District Newsletter

Willard R-II Central Office What's in a name???

When my son was single and living at home he would go out at night or on the weekend like most others. My son, like most others, could have found himself quickly in trouble if he made poor decisions. It became common as he was walking out that I would simply comment, "Remember what your last name is!!!" In simple terms that communicated that I valued our last name and that it meant something to me and I wanted it to continue to be respected by others.

You can take the story above as a parenting tip or you can better understand why I proposed to the Board of Education to find a name other than a direction to name the new Willard Elementary School. Please don't misinterpret this to mean that I do not like or support our current elementary school names. However, it was clear that directions no longer work for this building. The only direction left was West and it is clearly not west in relation to our district. The Board of Education decided to adopt a theme that could be utilized for future elementary schools. The new property was originally part of a 7,000 acre apple orchard owned by the Haseltine Family. The orchard spread across land that stretched from Mt. Vernon Street in Springfield to Wilson Creek National Park. The orchard was a major stop for the railroad and is clearly a part of our districts heritage. The Board of Education decided after a community survey and much deliberation to name the new elementary school Willard Orchard Hills Elementary School. I believe it was a great decision and fits the new property. A plaque in honor of Ira Haseltine will be placed in the school to commemorate his place in Greene County History and how that still affects us today.

Have a great week!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Special Services

On Wednesday, Paraprofessional Day was recognized throughout the district, honoring the incredible paraprofessionals who work in our special services department. These dedicated employees perform many duties to support teachers, students, parents, bus drivers, administrators and other staff to allow quality education to continue. Truly, Willard is blessed to have the many talented, caring paras on board. Please thank the following for their daily efforts and support:

North: Betty Arnall, Beverly Dela Torre, Melissa Freeze, Glenda Hickman, LeeAnn O'Brien, Sarah Pringle, Dana Sade; South: Connie Bohr, Brenda Hyde, Nancy Jones, Stephanie Koenemann, Danna Lane, Mary K. McKee, Kari Sealine, Barb Swadley, Richelle Winn; East: Karen Murray, Janeen Plummer, Angela Welsh; Central: Heather Abney, Jo Boyd, Michelle Hemphill, Candi Price, Aimee Sims, Lindsey Stanton, Amy Wartick; Intermediate: Jennifer Loffer, Debra Pilkinton; Middle School: include: Traci Jarman, Teresa Royce, Kathy Smith, Lynda Vivas, Doris Wallace, Tonya Dougherty; High School: Mitzi Abney, Delana Freedle, Abby Fugitt, Jessica Gomes, Jenifer Irwin, Holly Lokie; Motor: Carol Bourbina and Jon Gold; ESL: Candace Follis Transportation: Katie Barrett, Steve Bradley, Richard cotter, Arlene Heaton, Teresa Herren, and Judy Ruckman;

Our special services office will be hosting an Open House to honor our paraprofessionals in May. We look forward to personally thanking each para for a job well done!

Sandy Gold, Director of Special Services

Willard High School

As a parent or school faculty member you can always tell when spring arrives. You never move too far away from the personal calendar as activities and events steadily increase to a final peak of graduation ( May 16th ). This week ( 04/08 -04/10 ) we begin MAP testing. Leading off the testing cycle will be the Junior class in Communication Arts , and following up next week ( 04/15 -04/17 ), the Junior students in Science and Sophomore students will be testing in Mathematics. This will be the last year of MAP testing with the current format ( by class level ) as next years testing will be based on content level ( Algebra, English II, and Biology ). The new End of Course Examstyle will be given a "Trial Run" by Missouri High School students this spring once MAP tests are completed. Willard HS students will take the End of Course Exam "Pilot" test the week of April 28th - May 2nd.

A couple of weeks ago we mentioned we have a group of students involved in Oprah's "Big Give" campaign. We were notified that our students had moved to the next level of the local competition and we are working hard toward our goal to raise $5,000. Currently our student body is involved in multiple fundraising drives to support Hippotherapy, a therapeutic program to assist students who have special needs. If you have any questions or would like to assist in WHS "Big Give" please call the HS. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Middle School

This week at the Willard Middle School we are celebrating some exciting things, and looking forward to many others. The W.A.T.T team, (Willard Academic Team in Training) took home the silver in competition at "Clever," Mo., a great place for an academic contest. The art department was represented by six students who went to competition on Saturday, and all six took home a ribbon, with one winning best in show award. The math department has begun to use some new techniques and methods that are getting the kids excited about math, and Mrs. Miller's health classes are completing some fantastic posters that bring awareness to the problems of drug and alcohol abuse. Next Tuesday will be our only home track meet, and we invite everyone to come out and cheer on the Tigers. They have competed in two meets already, and had several first place winners. It's a busy time, with much to do, and we look forward to making the most out of every day left this year! Tom Merriott, Assistant Principal

Willard Central Elementary

It was a wonderful week at Willard Central. Thursday evening our Kindergarten students performed their musical concert entitled The Opposites of Music. They did a great job demonstrating various musical concepts such as high and low pitches, fast and slow rhythms, and loud and soft volumes. Congratulations to Mrs. Chatman and the Kindergarten students on their hard work and a great performance.

Here is what we are looking forward to at Central in the coming weeks:

April 10th PTO Wendys Night from 5:00-8:00. A portion of the sales will go directly to our PTO!!

April 11th MAP Assembly at 2:45

April 14th PTO meeting at 6:00

April 15th-18th MAP testing. Please make sure your students are here each of these days on time and ready to show what they know!

April 24th Grandparents Day. Grade level times to be announced.

April 25th Snow Make-Up Day. Early dismissal at 12:40.

April 28th-May 2nd Teacher Appreciation Week and Book Fair

April 29th Fine Arts Night

May 2nd 4th Grade Field Trip to Jefferson City

Continue to Reach for the Stars!~ Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

April Tiger Pride - Today Willard East celebrated our monthly recognition assembly. Along with our usual recognitions we an Oscar winning performance by some very talented Willard East staff members to promote success on the MAP test. We will be sure these teachers are recognized for their theatrical performance!!!

MAP Parent Night: Thursday April 10 @ 6:30 WE will host a parent night to go over the MAP test and how parents and our school prepare our students for this test.

East Extravaganza: Planning has been underway all year for our end of the year celebration. Once named the "Sock Hop" the East Extravaganza is a new and improved version of this event. Student work will be displayed and class performances taking place. The night will be topped off by a basket auction and one of a kind performance by our 4th grade students. Mark your calendar and join us for a fun-filled night of celebration.

Parents as Teachers: PAT is looking to serve more families for the 2008-2009 school year. We are currently serving over 300 families and children and the feedback for the year has been FANTASTIC! If you have a child birth to age 5 please contact the PAT office at 742-5490. Tonia, Jill, or Angie would love to work with you and your children and include in age appropriate group activities throughout the school year. Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

Last week was just crazy with the tornados that rolled through Southwest Missouri. This is the first time in 22 years I have had to take students to "duck and cover". All in all, it went very well and the kids did an amazing job during the times they were in the safe places.

We are six days away from the MAP test! Our third and fourth grade classrooms are working hard to be prepared for the big event. I see a lot of confident students who are ready to go! I know they are going to do great! Next Monday we will have our MAP assembly and the game show "Are You Smarter Than A MAP student" is back by popular demand. It will be a lot of fun! Have a great week! Rhonda Bishop , Principal

Willard South Elementary

Spring is in the air and MAP testing is just around the corner. The third and fourth graders at Willard South will be taking the MAP test April 15-18. Teachers, students and parents have been preparing for this upcoming event. Our third grade teachers held a MAP Parent Night last Tuesday to give parents an idea of what MAP is all about. Our fourth grade teachers have been holding MAP-Attack after school on Thursdays for students to receive additional practice in the areas of communication arts and math. I am confident that every student will do their best next week by being here each and every day, eating a good breakfast and trying their best! Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS: M 4/7-PTO Meeting at 6:00 T 4/8-Town Hall Meeting in the library from 6:00-8:00 F 4/11-WS PTO Carnival 6:00-8:00

Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal