District Newsletter

Willard R-II Central Office

The end of school is upon us and students as well as teachers are anxious to move into the summer months. Many of our teachers will transform from teacher to student. Teachers are required to return to college in order to complete advanced degree programs. Many complete these hours during the summer because conflicts exist during the school year. Many professional development programs for teachers, as well as administrators, are offered during the summer in order to allow for attendance. All educators must participate in continued professional development in order to stay abreast of new and effective teaching techniques. Student schedules also change to little league, soccer camp , visits to grandparents, babysitting, and mowing lawns to earn extra money. Administrators will be hard at work next week preparing for Summer School and the 2008-09 school year. There is no doubt that schools are some of the most dynamic institutions which exist. Change is continual and nothing is ever stagnant. 2007-2008 has been a successful year. The district experienced improvement in academic scores, as well as success in athletics and activities. Expectations for our school district are high for all involved including, students, teachers, and staff. It is amazing to see these expectations successfully reached and surpassed year after year.

Thank you to all staff for an excellent year. Together we are able to do great things for the kids of Willard!

Have a great Summer!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Operations

All but two Tigers have finished the Spring sports season with K. Hession and Z. Thompson both qualifying for the State Track Meet later this week. Ms. Hession qualified by finishing 4th in the 3200m run and Mr. Thompson qualified by winning the discus event and finishing 2nd in the shot put. By the way, a HUGE congratulations to Mr. Thompson as he not only set a school record in the shot put earlier this year but he also shattered the school record in the discus during districts!

Baseball and soccer finished their seasons with semifinal losses in district play. I would like to add a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped run the district tournaments. Willard has every reason to be proud of our facilities, coaches, players, and fans!

Before you know it, we'll be gearing up for a great Fall season!

It's Good To Be A Tiger! Jeff Staley, Director of Operations

Director of Special Services

What a year this has been for our special services department; it has been one of which we can be proud! As I reflect back, I do not remember a year with such a smooth beginning, and that was due, in part, to the addition of Amy Stroder as .5 assistant director to our current office staff. Despite some set-backs, such as the sudden departure of teacher Laurie Stonebarger, we continued making strides for our students with disabilities. We want to especially thank substitute Jeff Jones for his willingness to take over that vacated position and for the many, many ways he has gone above and beyond. His participation in the fishing field trip, arranged by physical therapist Maria Harless, (where Jeff taught our Romanian student Daniel the fine art of fish measurement!), in Partners in Strength Rally as a team coach, and walking with faculty at graduation are only a few examples of how Jeff become one of us. The thing I will treasure most, though, is Jeff's love of our students with special needs; that has been apparent throughout his time at WHS. Knowing there have been many challenges, I appreciate Jeff for staying the course. I know our students' lives have been blessed by his interactions. Thank you, Jeff.

Sandy Gold, Director of Special Services

Willard High School

We had a great evening for graduation on Friday night. The weather was terrific as family, friends and the graduates all gathered for the final moments for the senior class. We appreciate all the hard work the community, parents, and Willard R-II district staff have made to culminate in a wonderful evening of celebration. Many of the senior class went to Project Graduation at Chesterfield Family Center in Springfield. The parents of the senior class who formed this year's Project Grad Committee did a wonderful job of organizing events, raising funds, and most of all having a great evening of fun for seniors to be safe and spend a little more time together. It was a great evening and many thanks to everyone involved.

This week, 9th 11th grade students will be focusing on Final exams, locker cleanouts, and turning in last minute assignments as we finish the 2007-2008 school year on Friday. A reminder that the final day, Friday May 23rd, is a half-day with student dismissal at 11:30am. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Middle School

This week at the Willard Middle School the theme is "push hard to the finish line." Our last week of the school year finds us working to complete many things, look back on what we have done, celebrate our accomplishments, and plan for the future. In the coming weeks, several sports teams will be holding camps to work on their skills, and information for dates and times are available this week. Tuesday evening there will be an informational meeting on next year's trip to Washington D.C., and you are encouraged to attend if you are thinking of going on that trip. Student council elections will be held this week to determine who our student leaders for next year will be, and signs are already decorating the building for several campaigns. A reminder, for any student will library fines, unpaid balances for school lunch, or missing/damaged textbooks need to be paid this week if possible, as well as any other fines or fees from this year. This week of course will find many students taking final exams, turning in the end of year projects or reports they have completed, and hopefully ending the year on a good note. Friday we will be having an assembly, featuring a talent show, as well as an end of the year video starring the students and staff of Willard Middle School. It has been a great year, and we wish the 8th grade much success in the high school next year as well. Enjoy the summer! Tom Merriott, Assistant Principal

Willard Central Elementary The WC theme for this school year is Reach for the Stars! We have had the opportunity to celebrate our successes of MAP testing, Star Studded assemblies, Miss Roeder starting to take steps down the hallway, and seeing students become confident learners. It takes parents and teachers working together to help our students shine. Some of the people who have helped WC shine brilliantly have opportunities to Reach for the Stars in different capacities next year and will be leaving the WC Team. They include:

Mrs. Carpenter, Reading Recovery, will be retiring but coming back to help us out as she continues to share her vast knowledge of reading instruction.

Mrs. Bailey, Art, will be relocating to West Virginia. As a WC fixture since the building opened, Mrs. Bailey has developed an unequalled art program that supported classroom instruction and developed successful, award winning artists in the process.

Mrs. Robinson, Kindergarten, will be moving back to Texas to be near family and will continue teaching Kindergarten in the Lone Star State.

Mrs. Underhill, Kindergarten, will be relocating to Ohio and working to get dad, Claire and Drew ready for a new adventure!

Mrs. Bougher, Computer Lab, will be moving up the road to Willard North to put her skills to good use as a teacher in a 4th grade tech room.

Mrs. Barnett, Special Services, will also be moving up the road to WIS to continue serving students in their Success Program.

Mrs. Roberts, Special Services, will move from the classroom to a Process Coordinators position to serve students in buildings across the district.

Mrs. Follis, ESL, will be taking a full-time classroom position at Springfield Catholic as she continues to share her smile and kind heart for kids.

Thank you to all of these individuals for your service to Willard Centrals students as you helped them Reach for the Stars!

Our last week of school will include:

May 22nd Field Day (Please have students wear tennis shoes, active wear, sunscreen/hat, and a smile to be ready for some fun.)

May 23rd Terrific Tiger Celebration at 10:30.

Last day of school. Early Dismissal at 12:40.

Have a great last week and as always Reach for the Stars! Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

Field Day in review - The weather held out just long enough that we could get our annual Field Day in on Tuesday. We had a few showers at lunch time but both morning and afternoon sessions were a success. Coach Wise works so hard to put this together for our students and we appreciate her hard work and all our special class teachers and parents that come to help for the day.

Jeff City Field Trip - Thursday our 4th grade students made their annual pilgrimage to Jeff City. Thank you to our 4th grade teachers, parent chaperons and PTO for helping make this trip possible.

Congratulations Willard Graduates - This morning we got a sneak preview of graduation as the students were practicing for tonight's grand celebration. You could feel the excitement and our teachers are filled with pride as well knowing these students were once wandering the halls of our elementary buildings.

Year End Tiger Pride - Please join us for our end of the year Tiger Pride assembly Thursday, May 22nd. 4th Grade Honor Roll will be recognized prior to the assembly at 2:30 followed by our usual Tiger Pride celebrations.

Only one more week and then it is fun in the sun! Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

Willard North was exceptionally busy last week! On Tuesday Night, we graduated 41 preschoolers from Tiger Cubs! The 3rd and 4th grade Honor Choir also performed musical selections for their parents the same night. On Thursday night, the kindergarten students took the big stage at Willard High School to perform the "Three Piggy Opera". The students did a great job and received a standing ovation from the crowd! This week we will wrap our school year up! Friday we will host our last day of school BBQ and have our last Super Tiger Celebration. I would like to thank everyone who has made our year so successful. We have wonderful teachers, staff and students who make Willard North a wonderful place to learn. I would also like to thank our parents who support us all year long. Have a wonderful summer! Next fall is just around the corner! Rhonda Bishop, Principal

Willard South Elementary

It is hard to believe the end of the year is only a few days away. This week we will be wrapping up the year with numerous special events throughout the building. Our fourth grade students will be visiting Willard Intermediate tomorrow morning from 8:45-10:15. I know that are very eager to see their new building especially the lockers! They will also celebrate when they return to Willard South with a pizza party compliments of our wonderful PTO. On Tuesday, our entire building will be enjoying the warm weather outside with FIELD DAY! We have lots of fun activities planned for everyone. Our final Tiger Pride Assembly will take place on Friday, May 23rd at 9:00. I hope you are able to attend! Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal