District Newsletter

Click here for WCCF Fall Harvest Festival Information

District Office

Wash your hands, gargle with salt water, drink lots of water , etc..... I would guess local Doctors are tired of giving out this advice!

The last few days all Willard Schools have reported higher than normal absence due to illness. I thought that I would put out a few facts to help rumors not to spread wild.

1. Attendance in the district has remained strong. Willard schools maintain a yearly average attendance of 94+%. The worst daily attendance in any building has been 80%. The entire district average has remained over 90%.

2. There are NO confirmed cases of H1N1, however I am sure that many of students represent unconfirmed cases. Dr.'s are simply guessing if a student has the correct symptoms then they are most likely suffering from H1N1.

3. Administration has instructed nurses to work closely with parents to encourage students to stay at home until they have been fever free for at least 24 hours.

4. Much of the sickness is not the flu but upper respiratory infections, which has also added to the absentee list.

5. The district will not consider shutting down unless a building is affected to a much higher level. We will consult with Greene County Health Department before making any decisions regarding school closings. Some recommendations that I have received from the State are as high as 30% absence before considering closing school. I certainly hope we do not reach that level.

6. The district is bringing in sub-custodians to help with extra cleaning. I have asked all principals to enlist the help of teachers and students to wipe down desks and chairs at the end of each day.

7. The district has been identified as a site for H1N1 vaccine distribution. We currently do not have hard dates, times, or quantities which will be available. When we receive that information we will get it out ASAP! At this time we have not been assured that all staff will be eligible.

Once again, this is a time to utilize good health practices, hand washing, etc... I have quit shaking hands and giving hugs for a few days. (Sorry Nurse Charlotte! She is one of my favorite people in the district to get a smile and a hug. However, I have avoided the hug and only accepted the smile for a few days!) I would encourage all of us not to get caught up in the rumor mill. If you have questions please speak with your school nurse or administrator to get the facts!!

I hope this helps to bring some facts to our current status! Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Activities

While the season has ended for softball and girls golf, the other fall sports are just starting their district play. Football, soccer, volleyball, and cross country will all find out if they get to advance to state competition over the next week and I wouldn't bet against our Tigers!

Football will host their final home game of the season tonight as they take on Marshfield in district play. They will finish their regular season next Thursday at Hillcrest. If the boys can win both of those games they will be in the playoffs! Good luck Tigers!

Willard will be the host site of the volleyball district tournament which will begin at 4:00 on Monday. Our volleytigers will open play at 8:30 that night against Parkview. The girls earned the 3rd seed behind Kickapoo and Webb City. The tournament will conclude on Tuesday with the semifinals and finals beginning at 5:00. Also, congratulations to the volleytigers on last nights victory over Marshfield.

Cross country will run in their district meet this Saturday at Nixa. The girl's race will begin at 11:00 and the boy's race at 11:30. Those who qualify will run next week in the sectional meet at Camdenton.

The soccer Tigers are having a hard time finding someplace to play that isn't flooded! But they still managed to squeak in a win vs. Rogersville last week before losing a heart-breaker to Neosho. The boys will be at Greenwood next Monday before hosting Hillcrest on Thursday. Districts will begin on Oct. 31st in Joplin.

The "Cutting Edge" will not be performing this Saturday in Warrensburg due to illness circulating in the band. Mr. Church is hoping to get them healthy in time to compete at Mizzou next Saturday. By the way, they pretty much brought home all the bacon last Saturday at the Ozarko Marching Festival at MSU. Great job Cutting Edge!

For those of you who like to eat...and eat...and eat...choir is having an all-you-can-eat pancake feed at the southside Applebee's tomorrow morning from 8:00am - 10:00am. I personally challenge anyone to beat my record (I won't disclose the number because I don't want to embarrass my wife).

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

Director of Special Services

"A Sporting Chance" bowling season has begun and practice is underway for 27 Willard Special Services students. All buildings are represented with students who will be practicing October 24th and November 7th at Sunshine Lanes.

Special Services "Breakfast with Santa" will be November 21st from 7-11 a.m. to support Willard's "A Sporting Chance" and Partners in Strength. Price will be $5.00 for pancakes, drink and a 5x7 photo with Santa. Holiday calendars are filling up quickly so pencil in this event to support our students with special needs! Sandy Gold, Director of Special Services

Willard High School

The HS has been busy with activities and winding down the Fall season. Saturday, October 17th, WHS hosted the annual WHS Speech & Debate Tournament. The tournament brought students from southwest Missouri to compete in a variety of categories. Mrs. Spangler (WHS Speech / Debate Sponsor) and her team of students worked hard and did a great job setting up rooms and organizing the events.

WHS DECA chapter joined with other DECA District 11 chapters and traveled to Dallas Texas on October 13th through 15th. While in Dallas, the students examined different aspects of marketing strategies and visited businesses located in the metropolitan area. In their spare time, students visited Cowboy Stadium, Texas School Depository and President Kennedy's parade route. It was a great experience to collaborate with other DECA chapters while learning business strategies and tools.

WHS FFA / Ag students are currently in Indianapolis Indiana, for the National FFA Convention. At the convention, FFA members will have an opportunity to hear nationally recognized speakers and participate in breakout sessions with FFA leaders from other states. Willard will be represented by Scott Larson, who will be competing in Engineering Division I. Scott's project involves wood gasification ( Scott calculated the energy output produced by different wood types when charred ). We are very proud of Scott and his project.

WHS Theater is working hard in preparation of their "Red Ribbon Tours". The performance groups will provide skits and small one-act plays to promote making positive choices to other buildings within the district.

WHS FCCLA hosted their fall Blood drive on Friday, October 16th in the Auxiliary gym. FCCLA students set a goal for 2009-2010 of 135 units. Students, Parents, and Community members joined forces and "Crushed" the goal by collecting 152 units of blood!!!! Willard once again comes through in a big way towards saving lives.

A reminder about Parent / Teacher Conferences which will be held Tuesday, October 27th from 5:30pm - 8:00pm and Wednesday, October 28th from 5:30pm - 8:00pm. Please give us a call and set up an appointment to meet with your student's teachers ( HS 417-742-3524 ). Stewart Pratt, HS Principal

Willard Middle School

Greetings from Willard Middle School. The weather has been somewhat dreary once again, but we did have one nice day of sunshine in the middle of the week, and still managed to get a great deal accomplished at WMS. Fall sports wrapped up, and winter sports are on the way. Boys basketball tryouts will be on Wednesday, Oct. 28th, from 2:45-5:00. Wrestling and Girls Basketball are also gearing up, and if you have any questions, please check with the coaches of each of these sports. By the way, make sure you have those physicals up to date if you want to play.

The science department played host to the Starlab this week, and it was a new and improved version with digital displays that the kids really enjoyed. Technology can really open doors that were previously unavailable to us, and we appreciate the fact that we are able to bring such things to the students of WMS. Next week will be our parent-teacher conferences, which will be on Tuesday and Thursday. Please make plans to come by and visit with the teachers, and see what our students have been up to so far. Putting out the effort to show your kids that their education is important to you makes it far more likely that it will become important to them as well.

Finally, we want to send out a big thank you to all of those in the district that helped to provide a special day for a special lady in our school. As many of you know, Tammy Woody is in the process of defeating cancer, and we all are looking for ways to help her in her efforts. This Thursday, while she was receiving treatments, hundreds of people wore a special T-shirt that displayed the message that we were in the battle with her, until she wins it once and for all. The show of unity and concern was awesome, and it meant a great deal to Tammy. The shirts are still available if you would like to be a part of this, and we thank each of you for your help and prayers along the way. Thanks for checking on us, and have a great weekend. (Remember, no school on Friday, 10/30!) Tom Merriott WMS Asst. Principal

Willard Central Elementary

WC celebrated students hard work from the first quarter at Community Time this week. We recognized students with perfect attendance and awarded the coveted Special Area Superhero Capes to the classes that best demonstrated our character education words. We also honored Ms. Joe Venzlauf and Mrs. Tina Laturno for their countless hours of service in volunteering at WC as our 1st quarter Everyday Heroes.

Our 3rd grade had a busy week performing their musical concert On the Radio. This wonderful program shared songs throughout the decades starting back in the Great Depression. A very special thank you to Mrs. Chatman and the 3rd grade students for such an amazing evening. The 3rd grade students then geared up the next day to head to Diamond, MO to visit the George Washington Carver State Park and Museum. It was an excellent educational trip and the students represented our school and community very well.

We will be packing a full week of activities into next week: Oct. 27/29 Student Led Conferences Oct. 26-29 WC Book Fair and Red Ribbon Week Oct. 30 No School

Stay dry and healthy! Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

Welcome to cold and flu season! This week Willard East has had a record number of absences due to illness. We have seen everything from the flu, to Strep Throat, to upper respiratory illness, etc. You name it and we may have seen it here at Willard East. We hope we have reached our peak of illness and that everyone will recover over the weekend. Please continue to refer to the Willard East website for news and information.

We need to be healthy because we have lots of exciting things coming up next week! * Parent/Teacher conferences will be held Tuesday and Thursday evening. * The Book Fair opened today! * Principal Miller will be "slimed" at Tiger Pride on Friday! For the most current Willard East information and updates please tune in to our building website at: http://willardeastelementary.edublogs.org

Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

We had wonderful weather for our fall carnival this past Saturday. There was a great turn out of students, parents, and teachers for rides and games. Thank you to all the parent, teacher, and high school student volunteers that helped with the carnival. Also, many thanks to our PTO for putting on such a wonderful time for our students and families.

We are looking at a very busy week next week!

10/27 and 10/29 Parent/Teacher Conferences 10/26 Our Book Fair Starts 10/26 Red Ribbon Week 10/28 Super Tiger Celebration

Have a wonderful and safe weekend! Angela Stevens, Principal

Willard South Elementary

Today we celebrated our first Tiger Pride Assembly of the year. CONGRATULATIONS to all of the students who received awards this quarter! Next week we are looking forward to Red Ribbon week, Parent/Teacher Conferences, Fall parties and NO SCHOOL on Friday. 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.

The WCCF Fall Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the High School Commons Area. Join us for free hamburgers and hotdogs, a dessert auction and loads of fun for the entire family. Live music by The Old Wire Road!

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Homemade Ice Cream Auction at 6:30 p.m. Pie and Cake Auction at 7:00 p.m.

Proceeds from the auction benefit the Willard Children's Charitable Foundation. (Special auction items to benefit the Clint Anderson Medical Fund.) We hope to see you there!

Willard Parks and Recreation

Kevin McDonald: Director Shawn Trent: Interim Sports Coordinator Brandon Eckhardt: Recreation/Aquatics Specialist Tina Christiansen: Front Desk Programmer

Thank you to everyone who registered for the 2009 Session 1 Basketball and Cheerleading Season for Recreational and Competitive Leagues. Practices will begin soon.

Willard's Fall Sports Leagues continue games. Thank you to everyone who is participating in the Fall Soccer and Volleyball League.

Safe Halloween 2009: Saturday 10/24/09 Saturday October 24th at 5:30pm at the Willard Recreation Center. This year we will be collecting new and used toys for deserving area children. This event is FREE to attend. Wear your costume and trick or treat from local businesses, play games, and walk through the Willard Haunted House. For more information call 742-2262.

HARLEM LEGENDS: Meet the Legends: Come to the Willard Recreation Center and meet Harlem Legends Founder Michael Douglas on Monday October 26th from 5:00pm 5:45pm in the Big Gym. This event is FREE to attend. Come, listen and watch tricks from the Legends. You will also get a chance to get autographs and take pictures with the players. This event is meant to prepare the community for the Harlem Legends Game on Monday November 2nd at Willard High School.

Harlem Legends Celebrity Basketball Show: TICKETS ON SALE NOW!! Willard Parks and Recreation and CoxHealth Fitness Centers present the Harlem Legends vs. the Willard All-Stars on Monday November 2nd at Willard High School at 6pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students in advance at the Willard Recreation Center. The Harlem Legends are a group of professional athletes, former players from the Harlem Globetrotters, NBA, NFL, past USA Olympians, and other professionals. Legends include, Michael Douglas, Tyrone Hollywood Brown, Larry Shorty Coleman, Brandon McDonald, Woody Carter, Gator Rivers, Mike Glenn, Jimmy Bolden, L.T. Trahan, Wayne Arnold and Somer Easterwood. For more information call (417) 742-2262.

Grants Update: Willard Parks and Recreation has applied for grants from the US Soccer Foundation and USA Flag Football. Grants from these organizations will help purchase new sports equipment for the upcoming seasons.

Willard Park Board Openings: Are you interested in serving on the Willard Park Board? If so call Kate Gould at 742-5300 for more information.

Trees at Jackson St. Park: As you may have noticed, Empire Electric has cut down trees at Jackson St. Park. Empire Electric is offering a tree replacement program. At the next Park Board Meeting we will be selecting trees to plant at Jackson St. Park for replacements.

Parks and Recreation Website: Log onto http://www.willardparks.com to keep up with everything going on in the Willard Parks and Recreation Department.

Willard Child Care at the Recreation Center: Willard Parks and Recreation has begun child care at the Willard Recreation Center. This child care service is sponsored by the City of Willard and CoxHealth Fitness Centers. The child care takes place in the small classroom at the Recreation Center. Fees are $4 per child for up to two hours or an ALL ACCESS PASS for $24 for 12 times (up to 24 child care hours). This child care service may be used for any activity held at the Recreation Center including the Cox Fitness Center, Sports activities, etc. The parent or guardian must remain on the property while their child is in child care. The child care is only available for 18 months to 10 years old.

The hours for the child care at Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 8am 10am Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 5pm 9pm Tuesday & Thursday: 3pm 9pm

Fun 5K Run: Saturday 8am 11/21/09 at the Willard Community Building. The Race will be held on the Frisco Trail. The fee to participate is $15 for those who pre-register. Registration forms are at the Recreation Center.

Willard Parks and Recreation Facility Rentals: Holding Fee: $25, Refundable Deposit: $75 (excluding the Pavilion). Rental Areas: Willard Community Building: $15 hour / kitchen $25 flat fee, Large Gym at the Recreation Center: $25 hour, Small Gym at the Recreation Center: $20, Murray Community Room/Patio/Kitchen: $15 hour, Classroom/Conference Room: $12 hour, Jackson St Park Pavilion: $7.50 hour. For more information contact Tina at (417) 742-2262

Camps: Out of School Camps: Willard Parks and Recreation offers various camps throughout the entire year. All camps will be held at the Willard Recreation Center.

School Holiday Camp: October 30th Camp is for grades K 6th. The fee to attend is $17.50. A snack lunch must be brought to the camp. Camp hours are 7:00am 6:00pm.

Holiday Camp: 12/21/09, 12/22/09, 12/23/09, 12/28/09, 12/29/09, 12/30/09, Camp is for grades K 6th. The fee to attend is $17.50 per day. A snack lunch must be brought to the camp. Camp hours are 7:00am 6:00pm

Willard Play Group: COME OUT & PLAY with Willard's Playgroup! Come play every Wednesday from 9am - 11am at the Willard Recreation Center. This is a new opportunity for parents and kids to play, socialize and just have fun. Moms and Dads are invited to bring their infant through Pre-K aged children for FREE PLAY , STRUCTURED ACTIVITIES & MONTHLY WORKSHOPS. This playgroup is free and open to the community.

Christmas in Willard: Willard Parks and Recreations Annual Christmas in Willard Celebration will be held on Saturday December 12th at the Willard Recreation Center. This years activities include a silent auction, a Christmas Movie and pictures with Santa. Log onto <http://www.willardparks.com>www.willardparks.com for more information.

Ongoing and Upcoming Classes: Hula Hoop Classes: The Willard Parks & Recreation Department will offer Hula Hoop Classes. All adults and children ages 12 and older are eligible to attend. Costs for the lessons are $40 per participant. Please make all checks payable to Willard Parks and Recreation. This program will be a 5-week session and will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm 8:00pm. Limited spots available. Classes will run September 9th October 7th. Classes will be held at the Willard Recreation Center.

Beginner Belly Dancing: The Willard Parks & Recreation Department will offer Belly Dancing Classes. All adults are eligible to attend. Costs for the lessons are $40 per participant. Please make all checks payable to Willard Parks and Recreation. This program will be a 5-week session and will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm 8:00pm. Limited spots available. Classes will run October 21st November 18th. Classes will be held at the Willard Recreation Center.

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.

YOGA: 8 week sessions at the Willard Recreation Center. Classes are every Monday night at 6pm. Fees are $25 for Cox Members and $65 for non Cox members.

Childrens Dance Classes: Let your child grow through dance and experience its magic. These children dance classes offer an excellent way to keep fit, learn coordination, rhythm, social skills, confidence, and its FUN! The fall eight-week dance session will begin October 13th thru December 10th. Creative Dance is offered on Tuesday afternoons for ages 3-5; Ballet & Tap classes are available and offered on Tuesday or Thursday depending on age and/or level for ages 5 & up, fee is $50. Combination classes of Ballet, Tap, and Jazz for children ages 9 & up with prior dance experience will be taught on Tuesday evenings, fee is $65. Limited spaces are available so call Ms. Patrice today for class availability and registration information at 818-3659.

Kevin McDonald Parks and Recreation Director City of Willard