District Newsletter

The Pride

 

The Pride exists to update, celebrate, and inform, the community concerning weekly events at Willard R-II

 

February 12, 2010

 

District Office

The mission of Willard R-II Schools is to develop tomorrow's leaders by pursuing excellence today.  A technology integration action plan has been put in place in order to support teachers to improve instruction by integrating technology to enhance student learning.  District teaching specialists will provide training that foster best teaching practices. Trainings will take place in a variety of styles including but not limited to one-to-one, coaching, modeling, and department/grade level meetings.  The plan includes:

• 2009-2010   Mount projectors in most classrooms, hire technology teaching specialists, and provide ongoing professional development at all campuses
• 2010-2011   Complete installation of projectors in all core classrooms, install SMARTboards and/or document cameras in all core classrooms, provide on-going professional development with in-house teaching specialists, provide specialized training in longer blocks of time, additional technology support staff, wireless connectivity district-wide, and explore modification of textbook rotation to purchase Computers On Wheels (COWs)  
• 2011and beyond   Continue technology integration by funding current programs and explore additional resources for teachers (in-house teaching specialists, hardware maintenance, additional professional development opportunities, COWs, and fiber-optic internet connections)

Two 1/2 day trainings devoted to technology instruction have been scheduled for the remainder of the year.  Teaching specialists are providing after school and in-house trainings on technology and how it can be used in order to improve instruction.  Administrators, teachers, and students are all excited about the new possibilities that are occurring at Willard R-II because of our efforts towards technology.  Have a great Valentine's weekend!

Activities Director

The Pride - Activities

Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, winter sports are starting to come to an end.  However, our Tigers are doing their best to extend their seasons!

The Lady Tigers are starting to hit their stride after defeating McDonald County on Saturday, they defeated COC opponent Neosho last night running their record to an impressive 14-8 on the season.  The girls will conclude their regular season next week by hosting Ozark on Monday and traveling to Nixa on Thursday.  The district tournament will start for the girls on Tuesday, Feb. 16th at Carthage.  The seeding meeting is this Saturday, so I will have more details next week on who and when they play.

The Tigers are flat out getting after it!  After wins over COC opponents Carthage and Neosho they have run their overall record to 13-9 and are now undefeated at 4-0 in the COC which puts them in a first place tie with Nixa!  The boys will travel to Republic tonight for a huge showdown with the orange and black tigers before traveling to Nixa next Tuesday and hosting Ozark next Friday to wrap-up the regular season.  Like the ladies, the boy's seeding meeting is this Saturday so tune in for more details.

The wrestling Tigers are looking to extend their season this weekend at the district tournament in Ozark.  Wrestling begins tonight at 6:00 and will continue tomorrow with matches starting at 10:00am on Saturday.  The top four wrestlers in each weight division qualify for the state tournament next weekend in Columbia.  Good luck Tigers!

Congratulations to Coach Amy Francka and the Willard Middle School Archery Club on their 2nd place finish in a tournament held here in Willard last Saturday.  Willard had two shooters win individual honors. Katie Nordstrom won the MS Girls Division with a score of 246 out of 300 and Chenoa Schween finished 3rd with a score of 238.  The Willard Archery Club will travel to Linn State Technical College in Linn this Saturday, February 13 to compete at the Missouri-NASP State Tournament.

By the way, spring sports starts practice in two weeks.  Good luck to all participants, coaches, and volunteers on staying warm and dry!

It's Good To Be A Tiger!

Jeff Staley - Director of Operations

High School

Congratulations to HS Vocal Music Instructor Mark Lawley.  Mark has been invited to conduct choirs at Carnegie Hall.  Mark will be leading selected choirs from across the United States along with the New England Symphonic Ensemble.   The performance is scheduled for 8:30pm, May 28th.  Congratulations to Mark for this prestigious invitation.  

Willard FFA students received several Area 10 awards.  Bradley Rummell received Area Star Agribusiness Award and will compete at the state level.  Myles Clopton, Megan Reed, Grace Madsen, and Ethan Patteson all received 1st Place Area 10 Proficiency Awards and will compete at the state level.  Anson Smith, Jennifer Williams, Dylann Bishop, Alex Smith, Kyle Farrar, and Zach Condon also received Area 10 Proficiency Awards.  We will learn later the results of our FFA State Degree applications.  Willard FFA program has five students we believe have a good shot of being State FFA Degree recipients.  We will keep you updated.

The HS Counselors hosted a "College Fair" for junior and senior students on February 10th.  The College Fair allowed students to examine colleges and universities throughout the midwest region and the programs of study.   With 35 vocational programs, private and state universities in attendance, it was a great atmosphere for our students.   Dovetailing on the college fair, the counseling department will be hosting "Financial Aid" night on February 16th to assist parents and senior class students with questions regarding post high school funding.  "Financial Aid" night will be in the HS Theater at 6:30pm.

The WHS FCCLA Chapter will be hosting a "Blood Drive" with the CBCO on Friday, February 19th.  Again, the FCCLA students will be shooting for over 100 units of blood to save lives.  If you are interested in being a participant in our Blood Drive, please call the school at 417-742-3524.

WHS Counselors have been in classrooms to assist students in scheduling classes for the 2010-2011 school year.  Freshman through Junior class students are looking at their four year plans and making choices in courses to take.  This year our Student Information System program (SISK-12) allows students and parents to schedule online from home or any computer with web access. 

Remember we will be having a snow make-up day on Monday, February 15th.

Stewart Pratt, HS Principal

Middle School

Greetings from Willard Middle School. The office is filling up with flowers and candy, and a great deal of red and pink items. I have relied on this little reminder for 20 years to get something nice for my own wife for Valentines Day, and hope you get something nice this year as well. The students enjoyed a Valentines Dance last Friday night, and we thank all of those who worked to make it a success. This Saturday (2/13), the Willard Archery Club will be traveling to Linn State Tech. College in Linn, Mo. to compete in the NASP State Tournament. Our team did fantastic last year, and we wish them luck this weekend as well. This program has really taken off, and the kids seem to love it. We appreciate the many hours of donated time that the sponsors provide, and thank them for their efforts. Next Saturday, (2/20), WMS will be hosting an Academic Team tournament, which will last most of the day. This is a chance for our kids to compete with some of the brightest and most successful students in Southwest Missouri, and we are excited about seeing how they do. We invite everyone to come out and support our kids, and wish them well. Don't forget, we WILL be in school this Monday, as one of our makeup days from the snow. Don't despair though, Spring Break is only five short weeks away!!! Have a great weekend, and thanks for checking on us.  Tom Merriott WMS Asst. Principal

Intermediate School

WIS is celebrating two very big accomplishments this week.  We reached our second fight free goal of 25 days.  As a result, 5 lucky students got to shave Coach Highfill’s hair and beard.  These students were chosen through a raffle fundraiser benefitting Clint Anderson, former Willard graduate, in his fight with cancer.  We are so proud of our students as they raised $411.30!  Our next goal is to go 30 days fight free and Ms. Pippin will be duct taped to the wall.

It has been a busy week with all of the clubs – flip flop girls, hot cocoa café, cooking club, technology club, FCA, running club and lego club meeting for lots of fun.  We want to thank all of the teachers who take the extra time to sponsor these clubs each week.  We have a tremendous number of students involved in these after school activities.  Today our students brought in their decorative boxes and lots of treats as each class held their Valentine’s party.

Be sure to mark your calendars with a couple of important changes:  March 19 and May 7 will now be early out days for teacher training.  WIS will dismiss at 12:30 pm on these days.   Don’t forget school will be in session on Monday for a snow makeup day. 

Willard Central Elementary

Valentine’s Day is near and the love of learning is in the air at Willard Central.  If you were to visit classrooms at WC this week, you would have witnessed 3^rd grade students engaged in inquiry-based math instruction using unmarked number lines, manipulatives, multiplication facts and higher-order thinking conversations to solve division problems.  In PE, Coach Brown was busy implementing BrainGym strategies to connect physical and brain development with reading instruction.  Mrs. Mello was utilizing the interactive smartboard in art class to research the 3-dimensional artwork from the Broadway version of The Lion King to make some phenomenal animal hats with 1^st grade students.  On Thursday evening, Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Puckett hosted a Family Reading Night to support parents as they read with their children.  These are just a sampling of the wonderful instructional activities happening this week at WC.

Enjoy Valentine’s Day with the ones you love this weekend and we will see you on Monday for a snow make-up day.  ~ Shane Medlin, Principal

 

Willard East Elementary

Happy Valentine's Day! This holiday is always a fun holiday at the elementary. Lots of candy, balloons and flowers. The energy level at the elementary on party days is always very high. If only we could bottle it for slow days. Our counselor Mrs. Woodall sold approximately 900 candy grams this year. The proceeds will go towards playground balls, jumpropes, etc. Thank you for supporting our candy grams.

eBooks - Willard East teachers and students have been creating eBooks and posting them online this week. This is a wonderful way to share student work with a global audience and get feedback for the students. Please check our school website or the links below to take a look at some of our student's technology projects. Be sure to make comments on the book so the students realize how powerful it is to share.

1st Grade eBook = http://willardeastelementary.edublogs.org/2010/01/28/the-principals-new-clothes/
3rd Grade eBook = http://aschlager3.edublogs.org/2010/02/05/recipe-for-a-snow-day/
4th Grade eBook = http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=26785

 

Willard North Elementary

We are wrapping up our week of giving with the sale of our candy grams.  Our students, parents, and teachers bought over 900 candy grams.  The total donation going to Haiti is over $300.00 just from the sale of candy.

 

We are currently gearing up for our school-wide Read-a-thon that will start in a couple of weeks.  If students reach their reading goal as a school, Principal Stevens will perform an extreme challenge for the students.  Some suggestions have been to eat a bug, sleep on the roof, or trade places with our beloved custodian Mary B. for the day.  Stay tuned to find out what I will have to do!

 

Just a friendly reminder that school will be in session on President’s Day:  Monday, February 15^th.  This is one of our snow make days.  Have a safe and fun weekend.

Angela Stevens, Willard North 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 Weekly Update

Kevin McDonald: Director

Shawn Trent: Interim Sports Coordinator 

Brandon Eckhardt: Recreation/Aquatics Specialist

Britney Carpenter: Child Care Coordinator

 

Mission Statement:

To provide the City of Willard the highest quality of leisure opportunities and programs to people of all ages in the following ways:

-To provide a Parks and Recreation system that is responsible and directed by the needs of the people of Willard

-To preserve, protect and enhance the city’s park lands as a way to improve the physical and mental health of the people of Willard

-To invite and encourage individuals, families, schools, businesses and other community groups to become partners in our efforts to invigorate and sustain the city’s natural and  leisure resources

-To provide safe and fun sports programs, camps, senior activities, classes, courses and outings in a organized and positive manner

Visit us on the web at www.willardparks.com

New Program Guides:

The 2010 New Program Guides are ready. The guides were mailed out to all of the Willard residents on 2/5/10. You may also pick up a guide at the Recreation Center during business hours. The guide features all of the Parks news, events and programs from February – June 2010.

Spring Soccer / Volleyball Registration 2010: Register now thru February 19^th

This season features 7 games. The fee to participate is $40 and admission to all games is $1. For more information please call Shawn at 742-2262.

Valentine Day’s Dance: Saturday February 13^th

Don’t miss the 2010 Willard Parks and Recreation Valentine’s Dance from 7pm – 9pm at the Willard Recreation Center. This dance is free to attend and is open for all ages. Come and dance to great music, get your picture taken and enjoy cake and punch!

Health Fair: Saturday February 20^th

10am – 1:00pm at the Willard Recreation Center. People of all ages can come and participate in the many health activities that we will have available.

Children’s Dance:

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 it’s FUN!  The spring eight-week dance session will begin March 9^th  thru May 4^th  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. 

Spring Children’s Dance Classes

Spring Session:   March 9^th—May 4^th

“Dance Revue”—Tuesday, May 4^th 6:30 pm

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

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

Ballet, Tap & Jazz:  Ages 9 & up—students with prior dance experience--Tuesdays

Classes are 8 weeks.  The fee is $50-$65. Contact Ms. Patrice at 818-3659 for additional information and class availability.

Featured:

Willard Parks and Recreation is featured in the winter 2010 Missouri Recreation and Parks Association Magazine. This is a statewide magazine mailed out all over the state. To view, follow the instructions below.

Copy and paste the following link:

http://www.mopark.org/displaynewsletter.cfm

Then use the drop down tab and click on winter 2010 magazine. Our article is on page 16 entitled “Busy Time in Willard”.

Food Drive:

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Willard Parks 2010 Food Drive to benefit the Willard Food Pantry. Non-perishable items that were collected are to be donated to the pantry. Thank you!

 

Aquatic Center Rentals: The Willard Parks Department is currently accepting rental applications for the 2010 summer. Rental applications are available at the Recreation Center. The 2010 Season will be May 29^th – September 6^th.

DNR Grant: Willard Parks and Recreation has officially applied for a grant from the MO Department of Natural Resources. If awarded, this grant will bring safe playground surfacing for the playground at Jackson St. Park. Grant award winner will be announced in the coming months.

Kansas City Wizards:

Willard Parks and Recreation will again be participating in Kansas City Wizards Passback Program. The Kansas City Wizards will collect soccer equipment at one of their home games. After which they will donate a portion of the equipment to the Willard Parks Department.

2010 Session 2 Basketball League: The 2010 Willard Parks and Recreation Basketball League games continue on Saturdays at the Recreation Center. Team pictures for the season were taken on January 23^rd. Thank you to everyone who is participating.

Adult Basketball 2010: The 2010 Willard Parks Adult Basketball League has begun. This season a total of 12 teams are participating. Games are held on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Harlem Legends Shot for the Stars Basketball Camp: The Harlem Legends will be returning to host a basketball camp at the Recreation Center on July 12^th – 16^th at the Recreation Center from 9:00am – 1:00pm each day. Michael Douglas will be hosting the camp. Registration forms are available at the Rec. Center.

Freedom Fest 2010: The date for this year’s Freedom Fest will be July 3^rd, 2010. This year features fireworks, a parade, vendors, music and much more. More information will be available soon.

Out of School Camps: 2010

Willard Parks and Recreation offers various out of school camps throughout the entire year. All camps will be held at the Willard Recreation Center.

Willard Parks and Recreation will be offering camps each day school is not in session. These camps are for ages 5 -12.

Spring Break Camp: March 22^nd – March 26^th

$80 for the entire week or 17.50 per day. 7:00am – 6:00pm

Summer Camp Session 2010: Registration forms are available at the Rec. Center

 

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.

Diabetes Support Group:

If you are interested in the newly formed Diabetes Support Group please call Darrell Biellier at 742-2377 for meeting dates and times or if you have questions about the meetings.

Breast Cancer Awareness Group:

If you are interested in participating in a new Breast Cancer Awareness Group please call the Recreation Center at (417) 742-2262.

Senior Activities:

Willard Parks and Recreation is doing its best to try and offer senior activities and programs to the senior citizens in the community.

Willard Recreation Center Senior Activities:

Senior Luncheons:

Every Wednesday from 11am – 1pm at the Willard Community Building. All seniors are invited to attend.

Game Days:

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00pm – 3:00pm seniors can come to the Willard Recreation Center to play games such as bingo, dominos, cards and much more.

Exercise Classes:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: PACE CLASS 10:00am – 11:00am

Tuesday & Thursday: SILVER SNEAKERS 9:00am – 10:00am

Movie in the Park:

Come to the Movie in the Park Series on the dates listed below. Bring your entire family for a night of fun and movies. We will be selling hot-dogs and hamburgers.

May 29^th – 9pm – Movie: Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull

June 26^th – 9pm – Movie: The Incredible Hulk

Easter Egg Hunt: Saturday March 27^th

9am at the Willard Recreation Center. Bring the kids for this fun, FREE Easter Party that features hunting for eggs, pictures with the Easter Bunny and fun games!

Willard 2^nd Annual Triathlon: June 19^th

7:30am at Jackson St. Park. Events include swimming 300 yards, biking 12 miles and a 5K run. The deadline to register is June 12^th. Start training now! The cost to participate is $50.

Kevin McDonald

City of Willard Parks and Recreation Director