WSMS Principal Newsletter, 3-9-2017

Lovejoy Independent School District

A Message from the Principal

Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - March 9, 2017

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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,

I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Spring Break with friends and family, the weather looks beautiful. Yesterday, we had a great day of service learning with our 7th grade students. Thank you to our students, parent volunteers, and teachers for making this event a success. I have received emails from various locations complementing our students for their hard work, focus and respect in carrying out their service. For pictures from yesterday's event, please click here.

Once we return, our 7th and 8th graders will have one week of final preparation before our first round of STAAR tests on March 28th and 29th. Our students and teachers continue to work hard and will be well prepared for these tests. If you need anything next week, please do not hesitate to send me an email or call my cell phone at 214-293-9938. Have a great week.

Sincerely,

Kent Messer

Principal

Willow Springs Middle School
1101 West Lucas Rd, Lucas 75002

Office: 469-742-8417

Mobile: 214-293-9938

@WSMSLovejoyISD
#wsmslovejoy

Upcoming Dates

2017-2018 WSMS Registration - March 9 and 10

Current 7th grade students will meet with counselors to register for classes. If students are registering for an application-based class, the deadline for these applications is Friday, March 10. For more information on WSMS registration, please click here .

If you have questions about registration, please contact Mrs. Stone, kathy_stone@lovejoyisd.net (A-K) or Mrs. Bordelon, kay_bordelon@lovejoyisd.net (L-Z).

Academic UIL - More Details Today

Today during 7th period students received a slip of paper with their Academic UIL competitions listed. If the wrong events are marked on the paper, students should see Mrs. Rogers in room C604 immediately to fix any errors. Mrs. Rogers must have any changes regarding the contest made by March 17. During 7th period Friday, there will be a brief Academic UIL meeting in the gym to go over the competitions and the details regarding Friday and Saturday, March 24 and 25.

March 24th Details:

If your student is involved in Modern Oratory, Impromptu Speaking and/or Oral Reading, the first rounds will be held on Friday, March 24. The bus will depart WSMS around 2:30 p.m. to travel to Coppell MS North. The first event, Impromptu Speaking, begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by Modern Oratory at 5:30 p.m., and Oral Reading at 6:30 p.m. The dress code for these events is dressy; please no jeans or t-shirts. The event rounds take approximately an hour, depending on the number of contestants. Please be aware that if your child makes it out of this preliminary round, they will be competing in the finals, which are on Saturday. The bus will depart Coppell MS North after the Oral Reading competition is complete, hopefully around 8 p.m., and return to WSMS between 8:30 and 9 p.m. If you would like to pick your student up, you will need to come to the cafeteria at Coppell MS North and sign your child out. If you would like someone else to pick up your child in Coppell, you will need to fill out and return an alternate travel release found here . Then, the person whom you designate to take your child home will need to come sign them out at CMS North.

March 25th Details:

All other competitions (except Ready Writing and Editorial Writing) will be conducted on Saturday, March 25. The bus will load at WSMS at 6:15 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. departure. If you are taking your child to CMS North, please be aware that we need your student to be there 30 minutes prior to their competition start time so that they can check in with us and get to their scheduled room on time. The bus will depart Coppell MS North after the Awards Ceremony is complete, hopefully around 2 p.m., and return to WSMS between 2:30 and 3 p.m. If you would like to pick your student up, you will need to come to the cafeteria at Coppell MS North and sign your child out. If you would like someone else to pick up your child in Coppell, you will need to fill out and return the alternate travel release found here. The person whom you designate to take your child home will need to come sign them out at CMS North.

Club Day - Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Club Day and we will be on an activity bell schedule. For copy of the activity bell schedule, please go here .Students participating in the Extreme Club must wear a helmet. Students who are in the K9 and Kritters Club must have permission from the counseling office before bringing an animal to school. Students may leave their equipment for Guitar Club, Extreme and Remote Control Club in the front office.

Upcoming Student Holidays

Spring break for students and staff is March 13 through March 17.

April 14 is a designated bad weather day. It will be a student and teacher holiday if we do not have a school closing due to bad weather between now and then.

Spring Sale at LHS and WSMS Stores - Beginning Monday, March 20

Beginning March 20th the school stores at LHS and WSMS will be offering 50% off the entire store. The LHS store is open Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 4:15 PM. Please check with WSMS for store hours.

NJHS Pet Drive -Who is better, Cats or Dogs? Voting Extended through Sunday, March 26!

The WSMS NJHS is currently raising money for Operation Kindness, North Texas' largest no-kill animal shelter, located in Carrollton.

We are asking the age old question -- who is better? Cats or Dogs? Make your choice and donate to the species of your choice here ! Remember - Don't Shop! Adopt!

WSMS Cheerleader Parent Meeting - Monday, March 27

A parent meeting for upcoming 2017-2018 middle school cheerleaders will be on Monday, March 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the library at Willow Springs. Tryout information and expectations will be discussed as well as camp dates, uniform selection and costs for our middle school cheerleading program.

Theatre Shakespeare Murder Mystery Dinner - Tickets on Sale Monday, March 27

April 26, 27 & 28 at Willow Springs , an interactive Clue game where Shakespeare himself has been "slain" by his own characters!

Tickets go on sale Monday, March 27! This biennial event was last performed in 2015 and tickets sold out the first two days! Don't miss out on your chance to solve the question, "WHO HATH DONE IT?"

Tickets will be on sale in the front office; there are twelve tables, each having 12 seats. 144 maximum capacity a night! When you come, you select your table and seat, so if you want, bring your friends to sit together!

This is a full evening of entertainment- 3 course Italian dinner, beverages, and audience participation! Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children. You couldn't score a deal this good on your own with dinner and a movie!

To thine own self be true! Get thee to the theatre!

STAAR Testing - March 28 and 29

STAAR tests for all of our students are below. Please keep the STAAR testing dates in mind while scheduling doctor appointments and orthodontics appointments. If a student is pulled out of school once he/she has begun their STAAR exam, the state requires it be graded "as is". If you have questions or concerns regarding any conflicts you may have with the STAAR testing dates, please contact Kathy Stone .

For STAAR Testing bell schedules, go here.

March 28th	7th grade STAAR Writing 8th grade STAAR Math All Algebra classes will participate in math rotations
March 29th	8th grade STAAR Reading 7th grade Fitnessgram

Pep Rally - Friday, March 31

Friday, March 31 we are having a pep rally in our main gym. More information will be coming soon.

WSMS PTA Annual Meeting and Parent Program - Tuesday, April 4

Join us for a special screening of Screenagers - Growing up in the Digital Age. The WSMS PTA Annual Meeting will occur on April 4, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. and the screening will immediately follow. The students will also see part of the movie on April 7th with a presentation by the school on using technology wisely.

More about Screenagers:

Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time-friction she knew all too well.

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids' development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

For more information, please visit: http://www.screenagersmovie.com

Early Release, Wednesday, April 5

April 5 is an early release day for students. Students will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m., and the front office will close at 1:30 p.m. Please click here for the bell schedule.

Campus Information and Reminders

Summer Reading for Incoming 8th Graders

This year each student will be required to select one book from the suggested summer reading list for incoming 8th graders. Students are expected to read the book over the summer and be prepared for an assessment over the book during second week of the 2017-18 school year. The 2017 Summer Reading lists for 8th Grade PreAP and 8th Grade GT classes can be found on the WSMS home page under the "Student" or "Parent" section. Please contact Amy Snodgrass if you have any additional questions or concerns.Go here for more information.

Summer Reading for Incoming 9th Graders

This year each student will be required to select one book from the suggested summer reading list for incoming 9th graders. Students are expected to read the book over the summer and be prepared for an assessment over the book during second week of the 2017-18 school year. The 2017 Summer Reading lists for 9th Grade PreAP and 9th Grade GT classes can be found on the WSMS home page under the "Student" or "Parent" section. Please contact Amy Snodgrass if you have any additional questions or concerns.Go here here for more information.

Success at UIL Competition

Congratulations to our WSMS choir and theatre programs for their outstanding performances at their respective UIL competitions. Both programs represented Willow Springs with class and character in their first place performances. They made our school and community proud.

UIL Choir Results

This week the Willow Springs choirs performed at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading.

Non-Varsity Treble Choir (straight ONES)

Concert - I I I - Superior on Stage