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: March 23 First Day of Spring Break April 13 Monday after Easter

District Office Redistricting is complete! Last week the Willard Board of Education voted to finalize the newly established boundary lines for elementary schools. This project began several months ago and resulted in untold numbers of planning hours for administrators and directors. Dr. Royal and I hosted eight community meetings, working hard to keep the community informed during the process. We also listened to concerns and relayed those to the Board of Education. I believe it will be several years until any adjustment to the boundary lines will be required. All buildings have room to grow. The decision to drop Willard North and Orchard Hills below 300 was intentional. At the current time there are few homes under construction, however we all know this housing drop will not last forever. Orchard Hills contains several inactive subdivisions. At the point when the economy begins to grow these subdivisions will once again begin to build homes for new students. Willard North was dropped below 300 to provide additional room for Willard Intermediate School. It does not take a crystal ball to predict that 3-4 years from now we will most likely be formulating a plan to relieve crowding at this building. I am certain that we were not able to please everyone in this process, however I will tell you that we did listen to everyone! We recognize that the community is the life blood of a school district. Willard is fortunate to have tremendous elementary schools. Every building has its own unique personality while at the same time the common focus is always centered on young people. The new attendance boundaries are on the district web-site. We will be sending out specific communication to all families in the near future. I would like to thank the following people for a job well done in this huge district effort! Dr. Janell Royal Assistant Superintendent Matthew Young Computer Technology Specialist Forrest Owens Director of Transportation Kara Crighton-Smith Elementary Principal Melinda Miller Elementary Principal Rhonda Bishop Elementary Principal Shane Medlin Elementary Principal

Have a great Spring Break! Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Special Services Willard North, Special Services and teacher Tammy Murray are extremely proud of Braxton B. for earning his special award of horse-back riding this past Tuesday. Braxton, who works on a behavior incentive program through Ms. Murray, determined earlier in the year his goal was to ride a horse, and ride he did! Coach Bills and Coach Gold, who are part of his incentive plan, brought him to ride Penny, our mare, and it was quickly discovered Braxton is a natural at riding! What a fun time it was for all of us as we walked and walked and walked and walked............... along side him and leading Penny! (It seems Coach Gold's plan was for him to just get use to sitting in the saddle for a few minutes this first venture and progress to riding in later visits, but Braxton had other plans)! He is eager to continue working toward his next outing and I bet we will be seeing him on Penny again soon! Thank you Ms. Murray, Coach Bills, and Coach Gold for helping Braxton achieve his goal.

Special services would like to wish all staff and students a wonderful, restful break. We hope your days are filled with fun and sun! Sandy Gold, Director of Special Services

Willard High School This week Willard FFA hosted Area Leadership contests in the HS commons and classrooms. The high school turned into as sea of Blue and Gold as 30+ schools attended the event wearing thier FFA gear. Classrooms were converted into testing areas for FFA members to demonstrate their knowledge and skill multiple FFA leadership categories. The Willard FFA team placed many students within the top qualifiers. Earl Pummill and Chad Cook both received thier State FFA Degrees, while Austin Reade advanced to district level in Public Speaking, and state level in Treasurer Book. Jennifer Williams, Alex Smith, Anson Smith (second place), and Bradley Rummel (third place) all received awards in different record book categories. Many other honorable mention awards were collected by the Willard FFA Team. Dana Kimmons and Steven Prewitt head up the FFA program for Willard. The Willard students and sponsors hosted a fine event, and competed well with area schools. We look forward to hearing more from the FFA Team as they compete throughout the spring. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Middle School The Middle School would like to wish everyone a Great Spring Break!! Tom Merriott WMS Asst. Principal

Willard Intermediate School What a day to be a part of WIS! Our student council kicked off our "Pay it Forward" initiative with a building wide assembly today. If you are not familiar with this concept or have not seen the 2000 movie here is the basic idea: do something you would not normally do to help someone else but they cannot pay you back, they instead must pay it forward to someone else. They in turn do the same for someone else and the "good deed" is potentially passed on indefinitely. The goal of this is to make our schools, homes, and community a more positive place one kind act at a time.

Today each student received a "Pay it Forward" bracelet to help remind them of what they are now a part of which they can then give to someone else. Although participation is completely voluntary we hope each student chooses to be a part of this. Our student council developed, implemented, and funded this entire plan. We want to thank each of its members for allowing us to be a part of it! Thanks also to our student council sponsors that have put so much time and effort in to make this possible!! Tom Davis, Principal

Willard Central Elementary Mark your calendars now for the Willard Central PTO Carnival on Saturday, May 2nd from 3:00-5:00. It looks to be a wonderful event filled with exciting games, activities, dunking booths, inflatables, food, fantastic themed baskets to raffle off, and a live auction that will include a family vacation package to Disneyland in Florida. Our PTO has been working overtime on this wonderful evening and we are still collecting items for the themed baskets if you would like to contribute. Patrons can contact our school office, classroom teachers or PTO members about items for the baskets.

Friday afternoon, we celebrated our students hard work from the 3rd quarter at our Terrific Tiger Celebration. Thanks again to our Student Council, Mrs. Gromer and Mrs. Miller for their hard work in putting on a great show!

WC students and teachers have been working hard and we are looking forward to Spring Break starting next Tuesday. We will see everyone on Monday at school for a snow make-up day. Have a safe and relaxing spring break. Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary OVER $5,000 and still counting!!! Willard East EXCEEDED our goal of $4,000 for our 1st ever Read-a-Thon!!! Principal Miller has to sit on the roof with purple hair and read ALL DAY! We will be sure to let you know when that date is scheduled so you can drive by and wave, and bring Starbucks of course:):) This has definitely been an exciting fundraiser that we will do every year! I am a little worried about the challenges the kids come up with but it is always for a good cause.

Pizza Party Monday - The top money raisers in each classroom will celebrate with Principal Miller on Monday during a pizza party! After Spring Break the classrooms who met their reading goals will be able to choose from a list of extra privileges. 75% of the class had to reach their goal in order to choose an extra activity to participate in.

Spring Conference Wrap-up: This week Willard East teachers are wrapping up their Spring Conferences. These were informal conferences and not required. Many parents have scheduled face-to-face conferences while others have held phone conferences. Our goal is to always keep open lines of communication. Spring Conferences were suggested in the fall and we feel it is important to touch base one more time before the end of the school year. Our teachers are great at keeping parents informed so I must compliment them again for going that extra mile with Spring Conferences. If were not able to attend or missed your conference time, please call your child's teacher and he/she will be happy to set something up for you.

MAP Flap - The MAP test is coming! The MAP test is coming! This is an exciting time for us because our students actually get excited about this. They have been preparing for this their entire elementary career and look forward to all the extra privileges that go along with MAP testing. This year's skit will be even better than last year. Join us before MAP testing for the Willard East version of "MAP Idol!" You will not want to miss this. We do need your help with a few supplies: small packages of Kleenex, gallon size Zip-lock bags, plain #2 pencils, and post-it notes. These are extremely important for the success of our students on this important test. We would greatly appreciate any donation you would be willing to make.

School is in session Monday...then ENJOY YOUR SPRING BREAK!!! Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary The last week before Spring Break has been very busy! On Wednesday we had our monthly Super Tiger. The Drum Core from the High School entertained us during the celebration. We loved it! Thank you to Mr. Chapman and the group of students who came over to play for us!

The 2nd grade students performed their music program Thursday night. It was yet another great performance by our talented students. Students were Singing in the Rainand having a great time. Thank you Mrs. Reed!

Kindergarten authors decorated the halls this week with all their wonderful writing. If you are at North, please take the time to see the wonderful stories that these authors have created.

We will be having a Pizza Inn Night starting at 6:00 p.m. 3rd and 4th grade teachers will be serving pizza to hungry students and parents. We are continuing to raise money for our MAP incentive. Come and join us for a slice of pizza pie.

Reminder for next weekwe will be in school on Monday, March 23rd. This is a snow make up day. Please remember that it is also an early out Monday, and we will be dismissing at 3:00.

Upcoming Events: March 23 Make up snow day March 24-27 Spring Break March 30 Pizza Inn Night

Principals Rhonda Bishop and Angela Stevens

Willard South Elementary I want to thank our FACT and Communication Arts Cadres for doing a wonderful job with our Sock Hop on Thursday evening. We had a great crowd in attendance. I know that everyone enjoyed the music, dancing, games, pictures, tropical decorations and snacks. We have a couple of talented teachers and parents who can do the Electric Slide and Macarena! I might have to recruit these people for future motivational assemblies at school. On Friday, we celebrated our 3rd quarter Tiger Pride Assembly. Congratulations to all of the students for receiving awards and working hard! *Don't forget that we will have school on Monday, March 23rd. 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

Kevin McDonald: Director Courtney Wendel: Sports Coordinator Brandon Eckhardt: Recreation Specialist

Willard's Annual Easter Egg Hunt When: Saturday April 4th Where: Willard Recreation Center (meeting inside the large gym) Time: 9:00am Who: 0-3 may hunt with an adult, 4-6 may hunt by themselves & 7-12 hunt by themselves What: Meet the Easter Bunny, get your face painted, hunt for eggs, play games and much more!!

Blood Drive: 9:30am - 12:30pm on Saturday April 4th at the Willard Recreation Center. For eligibility check out <http://www.cbco.org>www.cbco.org.

www.willardparks.com:

Please visit our website at <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com and take part in the online opinion poll.

Missouri State Bears: Willard Parks & Recreation presents The Missouri State Bears Mens Basketball Team and Coaches on Saturday April 25th from 10:00am - 12:00pm. Come meet, take pictures and get autographs from the players and coaches. The event is free to attend and will be held at the Willard Recreation Center in the Murray Community Room. Don't miss this great opportunity to meet collegiate athletes in person. For more information please contact (417)742-2262.

Spring Clean Up: Saturday March 28th, 2009 at the Willard Recreation Center from 8:30am - 3:00pm. The following items will be accepted: Washers & Dryers, Stoves, Water Heaters, Air Conditioners, Tin, Fence Wire (rolled up), Auto Parts, Auto Batteries, and Bicycles & Aluminum. NO WOOD, LUMBER, TIRES, OR GARBAGE will be accepted. The Spring Clean up is provided as a community service for the Willard citizens.

Gym Closing: The Willard Recreation Center gym will be closing April 6th - 10th. The gym is getting resurfaced.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Movie in the Park: Friday May 22nd at Jackson St. Park at 9:00pm (Kung Fu Panda) Willard Outing to the Springfield Cardinals Game: June 4th

Willard Rummage Sale: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting a Rummage Sale on Saturday, April 25th from 8:00am - 1:00pm. Cost for a booth space is $15 and $2 for table. Call (417)742-2262 to reserve your booth. This is a huge yard sale (but indoors of course)!!

Spring Break Camp: Willard Parks and Recreation will be hosting a Spring Break Camp for grade K - 6th from March 24th - March 27th at the Recreation Center. The fee to attend is $17.00 per day or $68 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.

Grant Update: Willard Parks and Recreation has applied for the playground surfacing grant in the amount of $5000 from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Willard has applied for a 2nd grant in the amount of $5000 from the Kansas City Royals.

Willard Parks and Recreation will be notified this month if awarded a US Soccer Foundation Grant.

Summer Camp Registration: May 1st -15th Willard Parks and Recreation will be providing summer camp for children who have completed Kindergarten thru completion of 5th grade. Session 1 camp will run May 26th - June 26th. Camp hours will be 7:00am - 6:00pm Monday through Friday. Campers will need a lunch brought to camp each day. 2 daily snacks will be provided. Daily activities , camp shirts and field trips are included in the tuition fee. Tuition fees are $95 per week (prepay weekly- no prorated weeks are available). First week of camp is $76 due to Monday, May 25th being a holiday. If entire session 1 tuition fees are paid in full, there is a $5 discount per week. Registration forms are available at the Willard Recreation Center.

Freedom Fest: Preparation has begun for Freedom Fest 2009. This 4th of July Celebration will be held Saturday July 4th. Visit <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com in the coming months for details.

Scout Project: Thank you to Willard High Student Dale Hamilton for agreeing to construct two new signs for Jackson St. Park. Dale will be constructing these signs in the coming weeks. This project is so Dale can obtain his Eagle Scout.

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 Triathlonis $40 to participate. The race includes running, swimming and biking through and around Willard. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Scholarship Program: Thank you to a Willard Park Board Member for donating $105 to the Sports Scholarship Program. To date, a total of $210 has been raised for the sports scholarship program. If you would like to obtain information about the Sports Scholarship Program please call (417)742-2262.

Conco Quarries Donation: Willard Parks and Recreation would like to thank Conco Quarries for donating $5000 to the Willard Parks Department. The donation will help fund family friendly events in 2009. Thank you Conco!!

Project Playground: Willard Parks and Recreation wishes to thank everyone who helped make the silent auction that was held Saturday February 28th very successful. Close to $1000 was raised. This event kicks off Project Playground. More fundraising events will be planned throughout this year to raise funds to purchase and install a new playground at Willard's Highline Soccer Park. Thank you!!

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

Childrens Dance Classes:

Register now for Childrens Dance. Hurry, spots are limited.

Creative Dance: Ages 3-5: Classes on Tuesday Afternoons

Ballet and Tap: Ages 5 & up: Classes on Tuesdays & Thursdays

Jazz: Ages 9 & up: Classes on Tuesdays

Classes are 8 weeks. The fee is $50 - $65. Registration forms are availability at the Recreation Center. For more information please call Ms. Patrice at 818-3659 or 833-8631

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. Registration forms are available at the Recreation Center.

Session 1: 1/14 - 2/11 Session 2: 2/18 - 3/18 Session 3: 4/1 - 4/29 Session 4: 5/6 - 6/3

Spring Sports Registrations: Sign up Now: Spring Soccer Registration: March 2nd March 31st Spring Soccer is for grades pre-k 8th. 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 8th. 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 K 8th. 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 U13. The fee to participate is $200 for in town teams and $225 for out of town teams.

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 25th 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

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