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Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - January 5, 2017
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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,
Happy New Year! We are glad to be back into routine at WSMS for the spring semester. Our teachers and students have had a great week back and are looking forward to new learning opportunities in 2017.
Sincerely,
Kent Messer
Principal
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8th Grade ELA Field Trip
Payment Due - Wednesday, January 11
All 8th Grade ELA students will visit the Dallas Holocaust Memorial Museum on either Monday, February 6th or Tuesday, February 7th depending on your child's English teacher. Payment for the trip is due no later than Wednesday, January 11th. Please submit your payment online at
our Online Payment Center by
going here
or from the District website,
"Online Payment Center" and select "Field Trip" on the WSMS page.
Please contact your child's ELA teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
Academic UIL - Tryout Information
Please click here for the Academic UIL contest descriptions, coaches, and tryout times. This year's competition is March 24 and 25, 2017 at Coppell Middle School West, 1301 Wrangler Drive, Coppell, TX 75019.
All students in grades 7 and 8 are eligible to try-out for a team. Students may compete in as many events as they would like as long as the events they enter compete at different times during the competition day. If you have any questions, please contact Laura Rogers.
NJHS Meeting - Wednesday, January 11
The next NJHS meeting is Wednesday, January 11 at either 8:15 a.m. or 4:05 p.m. in room C104. Students need to bring current grades from Power School.
School Holiday - Monday, January 16
Monday, January 16 is a school holiday
8th Grade Yearbook Recognition Ads - Now through January 27
P
arents wishing to purchase an 8th-grade recognition advertisement for the WSMS yearbook congratulating their child for their success at WSMS may do so online through Jostens
from now
until January 27. Parents must pay online and submit the artwork
,
photos and
sentiment by going
here
.
WSMS Afterschool Coding Club - Register Now through January 29
The University of Texas at Dallas D
epartment of Computer Science is offering an afterschool coding club at Willow Springs Middle School. The club will meet from 4:00 - 5:00 PM on Wednesday's in February, March and April.
Click here
for details and registration information.
3-on-3 basketball tournament sign-ups will begin Monday, January 9 in the Student Support Center and will conclude on Wednesday, January 18.
WSMS Yearbook Extended Sales - January 17 - January 27
Happy New Year! Now that we are in 2017, the last day to order a yearbook approaches this month. Order online to guarantee your child's 2017 yearbook with an extended sale
from
January 17 through January 27. Please
go here
for
details
and to place your order online,
go here
.
W
e will need to give our yearbook order number total to our publisher and need an accurate sales count
so please
do not miss this
deadline
. We cannot guarantee your child a yearbook if you miss the Jan
uary
27 order deadline.
WSMS Dance Your Heart Out Winter Dance - Friday, January 20
Our Winter Dance will be Friday, January 20 from 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at WSMS. Prior to the dance from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., we will hold our annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the WSMS main gym ($30 per team, which will also admit your student to the dance, and proceeds will go to the American Heart Association). We will have a DJ, food, and fun. Cost for the dance is $8.00 on-line and $10.00 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will go to the American Heart Association. Tickets for the dance may be purchased on the
Online Payment Center, Monday, January
9 through noon on Friday, January 20.
To make the Dance Your Heart Out dance a big success, we need
dance chaperones and food and drink volunteers. ( http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48A9AF2BA0F85-wsms1)
Chaperones: You haven't lived until you have had the experience of chaperoning a middle school dance. This is a rite of passage for middle school parents. Please sign up now to chaperone our dance on January 20. We need at least 12 chaperones for this event to be able to offer all the activities. Chaperoning is easy, very little work, and it's fun to watch the kids having a good time (they forget we are there). To sign up to chaperone, please
go here
. Please arrive by 4:45 pm and plan to stay until the dance concludes.**Please make sure you have completed your online volunteer clearance.**
Food/Drink Volunteers: Please take items to the WSMS office between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m by Wednesday, January 18. Please label items "Winter Dance." **All snacks need to be nut free, store bought, and individually wrapped.*
Suicide Prevention Parent Presentation - Tuesday, January 24
We will have a parent preview of our suicide prevention program after the 11a.m. general PTA
meeting on Tuesday, January 24 in the WSMS aux gym.
Suicide Prevention Student Presentations - January 30 and February 1
We will present suicide prevention information to WSMS students on Monday, January 30 and Wednesday, February 1 through 7th period classes. If you have any questions or concerns about this presentation please contact WSMS counselors, Kay Bordelon at
469-742-8424
or Kathy Stone at
469-742-8423
.
Geography Bee - Wednesday, January 25
Next week all 7th and 8th grade history classes will be taking a preliminary quiz to determine which students qualify for the National Geography Bee. The school Geography Bee will be held January 25 at 4:15 p.m. in the WSMS cafeteria. Typically, about 30 students qualify for the school bee. Students that qualify for the school bee will receive a letter the week of January 16 letting them know specific details about the school bee. Additional information about the National Geographic Bee can be found
here
.
Group Photos and Retakes - Tuesday, January 31
Group photos day is Tuesday, January 31 with retakes for students that are new or missed portrait day for the yearbook. Please have your child dress in the appropriate attire recommended by their teacher for group photos or for portraits individually.
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Campus Information and Reminders
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Safety Corner
For security purposes, all exterior doors to the campus are locked during the day. If your student is dropped off early or picked up late for tutorials, practice, rehearsal, etc., please encourage them to stay inside the building when the weather is cold. Once they exit the building in the evening, the doors will lock behind them. During the winter months, please encourage your student to wait inside until you arrive. They can wait in the rotunda in the front hall at WSMS.
2017-2018 Registration Meetings
It is that time of year to begin the process of registering current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for the upcoming school year at WSMS and LHS! Counselors will begin speaking to students in late January (for current 8th graders) and in late February (for current 6th and 7th graders) about elective classes, core class selections, how to register online, and what to expect in the new school year. Parent Registration Presentations will be held on:
Parents of current 8th graders: At LHS, Febraruary 6, in the evening, exact time TBD
Parents and current 8th graders: LHS Elective Showcase, February 6, 6pm-7pm
Parents of current 6th and 7th graders: At WSMS, February 21, 9am-10 am - Daytime Registration Presentation
Parents of current 6th and 7th graders: At WSMS, February 21, 6pm-6:30 pm - GT Information Meeting
Parents of current 6th and 7th graders: At WSMS, February 21, 6:30-7:30pm - Evening Registration Presentation
Please check the Parent Newsletter next week for a complete Registration Timeline. Contact the Student Support Center at
469-742-8422
if you have any questions about these dates.
Reflections Results
A huge thanks to all PTA Reflection participants! Our students did an excellent job on their entries and should be very proud of their work. The top 20% in each category will be advancing to the Council Level. Congratulations to the following students advancing in Reflections and earning an Award of Excellence.
Grace Cowan
Carter Satterwhite
Juliet Cano
Julie Crosby
Danna Sulliman
Geneva Miller
Mitch Laman
Jack Gaines
Lauryn Watanabe
Student Attendance
Did you know: In the 2015 TEA accountability system of 40 comparison schools with similar demographics, Willow Springs ranked in the bottom 25% of student attendance?
One of our focus areas for this year is to increase our student and teacher daily attendance on campus. Research shows that the more students are in class with their teacher, the more they will learn over the course of the school year. The more students learn, the more success and confidence they will have in middle school. To promote this, we will be recognizing students and staff who have perfect attendance during each nine weeks. Please assist us by working with your son or daughter to ensure they are getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, and are taking care of themselves overall. In addition, our new state accountability system uses student attendance as criteria for evaluating the performance of schools. We also receive state funding based on our "Average Daily Attendance" of students that are present during 2nd period, which ends at 10:00 a.m. As you begin to plan out of town trips this spring, please consider keeping your children in school through the Friday before each break. Let's work together to encourage our students to be in class every day.
Mom, Mr. Messer was my substitute?
Over the course of this year, the Willow Springs administrative team has made it a priority to be in classrooms connecting with students and staff throughout the learning process. When a teacher needs to be absent, our admin team has had the privilege of getting back into the classroom to teach lessons in all subject areas. This opportunity has allowed us to better implement the curriculum, support our teachers with their lessons, and get to know and understand our students in a classroom setting. Being in the classroom has been a positive experience for our teachers and students that we plan to continue this spring.
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Willow Springs Tennis Tryouts - January 9th-12th
The Willow Spring Tennis tryouts will take place January 9th-12th, from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at LHS. The sign up sheet is outside of the locker rooms. Players must sign up to attend. All buses from Willow Springs will end up at LHS for tryouts. This week if tennis players have 8th period athletics they need to meet at WSMS by 8:00 a.m. and we will practice until 8:30 a.m. First period athletes need to be here by 8:30 a.m. and we will practice until 9:00 a.m. I am not at WSMS during 8th period due to being at the High school for Varsity practice. We will use the first week back to go over scoring and get players prepared for tryouts. Please make sure to bring enough water and snacks. The tryouts will be a tournament format and every player will have a match each night. All Skill levels are welcome! Please be able to keep score and bring your own racquet. Once the team is set, I will send out more information. If you have any questions or concerns please call me at
972-975-2631. I played tennis in college and basketball at a high level. Tennis is very difficult if you have never played. It is important to practice 3-4 times a week with a junior development program.
Please contact Lou Hervey if you would like information regarding his Junior Development Tennis Program and private Lessons. Coach Cherry and I teach privates during the summer. Here is Lou's cell
214-883-3822. - Coach Davis
Other good JD's
High Point Tennis Center
The courts at Mckinney
Eldorado Country Club
Brookhaven Country Club
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Lovejoy Orchestra Spirit Night: Tuesday, January 10
Lovejoy Orchestra will host their next spirit night at the Chipotle located at 103 Central Expressway North in Allen. The event is on Tuesday, January 10th, between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Please join the Lovejoy Orchestra for a great combination of delicious food and good company while supporting Lovejoy Orchestra. Be sure to let the cashier know you are with Lovejoy Orchestra to ensure 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Lovejoy Orchestra.
Youth Wrestling
The Lovejoy Wrestling staff is offering a free youth wrestling club this winter. Please
click here
to view additional information.
Click here
to register. The first practice/orientation meeting will be on Tuesday January 10, 2017 at 6:30 PM at Slocan Creek Intermediate School. Practices will be held at Sloan Creek Intermediate School from 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM, Monday-Wednesday nights, most weeks.
For additional information, please
click here
to email Coach Eaton.
Gifted and Talented Referrals for 2017-2018
The referral window for gifted and talented services is now open.
Click here
for referral forms which are located online in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. The window will close March 31, 2017.
Testing will be Saturday April 8, 22, or 29 for students in grades 1-12. Kindergarten students will be tested during the school day.
For questions regarding students in Kindergarten through 4th grade, please email
Caroline Garcia
or call
469.742.8310
.
For questions regarding students in 5th through 12th grades, please email
Brie Smith
or call
469.742.8032
.
After Christmas Toy Drive
The Work-Based Learning Program at Lovejoy High School is sponsoring their Annual After Christmas Toy drive for Little Leopards. Donations of gently used toys for children birth to 5 years old are appreciated. Following is a list of After Christmas Toy Drive needs:
Legos
K'Nex
Littlest Pet Shop Houses and Animals
Doll Houses
Board Games
Dress Up Clothes and Hats
Baby Dolls
Outdoor Ride-on Toys for Toddlers
Outdoor Weatherproof Toys for Preschoolers
Arts and Crafts Items
Play-Doh and Play-Doh Toys
Plastic Animals and Dinosaurs
Board Books or Waterproof Baby Books
Anything "Little People"
Infant Mobiles or Toys which will Attach to a Crib
No Stuffed Animals, Please
Toys may be delivered to any Lovejoy campus or the Administration Building. Thank you for remembering our youngest Leopards.
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