Greetings from East! I would like to take this opportunity to recognize another building principal or two. This week I had the privilege of attending the state principal’s conference at the Lake of the Ozarks. Julie German, the principal of Willard Intermediate, will be the 2007-2008 President of the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals! Rhonda Bishop, the principal of Willard North Elementary also serves on a state committee of public relations. Both of these ladies represented our district and region very professionally and enthusiastically. I am humbled to be able to call them friends and colleagues. Congratulations to both of them.

I would also like to thank everyone for the wonderful words of gratitude for Principal’s Day last week. You were very kind with your phone calls and notes.

After Spring Break - Cookie Dough from our fundraiser should be delivered after Spring Break. We will let you know more specifics after break.

MAP Parent Night will be held Thursday March 29 from 6:30-7:30 and we will be serving pizza!

WillardWebTV – Don’t forget to check out the “Miller Minute” video podcast on webtv each week.

Hmm, spring means Mrs. Germann has already forgotten how to post a blog!  Usually, we think of spring when we see robins, budding trees and flowers starting to bloom.  Anyone who works in schools knows you can tell spring is here by the activity level of the students!  Intermediate school is no exception!  There are some rites of passage beginning to take place here that tell me the end of the year is coming soon.  Our sixth grade have been meeting, filling out schedules and taking placement tests to prepare for Middle School.  We’re also planning some transition activities for our students across the district who will be making their trek to another building next year.  Spring also means baseball, and Mrs. Morris, our music teacher is coordinating a “Willard Intermediate Night” with the Springfield Cardinals.  Our honor choir will be singing the national anthem, and we’ve sold over 200 tickets and are starting on our 2nd batch of tickets!  If you’re interested in joining us, please contact the office when we get back from spring break!

You can feel it in the air!  Spring Break is just hours away!  I have to say that there is about 450 0f us from Pre-K to adult that are ready for the day to be over!  I was out of the building on Monday and Tuesday and I appreciate Mr. Ron Owens holding down the fort for me while I attended the Elementary Principal’s Conference at Tan Tar A.  We are so proud in Willard of Julie Germann who will preside as President of our state organization.  We have over 1000 members of MAESP, and knowing one of our own is at the helm is very comforting!  Good Luck Julie!

I also want to congratulate the Willard Boys Basketball team for a great season!  You guys made basketball addictive!  It was a joy to watch you play and you represented our school so well!   We are proud of you!

Have a wonderful Spring Break!

Rhonda Bishop, Willard North Principal

Please check back next week for our blogs…..we are in Columbia cheering for our Willard Tigers as they compete in the Final Four!!! 

If you would like to listen to the game at 10:40 a.m., please visit Willard WebTV at  

http://www.willardwebtv.com/

GO TIGERS!!!

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent 

Wow!  The time is just flying!  On Tuesday night, we had a wonderful 1st grade program full of barnyard animals!  The kids did an awesome job!  Thanks to Miss Judd and her student teacher Mrs. Monsanto for making it a hit!  On Thursday night, our 3rd grade showed off their famous inventor projects with a living museum!  You just went by, pushed the button and our 3rd grade inventors came to life!  The kids did an awesome job with their research, the pictures, and reciting their lines!  My job was making popcorn for the huge crowd!  We sold the popcorn and made $52.00 toward MAP supplies for our kids.  Our 4th grade students went to Jefferson City on Thursday also and I can’t wait to hear about it next week!  Have a great weekend and GO TIGERS!!!!

March is looking to be a very busy month for students and staff in the special services department.   Special services will host an in-service Thursday, March 15th, for principals and counselors from Willard and Logan-Rogersville .  Presenters Aubrey and Ryan Knight will be introducing the Response to Intervention method of identifying students with learning disabilities.  Aubrey currently is a school examiner and ECSE educator at Olathe School District at Heartland ECSE Center and husband Ryan is principal at Edwardsville Elementary inBooner Spring School District.  We are looking forward to hearing their experience and successes using RTI.  The second annual Special Services Transition Fair is planned for March 29 at the high school and has indications for being as successful as last year’s event.   Erica Poulson reports 22 outside agencies are planning on participating.  Each agency will host a table complete with pamphlets, videos and a representative who can guide parents, students and teachers in efforts for better preparing students for post-secondary living.  We encourage everyone to join us for the unique experience of having these important resources on-site. 

Change is always a constant!!!  That statement seems contradictory but everyone knows that it speaks the truth.  Willard School District Goal Number Three states:

The Willard School District will enhance and improve community and parental support. 

Communication is always the key to improvement of this goal. “The Pride” e-mail newsletter was one of the first new and different communication vehicles that I put into place three years ago.  Over the last three years it has been a way to celebrate accomplishments, inform patrons about educational issues, and alert our community about up-coming events.  Starting this week we are changing the format from an e-mail to a “Blog”.  This is not a villain from a 1970’s movie.  It is simply a new way to post the information.  As you are aware the previous format would on occasion have formatting issues.   It is our hope that this new format will have a better look and format.  This new Blog will give us options in the future to allow patrons to respond to questions and surveys.  My parents are in their 80’s and read “The Pride” every week.  They are not the only ones that enjoy The Pride who struggle with computers and technology.  The new format is very user friendly and will not be difficult even for the most technology challenged.  Please give this new format a try.  I believe the new system will be worth the change.

If you have problems working through the new “Blog” call us at the District Office and we will help you through the process.  742-2584

Have a Great Weekend!

Go Tigers!!

Kent

Dr. Kent E. Medlin

Superintendent of Schools

It was another fast and furious week here at Willard South.  On Tuesday our first graders performed their music program “Making Music at School”. We also enjoyed a visit from the high school theater department on Wednesday.  They developed skits based on the 2006-2007 Show-Me Reader award books.  They are always entertaining and energetic! We truly appreciate their hard work and commitment.  Best of luck to our boy’s basketball team who will be playing Webb City tomorrow at Hammons Student Center at 1:00.  GO TIGERS! 

“Willard South is ROARING with excitement!”  Kara Crighton-Smith, Principal

The Willard Middle School Musical has been a great hit with the kids this week.  Their final performance is tonight at 7:00 P.M.  Stop by and see the Hee Haw Hayride!

The County Spelling Bee was held on Monday at 5:oo p.m. in the library.   The WMS and Willard Intermediate was well represented by two young men.   We are excited that WIS won 1st place and will compete in the KY3 Spelling Bee. 

DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) sent notice this week that since winter weather conditions across many parts of the state resulted in many students missing a substantial number of school days they are going to extend the 2007 MAP testing window by one week. Willard R-II will move all MAP testing back a week.  Math MAP testing will now take place on April 18 and 19.  Communication Arts MAP testing will now take place on April 24-26. 

This week Willard North has celebrated Read Across America Week.  We celebrated by Wearing crazy socks on Monday, Wearing Green on Tuesday for Green Eggs and Ham Day, and we wore crazy hats on Wednesday with our Willard North shirts.  Yesterday, author Judy Young came and did presentations with the all the students during their special classes.  The students were very excited!  Today is Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss-we will have birthday cake for everyone! We have read so many books this week!  It is very exciting!  Just a little note about the Green Eggs and Ham, Miss Freeman’s class and Mrs. Peterson’s class brought me green eggs and ham to try this week.  They said” Try them and you’ll see”  Well, I tried them, but I had to shut my eyes.  They tasted good.  However, I think I will still prefer my eggs to be yellow!

  From Willard North, we wish the boys basketball GOOD LUCK Saturday at Hammons Center!  Many of us will be there to cheer them on.  GO TIGERS!