A Message from the Principal
 
Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - January 11, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
 
I hope everyone is having a great week.  Our students have done an excellent job of transitioning into their spring semester classes.  It is hard to believe that in just a few weeks, we will begin the registration process for the 2018-2019 school year. This is traditionally a busy time of year for our students, parents, and counselors. Please see information below about important dates and events for the spring semester.



    
Sincerely,
Kent Messer
Principal
Willow Springs Middle School
1101 West Lucas Rd, Lucas 75002
Office: 469-742-8417
Mobile: 214-293-9938
@WSMSLovejoyISD
#wsmslovejoy



8 th Grade Yearbook Recognition Ads - now through February 2nd
Parents 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 February 2nd. Parents must pay online and submit the artwork, photos and sentiment by going here .  


School Holiday - Monday, January 15
Monday, January 15 is a school holiday


WSMS 3 on 3 Basketball Tourney and Student Social - January 19th
Our winter social will be on January 19th from 6:00--8:00 p.m at WSMS. From 4:30--6:00 p.m., we will hold our annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the WSMS gyms. The cost is $30 per team, which will also admit your student into the social. Proceeds will go to the American Heart Association. Students interested in playing in the 3 on 3 basketball tournament can register next week in the Student Support Center.  Registration will close Thursday after school so we can organize the bracket.  
 
Beginning at 6:00, we will have a DJ in the cafeteria and the gyms will be open for volleyball and basketball after the 3 on 3 tournament. Cost for the social is $8.00 on-line and $10.00 day of event. Tickets will be available online for purchase until midnight, January 18th.  The day of the event they will be sold during lunches and at the door.  Please click here if you would like to purchase your ticket online.   Students will have the opportunity to purchase pizza, snacks, and water at the dance.   All items can be purchased for $1.00--cash only.  If your son or daughter is planning to purchase pizza, snacks, or water, please make sure they bring cash (preferably $1 bills) to the social.  
 
Chaperones: You haven't lived until you have had the experience of chaperoning a middle school social. This is a rite of passage for middle school parents. Please sign up now to chaperone our social on January 19th. We need at least 14 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 5:45 pm and plan to stay until 7:45pm.  **Please make sure you have completed your online volunteer clearance.**



NJHS Meeting - Wednesday, January 24
The next NJHS meeting is Wednesday, January 24 at either 8:15 a.m. or 4:05 p.m. in room C104. Students need to bring current grades from Power School.


Geography Bee - Wednesday, January 25
All 7th and 8th grade history classes took a preliminary quiz to determine which students qualify for the National Geography Bee the week before finals. The school Geography Bee will be held January 25 at 4:15 p.m. in the WSMS library. Typically, about 30 students qualify for the school bee. Students that qualify for the school bee will receive a letter the week of January 8 letting them know specific details about the school bee. Additional information about the National Geographic Bee can be found here .


Winter Pep Rally - Friday, January 26th
Our Winter Sports Pep Rally will be Friday, January 26th in our main gym at 9:30 AM.  We are needing to do a morning pep rally so our 6th grade students from SCIS can participate before they tour our school.  We will have performances from our theatre, band, choir, orchestra, colorguard, dance, and cheer programs.  We will also recognize all of our winter sports programs and other students who participated in competitions in the months of December and January.   

All parents are welcome to attend and are encouraged to park in a parking space not designated as a fire lane in the front parking lot to enter and sign-in through the front office. Overflow parking is available in the back of the school and parents may enter and sign-in through the west courtyard door.  


8th Grade Students to Visit Lovejoy High School
On January 26th, All WSMS 8th grade students will be visiting Lovejoy High School to learn more about the registration process and course offerings.  Our 8th grade students will tour the building and see the facilities of different elective programs. They will also have the get to eat lunch in the LHS cafeteria.  On the same day, 6th grade students will be visiting WSMS to learn more about our programs and courses as they prepare for registration.  
 
  • WSMS Winter Pep Rally 9:30--10:30.  SCIS 6th grade students will participate in this pep rally once they arrive.  
  • 10:30--8th grade students depart for LHS, 6th grade students begin tour of WSMS.  6th grade students will visit all elective courses.  
  • 12:15--6th grade students depart for SCIS
  • 1:30--8th grade students return to WSMS.  All 8th grade students will attend periods 6-8 once they return.  


Group Photos and Retakes - Tuesday, January 30
Group photos day is Tuesday, January 30 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.


Its that Time Again!  2018-2019 Registration Meetings
It is time to begin the process of registering current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for the upcoming school year at WSMS and LHS!  Middle school and high school counselors will begin speaking to students in late January about elective classes, core class selections, how to register online, and what to expect in the 2018-2019 school year. Parent Registration Presentations will be held on:

Parents of current 8th graders:  At LHS, February 12, in the evening, 6pm - 8pm

Parents and current 8th graders:  LHS Elective Showcase, February 12, Immediately following meeting

Parents of current 6th and 7th graders:  At WSMS, January 30, 9am-10 am - Daytime Registration Presentation

Parents of current 6th and 7th graders: At WSMS, January 30, 6pm-6:30pm - GT Information Meeting

Parents of current 6th and 7th graders: At WSMS, January 30, 6:30-7:30pm - Evening Registration Presentation

For a complete registration timeline, please click here .   Contact the Student Support Center at 469-742-8422 if you have any questions about these dates.




Campus Information and Reminders
Safety Corner
Due to the alarmingly high number of Flu cases being seen in Dallas and surrounding communities, we just wanted to remind you of the District Policies about students attending school with illnesses. Students MUST STAY HOME from school if they have experienced vomiting, diarrhea, or a fever of 100.0 or higher in the last 24 hours, without the use of medications to lower the fever, or stop the vomiting or diarrhea. This will help prevent the spread of illnesses to other students and staff as well as prevent your own child from contracting another illness since their immune system is already still low and trying to recover from their previous illness. Please read the attached letter about Flu from the CDC by clicking HERE.


Inclement Weather
School closures will be determined based on safety. In the event of a school closure, notifications will be announced on the district's website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. We will also announce any closure through the media and by phone. Links to our social media accounts are shown below.


Lovejoy ISD App
The Lovejoy ISD App is available for download on both Apple and Android devices.  To download the app for Apple devices, please click here .  To download the app for Android devices, please click here .  



Final Exam Grades
Final exam grades will be posted in PowerSchool by Wednesday, January 10th. Final Exams are a summative assessment over material that has been covered during the first semester. Teachers will be closing out their grades for the first semester once final exams have been completed. As a result, students will not have the opportunity to re-take their final exam. The summative data from final exams will provide teachers with a road map for instructional planning and intervention during the spring semester.


Coding Clubs at Willow Springs and Opportunities for Spring Break and Summer
Willow Springs and UT Dallas will begin the spring semester coding clubs NEXT Wednesday at WSMS. WSMS coding clubs are held on Wednesday afternoons from 4-5. It is not too late to sign up! Please click here for more information and registration. If you are interested in UT Dallas spring break or summer coding camps, please click here.  



WSMS Yearbook Extended Sales - is February 2
Happy New Year! Now that we are in 2018, the last day to order a yearbook approaches in one month. Order online to guarantee your child's 2018 yearbook with an extended sale from February 2. We 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 order deadline. Click here to place your order today.

"Engaged in a Healthy Lifestyle" Suicide Prevention Parent Presentation - February 20
We will have a parent preview of our "Engaged in a Healthy Lifestyle" / Suicide Prevention program after the 9:45am general PTA meeting on Tuesday, February 20th in the WSMS aux gym.


"Engaged in a Healthy Lifestyle" Suicide Prevention Student Presentations - February 27 & 28
We " will present Engaged in a Healthy Lifestyle" / Suicide Prevention information to WSMS students on Tuesday February 27th and Wednesday February 28th 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.


Academic UIL
Academic UIL contest is approaching! Coaches are in the process of selecting teams, and it is not too late to tryout. 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. Click here for the schedule of events.  Please see the coach of any event you are interested in and remember that you can compete in multiple events. There is something for everyone!

Important note: The contest is February 23-24, 2018. The contest location is Coppell Middle School North, 120 Natches Trace, Coppell, TX 75019.

Please click here for the Academic UIL contest descriptions, coaches, and tryout times.  Practice times will be determined by the coaches.


PTA Reflections
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. Congratulations to the following students advancing in Reflections and earning an Award of Excellence.  

Visual Arts
Madisyn Stutler - 8th grade

Photography
Maxwell Nwanebu - 8th grade

Literature
Tucker Ashley - 7th grade
Lauren Dumin - 7th grade
Gabriel Ezell - 7th grade
Galen Ezell - 7th grade
Alexandra Harris - 7th grade
Connor O'Dowd - 7th grade
Arya Raju - 7th grade
Shruti Subramaniyan - 7th grade
Hudson Thomas - 7th grade
Jenna Garcia - 8th grade
Jake Pickens - 8th grade


Robotics Happenings
Check out our Advanced Robotics students completing the LiftBot Challenge. The students were given the rules to the challenge and had to build their own custom robot to finish the challenge as quickly as possible. This project served as a warm up to the 2018 VEX IQ Ringmaster challenge which the students will start this semester. The students will compete with Curtis Middle School this semester. Advanced Robotics is an elective that focuses on engineering and robotics concepts and skills and is available to 8th grade students at WSMS who took GTT as 7th graders.



Check out our Gateway to Technology students working on the ClawBot Challenge. The students were given the rules to the challenge and instructions on how to create a robot to score as many points as possible. This project served as a warm up to the 2018 VEX IQ Ringmaster challenge which the students will start this semester. The students will compete with Curtis Middle School this semester. Gateway to Technology is an elective that focuses on engineering and robotics concepts and skills and is available to 7th and 8th graders at WSMS.



Save the Date: STAAR Testing This Spring

Date
Event
Who?
Tues. April 10
Grade 7 Writing STAAR
All 7 th Grade
Grade 8 Math STAAR
8 th Grade Pre-Alg
8 th Grade Geometry
Grade 8 EOC Rotations
8 th Grade Algebra
Wed. April 11
Grade 8 Reading STAAR
All 8 th Grade
Grade 7 - Regular Class Day
All 7 th Grade
May 7 - May 11
STAAR Algebra EOC Exam
7 th Grade GT Math
8 th Grade Algebra
Mon. May 14
Grade 7 Math STAAR
Grade 8 Math STARR Retest
All 7 th Grade (except GT Math)
Grade 7 GT Math Rotations
7 th Grade GT Math
Grade 8 FitnessGram
All 8 th Grade
Tues. May 15
Grade 7 Reading STAAR
Grade 8 Reading STAAR Retest
All 7 th Grade
Grade 8 Sci/SS Rotations
All 8 th Grade
Wed. May 16
Grade 7 FitnessGram
All 7 th Grade
Grade 8 Science STAAR
All 8 th Grade
Thurs. May 17
Grade 8 Soc. Studies STAAR
All 8 th Grade
Grade 7 - Regular Class Day
All 7 th Grade


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.


Interested in Becoming a Mentor?
Willow Springs is seeking strong adult volunteers to become mentors on our campus. An effective mentor understands that his/her role is to be dependable, engaged, authentic, and tuned into the needs of the student. Becoming a mentor is a great way to pay it forward, make a positive impact on a student's life, and make a positive impact on your own life!

If you are interested in becoming a mentor at WSMS, please contact Kathy Stone at kathy_stone@lovejoyisd.net.


School Store
The LHS Store is open Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM.  The WSMS Store is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11:15 AM - 1:15 PM.   In addition to Lovejoy spirit wear, there are a limited number of grade-level spirit shirts for pep rallies, athletic events, and field trips to identify them as a WSMS student, also available for sale in the school store.


Athletics

WSMS Wrestling
WSMS wrestlers will compete in the St Marks tournament January 13 as they continue to prepare for the State tournament at the end of the month.



Golf Parent Meeting
All 8th grade students interested in participating in high school golf in 9th grade are invited to attend an informational golf meeting Jan 18th, at 6:30 PM,in the WSMS library. All those with 8th grade students interested in playing high school golf will benefit from the meeting.

Topics that  will be covered include:
1. What makes a high school team, how many teams, how many on a team?
2. What kind of time does high school golf require?
3. Lessons/clinics (Who, Where, Cost)
4. Playing junior tournaments


WSMS PTA

It's always a busy time at WSMS and we can use your help!

Volunteer Opportunities!
Hello Volunteers! PT-Ave is a one stop shop for volunteer opportunities at WSMS.  Please click here to view ways you can help out.





District and Other News

Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
Give to the Foundation via AmazonSmile
If you plan on purchasing items from Amazon.com, please consider visiting Amazon Smile. Amazon established AmazonSmile to give back 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to charitable organizations. When you are ready to shop, log in to your Amazon account by visiting the AmazonSmile website for the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools. Once you have logged in, you will have access to the same products, same prices and same service you find at amazon.com. Thank you for your support of the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools.


Toy Drive
The Work Based Learning classes at Lovejoy High School are hosting an annual toy drive in January to benefit the children in Little Leopards. Collection boxes will be placed at each campus and the administration building. Toy collection will begin when students and staff return to school on January 8th. The students are accepting new to gently used toys for children from birth to five years of age. For additional information please click here or contact sancy_fuller@lovejoyisd.net.



Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Referrals
Referrals for kindergarten Gifted and Talented services will be available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal from December 1, 2017 - January 12, 2018.
If you are were unable to attend and would like more information, a slideshow presentation will be available on the Gifted and Talented webpage after the December 4th presentations.
All kindergarten students will be tested at their home campuses in January. Additional testing for referred students is scheduled for both Saturday, February 10th and 24th. Services for identified kindergarten students begin March 1, 2018.
For questions regarding referrals, please contact Kari Lockhart (469.742.8015) or Brie Smith (469.742.8032).



Lovejoy Orchestra Spirit Night - January 16th
The Lovejoy Orchestra will host a Spirit Night at BJ's restaurant Tuesday, January 16th from 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM. Please join the Orchestra for a great combo of delicious food and good company in support of our Lovejoy Orchestra. 20% of the proceeds from your visit will go to the Orchestra Booster Club. When you order, please let them know you are with Lovejoy Orchestra. This is valid for dine in or take out. BJ's is located at 190 E. Stacy Rd Suite 3300, Allen, TX 75002.


Lovejoy High School Music Theatre - Presents The Sound of Music
Climb every mountain, ford every stream, and follow every rainbow to Lovejoy High School to see Lovejoy High School Performing Arts' musical, The Sound of Music . The musical is considered one of the masterpieces of modern musical theatre and marked the culmination of the epic Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration. It will be presented January 18th - 20th at 7:00 PM in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium.

The Sound of Music is a show for everyone, and includes beautiful inspirational music and characters whom audiences will adore, such as Captain von Trapp's "wealthy and sophisticated" would-be fiancée Baroness Elsa Schräder (Senior, Raegan Vaughn); the von Trapp children: Liesl (Junior, Marcie Sawyers), Friedrich (Willow Springs 8th Grader, Aidan Abramson), Louisa (Freshman, Grace Felton), Brigitta (Freshman, Catherine O'Brien), Kurt (Sloan Creek 5th Grader, Brock Bernal), Marta (Sloan Creek 5th Grader, Rachel Dobbs), and Gretl (Puster Elementary 4th Grader, Sophie Brooks); as well as Captain von Trapp's great friend and music producer Max Detweiler (Sophomore, Zachary Joyner).

Tickets are $12 for students, seniors, and staff, and $16 for adults. Tickets may be purchased by clicking here .


Free Girls Lacrosse Try-It Practices - January 22nd and January 24th
Lovejoy Lacrosse will host two free try-it practices for all Lovejoy girls in grades K - 8. The practices will be held on Monday, January 22nd (at Lovejoy High School), and Wednesday, January 24th (at Willow Springs Middle School). The try-it practice times will be as follows for both days:
Kinder/2nd graders
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
3rd/4th graders
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
5th/6th graders
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
7th/8th graders
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

No lacrosse experience is necessary and there is no need to register. It will be a fun, no pressure environment where Lovejoy girls can try lacrosse and parents can learn about the Lovejoy Lady Leopards Lacrosse program. For additional information, please visit the Lovejoy Lacrosse website at www.lovejoylacrosse.com .



Relay for Life Luminarias
Relay for Life is selling Luminarias for the Relay for Life event on April 6th at Lovejoy High School. Luminarias honor those whose lives have been affected by cancer. You may dedicate a Luminaria to a loved one who lost their battle with cancer, someone currently battling cancer, or anyone who has overcome cancer. When you attend the Relay event, you will see the Luminarias placed around the track, decorated with names and sometimes messages to whom they are dedicated. Luminarias are $10. If you would like to purchase one, please click here .