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Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - November 3, 2017
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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,
We officially have five and a half weeks left in the first semester with final exams beginning on Friday, December 15th. Please see below for the exam schedule under
"Campus Information and Reminders."
In two weeks our students will be on Thanksgiving break and will then return for three and half weeks prior to Winter break. Please continue to work with your son or daughter to stay on top of their school responsibilities. This time of year is traditionally very busy for our students and families, both often get pulled in several different directions as we approach the holidays. Let's work together to ensure that our students finish strong in their first semester of learning. Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Kent Messer
Principal
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4th Annual Lovejoy Letter Campaign
Dear Willow Springs Families,
Lovejoy is kicking off its 4th Annual Lovejoy Letter Campaign. This fabulous program goal is to
have our community write at least one gratitude letter to each teacher/staff members in our
district. It's a great way to show how much we appreciate what they do for our children.
We like to encourage you and/or your child to write a letter(s) to any teacher or staff, current or
past that have been valuable to your child(ren)'s educational experience. Please clearly label
the envelope with the recipient's name & LLC (Lovejoy Letter Campaign) and return the letter to
the front office by Friday, November 10th. We will begin to collect letters Monday, October
23rd.
Maria Ritchie and Onji Anderson will be coordinating Willow Springs Letter Campaign efforts.
The letter campaign has become such a meaningful tradition. We really appreciate you in
helping us make the campaign a success this year!
Sincerely,
Maria Ritchie and Onji Anderson
Willow Spring Lovejoy Letter Campaign
PTA Membership
We are in the process of wrapping up our PTA membership drive for the 2017-2018 school year. If you have not joined please consider joining. Membership includes access to the online member directory as well as first access to volunteer opportunities. We greatly appreciate our members and want to highlight some of last year's accomplishments that were only possible with member time and financial support.
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Student and parent programs:
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Screenagers- parent and student screening
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AIM student and parent program on abstinence
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Parent program on suicide suicide prevention from Halliburton
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AIM drug/alcohol program
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Parent program on drug and alcohol
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Randy Trevino College Prep parent presentation
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Volunteer support
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Donated food items for over 4 teacher/faculty luncheons and 3 student activities
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Volunteers provided more than 40 hours in copy support
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Volunteers provided 144+ hours volunteer support to WSMS School Store
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Provided 175+ hours to WSMS Center for Academic Training
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Provided 30 volunteers to chaperoned 2 student socials
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Provided 10 volunteers to monitor hallways during STAAR testing dates
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Provided 15 volunteers supported the front office during their lunchtime
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Hospitality treated teachers and staff to luncheons and monthly treats
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Boxtops collection $428; Kroger $347
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463 paid PTA members.
Consider joining today and help make 2017-2018 even better than last year.
Madagascar Live Tickets on Sale Now!
The animals are escaping from the Central Park Zoo. Join the WSMS Musical Theatre Cast for an enjoyable evening of fun as they proudly present Madagascar Live on November 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the Lovejoy High School Auditorium. All seats are reserved. Tickets may be purchased online at the
Fine Arts Ticket Box
.
If you like to Move It, Move It - we hope to see you at the show.
Progress Reports
Friday, November 3rd marks the end of the 3 week grading period. Progress reports will be going home on Monday, November 6th.
School Store T-Shirt Sale
The school stores, located at Lovejoy High School and Willow Springs Middle School, are getting ready for the cooler weather. Don't miss their special sales as they make room for the new season.
All Short-Sleeved T-Shirts - 50% off
Hurry, as the t-shirts will go quickly at this special price.
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.
8th Grade Service Learning Project
Our 8th grade students have done a nice job signing up for their service learning locations. If your son or daughter has not yet signed up for a location, please have them do so over the weekend. Some locations are already full so students will need to sign up for a spot that is available at an open location. For a complete list of locations and descriptions, please
click here
. This can also be found on our
Willow Springs website
under the "Students" tab at the top of the front page.
Parents, we need your help. Please
click here
to complete this short form allowing us to take your child off campus. This form will also allow you to sign up as a volunteer. As our students participate in these projects, Lovejoy ISD teachers and parent volunteers will provide supervision. Many organizations require small student to chaperone ratios. Volunteers are critical to make these experiences possible for our students.
If you have any questions, please call Monique Cardwell at 469-742-8422. We thank you in advance for helping make our 2017 Service Learning Day a memorable experience for all students.
7th Grade Hearing /Vision Screenings - November 7th and November 8th
Tuesday, November 7th and Wednesday, November 8th, WSMS nurses will be performing the required State Hearing/Vision screenings on all 7th grade students. If your child wears glasses or contacts, please make sure they bring them to school on those dates.
Recycle Week November 6-10
Are your shoes too small?? Not your style anymore? Bring your no-longer-worn shoes in for donation any day during the week of November 6-10 for Recycle Week at Willow Springs!
Collection boxes will be available on campus and all shoes collected will be donated to those in need. Thank you in advance for supporting this PTA program!
  
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Campus Information and Reminders
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Safety Corner
School Bus Safety Practices
We would like to remind everyone of the following school bus safety practices:
*When you see a school bus, assume children will be in the area, and take extra care: leave lots of space around the bus.
*When the bus turns on its flashing yellow lights, the bus is either preparing to stop at a railroad crossing or preparing to stop to pick up or drop off children. Please slow down and prepare to stop.
*When the bus turns on its flashing red lights traffic must stop in both directions. Never pass a school bus with flashing red lights.
Thank you for your assistance in helping to keep our students safe.
Final Exams, December 15th - 20th
For a copy of the fall semester final exam schedule, please
click here
.
Final exams will officially begin, Friday, December 15th. Teachers are expected to provide students with final exam reviews by Friday, December 1. In addition, all final exam reviews will be loaded on the WSMS website on December 2 (under both student and parent) and teachers will upload exam reviews into their Google Classrooms. Please encourage your son or daughter to begin working on their final exam reviews early. As they begin to study, encourage them to study every night in short 15-20 minute increments rather than "cramming" the night before the test. Research shows that students who study in small chunks of time over a period of days are more successful on assessments.
We will be sending out more information about middle school final exams over the next two weeks.
All Region Orchestra Results
This past weekend the orchestra department competed in the All Region Orchestra. This is an individual competition where students are competing for a spot in an "All Star" Orchestra. We are competing against orchestra students in Lovejoy, Allen, Rockwall, Sherman and McKinney. There were over 700 students auditioning for a spot in one of these orchestras. We are extremely proud of all students that took the initiative to learn the music and go through this process. We are pleased to announce the following students who made one of the All Region Orchestra's.
MS Brahms Orchestra
Ayana Dalley - 3
rd
chair violin - Willow Springs MS
MS Beethoven Orchestra
Cecile Zhang - 6
th
chair violin - Willow Springs MS
Amber Liu - 21
st
chair violin -Willow Springs MS
Meghan Karras - 24
th
chair violin - Willow Springs MS
Amanda Karras - 28
th
chair violin - Willow Springs MS
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
WSMS---It's Community Service Time
8th grade - Wednesday, November 15
7th grade - Friday, March 2
Community Service is set up for 8th and 7th graders as part of the Graduate Profile, Works for Justice in the Community, so that all students can experience giving service back to the community.
One of WSMS's business for 8th graders is Vogel Alcove. This organization deals with the homeless children in the metroplex area. 30% of Dallas children grow up in poverty. That is 2 out of every 5 children that Vogel Alcove is helping.
Vogel Alcove provides an education and food supply to these children. Part of their food supply consist of Bye-Bye Bags. These bags are given out daily to all of the children. The bags provide dinner to some kids, and additional nutrition when the kids are away for Vogel Alcove.
We are asking all of WSMS to be part of a
Give
$5 for LIVES Campaign
. We would like for all staff and student body to give $5 to this campaign. This money will be donated to Vogel Alcove to buy Bye-Bye bag food items.
The PALS class will be collecting at lunch times for the
Give $5 for LIVES Campaign
during the week of
October 30- November 3
. Coach Coonrod will take the money donated to Vogel Alcove when 8th grade has their community service day on November 15th.
In addition to the
Give $5 for LIVES Campaign
we would like WSMS to donate items for the Bye-Bye Bags. Coach Coonrod will take these bags with her on November 15, our community service day, to Vogel Alcove. A list of food items can be found on the hallway poster and in Mr. Messer's parent newsletter.
WSMS thank you in advance for your support of the
Give $5 for LIVES Campaign
. Your generosity will help provide nourishment to those in need right here in our community.
Items needed for donation--
all items need to be self packaged and be able to fit in a small brown paper lunch sack
Goldfish crackers Cheese crackers
Small cans of vienna sausages Tuna salad kit
Chicken salad kit Fruit cups
Applesauce cups Fruit strips
WSMS School Store and Student Spirit Shirts
Our Willow Springs School Store is open from 11:15-1:15 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. 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. If you pre-ordered a grade-level spirit shirt, please have your son or daughter pick their shirt up in the school store during lunch. These grade-level spirit shirts may also be purchased by
clicking here
. We will place another order based on our online purchases.
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Football Results - October 31
7th Grade
Black team: Won 14-8
Red team: Won 22-12
8th Grade
Black team: Lost 40-41
Red team: Lost 10-22
Volleyball Results - October 26
7th Grade
A team: Won
B team: Won
C team: Won
8th Grade
A team: Won
B team: Won
C team: Won
Winter Sports Season Transition
We will be transitioning into winter sports soon. The athletic transition meetings will be held during 1st and 8th period Friday, November 3. During the meeting each student-athlete will double check that they are signed up for their correct winter sport, and they will get detailed information from their winter sport coaches. Winter sport options are as follows: remain in cross country, girls/boys basketball, or off-season.
Boys
athletics will transition to their winter sport Wednesday, November 8.
Girls
athletics will transition into their winter sport on Monday, November 6. Girls/boys
wrestling
will begin practice on Monday, November 13. Thank you for your support of Willow Springs athletics. Go Leopards!
WSMS Girls Basketball Tryouts - November 6-8
8th Grade
Nov. 6: 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Nov. 7: 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Nov. 8: 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. -- Girls will be told if they made the team by the end of practice
7th Grade
Nov. 6: 3:25 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 7: 3:25 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 8: 3:25 p.m. to 5:00 p.m -- Girls will be told be the end of practice if they made the team
8th grade will practice in the mornings and 7th grade will practice in the afternoons.
7th grade games are on Monday nights (exception is Tuesday, January 16). 8th grade will play on Thursdays.
Boys Basketball Tryouts
8th Grade
Nov. 8: 8th Period until 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 9: 8th Period until 5:00 p.m.
Nov. 10: 8th Period Only -- Boys will receive decision letter
7th Grade
Nov. 8: 1st Period and 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Nov. 9: 1st Period and 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Nov. 10: 1st Period Only -- Come after school to the Main Gym to receive your decision letter
XC Update
Pictures will be Tuesday, November 7th at 7:30 AM meet in front of the trophy case as usual - we may take the picture on the field this year. Be sure your student arrives on time and with school issued uniform and running shoes on.
Click Here
for the picture order form. Please send this form with your athlete if you want to purchase.
The Willow Springs Middle School Cross Country team will have their first race on Tuesday, November 14th HERE at WSMS!! The first race starts at 4:15, and the runners would love to see their friends out supporting them on the course. The race starts and finishes on the track! Hope to see you there!
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Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
Kendra Scott Gives Back
Kendra Scott is hosting a "give back" event with 20% of the sales going to the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools. Kendra Scott will provide snacks and beverages. We hope you will join us for this special event.
Thursday, November 9
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Kendra Scott in Watters Creek
888 Watters Creek Boulevard
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.
Lovejoy Gifted Association Parent Panel: November 16
The Lovejoy Gifted Association invites you to join them for an evening of wit and wisdom shared by parents of recent Lovejoy GT graduates. This is an opportunity to receive answers to questions you may have. The Parent Panel members will share their stories and perspective on how to help you and your children get the most from the GT programs in LISD. It's a great opportunity for families who are new to GT to get a head start, as well as for families who have been with GT and are looking to reconnect as their children's interests continue to evolve and change. The event is sponsored by The Lovejoy Gifted Association and is open to all parents, teachers and students who are interested in learning more about the Gifted and Talented programs. You do not have to be a member to attend. Please contact Piritta van Rijn with questions.
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Parent Panel: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Mix and Mingle: 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Lovejoy High School
Lecture Hall
E-Waste Recycling Event: November 11
Lovejoy High School will host an e-waste recycling event on Saturday, November 11th from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM in the front parking lot of LHS. Now is the perfect time to gather electronic items you would like to dispose of.
Click here
for additional information regarding the e-waste collection.
A New Tradition
The Lovejoy High Cheer Team is pleased to announce the new tradition of "Chant of the Week."
The winning streak continues for the varsity football team. Please watch our Lovejoy Varsity cheerleader's video and be ready to cheer our Leopards to victory at this Friday night's game at Mesquite Memorial Stadium at 7:30 PM against Mesquite Poteet. We hope to see you at the game.
Lovejoy High School Theatre Presents
Almost, Maine
: November 9 and 11
The Lovejoy High School Theatre program will present
Almost, Maine
on November 9th and 11th at 7:00 PM in the new LHS Black Box Theatre. We hope you will join us for this inaugural performance in this beautiful space. Tickets will be on sale beginning Sunday, November 5th through the
Fine Arts Box Office
.
Lovejoy High School Honors Veterans
On November 13th at 6:00 PM, Lovejoy High School will host its annual Veterans Day Banquet. The event, catered by Rudy's Barbecue, is open to all veterans and their families. Please share this information with friends and family members, and
click here
to RSVP.
Girls Lacrosse Try-It Clinic: November 11
Lovejoy Lacrosse will host a free try-it clinic and introduction to lacrosse for all Lovejoy girls in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. The clinic will be held on Saturday, November 11th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Willow Springs Middle School Football Field. No lacrosse experience is necessary and there is no need to register. This will be a fun, no pressure environment where Lovejoy girls can try lacrosse and parents can learn about the Lovejoy Lady Leopards Lacrosse program. Please
click here
for additional information.
Last year's inaugural season was a great success. Now, we're looking for more girls to join the fun. Come out and see why lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the United States and in North Texas.
Questions? Click here to email Lovejoy Leopard Lacrosse.
Safe!: November 8
Issues Affecting Today's Teens and How You Can Help
We all want to keep our teens safe. Join Vanita Halliburton and Dr. Ray Levy on Wednesday, November 8th at 11:30 AM in the Lovejoy ISD Administration Building Board Room to learn how to:
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Recognize signs of distress in teens
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Promote brain health
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Foster resiliency and positive coping skills
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Know the warning signs of suicidal behavior
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Find help for a struggling teen
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Implement protective measures to keep teens SAFE!
Vanita Halliburton is president of the Grant Halliburton Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness and understanding of adolescent mental health and suicide prevention. She speaks from the heart about her son's battle with depression and bipolar disorder and his suicide at the age of 19.
Ray Levy, Ph.D., LSSP is in private practice in Dallas, TX and works extensively with high risk children, children with ADHD and strong-willed behaviors. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows discussing various psychological issues. Dr. Levy travels throughout the country giving workshops and talks on therapy, and child and adolescent issues.
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