline referrals have considerably dropped this year. Monday, January 23, is McTeacher Night for Willard North!  Stop by the McDonalds in Willard and have a delicious dinner!   DonÂ’t forget to come celebrate Super Tiger on Wednesday, January 25!  We are excited to celebrate our 100the day of school next week!!

Angela Stevens

Willard North Principal

WILLARD CENTRAL

While students enjoyed a 3 day weekend, teachers were busy working on examining the new Common Core State Standards on Monday.  District Instructional Coaches and teacher leaders at each grade level facilitated activities to break down these new education standards.  It was a busy day of learning and growing for our teachers as we transition to these standards over the next 2 years.  You can find out more about the Common Core State Standards that have been adopted by 45 states by visiting the following link.  http://www.corestandards.org/

Our students have continued to strengthen their understanding of the brain and how it works by learning about our brain's chemicals during Community Time.  So far, students have learned about Adrenaline and Serotonin.  Through our Brain Gym and Brain-Based Learning activities during Community Time, we are learning about strategies and healthy food choices to optimize brain function.  Students are enjoying learning about these topics and we are enjoying watching them grow!  A first grade student commented that the book a teacher read aloud really released Serotonin in their brain and left them with a peaceful feeling.  (Additionally, another 1st grade student said his mom's delicious apple pork chops really increased his adrenaline!)  You can see Brain-Based Learning and Brain Gym activities in action each Wednesday and Thursday morning at Community Time at 8:25.  ~ Shane Medlin, Principal

WILLARD SOUTH

McTEACHER NIGHT IS COMING!!!!

WHEN:  Monday, January 23rd from 4:00-8:00

WHERE: McDonaldÂ’s on West Chestnut Expressway

WHY:  You get to see your TEACHERS work at McDonald's AND a portion of the sales from 4:00-8:00 will go to Willard South!!

 DonÂ’t worry about making dinnerÂ…let McDonaldÂ’s do it for you while helping out your childÂ’s school!

WILLARD EAST

While you were enjoy a 3-day weekend Monday our teachers were learning about the new Common Core curriculum. All but 5 states have adopted this national curriculum. Below is the mission statement that is located on the official Common Core website:

"The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy. "

On Monday the teachers were able to discussions with other teachers in the district and dig deeper into what this all means for learning. There were really great discussions and we feel that our Willard teachers are on the cutting edge of implementing and learning about this new curriculum movement.

Inside the internet at Willard East: 

Two 4th grade classrooms have started learning bout "blogging" and publishing their work online. Take a look and feel free to comment on students blog posts!

Miss Barnes 4th Grade

Mrs. Grant's Class

Coming up next week:

January Tiger Pride Assembly Friday Jan. 27th 2:30

Melinda Miller, Principal
Willard  East Elementary
518 Kime
Willard, MO 65781
Phone: 417-742-4639
Fax: 417-685-0005

 Willard Parks and Recreation

*Give us a call!  (417)742-2262

*Find us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/willard.parks

*Explore our website! www.willardparks.com

Gym Class: The Willard Parks Department hosts a weekly home school gym class for local homeschoolers. The class is $1 per student to attend each class. The class meets every Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. For more information please call 742-2262.

ChildrenÂ’s Dance Classes- Winter Session 2011 : Let your child grow through dance and experience its magic.  These children dance classes offer an excellent way to keep fit, learn coordination, rhythm, social skills, confidence, and it's FUN! The winter eight-week dance session will begin January 10^th thru March 1^st.  Creative Dance is offered for ages 3-5; Ballet & Tap classes are available for ages 5 & up, the fee is $50.  Combination classes of Ballet, Tap and Jazz for children ages 9 & up with prior dance experience will be taught, fee is $65.  Classes are taught Tuesday's OR Thursday's depending on age and/or level.  Call Ms. Patrice for class availability and registration information at 818-3659.

Zumba Class: Willard Parks and Recreation Zumba classes are held on Monday and Thursday nights from 6 p.m.—7 p.m. at the Willard Community Building. Classes are $45 for 10 classes.  Punch cards are for sale at the Willard Recreation Center. For more information please call Summer at 425-5302.

City / Parks Newsletter: The City of Willard / Parks newsletter is available online at www.willardparks.com. Also you can receive a printed copy in the mail by calling (417) 742-2262.

Playgroup: The Willard Playgroup continues to meet at the Recreation Center on Wednesdays from 9:30am -11:30am. The playgroup is free to attend and is a great opportunity for your child to play and have fun. For more information please call (417) 742-2262.

Veterans Memorial: Veterans Memorial bricks are still on sale. Bricks are $60 and are sold at City Hall in Willard. The Memorial is located at Jackson Street Park in Willard.

Senior Activities: The Willard Seniors citizens meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am – 11am at the Recreation Center for a free exercise class. All seniors are invited to attend. For more information on this class please call (417) 742-2262.

Sports Tournaments: Looking for a place to host your sports tournament? If so call (417) 742-2262 and we can give you details on how to host your next tournament at the Willard Recreation Center.

2012 Aquatic Center Dates: May 26^th – August 19^th. For more info on the 2012 season please call 742-2262.

Advertising Opportunities: Looking for a place to advertise your business? For advertising opportunities at the Willard Recreation Center please call (417) 742-2262.

Upcoming Youth Camps: These camps are open for kindergarten – 6^th grade. Call for more info.

Spring Break Camp: March 12^th  16^th

Summer Camp: Begin May 23^rd

Spring Sports Registrations: Registration for spring youth volleyball and spring youth soccer will be held until February17th, 2012. The fee to participate is $40 per person. The season includes a seven game season. Registration will be held at the Recreation Center.

Facility Rentals: We have several rooms/buildings available to rent. Great for most occasions from weddings to birthday parties! The holding fee is $25 and there is a refundable deposit of $75 (excluding the pavilion). Prices and locations are as follows:

                   Willard Community Building- $30/hour, $30 flat fee for kitchen use

                   Large Gym at Recreation Center- $35/hour

                   Small Gym at Recreation Center- $30/hour

                   Murray Room at Recreation Center- $25/hour

                   Pavilion at Jackson Street Park- $10/hour + deposit of 50% of total (refundable)

          For more information or to schedule your next event, give us a call!

2012 SPECIAL EVENT DATES: Mark Your Calendars

EASTER EGG HUNT: April 7th 2012

WILLARD TRIATHLON: June 16th, 2012

FREEDOM FEST: July 4th, 2012

SAFE HALLOWEEN: OCTOBER 27th, 2012

5K FUN RUN: NOVEMBER 17th, 2012

Athletics and activities can be such a wild ride of emotions.  While that ride can be very exciting it is imperative to not lose sight of what is important....these students sacrifice so much of themselves to do something they love and to represent our school and community that it is almost unbelievable!  I will admit that there are times when I, myself, lose sight of this.  However, it is the students that bring me back to reality.  I am extremely thankful for them and what they do.

Our wrestling tigers got healthy....and watch out!  They went to Monett last Saturday and finished 2nd in the Monett Invitational losing only to an Oklahoma school.  They then went out and defeated Rogersville and Lebanon this week!  Good luck to them as they compete in the Republic Tournament this Saturday and will host Buffalo and Bolivar next Thursday in a double-dual.

The Tigers had a big win on Tuesday defeating COC opponent, Ozark, to start their conference record at 1-0.  The boys lost a heartbreaker to Mt. Vernon last night but will look to rebound next week as they travel to Nixa on Thursday and to Bolivar on Friday.

The Lady Tigers got off to a slow start in the COC by losing to Ozark and Branson on the road.  They will look to get back on track tonight as they travel to Lebanon.  Next week, the girls will host Glendale on Monday.  A special congratulations to Brook Duncan as she eclipsed the 1000pt mark for her career during the game vs. Ozark!

Last weekend the Speech and Debate team rocked the Nevada tournament! The team won second place in Individual Events Sweepstakes and 3rd in Overall Sweepstakes against 22 other schools! Making it to semi-finals in Prose was Colton Kastrup. Placing 4th in International Extemporaneous Speaking was Mercer Martin, placing second was Jeremy Burnett in Humorous Interpretation, and Jeremy and Greg Hamilton in Duo Interpretation. Taking 1st place trophies were Derby Davis in Prose, Greg Hamilton in Radio Speaking, and Jacob Brumfield in Storytelling! In debate Mercer Martin and Conor Wadle placed 4th in Novice Public Forum debate and Greg Hamilton placed 3rd in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Great Job!!

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

Jeff Staley - Director of Operations 

    Mindy Huslig, Process Coordinator 

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The basketball season for the 8th grade girls is coming to an end this week.  They have done a great job this year and worked very hard.  The 7th grade girls will be wrapping up their season at a tournament next week.  We want to wish them both good luck. 

Teachers will be working Monday to learn about the Common Core curriculum and lesson design.  It will be a great day for teachers to continue in their learning and grow professionally.  These days are very important for the growth of teachers and we are always appreciative of the time that is dedicated to this effort.

Amy Sims, Middle School, Principal

WILLARD SOUTH

WOW, short sleeves one day and wool sweaters the next.  I was really enjoying our warmer weather almost as much as the kids.  This is always a hard time of the year with colds, crazy weather and inside recess! However, this morning I had the pleasure of having a third grade classroom in the gym for a reward.  Every Friday, I draw the name of one class who has kept their Fight Free flag up outside their classroom.  In order for them to keep their flag, students have to follow our KHFAAOOTY rule.  You might be asking...what in the world is KHFAAOOTY???  Well, if you ask any Willard South student they would respond by saying, "Keep Your Hands Feet And All Other Objects To Yourself"!  This is just one of our schoolwide disciplinary procedures that we have in place.  It is an easy acronym for our students to remember about the importance of being fight free.  We have numerous other schoolwide expectation and rewards in place for our students.  I think all of this hard work is paying off because the number of discipline referrals to my office has dropped significantly over the past couple of years.  So, way to go Willard South teachers and students for working hard....and giving the principal an excuse for having PE every Friday!!

Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

Willard South Elementary

While many of us enjoyed a nice two-week break, our Tigers were busy in their annual holiday tournaments.  Here is a recap.

The Lady Tigers have caught fire!  After defeating Marshfield in the first round of the Pink and White Tournament, the girls then upset previously undefeated Nixa in the second round!  The ladies then lost a close one to Skyline in the semifinals before rebounding with a victory over Mt. Vernon for 3rd place!  A special congratulations to Brook Duncan and Amber Percival on being named to the all-tournament team.  Coach Percival kept his squad hot by defeating Joplin last night to run their overall record to 10-3 on the season.  The Lady Tigers will open COC play next week as they travel to Ozark on Monday and to Branson on Thursday before ending the week with a trip to Lebanon on Friday.  Good luck ladies!

Coach Stephens is probably glad the break is over.  With 5 of his starters out for various reasons of their holiday tournament, the wrestling Tigers went to battle with those remaining and had some outstanding results.  Steeler Seaburn and Christian Adams both took home 1st place in their weight class and Garret Fletchall took home 3rd.  The boys took their lumps in a double dual vs. Carthage and Ozark on Tuesday but are starting to get healthy and look to have a great showing this Saturday in the Monett Tournament.  Next week, they travel to Lebanon on Tuesday to wrestle Lebanon and Rogersville.

The basketball Tigers had a rough break but are looking to get back on the winning track this weekend.  After defeating Willow Springs in the first round of the Blue and Gold, the boys took one on the chin in a loss vs. Morrisville.  They are traveling to St. Louis this weekend with games vs. Imagine Prep tonight and vs. Roosevelt on Saturday.  Next week, they will open COC play vs. Ozark on Tuesday and will host Mt. Vernon on Thursday.

If you happen to be watching the Cotton Bowl tonight, be sure to pay attention to the halftime entertainment.  You might just see some girls you recognize as our Tigerettes will be performing.  Congratulations ladies on this great honor and have fun tonight!

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

Jeff Staley - Director of Operations

Welcome to 2012!

WIS kicked off the New Year with an awesome three day week. First semester grade cards went home with students on Thursday and all of our parents should have received an electronic copy via email as well. Our classrooms are focusing on their remaining academic goals for the school year. It is very hard to believe that we are at the half way point and the school year will end in less than 5 months!

All students visited our 2nd quarter iChoose store today. They were greeted with a huge selection of snacks and prizes. We want to give a big "Thank you" to the parents that donated items and/or those that volunteered to work the store. This would not be possible for our students without your help. We are confident this program is making a positive impact in our building and have some hard numbers to verify this. We have seen a 38% decrease in the number of office referrals over the last three years. Although
some of this improvement could be attributed to the great group of students we have, it is safe to say iChoose has made a difference. Way to go WIS!

Enjoy the warm January weather!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students, teachers, and staff came back refreshed and re-energized from our Christmas break. Thank you to everyone who helped make schedule changes run smoothly. This short week was filled with great learning. In 8th grade science, students grew yeast to show cell respiration during fermentation. In Spanish, students learned about Spain's Epiphany (the twelfth night after Christmas). Students are beginning a unit on Poetry in Communication Arts. The real world application of math is coming to life as students figure out how to budget, calculate taxes, and furnish a house. Next Wednesday, several students will compete in the Geography Bee. If you would like to see the competition join us in the library at 2:30. 

The next few weeks are filled with girls and boys basketball tournaments. We'd love to see you at the games cheering for the WMS Tigers!

Looking ahead- Freshman orientation and schedules for next year are just a few weeks ahead. It's hard to believe!

We are excited for a great 2012 year at WMS. 

Stephanie Walters

Willard Middle School 
Assistant Principal

Happy New Year! Today we are hosting our December/Semester Tiger Pride Assembly. During these monthly assemblies, we recognize attendance, good character, academics, behavior, and Student of the Month. It is also "Costumes for Community Service." Our school community is wearing their favorite colors and donating $1 to the Willard Children's Charitable Foundation.

School wide book club = Mr. Popper's Penguins!! Before Christmas each school family was given a copy of the book. During Read Across America week, we will celebrate the end of the book club with a Family Reading Night. Books are always better than the movie. If you have seen the movie the plot of the book is completely different than the movie. We even have extra copies you can check out if you would like to join in the fun!

Looking forward to an excellent New Year!

Melinda Miller, Principal
Willard East Elementary
518 Kime
Willard, MO 65781
Phone: 417-742-4639
Fax: 417-685-0005

WILLARD NORTH

Everyone at Willard North is ready to go after a refreshing Christmas Break.  I can't believe the year is already half way over!

Many of the grade levels here are continuing to work to reach their goals in rocket math as well as celebrating themselves as authors of nonfiction writing!

We are looking forward to our McTeacher Night on Monday, January 23rd.  Come visit us at the McDonalds in Willard!

Angela Stevens
Willard North Principal

Willard Parks and Recreation

*Give us a call!  (417)742-2262

*Find us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/willard.parks

*Explore our website! www.willardparks.com

Gym Class: The Willard Parks Department hosts a weekly home school gym class for local homeschoolers. The class is $1 per student to attend each class. The class meets every Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. For more information please call 742-2262.

ChildrenÂ’s Dance Classes- Winter Session 2011 : Let your child grow through dance and experience its magic.  These children dance classes offer an excellent way to keep fit, learn coordination, rhythm, social skills, confidence, and it's FUN! The winter eight-week dance session will begin January 10^th thru March 1^st.  Creative Dance is offered for ages 3-5; Ballet & Tap classes are available for ages 5 & up, the fee is $50.  Combination classes of Ballet, Tap and Jazz for children ages 9 & up with prior dance experience will be taught, fee is $65.  Classes are taught Tuesday's OR Thursday's depending on age and/or level.  Call Ms. Patrice for class availability and registration information at 818-3659.

Zumba Class: Willard Parks and Recreation Zumba classes are held on Monday and Thursday nights from 6 p.m.—7 p.m. at the Willard Community Building. Classes are $45 for 10 classes.  Punch cards are for sale at the Willard Recreation Center. For more information please call Summer at 425-5302.

City / Parks Newsletter: The City of Willard / Parks newsletter is available online at www.willardparks.com. Also you can receive a printed copy in the mail by calling (417) 742-2262.

Playgroup: The Willard Playgroup continues to meet at the Recreation Center on Wednesdays from 9:30am -11:30am. The playgroup is free to attend and is a great opportunity for your child to play and have fun. For more information please call (417) 742-2262.

Veterans Memorial: Veterans Memorial bricks are still on sale. Bricks are $60 and are sold at City Hall in Willard. The Memorial is located at Jackson Street Park in Willard.

Senior Activities: The Willard Seniors citizens meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am – 11am at the Recreation Center for a free exercise class. All seniors are invited to attend. For more information on this class please call (417) 742-2262.

Sports Tournaments: Looking for a place to host your sports tournament? If so call (417) 742-2262 and we can give you details on how to host your next tournament at the Willard Recreation Center.

2012 Aquatic Center Dates: May 26^th – August 19^th. For more info on the 2012 season please call 742-2262.

Advertising Opportunities: Looking for a place to advertise your business? For advertising opportunities at the Willard Recreation Center please call (417) 742-2262.

Upcoming Youth Camps: These camps are open for kindergarten – 6^th grade. Call for more info.

Spring Break Camp: March 12^th  16^th

Summer Camp: Begin May 23^rd

Spring Sports Registrations: Registration for spring youth volleyball and spring youth soccer will be held until February17th, 2012. The fee to participate is $40 per person. The season includes a seven game season. Registration will be held at the Recreation Center.

Facility Rentals: We have several rooms/buildings available to rent. Great for most occasions from weddings to birthday parties! The holding fee is $25 and there is a refundable deposit of $75 (excluding the pavilion). Prices and locations are as follows:

                   Willard Community Building- $30/hour, $30 flat fee for kitchen use

                   Large Gym at Recreation Center- $35/hour

                   Small Gym at Recreation Center- $30/hour

                   Murray Room at Recreation Center- $25/hour

                   Pavilion at Jackson Street Park- $10/hour + deposit of 50% of total (refundable)

          For more information or to schedule your next event, give us a call!

2012 SPECIAL EVENT DATES: Mark Your Calendars

EASTER EGG HUNT: April 7th 2012

WILLARD TRIATHLON: June 16th, 2012

FREEDOM FEST: July 4th, 2012

SAFE HALLOWEEN: OCTOBER 27th, 2012

5K FUN RUN: NOVEMBER 17th, 2012

Jeff Staley
Director of Operations
Willard R-2 Schools

WILLARD NORTH

Where has the time gone? Willard North ended last week with a holiday program from the 4th grade students. Thank you to Mrs. Reed and special area teachers involved and of course the 4th grade students. It really put everyone in the holiday spirit!!!

When you come to Willard North, you will see the halls saturated with non-fiction writing! 4th graders have decorated the halls with famous Missourian reports and third graders are finishing up their studies on spiders.

Thank you to all the families who donated this year to our holiday drive. Willard North was able to assist at least 15 families to allow for them to be able to enjoy a wonderful holiday season. Special thanks to Chrysta Forrest our School Social Worker and the Willard Methodist Church for donating "Christmas Dinner Boxes" to our families.

Happy Holidays and have a Merry Christmas!!! See you in the New Year!

 WILLARD SOUTH

The countdown to our holiday break has officially started.  It is hard to believe that Christmas is only nine days away.  That also means that our school year is at the halfway point.  I am starting to believe that time does go by quicker as I get older with age! It has been a wonderful first semester here at Willard South.  Some highlights include...After School Actors performances, Make-It Take-It Night, PTO Chili Cook-Off, music programs, daily character spotlights during our morning announcements, movie nights, our new sound system, monthly Tiger Pride assemblies, and much more!  I am looking forward to additional celebrations for second semester.

Don't forget these important dates!

December 16th-Winter Classroom Parties at 2:30

December 20th-Tiger Pride Assembly at 2:30

December 21st-PJ Day and Students Dismissed at 12:30

December 22nd-January 3rd-Winter Break

Have a great weekend!  Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

Well it didn't take long for our winter Tigers to get on the winning track.  What a great start to the season for all of them.  Here is a review.

Congratulations to the wrestling Tigers on their 3rd place finish at the Neosho Invitational last Saturday.  This is a very prestigious tournament!  A special congratulations to Cody White on being named the tournament's outstanding wrestler.  Cody won all 5 of his matches by pins!  The Tigers then proceeded to go 4-0 this week by defeating Kickapoo and Rolla on Tuesday and defeating Marshfield and Camdenton on Wednesday.  This Saturday, the boys will travel to Carl Junction for a tournament.  Next Tuesday they will host Nixa and Reeds Spring and will travel to Republic on Thursday.  Good luck Tigers!

The Lady Tigers are off to an impressive 4-1 start to their season after defeating Stockton last night in Stockton.  The ladies finished 2-1 in the Tri-State.  A special congratulations to Amber Percival and Brook Duncan on being named to the All-Tournament Team.  The girls will host Marshfield on Monday and will host Central on Thursday.  Pink and White seedings will be announced this weekend.

The Tigers got off to a good start going 2-1 in the Tri-State.  A special congratulations to Skylar Frazier and Chris Kendrix on being named to the All-Tournament Team.  The boys lost a heartbreaker to Parkview on Tuesday night but will look to rebound tonight as they host Lebanon.  Next week they will host Marshfield on Friday.  The Blue and Gold seedings will be released later today and I will put them in next week's Pride.

Congratulations to Willy Pearl for earning first chair on Euphonium in the Missouri All State Band this past Saturday. This is the second year for Willy to make All State. Caleb Dalton was honorable mention in the percussion section. There were 1,185 students from around Missouri auditioning in Columbia on Saturday.

Last weekend the Speech and Debate team competed at the Niangua Tournament wrapping up their first semester competition in a great way! In Duet Acting Jeremy Burnett and Halen Holton placed 4th, In Original Oratory Conor Wadle placed 6th, in radio Speaking Dusty Bacon placed 6th, in Humorous Interpretation Jeremy Burnett placed 6th and Derby Davis Placed 1st. Story telling Kasha Porter placed 6th and Jake Brumfield placed 1st, in dramatic interpretation Jeremy Burnett placed 6th. In Prose we had 3 students advance to finals, Allie Graham placed 6th, Colton Kastrup placed 4th and Derby Davis placed 1st. The team earned enough points as a whole to earn a 3rd place sweepstake trophy! It is good to be a well spoken tiger!!

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

Jeff Staley - Director of Operations 

ORCHARD HILLS

We have had a great week at WOHE!  Last week our Christmas program was wonderful.  Thanks to everyone who made it special. 

I want to personally thank my staff and Mrs. Rachel Tennison for their help this past week. They held down the fort while I was gone. I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic with our photography company, Lifetouch, and superintendents, secondary principals, and elementary principals from across the United States. Together we built a school for students in one of the neighborhoods in Constanza. The work was hard, but rewarding. We are bIessed in this great country that EVERY child is given a free education. If you would like to see pictures and videos, you can check out Facebook and search for Lifetouch Memory Mission-DR. You may also view live feed that has been archived at memorymission.org  I know I speak for all the administrators that were on the trip that this is a life changing event.

Dr. Rhonda Bishop

Willard Orchard Hills Elementary

"Be All You Can Be at WOHE"

"2011-2012"