District Newsletter

Willard R-II Central Office

The Willard Children's Charitable Foundation (WCCF) will be having their Second Annual "Harvest Gathering" tomorrow, Saturday, at the High School Commons Area. This event will include an antique and pie/cake auction. Please join us for free hotdogs and burgers at 6:00 p.m., with the auction to begin at 7:00 p.m. This is a casual event and children are welcome to attend!!

Have a great weekend!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Operations

The past week has been a blessing for me, both professionally and personally. I know, I know, some people have accused me of being a bit too optimistic when it comes to Willard activities but spare me this moment to share with you some of the things I saw this past week and see if you don't agree with me that our students and community truly set themselves apart from all others!

Congratulations to the marching band for taking 2nd Place in the Champion of Champions Marching Festival at the University of Missouri-Columbia this past Saturday. Thirty-one bands from Kansas and Missouri came to Columbia. Willard took first place honors in their subdivision during the preliminary round. Also during the preliminary round the percussion section was awarded the top percussion award out of all 31 schools while the color guard took 3rd place honors of all 31 schools. During the Open Class Finals Odessa took 1st, Willard 2nd, Blue Springs South 3rd, Blue Valley West (KS) 4th.......I'll get back to the band later!

Congratulations to the soccer tigers as they ended their season this week with a semifinal loss to Joplin. The tigers ended their season with a record of 16-6-1. This coming off the heals of a 5-14 season last year! The team played with pride and earned the respect of every program that crossed our path!

Congratulations to Stephanie Sechler on being named 1st Team All-COC in softball! Also, Morgan Ulesich was named to the 2nd Team All-COC. Way to go girls!

Good luck to Kacy Hession as she will represent Willard at the state Cross Country meet this Saturday in Jefferson City.

Congratulations to the volleytigers on their great season which included a district championship! This is the first season for the volleytigers in the state's largest classification and they did great! I will have more on individual honors next week.

I have saved the football program for last because I wanted to say some things about Wednesday night's game in Union. I will start by saying congratulations to Union on their victory. They have an outstanding team and deserved the victory. Now back to Willard....Our fans and student body were outnumbered 3-1. However, as the night went on one thing became apparent, our fans were louder than theirs! Our pep band, student body, and community became one big Willard Tiger! Our football players fought hard to the end and held their heads high in defeat. The teams met in the center of the field and said a prayer together. It reminded us all that there are bigger things out there than winning and losing.

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

Director of Special Services

In the effort to prepare students with disabilities to make the transition from high school to adult life, the Special Services department at the high school offers students the opportunity to learn vocational skills and work at the Springfield Workshop. Career Education teacher Erica Poulson works with Vocational Rehabilitation to select and qualify students for participation, and paraprofessional Jessica Gomes accompanies the students everyday, from 9:00-1:00 as they work. According to student Phillip S., Mrs. Gomes makes sure were on task; makes sure we have work. Shes just a really good teacher; she shows me the right way (to do my job). Student Mary C. says, "She's there if we have any problems." And about her job at the workshop she says, "It's fun!"

Students sort, assemble, and package products for shipping. They are paid by the piece and learn quickly that keeping a steady pace and doing accurate work can result in a better paycheck. They also learn basic job skills that will transfer to any place of employment such as being punctual, working as a team, taking initiative, and relating appropriately with supervisors and coworkers. Mrs. Gomes enjoys working with WHS students as well as the staff at the Workshop. She says, They (Workshop staff) just do a really great job of working with our kids. I think its an excellent opportunity for our kids. A big thanks goes to Jessica for making sure this is such a positive learning experience for our kids. Kelli Akers, Process Coordinator

Willard High School

Wow....what a week surrounding the election. We have had some great classroom lessons regarding the candidates, the process, and election history. Several of our students voted for the first time, and it is always good to hear their perceptions and thoughts.

WHS DECA hosted "Miracle Minute" for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In one minute our students and DECA raised $553.57 on Friday. That's $9.22 per second! A big "Pat on the Back" for our DECA team and WHS students and faculty.

We are holding classes in our new Vocational Ag building. Students began classes today, ( Friday 11/07) for the first day. Furniture arrived and was assembled and placed in the building earlier this week. Ag students have been riding a bus to and from the previous Ag building, which cuts 5-10 minutes of classroom time out of each hour for transportation. With the new Ag building open, students will walk across the back parking lot, thus increasing the amount of instructional time. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Middle School

This week we began the week at the Middle School by learning about how our great democracy works, and the students had an opportunity to experience the voting process here at school. The students had to present their student ID cards to be eligible to vote, and we had a large majority of the students take part in the "mock election." The results were a bit different than those in the official election. The WMS students went with both John McCain and Kenney Hulshoff , for president and governor respectively. The totals were fairly close for both, and did line up close to how our area voted on Tuesday. We ended the week looking back on how we gained the freedoms that we enjoy, including the right to choose our leaders. The annual Veteran's Day Assembly was held today (Friday) and the program was great, and enjoyed many visitors as usual. We thank all who had a part in this program, and especially thank all of those who have contributed to our country in countless ways. We are all blessed to be Americans, and we encourage everyone to take a moment to consider all we have been given, and how we can help to pass those things on to our kids and grand kids as well. Thanks for checking on us, and have a great week. Tom Merriott, Asst. Principal

Willard Intermediate School

WIS celebrated the graduation of our first DARE class on Thursday evening. Our pink team was honored for their accomplishment by their parents, teachers, and guests. The group heard a key note speech from Willard mayor pro-tem Louie Amodeo. This group of students spent the last 6 weeks learning how to make positive choices and problem solving techniques that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. A special thanks to Chief McClain and the Willard PD for taking the time to put on the DARE program for our students and to Conco quarries and Mid-Missouri Bank for sponsoring the shirts each student received. Our Maroon and Green teams will starting this program beginning next week.

Our 5th grade is excited about beginning a program sponsored by the Missouri State University SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) organization. Through this program our students will be given a glimpse of the business world and gain a better understanding of economics, finance, and marketing. This program culminates with our students traveling to MSU for a fun learning day at SIFE city.

A reminder that WIS will be hosting our parents and friends that have served our country on Tuesday November 11th for our Veterans day assembly. We encourage all of our parents to be in attendance to help honor these veterans. Tom Davis, Principal

Willard Central Elementary

It has been a busy week at Willard Central! WC welcomed a record number of voters to our building on Tuesday. Even with the large crowds, it was a successful day of learning thanks to the flexibility of Mrs. Mello sharing her art room and the patience of our patrons as they voted. It was a great opportunity for our students to see the democratic process in action.

I would also like to thank the community and the WC Family for all of their work on the PTO fundraiser. Even in these difficult times, nearly $10,000 was raised to support our students and the wonderful things happening at WC. We would also like to announce that WC had a record setting night at our recent McTeacher Night. Thanks to your support, WC received $756 to help us with school activities. Your support is greatly appreciated and a blessing to our students and staff.

Mark your calendars for these exciting dates in November:

10th Picture Retakes 9:00 a.m.

10th PTO Meeting 6:00 p.m.

10th Boundary Re-Identification Meeting with Dr. Medlin and Dr. Royal for 2009-2010 school year 7:00 p.m.

11th Veterans Day Community Time 8:30 a.m.

13th 3rd Grade Concert 2:45 p.m. rehearsal; 7:00 p.m. Performance

21st Grandparents Day

9:00-9:30 1st grade 10:00-10:30 2nd grade 11:00-11:30 3rd grade 2:00-2:30 4th grade 3:00-3:30 Kindergarten 26th-28th NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving Break

Have a great week and remember to keep reading A Dog Called Kitty as a part of our All-School Book Club. Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

Willard East Votes!!! Tuesday we held a "mock" election for our students. Polls opened at 9AM and closed at 2PM. Willard East "elected" John McCain. Even though he did not win the official election that day, our students enjoyed the process and will remember this experience forever.

Veteran's Day Reminders - We will be recognizing the Veteran's in our community Tuesday. A light breakfast will served for them at 9:30 followed by an assembly at 10:00. Please call our school office if you plan to attend.

New Two-way Radios - Our new two-way radios arrived this week. Every teacher in the building now has a two-way radio to communicate with the office, nurse, and custodian during transition times and/or drills. It will take some time to remember to carry these with us but this is a great update to the safety and security of our children.

Security video cameras updated!!! Netwatch security systems just finished installing a new camera system at Willard East. Technology updates are amazing and we sometimes don't realize what we don't have until we have something new. We will continue to monitor the need for more cameras and add cameras as needed. A HUGE thank you to Bob Andrus and Matt Young for helping get this ball rolling.

Brrrrr! It's getting chilly! - Please remember to dress appropriately for the weather. It's that time of year that we never really know what the day is going to be like. If you have any coats that your children have grown out of we would love to have them for our clothing bank to share with students who could use a warm jacket or coat. Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

November is finally here and we are focused for the next few weeks on instruction without interruption. Its hard to believe that Thanksgiving will be in three weeks Our parent-teacher conferences went very well and we are very CLOSE to our 100% goal. This will be 7 years in a row we have achieved 100% conference attendance rates! I want to take the time to brag on our new teachers at Willard North. They have hit the floor running and are doing a great job. Our new teachers this year are: Amanda Hambey, kindergarten , Shanna Hayes and Sarah Blakemore, second grade, Dana Burnich, third grade, Michelle Bougher, Kathy Tobin and Heather Potts, fourth grade. They are doing a great job! Have a wonderful week! Rhonda Bishop, Principal

Willard South Elementary

Please join us for our annual PTO Fall Chili Supper on Friday, November 7th from 6:00-8:00. We have something for everyone including face painting, cake walk, ping pong toss , fishing game, and pop toss. We also have some great baskets that will be auctioned off around 7:00 and a silent auction for some very creative pumpkins. We hope to see you this evening! Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS: Tuesday, November 11th-PTO Meeting at 6:00, 3rd Grade Music Program at 10:15 and 7:00; Attendance Boundary Meeting at 7:30 in the library Friday, November 14th-Veteran's Day Assembly at 9:15

Willard Park Board News

Willard Parks and Recreation: New Staff, New Ideas, A New Era in the Willard Parks and Recreation Department

There is a lot going on in the Willard Parks and Recreation Department and I want to encourage everyone to get involved.

Thank you to everyone who is participating in the session one recreational basketball, cheerleading and competitive basketball season. This season is the biggest single season basketball season in the history of Willard Parks and Recreation.

Upcoming Sports Registrations: Youth Basketball Session 2 Registration: December 1st 31st Ages: Pre K 8th Fee: $35

Youth Cheerleading Session 2 Registration: December 1st 31st Ages: Pre K 8th Fee: $35

Adult Basketball Registration: December 1st 31st Ages: 18 and Older Fee: $200

Competitive Basketball Registration: December 1st 31st Ages: 3rd 8th Fee: $200 in town teams and $225 for out of town teams

Willard Basketball Camp: January 10th Don't miss the first ever Willard Parks and Recreation / Willard High School Basketball Camp. The Willard High School Basketball Team will be hosting the camp. Fees are $25 per participate. Camp times are 9:00am 12:00pm for ages K -2nd and 1:00pm 4:00pm for ages 3rd- 6th. The camp will be held at the Willard Recreation Center. Enjoy a great camp hosted by local athletes. Proceeds will benefit Willard High School Sports Department & Willard Parks and Recreation. The deadline to register is Monday January 5th, 2009. For more information please contact (417)742-2262.

NEW WILLARD PARKS AND RECREATION WEBSITE: Willard Parks and Recreation is in the process of creating a new website. Work has begun on it and the new site will launch December 1st, 2008. The new site will be updated daily and will make registration easier.

Willard Senior Citizens: Willard Parks and Recreation will be offering games on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00pm 3:00pm at the Recreation Center beginning January 6th for seniors. All seniors are invited to attend. Games include bingo, cards, dominos and much more. The game days are free to attend.

Grants Update: Willard Parks and Recreation has been awarded a $5000 grant from the Kansas City Royals Baseball Team. Willard applied for the grant in September. The money will go toward renovating the Willard Baseball Complex in spring 2009.

Willard was awarded the 2008 Spirit Award for the Tour of Missouri Organization. The award/grant is in the amount of $1000 and will benefit the New Willard Soccer Complex.

Willard Music in the Park 2009: Thank you to Bryan College in Springfield for sponsoring the 2009 Willard Music in the Park Concert Series. Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting 3 Music in the Park events in 2009. These events will be free for the public to attend. Families can come and enjoy great music, eat hot-dogs & burgers and socialize with other community members. Stay tuned for official dates and times that will be announced in January 2009.

Movie in the Park: Thank you to everyone who attended Willard's first Movie in the Park event that was held Saturday October 18th. Over 400 attended the event. Stay tuned for official dates and times of more Movie in the Park events that will be announced in January 2009.

Mark Your Calendar: City of Willard Outing to the Springfield Cardinals Game is June 4th, 2009. Tickets go on sale May 1st, 2009.

Winter Camp Registration: November 17th December 12th Are you looking for a place for your child to go during the Winter Break? Sign them up for the Willard Parks and Recreation Winter Camp. Registration will be held November 17th December 12th. The camp days are December 22, 23,26,29,30 2008 & January 2, 2009. Ages accepted will be K 6th grade and the fee is $95.00 for the entire week or $17.50 per day. Campers will need a snack lunch each day. Registration for the camp ends December 12th. For more information please contact (417) 742-2262.

Safe Halloween 2008: Thank you to everyone who attended Willard's Safe Halloween Event that was held October 25th at the Recreation Center. Over 800 people attended the event. Thank you to the following for helping make the event possible:

Thank you to the Businesses that participated with a Inside or Outside Booth: Sac River Stables, Conco, Salon Image, Shoneys, McDonalds Willard, Klinger Cope Funeral Home, Commerce Bank Willard, Willard City Hall, Cox Fitness Center Willard, Century 21, Willard Bike Shop, Willard Young Rider, Jarvis Eye Center, Willard Police Department, Willard Fire Department, Willard Branch Library, Lorrie Kleier-Murney Associates, Sander Chiropractic , New Beginnings Church, Stilson Photography, Christina Padgett-Pampered Chef, & Drury University

Thank you to our Parks and Recreation Sponsors: McDonald's Willard, Advisor Insurance, Conco, & Willard A.A. Group

Thank you to everyone who donated either food or candy: Downtown Bar-B-Que, Tom & Kim Stagner, Commerce Bank, Shoneys, Sherry & Brandon Bowen Family, Kendall McTeer & Marc, Stocker Family, Pill Box Pharmacy , Robert Carroll

Thank you to individuals who volunteered: Pat Lloyd, Teresa & Josh Lloyd, Valorie Simpson, Kate Gould, Mayor Jamie Schoolcraft, Brad & Alexis Bowen, Chelsea McTeer, Marc Stocker, Kaleb Blackwell, Jennifer McDonald, Brenda Cocannouer, If we missed any names we are sorry, but thank you so much!!

Thank you also to the Willard Police Department & Willard Fire Department for serving us with Medical and Emergency Personnel. Thank you also to the Willard Parks and Recreation Staff for a great night!!

<http://www.cityofwillard.org>www.cityofwillard.org: I want to encourage everyone to visit <http://www.cityofwillard.org>www.cityofwillard.org and participate in the current online poll.

Willard 5K Fun Run: Saturday November 15th, 2008 at 8:00am

Join us for a Saturday of fun in the city. November 15, 2008 Willard Parks and Recreation in conjunction with the Willard Chamber of Commerce will host a 5K Fun Run at 8:00am.

Enjoy a great day of fun and run!!

RACE BEGINS AT WILLARD COMMUNITY CENTER $15 Pre-Registration Fee $20 Day of Registration Fee (6:30am7:30am) Registration from 9/27/08 until Morning of the Race Participants will receive a Long Sleeve Shirt

Official Registration Form is attached to this email. Drop it off, along with your payment, at the Willard Recreation Center:

133 N. Highway Z Monday Friday 8:30 AM 9:00 PM Saturday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Sunday 12:00 PM 5:00 PM.

We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions please contact me.

Thanks,

Kevin McDonald Director of Willard Parks and Recreation 133 N State Hwy Z P.O. Box 187 Willard, MO 65781 (417) 742-2262 fax - (417) 742-6868

++++++++++++++++ Bob Andrus, Technology Director Willard R-II School District