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

Goals that require perfection are very hard to accomplish. Educators quickly think of NCLB and the goal that states 100% of all kids will be proficient in Math and Communication Arts by the year 2014. I am sure that you are thankful that this Pride article is not about issues which surround NCLB, but it does provide an excellent example of the difficulty to achieve a perfect rating. Each year public school transportation departments are inspected for compliance with state guidelines in respect to busses. This inspection is critical to the safety of the students that are transported each and every day. This inspection is not a simple walk around the bus parking lot but a very extensive audit of the actual vehicles. This year the Willard Transportation Department scored a perfect 100% rating on their inspection. My congratulations to Forrest, Randy, Jeff, Judy, and all the drivers. It takes a team effort to keep our fleet running at top level. Drivers must be consistent in their daily walk around inspections, mechanics must be skilled and proactive in maintenance, and supervisors must have high expectations and accountability for all involved. Congratulations to all the employees in the transportation department. Job well done!!!

Have a great week!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Activities

Winter sports are nearing their conclusion and the Tigers are preparing to roar into district and state competition.

Congratulations to the boy's basketball team as they defeated Carthage and Neosho during the last week. The boys will host Republic in a 3-game night tonight with the freshmen starting at 5:00. Coach Evans has his Tigers rolling as they have won 8 out of their last 11 and rode that hot streak to a #3 seed in the Class 5 District 12 tournament and will play Neosho in the first round. The Tigers will host Nixa next Tuesday before ending their regular season at Ozark next Friday.

The Lady Tigers got a huge win on Monday as they defeated COC rival Branson at home. The girls received the #5 seed in the district tournament and will play Hillcrest in the opening round. They will travel to Ozark next Monday before ending their regular season by hosting Nixa on Thursday. Good Luck Ladies!

The wrestling Tigers start their district tournament tonight at Branson and will continue through tomorrow. The top four finishers in each weight division will move on to the state tournament next week. Good luck to all of the wrestlers!

A special congratulations to Garrett Mayfield, and Justin Cobb for signing letters of intent to play football at Missouri Southern and to Bryce Harris for signing a letter of intent to play football at Missouri S & T.

Also, a special congratulations to Chris Church and the band program for their MSHSAA academic recognition. The band earned the honor by accumulating a 3.48 GPA for the entire Marching Band!

Spring sports starts in two weeks!!!

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

Special Services

Special services staff, along with MS, are extremely proud of student David W. for his continual acts of kindness and generosity. This past Sunday marked the 30th birthday of MS teacher Matt Reynolds. The day ended up being a "colossal failure" and ended with no celebration or birthday acknowledgement of any kind. Coach Reynolds shared this story with his students and the next morning student David W. came into his class with a banana cinnamon birthday cake which he had made from scratch! Coach Reynolds commented David will never know how much making him that cake meant as it was probably the single nicest thing a student has ever done for him. This is only one act of kindness David is known for. He baked cupcakes for all the participants and volunteers involved in the therapeutic riding program, sent special birthday cards to special services staff and continually demonstrates ways to make those around him feel special. We appreciate also his mom, Dottie, who supports David in his generosity and has taught him the importance of social manners. David has grown in many ways during his time here at Willard and we are so proud of this fine young man! Sandy Gold, Director of Special Services

Willard High School

The High School has been very busy with several activities and events. We are currently in the middle of an interdisciplinary unit titled "The Vietnam Project". Teachers from different disciplines have been meeting since October in preparation of a thematic unit surrounding the war in Vietnam. Faculty from Math, Science, Social Studies, Communication Arts, Building Trades, Fine Arts ( Music and Theater ),FACS, Special Services, and Vocational Programs all collaborated and incorporated lessons surrounding each educational discipline with the Vietnam time period. Students have constructed a Vietnam Wall Memorial model in the commons area with names of student and faculty family members who served in Vietnam. On Thursday, February 12th, students were provided assemblies with readings, music, dramatic interpretations, and personal testimonials from individuals that served in Vietnam. It was a very moving experience for both participants and observers. Thursday February 19th, and Friday February 20th, the WHS drama department will perform a play called "A Piece of My Heart". Written by a group of women who served as nurses in midst of Vietnam. The performance begins at 7:30pm in the High School Theater.

We have a special young lady who is extremely talented. Jazmine Johnson has reached another level in the National Achievement Scholarship selection process. Jazmine was notified she was a finalist of a total of 1,500 nation wide finalist. According to an article in the Springfield News-Leader, she is the only finalist in Southwest Missouri area. Jazmine will be notified on April 8th if she is one of 800 National Achievement Scholarship Award winners. Here is a link to the News-Leader Story:

<http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090 2031241/BLOGS10/90203027>http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbc s.dll/article?AID=/200902031241/BLOGS10/90203027

We are proud of Jazmine and her abilities; she is a great representative of Willard. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Intermediate School

 OK. I know the groundhog saw his shadow last week but it sure does not feel like winter outside. It has been great for our students to get out and enjoy the nice weather!

This week we saw mid-quarter reports go home on Tuesday. Please take time to go over these with your student and contact the school with any questions you might have. Thursday afternoon the halls were filled with the wonderful smells of our cooking club as they cooked up some great Japanese cuisine. Across the hall our science club got to experience some great hands on experiments with the help of the folks from Mad Science.

Today the building is full of pink hearts and candy-grams for Valentine's Day. Our students are looking forward to the classroom parties at the end of the day. Thanks to all our homeroom parents that have volunteered their time and money to make these possible! Tom Davis, Principal

Willard Central Elementary

It has been a week of family fun at WC. We started with our PTO meeting on Monday evening followed by our math cadres Family Math Night on Tuesday. We had more than 100 students and their families attend the event to participate in our Winter Math Stations. A special thank you to the math cadre for all of their hard work on creating a wonderful evening! This afternoon, parents will join us for our classroom Valentines Day Parties. Their help in making these events memorable for our students is greatly appreciated!

Upcoming Events and Announcements:

Please remember that we will be in session on Monday, February 16th for a snow make-up day.

Parents of 3rd and 4th grade students can look for PUSH (Providing Unique Student Help) information to come home soon. This after-school program will support students in their Communication Arts and Math skills as we prepare for the MAP test in April.

There will be a PTO Carnival Meeting at 6:00 pm on Tuesday the 17th.

Have a great weekend and a Happy Valentines Day! Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

Happy Valentine's Day from Willard East! Today has been a festive day! Elementary schools are usually a fun place to work but it is extra fun on party days. Both for students and teachers. We had lunch parties and afternoon parties and morning parties, etc.

Our students and faculty are gearing up for our 1st Read-a-Thon. Students will begin collecting pledges from family members in a couple of weeks. We are promoting reading by reading! Our money goal is to raise $4,000. When we reach this goal Principal will sit on the roof and read for the day. Other goals that are reached will be celebrated with pizza parties, extra recess, etc. Please join us Friday Feb. 27 at our Tiger Pride event when we kick of this exciting fundraiser! Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all! The spirit of love is filling Willard North today! Just a reminder that we DO have school on Monday! On another note, I want to congratulate the Willard Student Council for collecting $1,082.00 in their coin drive to support the troops. They will be donating this money to the KTTS Shoebox for Soldiers campaign where they send boxes of supplies to local soldiers. Our dollars will support postage to send these. Dyllon S. did a great job on the air at KTTS telling what our kids had done. Thanks to Ashley Perryman, Josh Angel, Tara Palmer and Lesley Farley for helping the students organize this great event. Rhonda Bishop, Principal

Willard South Elementary

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Students love to deliver their cards and gifts to all of their friends. I always enjoy seeing all of the creative boxes that parents and students have created. It truly is a special time to show the true spirit of friendship and giving. It really brings out the best in everyone! This week our PE classes were also busy with Jump Rope for Heart. A big thank you to Coach Ferguson for all of her hard work with this event. Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget tell that special someone how lucky you are to have them in your life! 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

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.

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.

Food Drive: Willard Parks and Recreation is hosting a food drive throughout the 2009 Session 2 Basketball Season. Can goods can be dropped off at the Recreation Center through March 7th. All proceeds will benefit the Willard Food Pantry. For more information please call Kevin at (417)742-2262.

Recreation Center: A new Community section has been added to the Recreation Center. Various times throughout the week people come to the Recreation Center and want to post a flyer to advertise a community wide activity or event. In response to this we have added a community section for these groups to post their flyers. This section is located right as you enter the Recreation Center. This section includes a bulletin board and a paper rack.

Official Parks Slogan: The Willard Park Board voted at the January Park Board Meeting to officially have a Parks and Recreation Slogan. After an online poll at <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com and a discussion at the Park Board Meeting, the new Willard Parks and Recreation Slogan is When youre ready to play.

Baseball Field Renovation: Renovation has begun on the Willard Baseball/Softball Complex. Projects completed include a new ticket taking booth, a new garden around the electrical boxes and the bleachers being painted. The renovation will continue in the coming months.

Highline Soccer Park: Preparation continues for the opening of our new Highline Soccer Park. A new 4 x 8 sign for the front entrance has been purchased to welcome park users. The sign was paid for through the Tour of Missouri grant. Donated picnic tables from Commerce Bank will also be installed in the coming weeks.

St. Louis Rams: Willard Parks and Recreation is teaming up with the St. Louis Rams Professional Football Team. Details of our partnership will be made known in the coming weeks.

Willards First Triathlon: Willard Parks and Recreation in conjunction with Ridge Runner Sports will be hosting our first Triathlon on Saturday June 20th beginning at the Community Building. The Triathlon entitled the Frisco Runaway Triathlon is $40 to participate. The race includes running, swimming and biking through and around Willard. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Email List: Willard Parks and Recreation sends out this weekly email to keep everyone informed. If you know someone who would like to be added to the email list please have them send their email address to <mailto:parkdir@cityofwillard.org>parkdir@cityofwillard.org.

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.

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

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