District Newsletter

Kindergarten screening dates for FY2009-10

• Willard Central/Willard North: May 4 & 5
• Willard East/Willard South: May 7 & 8

Parents should call the school the student will attend for an appointment after Spring Break. Children who will be attending Orchard Hills will be screened at Willard South and Willard Central. Mrs. Rhonda Bishop, Orchard Hills Principal, will be attending screenings at Willard South and Willard Central, to greet her new students. Please bring the following items with you to the screening: immunization records, proof of residency, social security card, birth certificate. All kindergartners are required to have an eye exam before entering kindergarten.

• Willard Central: 831-4440
• Willard East: 742-4639
• Willard North: 742-2597
• Willard South: 862-6308

Make-up days will be scheduled as follows:

• February 16 President's Day
• March 23 First Day of Spring Break
• April 13 Monday after Easter

If we miss one more day, we will make it up on Tuesday, March 24. Any additional days will be made up the last week of May.

Willard R-II Central Office

I would like to thank Willard CTA and specifically Cindy Miles for arranging a meeting with our local state representative, Mr. Shane Schoeller last week. This meeting was an opportunity for district patrons and teachers to come together to ask questions and support our school. Every year The State Education Committee will consider many individual bills concerning public schools. This session there has already been bills introduced involving: eliminating the fuel tax for school busses, allowing districts to have a 4 day school week, increase in district bonding capacity from 15% to 20%, bullying, teacher liability protection, etc..., and I am sure that some form of school voucher or school choice bill will be introduced before the end of the session. I asked Mr. Schoeller to above all keep his eye on the children of Missouri. Children are our greatest resource. Public school education is offered to 100% of the children in Missouri. It is offered to all children no matter where you live, the wealth of your family, your academic ability, or any other natural talent or disability. All children are welcome in public schools. During this time of economic stress it is imperative that public school dollars are not redirected to some other education program that does not allow access to all of Missouri children. I believe that public education is our country's greatest government sponsored program. It is far from perfect and I believe that dramatic changes can and should be made in Missouri districts that are failing their students. However, I do not believe we should abandon public schools for other choices that do not allow for the inclusion of all students. I am passionate about public schools and highlight Willard Schools as a great example of a district that has found ways to make it work very successfully.

Have a great week!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Activities

The Tigers keep on winning on and off the court this winter! Congratulations to the boy's basketball team as they have won 7 of their last 10 games including a convincing 23 point win last Friday at Carthage! The boys will hope to continue this run as they go to Neosho on Tuesday before hosting Republic in a 3 game night starting at 5:00pm on Friday.

The Lady Tigers will look to get back in the win column this week as they host Branson tonight with the JV game starting at 6:00. They will then host Neosho on Thursday. Both teams will be participating in the district seeding meeting this Wednesday as Willard will once again be the host for the district tournament.

Good luck to the wrestling tigers as they go to Branson this Friday and Saturday for their district tournament. The top four wrestlers in each weight division will move on to the state tournament!

A special note to the Willard Chamber Choir as they went to Tan-Tar-A to perform at the state conference. It should not surprise anyone that they brought the house down with their performance and I am continuing to get compliments every day. Great job Mr. Lawley!

Jeff Staley, Director of Activities

Special Services

The Special Services department and proud parent, Sonya DeJonge, would like to congratulate Kaila DeJonge on her success at the first ever Southwest Missouri Braille Challenge. The Braille Challenge took place on Saturday, January 24th at MSU. Kaila competed in the Sophomore category for 5th and 6th graders in four categories: Reading Comprehension, Proofreading, Speed & Accuracy, and Spelling. Miss Kaila took first place in all 4 categories. Kaila's regional scores will be sent to the Braille Institute in California to be compared with other students her age group from all over the United States. The top 15 students (in each category) will be invited to the Finals in California in June. Well done, Kaila!!! Join us in celebrating this great accomplishment with a well-deserving student. Amy Stroder, Asst. Director of Special Services

Willard High School

Willard HS DECA have focused their charitable efforts this year on "Operation Smile". Operation Smile is a foundation to assist families in need who have children born with cleft lip / palate disabilities. This year DECA students raised funds through fundraisers, such as DECA Diamonds, Final Exam "Power Packs", DECA Men's Volleyball Tournament, and during Courtwarming a "Miracle Minute". These efforts have raised a total of $2,040.00 from our students, parents , and community. This week DECA was contacted by the Lincy Foundation to match our fund total. With the Lincy Foundation raises our total to $4,080.00, which will pay for 17 surgeries for children. We are proud of WHS DECA and their efforts in helping others. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Middle School

Well, the ground hog saw his shadow, and I guess we may have a few more cold days ahead, but you sure couldn't tell it by the weather this weekend. There is talk of temps in the 70's for this week, which would be great to see. At the Middle School, we have reached the midway point of the 3rd quarter, and you should be seeing progress reports in the next day or two. Please talk with your son or daughter about how things are going, and encourage them to keep up the good work. The kids enjoyed a Valentines dance on Friday night, and everyone seemed to have a great time. There will be one final dance in the spring, for 8th graders only, and plans are being made as to time and date for that much anticipated event. Our 8th graders have also been working on their schedules for next year, and we thank all the counselors who have been helping the students to get their plans for high school completed correctly. This week, the Young Chef's Club will meet after school on Tuesday, OHHS club on Wednesday, and the MIT Pool Tournament will be held on Friday. Busy times for busy people! Thanks for checking on us, and enjoy the brief taste of spring while we can. Tom Merriott WMS Asst. Principal

Willard Intermediate School

Our second annual Student Council WIS Skate Night was a huge success! We had over 340 students, teachers, and parents present for this fun night together. A special "thanks" to our Student Council sponsors for making this possible. Congratulations to 5th grader Z. Tucker for winning $200 today in our fundraiser reward assembly. He sold 66 tubs of cookie dough which earned him the opportunity to participate in a game of "Deal or no Deal".

Today we recognized our honor roll, perfect attendance, and character awards at our first semester honors assembly. Well over 30% of our student body earned all A's and B's for the first semester. Way to go! We appreciate all the parents and family members that came out to help us honor these students.

This week was National School Counselors Week. We want to thank our counselors Mrs. Skaggs and Mrs. Johnson for all they do for WIS. They are a vital part of our building and we want them to know that they are truly appreciated! Tom Davis, Principal

Willard Central Elementary

After a week of winter weather, it was great to be back at school and back to learning. It was wonderful to be in classrooms this week to see students working with teachers in guided reading groups and working on critical thinking skills and that was Kindergarten. Traveling up and down the hallways, students were hard at work developing their craft as writers, making inferences and connections in their reading, and growing their knowledge base as scientists. If your kids are coming home tired at the end of the day, it could be because Coach Brown has been working them hard in PE, but it is more likely the cause of how hard their brains have been working in the classroom.

As we look ahead to next week, please plan to join us for our February PTO meeting on Monday night at 6:00. Then on Tuesday evening, join us for our Family Math Night that had to be rescheduled due to the winter weather. Remember, if 225 students attend math night, I have to join the Polar Bear Club at Community Time. (If 300 students attend, Coach Brown has to take the plunge as well!) On Friday, you can join us for our Valentines Day Parties at 2:45. It will be a busy and exciting week at Willard Central. We hope you can join us for all of the excitement. Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

Today is February "Hat's on for Community Service!" January and February donations will go to the Red Cross to help victims of last week's ice storm. Not sure of our total as I write this but our monthly goal is $100. I saw lots of hats this morning so hopefully we have $100 to donate.

Read-A-Thon update: At the end of the month we are going to kick-off our 1st ever Read-A-Thon fundraiser. Instead of a brochure fundraiser the students will be getting reading "sponsors" for the 1st week of March. Our goal is $4,000 which = $10 per student. If we reach our monetary goal Principal Miller will sit on the roof and read all day!:):):) There will be other incentives for meeting reading goals and raising the most money. What better way to raise money for our school than to promote reading?! We think this will be our most successful fundraiser yet! Them money that is raised will go towards new SMARTBoards to promote technology literacy and additional books for our Guided Reading Library. ' Valentine Parties next Friday February 13th. You are welcome to attend your student's party. See your child's teacher for more details.

Have a GREAT week! Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

I want to congratulate the Willard North Honor Choir for singing the National Anthem at the High School Basketball Game on January 23rd. Our 80 member strong choir did an excellent job. Thanks to Mrs. Sharon Reed for working so hard with the students. She deserves a pat on the back for having 80 3rd and 4th grade students in honor choir!

Last week we finally got to the 100th day of school! The students had a great time celebrating! We are on the downhill slide now!! Rhonda Bishop, Principal

Willard South Elementary

We had a full week of school and plenty of activities for students! Monday was the 100th day of school with various celebrations in classrooms. On Tuesday, we recognized the Chinese New Year with a parade at the end of the school day. Students also earned a fight free party on Friday afternoon. Students enjoyed popcorn, drinks and lots games in the cafeteria. CONGRATULATIONS to all of the students for keeping our school fight free flag waving first semester! Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

For information on the Willard Children's Charitable Foundation, please contact Judy Craig at 742-2506 or Dr. Kent Medlin at 742-2584.

Willard Parks and Recreation (417)742-2262 <http://www.cityofwillard.org>www.cityofwillard.org

Thank you to everyone who is participating in our session 2 basketball and cheerleading league.

Health Fair/Family Friendly Events: Willard Parks and Recreation wishes to thank all of the businesses who participated in our Health Fair that was held on Saturday January 17th at the Recreation Center. The Health Fair was a huge success and it would not have been possible without your support. Thank you!! 2009 is a big year for Willard Parks and Recreation. This year we are offering many family friendly events for the community to participate in.

Tot Time: Willard Parks and Recreation is offering Tot-Time for toilet trained youths ages 3-5. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am 11:00am at the Recreation Center. The fee is $55 per month. Tuition dues are at the beginning of each month. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Website: Willard's Parks and Recreation website is full of information and news. Log on to <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com and check out the site. While you are at the site please take part in our online polls.

Program Guide: Copies of Willards 2009 January June Program Guide are going fast. If you still haven't picked up your copy please stop by the Recreation Center to do so.

Baseball Field Renovation: The renovation has begun on the Willard Baseball/Softball Complex. Stop by periodically to check out the progress. Thank you also to everyone who made this renovation possible. Stop by the Recreation Center to view the official plans of the project.

Spring Break Camp: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting a Spring Break Camp for grade K 6th from March 23 - March 27th at the Recreation Center. The fee to attend is $17.50 per day or $85 for the entire week. Camp hours are 7:00am 6:00pm. Registration forms are available online at <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com and are available at the Recreation Center.

Baseball Tomorrows Fund Grant: PLEASE HELP!! Willard Parks and Recreation has applied for a grant from the Baseball Tomorrows Fund. The amount applied for is $34,668.98. The grant is through Major League Baseball. If awarded we will receive:

15 new size and weight appropriate metal baseball bats

40 new size appropriate masked helmets

15 new dozen baseballs

500 uniform tops

500 uniform bottoms/500 pairs of socks/500 hats

8 sets of safe and size appropriate catchers equipment

8 catchers mitts

500 size appropriate gloves

50 team equipment bags

50 scorebooks

50 first aid kits

Grant winners will be announced in the spring 2009. If awarded, this grant will provide uniforms and proper equipment for our teams. To help get approved we need your help. If you believe that Willard will benefit from the above items, then please write an email stating how much this grant will benefit our kids who play baseball or softball. After you type this email please send to <mailto:parkdir@cityofwillard.org>parkdir@cityofwillard.org and we will forward to the Baseball Tomorrows Fund. Thank you for your help!

Project Playground: Willard Parks & Recreation is under taking a project for 2009. The project is entitled Project Playground. The goal of this project is to raise $12,000. The raised money will be used to purchase and install a new playground at the Highline Soccer Park (home of the Willard Soccer & Flag Football league). Events will be planned throughout 2009 to raise funds.

1st Event: Silent Auction Information: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting a Silent Auction on Saturday February 28th, 2009 to raise funds for Project Playground. The Silent Auction will be held in the community room at the Willard Recreation Center from 1:00pm 8:00pm. Auction items include sports memorabilia, tickets to area attractions, gift cards and much more. We encourage everyone to come and support Project Playground.

March Madness Basketball Tournament: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting a basketball tournament March 6th -8th at the Willard Recreation Center for 3rd 6th grade. Fees are $115 for in town teams and $130 for out of town teams.

Kansas City Wizards Passback Program: Willard Parks and Recreation has been selected to take part and receive donations in the Kansas City Wizards / US Soccer Foundation Passback Program. The Passback Program is a grassroots initiative designed to help meet the soccer uniform and equipment needs of all communities, regardless of income, gender or location. The Kansas City Wizards will be collecting new soccer equipment from March June of this year. After the drive, a large portion of the donations will be coming directly to the Willard Parks and Recreation Department. The donations will be distributed to the Willard Soccer teams for the fall 2009 season.

Scholarship Program: Willard Parks and Recreation is bringing back the Sports Scholarship Program. 2 scholarships will be awarded per sports season. Only one scholarship is allowed per person per year. The scholarship only covers the $35 registration fee. Scholarship forms are available at the Recreation Center. For more information please contact Kevin McDonald at (417)742-2262. Thank you to Jackie Stiles of the Jackie Stiles Basketball Camp for donating money to bring the scholarship program back.

KenKarJu-Ruy 2009: Register now for KenKarJu-Ryu martial arts. This family oriented art focuses on courtesy, respect, self-discipline, self-defense, self-improvement, physical fitness and FUN! Classes are offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30pm 7:30pm at the Willard Community Building for anyone ages 7 and up. The fee is $50 for the entire eight week session. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Session 1: 1/5 2/26 Session 2: 3/2 4/30 Session 3: 6/1 7/23 Session 4: 8/3 9/28 Session 5: 10/5 11/23

Beginner Belly Dancing: Willard Parks and Recreation will be offering Belly Dancing Classes. All adults are eligible to attend. The cost is $40 per participant. This program is a 5 week session and will be held on Wednesdays from 7:00pm 8:00pm. Spots are limited. Beginner belly dancing is for ages 15 and up. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Upcoming Sports Registrations: Spring Soccer Registration: March 2nd March 31st Spring Soccer is for grades pre-k 6th. The fee to participate is $35. Games: April 25th May 30th (Saturday games)

Flag Football Registration: March 2nd 31st Flag Football is for grades 1st 6th. The fee to participate is $35. Games: April 25th May 30th (Saturday games)

Spring Volleyball Registration: March 2nd 31st Spring Volleyball Registration is for grades 1st 6th. The fee to participate is $35. Games: April 28th May 26th (Friday games)

Competitive Baseball Registration: March 2nd March 31st Competitive Baseball Registration is for 3rd 6th grade. The fee to participate is $200 for in town teams and $225 for out of town teams.

Competitive Soccer Registration: March 2nd 31st Competitive Soccer Registration is for U8 U15. The fee to participate is $200 for in town teams and $225 for out of town teams.

Adult Basketball Session 2: Willard Parks and Recreation will be offering session 2 of adult basketball from March 14th April 11th at the Recreation Center. The deadline to register is February 28th, 2009. Fees are $250 per team. All teams will play 7 games. Registration forms are available now at the Recreation Center.

Adult Volleyball: Willard Parks and Recreation is offering an adult volleyball league from March 5th April 16th at the Recreation Center. The deadline to register is February 28th, 2009. Fees are $175 per team. Games will be played on Thursday and Friday nights. All teams will play 7 games. Registration forms are available now at the Recreation Center.

3 v 3 Basketball League: Willard Parks and Recreation is offering a 3 v 3 basketball league for all high school grades. Games will be held on Monday afternoons from March 2nd March 23rd. The deadline to register is February 21st, 2009. All teams will play 6 games plus a tournament. Fees are $50 per team. Registration forms are available now.

April Sports Camps: In April, Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting 3 sports camps instructed by the Willard High School Athletic Department.

Camp: Soccer Location: Highline Soccer Park Day/Date: Saturday April 18th Times: K thru 2nd grade 9:00am 12:00pm & 3rd thru 6th grade 1:00pm 4:00pm

Camp: Volleyball Location: Willard Recreation Center Day/Date: Saturday April 18th Times: K thru 2nd grade 9:00am 12:00pm & 3rd thru 6th grade 1:00pm 4:00pm

Camp: Flag Football Location: Highline Soccer Park Day/Date: Sunday April 19th

Times: 1st thru 6th Grade 1:00pm 4:00pm

Mark Your Calendar: Willard Easter Egg Hunt: April 4th at 9:00am at the Recreation Center

Blood Drive: April 4th from 9:30am 12:30pm at the Recreation Center

Movie in the Park: Friday May 22nd at Jackson St. Park: Movie is Kung Fu Panda

Willard Outing to the Springfield Cardinals Game: June 4th. Tickets go on sale in May

Willard Golf Scramble: Friday May 8th at Green Hills Country Club

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

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