District Newsletter

Willard R-II Central Office

The Golden Rule even works among bitter rivals!!! Last week Southwest Missouri endured one of the worst nights of tornado activity on record. At least 29 tornados were recorded throughout the evening. Our district was very fortunate to have zero damage associated with the storm. Republic Elementary School was not as lucky. They had a large portion of its roof blown away by the storm. Rain after the fact also caused lots of damage. It was a blessing that no one was hurt because there were a group of children in the building when the storm hit. The next morning I called Pam Hedgpeth, Superintendent of Republic, to offer support and help in any way possible. Pam called back appreciative of the offer. Willard Intermediate School took the lead and started a collection for our neighbor. On Friday, Julie German, Principal at Willard Intermediate School, transported a load of coats and a check for $1,300 raised by the students to the Republic District Office. Julie was surprised when she arrived because there were two other conference schools that had similar gifts. These other schools were Branson and Reeds Spring. Pam called me later that afternoon and was clearly moved by the gift.

There is no greater rival that Willard has than Republic. It has been that way as far back as I remember when I was in grade school. However, I believe that our kids set the example by showing that when others are hurting Willard kids are going to respond. I appreciate the efforts of our students at Willard Intermediate School to help a fellow conference school. This is one of those times that I think they have taught us the best lesson of the week!!! I feel privileged to be the Superintendent of such great kids!

Have a great week!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin Superintendent of Schools

Director of Operations

The wrestling Tigers continued their COC dominance last week as they defeated Republic 56-16 on Tuesday. This keeps them undefeated in COC competition. They also broke into the state rankings this past week showing up at #10. They will wrestle at Bolivar on Tuesday starting at 6:00. They will then go to Reeds Spring on Friday and Saturday for the COC tournament. Good luck wrestlers!

The lady Tigers are on a nice roll. After dismantling Reeds Spring on Tuesday, they traveled to Lebanon on Thursday and defeated the Yellowjackets! The girls will be at Hillcrest tonight, game time is 6:00. They will then travel to Rogersville on Thursday in a 3-game night with the freshmen starting at 5:00.

The Tigers had an up and down week as they defeated Reeds Spring on Tuesday but fell to conference favorite Branson on Friday. The boys have a tough week ahead as they travel to Nixa on Tuesday with the freshmen starting at 5:00 and then travel to Republic on Friday with the freshmen starting at 5:00.

It's good to be a Tiger! Jeff Staley, Director of Operations

Director of Special Services

Special Services said good-bye to high school teacher, Laurie Stonebarger, December 21st, as she and her husband relocated to Oklahoma due to a career move on his part. This was Laurie's fifth year at Willard High where she has taught the Life Skills class for four of those years and the classroom for emotionally disturbed students prior to that. Laurie will be remembered by parents, grandparents, students, and staff for "My Time to Shine", a very special performance and opportunity for students with disabilities to demonstrate some of their skills and "show off" for family and friends. Last year's performance was especially touching and will remain a treasured memory for many. Laurie taught many of us with her excellent work ethic, desire to introduce her students to new experiences, provide daily transition lessons and her dedication and love for her students. Last Monday morning, as I read her good bye letter to them, it was obvious what an important teacher and friend she had become. We miss having Laurie with us and wish her much luck and happiness. Sandy Gold, Director of Special Services

Willard High School

Let's take a moment to look at Missouri's Statewide Testing program and the changes that will occur for WHS. The High School will be giving the MAP tests in early April with short break and then will participate in pilot testing the new Missouri End of Course Exams which are scheduled to replace the current MAP test format. The High School MAP will have a Science component which has been on a two year hiatus. End of Course Exams will be content specific ( Algebra I or English II for example ) instead of being based only on grade level. We will be communicating more information to parents of testing dates and times of both the MAP and the Pilot Exams. Stewart Pratt, Principal

Willard Middle School

This year we implemented a new program on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday called Core Advisory. This is modeled after the high school's TNT program but modified for the middle school. During the Core Advisory time students are given time to work on homework, take tests, etc. The staff is working on making it more effective this semester by targeting any zeroes that the students may have from the prior week. With these changes we are hoping to see a decrease in the number of zeroes and an increase in overall grades. Have a great week!! Amy Sims, Principal

Willard Intermediate School

Willard Intermediate School students, parents and staff left the Republic rivalry behind last week, and collected money and supplies to donate to their 5th and 6th grade school. When I delivered the check and some other items, I was told by the superintendent, Dr. Pam Hedgpeth, that several Central Ozarks Conference schools had extended a helping hand as well. Later, as I spoke with one of the principals there, we both agreed that being a "Tiger" is a good thing, and it's good to know there are friends across our region who will step in and help when the need arises. A huge thanks to our Intermediate School community for chipping in! Julie Germann, Principal

Willard Central Elementary

Friday, WC recognized students for academic honor roll, perfect attendance, and exceptional behavior during the Terrific Tiger Celebration for the 2nd Quarter. While it was a great time acknowledging our students hard work, the show was stolen by our special guests of the day. We were honored to have in attendance and to recognize Staff Sgt. George Tony Fisher of the 82nd Airborne Division. Sgt. Fisher is the proud father of kindergartner Aden and 6th grader Shaley. He has been home on an 18 day leave before he returns to service in Iraq. It was a privilege to have him in attendance and to present him with cards of appreciation from the students of WC. Like Aden, we are proud of his dad and his service to our country and freedom. The other group of guests that made a huge impact on our students, were members of the WHS Football Team with Coach Jon Gold. Using some hard-hitting illustrations, Coach Gold and the players were able to share about the Accelerated Schools principle of Building on Strengths. It was a wonderful afternoon celebrating the accomplishments of the people that make WC and Willard such an amazing place. To see pictures:

http://willardcentralkids.edublogs.org/

Please make plans to join us for our PTO meeting Monday the 14th at 6:00 p.m.

Have a great week and remember to Reach for the Stars. Shane Medlin, Principal

Willard East Elementary

Have you seen the Gingerbread man??? Never mind! Our Kindergartners found him sound asleep in after lunch. He has been on the loose all week so we are glad he was okay when we found him. :):)

Today we celebrated our December/Semester Tiger Pride assembly recognizing our Honor Roll and perfect attendance for 1st semester.

I would like to thank all of Willard East community that provided input regarding our end-of-the day dismissal. We seem to have a better understanding of our challenges and parents have agreed to be more supportive and attentive of moving cars and their children. Thank you for working with me on a improving this process. Have a great week!!! Melinda Miller, Principal

Willard North Elementary

Willard North is proud to announce the addition of a brand new Willard North baby! Hudson Tanner was born on January 3rd. Hudson's mom, Lindsay, teaches kindergarten at Willard North. We are very excited about this new addition. We have had a pretty exciting week. Each day the weather has changed on us and some days it seems like January, and other days it seems like April! Congratulations to Kennedy, a third grade student at Willard North who has won the regional free throw contest for her age bracket. She will compete next in St. Louis. We wish her lots of luck!

Have a wonderful week! Rhonda Bishop, Principal

Willard South Elementary

I would like to thank all of the amazing people who helped with holiday donations for the Willard R-II School District. We had 39 businesses, churches and organizations who contributed and numerous parents, staff and teachers. Those donations helped 124 kindergarten through sixth grade families and 307 students. Thanks to your generous support we doubled our contributions from last year. Our final number for the 2007 holiday season was $25,686!! Thanks for making the Willard R-II School District a place we can all be proud to call home. Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

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