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Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - March 8, 2018
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Spring Break with friends and family, the weather looks beautiful. Tomorrow we will be practicing our campus lock down and tornado drills. During our lock down drill, we will review and practice all of our procedures and work with students who are in the cafeteria during our 1st period breakfast time for athletes. Campus safety and security is always our highest priority.
Once we return from Spring Break, our 7th and 8th graders will have two weeks of final preparation before our first round of STAAR tests on April 10th and 11th. 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
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Suicide Prevention Meetings
The WSMS student presentations on suicide prevention have been rescheduled for Monday, March 26, and Thursday, March 29. Students will view the presentations during an extended 7th period. Be on the lookout for details.
In addition, to better support our students, parents, and community, WSMS, in partnership with Grant Halliburton Foundation, will present two events:
Upcoming Student Holidays
Spring Break for students and staff is March 12th through March 16th.
March 30th 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.
NJHS Spring Service Project
WSMS NJHS is excited to announce its Spring Service Project. From Monday, February 26th until Friday, March 9th, the NJHS will be gathering items and hosting a home-room competition to support Embrace Texas. Embrace Texas is a non-profit organization located on the historic downtown square in McKinney. The mission of Embrace Texas is to grow church-led programs that facilitate foster care and adoption programs in Collin County and to equip churches across the United States to develop ministries of their own. Items needed are:
Printed crib sheets
Cute printed twin sheet sets with pillowcases
Waterproof mattress pads (twin and crib sizes)
New complete outfits (for ages 18 months - 18 years)
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Campus Information and Reminders
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UIL Academic Success
Our WSMS UIL Academic Teams participated in our annual UIL competition against middle schools from Highland Park, Grapevine, Coppell, and Propser at the end of February. Congratulations to both our 7th and 8th grade teams for taking 1st place in this competition. We are so proud of our students and teacher/coaches for of their efforts in this event. For a complete listing of Lovejoy students who placed in this event, please click here.
Choir UIL Success
The WSMS Choirs performed at UIL Contest 2018, the past two days and were very successful. A Tradition of Excellence. Each choir had wonderful comments from all the judges on their musicianship through performance and Sight-Reading. Please congratulate these Singing Leopards for their dedication and hard work.
Stage Performance: 1-1-1 - Superior
Sight-Reading: 1-2-1 - Superior
Stage Performance: 2-1-2 - Excellent
Sight-Reading: 2-2-2 - Excellent
Stage Performance: 1-1-1 - Superior
Sight-Reading: 1-1-1 - Superior
One Act Play UIL
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the WSMS One Act Play, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly." The students competed in the Find Your Light One Act Play Festival on Saturday, March 3rd. The cast earned several awards which included:
Best Stage Manager: Avery May
All Star Cast: Jack Gaines, Hope Corbitt, Lauren Burgess, and Brindley Eaton
Best Actress: Ellis Smith
Outstanding Technical Crew: Avery May, Jordan Day, McKenzie Miller, Adam Mendelson, Chisom Okorafor
1st place Champion Production
Orchestral UIL Success
On Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8, the Willow Springs Orchestras participated in the Region 25 UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest. This is the first time in Lovejoy Orchestra history that every middle school orchestra student has performed in this contest. We are so proud of the kids! Each group brought home some wonderful awards to display in our room! All of the judges commented on how professional our students were at this contest!
Here are the results!
Stage - First Division Superior Rating Overall (1,1,2)
Sightreading - Second Division Excellent Rating Overall (2,2,2)
Stage - First Division Superior Rating Overall (1,1,1)
Sightreading - Second Division Excellent Rating (2,1,2)
Stage - First Division Superior Rating Overall (1,1,1)
Sightreading - First Division Superior Rating Overall (1,1,1)
Please help us congratulate these awesome musicians!!!!
WSMS Color Guard
The WSMS Color Guard earned 1st place this weekend at the Frisco Wakeland Competition. Congratulations on their hard work and preparation.
WSMS Percussion
This past weekend, the WSMS Percussionists traveled to Forney High School to compete in the North Texas Percussion Festival. Willow Springs Middle School percussionists placed 3rd and 5th.
Safety Corner - BUSES
Over the past few weeks, we have been notified of students riding buses that are not their regularly assigned bus. This would be students riding buses home with a friend after school school. To ensure students are riding the correct bus and everyone (campus and parents) are aware of where a students are at all time, please make sure you notify WSMS if your son or daughter will be riding a different bus home. As a reminder, only eligible students are permitted to ride a bus and must ride their assigned bus only.. Bus safety regulations must be followed to ensure all student are on the correct bus. This means that if your son or daughter will be riding home on a different bus, we ask that you contact Stephanie McSpadden at 469-742-8500. School principals are responsible for the student while on the bus and reserve the right to resolve behavior problems that occur between home and school.
Calling all 8th Grade Parents - High School PTSA
Please contact Amy Bell [email protected] or Holly Raforth [email protected] or Kelli Litchenburg [email protected] if you are interested in serving on the Lovejoy High School PTSA Board next year. We are looking for interested parents to serve on the board for the 2018-2019 school year.
WSMS Math Counts Video Challenge
The Math Video Challenge is a national program that challenges students to develop their math, communication and technology skills in a collaborative video project. Now that the video has been submitted into the competition, the MathCounts team needs the community's help. From mid-February through mid-March, the general public votes on the videos and the 100 videos with the most votes advance to the judging rounds.
Please take a moment to vote online for our WSMS Math Counts video, created by WSMS Math Counts team members Kendall Carll, Jordan Day, Joshua Lass and Eric Wang. This team is sponsored by Jacob Hunter. Click here to watch the video and cast your vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. You'll need to setup an account, but it only takes a couple of minutes.
STAAR Testing
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 at [email protected].
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Date
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Event
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Who?
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Tues. April 10
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Grade 7 Writing STAAR
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All 7
th
Grade
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Grade 8 Math STAAR
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8
th
Grade Pre-Alg
8
th
Grade Geometry
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Grade 8 EOC Rotations
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8
th
Grade Algebra
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Wed. April 11
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Grade 8 Reading STAAR
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All 8
th
Grade
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Grade 7 - Regular Class Day
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All 7
th
Grade
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May 7 - May 11
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STAAR Algebra EOC Exam
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7
th
Grade GT Math
8
th
Grade Algebra
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Mon. May 14
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Grade 7 Math STAAR
Grade 8 Math STARR Retest
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All 7
th
Grade (except GT Math)
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Grade 7 GT Math Rotations
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7
th
Grade GT Math
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Grade 8 FitnessGram
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All 8
th
Grade
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Tues. May 15
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Grade 7 Reading STAAR
Grade 8 Reading STAAR Retest
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All 7
th
Grade
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Grade 8 Sci/SS Rotations
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All 8
th
Grade
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Wed. May 16
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Grade 7 FitnessGram
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All 7
th
Grade
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Grade 8 Science STAAR
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All 8
th
Grade
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Thurs. May 17
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Grade 8 Soc. Studies STAAR
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All 8
th
Grade
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Grade 7 - Regular Class Day
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All 7
th
Grade
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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 [email protected].
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.
Our Spring Sale will begin on March 19th
. Be sure you stop by take advantage of the 50% off.
Dear Parent:
Willow Springs Middle School is sharing this information about the district and your child's campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).
Part I: Percent Tested and Student Achievement by Proficiency Level - Provides the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) performance results and participation for each subject area and grade level tested.
Participation reports also include reports of the participation of Children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) by assessment type.
Part II: Student Achievement and State Academic Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) - Provides the AMO outcomes and data table of STAAR performance results for each subject area tested in the accountability subset. This section also includes participation rates on STAAR for reading/English and mathematics, use of alternative assessments, plus four-year and five-year graduation rates.
Part III: Priority and Focus Schools - Priority schools are the lowest 5% of Title I served campuses based on performance in reading and mathematics and graduation rates. Focus schools are 10% of Title I served campuses, not already identified as priority schools, that have the widest gaps between student group performance and safeguard targets.
Part IV: Teacher Quality Data - Provides information on teacher quality in three parts.
Part A - Percent of Teachers by Highest Degree Held - Professional qualifications of all public elementary and secondary teachers in the Texas.
Part B and C- Teachers with Emergency/Provisional Credentials, Low Poverty/High Poverty Summary Reports - Percentage of all public elementary and secondary school teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials, disaggregated by high-poverty compared to low-poverty schools.
Part V: Graduates Enrolled in Texas Institution of Higher Education (IHE) - Provides the percentage of students who enroll and begin instruction at an institution of higher education in Texas during the school year (fall or spring semester) following high school graduation.
Part VI: Statewide National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results - Provides most recent NAEP results for Texas showing reading and mathematics performance results and participation rates, disaggregated by student group.
If you have difficulty accessing the information from the website, hard copies of the reports are available at the district or campus office. If you have questions about the information, please contact Kent Messer at [email protected] or 214-293-9938.
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Cold Weather Reminder
Parents please remind your student-athlete to bring warm clothing for athletics. Off-season in particular will practice outside if the temperature is above thirty-two degrees.
WSMS Boys Soccer
Tryouts will be held March 19th, 21st, and 22nd. The 8th graders will tryout from 3:20-4:20 and the 7th graders will tryout from 4:10-5:20. On Monday, March 26th, we will be talking to each player individually letting them know if they made the team. We will talk to the 8th graders during 8th period and the 7th graders after school.
The only equipment the boys need to bring with them are a pair of cleats, if they have them, and shin guards. We will provide balls, bibs, cones, and water.
WSMS Girls Soccer
On March 7th the soccer coaches will be having a transition meeting during the off season period to discuss tryouts with the girls. 8th grade will be trying out in the morning from 7:30 to 8:45 AM March 19th-21st. On the 22nd coaches will meet with the girls and announce the team. 7th grade will be trying out in the afternoon from the start of 8th period until 4:30 PM March 26th-28th. On the 28th we will meet with the girls and announce the team. The coaching staff is really looking forward to working with the girls this year. We can't wait to get started. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!
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Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2018 Online Auction. The auction raised over $30,000. Thanks to your support, these funds will be used towards the mission of providing innovative classroom grants to benefit the students of Lovejoy ISD.
If you did not get a chance to purchase a ticket to the K-4 Spring Fling Beach Bash Socials, it is not too late. There will be a sign-up sheet at each campus office for you to purchase a ticket for your student to attend their grade-level party.
The success of this auction would not have been possible without the staff of Lovejoy. The campuses and teachers so graciously donated over 200 experiences for your students and your family.
Denim and Diamonds - Lone Starry Night - April 7th
Through your generosity and support, the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools awarded grants totaling $451,100 to teachers for use in their classrooms this year. The Foundation is funded primarily from Annual Appeal and the Denim and Diamonds (D&D) Gala and Auction. The Foundation's goal this year is to cover D&D costs with sponsorships prior to the night of the event so all monies spent at the event go directly to fund classroom grants.
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools will host its 12th annual Denim and Diamonds Gala and Auction on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Marriott at Legacy Town Center in Plano. This year's theme is a Lone Starry Night. Foundation for Lovejoy Schools Chair, Carrie McClure and Co-Chair, Aimee Peay welcome you to a night featuring dinner, entertainment and live auctions.
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools will host a raffle for three great prizes, which includes:
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$2500 VISA gift card - donated by Owens Realtors
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EZ Go Golf cart - Completely Remodeled and Refurbished Model 2014 TXT-PDS with 2014 upbody with flip seating, new batteries, tires and LED head/tail lights. New factory-painted, flame-red body. EC Custom Carts - value $5,000
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Arcade Game Table - Designed like original arcade table from the 80s. Table can be customized, featuring officially licensed graphics of favorite College, Pro Team, etc. - value $4,400
Raffle tickets are $100. Only 500 tickets will be sold. A drawing will be held for each item, giving each ticket a chance to win one of these prizes. The winners will be drawn at the Denim and Diamonds Gala. You do not need to be present to win.
Click here
for additional information. You may purchase tickets from any Foundation director, via the Foundation's website, or at the LISD administration building. See the Foundation website for a list of directors or
click here
to purchase tickets online.
Tickets for the Gala go on sale Friday, February 9th for $135 each. The ticket price will increase to $150 beginning Friday, March 9th. This year, we will seat guests at tables of 12. For additional information, visit FoundationForLovejoySchools.org or contact Cindy Booker at [email protected] or at 469.742.8043.
Click here
to purchase tickets to the gala.
Orchestra Spirit Night - March 8th
The Lovejoy Orchestra Spirit night will be held at Zoe's Kitchen tomorrow night from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Please plan on joining the orchestra for delicious food and good company in support of the Lovejoy Orchestra. 15% of the proceeds will benefit the Orchestra Booster Club. When ordering, please let the cashier know you are with Lovejoy Orchestra. This includes dine in and take out. Zoe's Kitchen is located at 102 Prairie Road, in the Villages of Fairview.
Flats for Bats - Lovejoy Baseball Fundraiser
Lovejoy Baseball is hosting its annual flower sale, Flats for Bats. Please help support Lovejoy Baseball and buy your spring flowers from one of the high school players. Flowers will be delivered to your house on April 8th. Find any Lovejoy Baseball player and place your order, or email [email protected] and a player will contact you to take your order.
Orders will be accepted through March 21st.
Gifted and Talented Referrals for 2018-2019
The referral window for gifted and talented services opens February 1st for students in grades 1-12. The window will remain open through March 31, 2018.
Click here
for the referral forms located online in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. All referrals must be completed in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. A line is included to type the name of the individual referring the student (parent, teacher, other educator, or student).
Testing is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th and 28th.
For questions regarding referrals, please contact Kari Lockhart (469.742.8015) or
Brie Smith
(469.742.8032).
Relay for Life: April 6th
Relay for Life is an annual event which will be held at Willow Springs Middle School to raise awareness of cancer and to donate to cancer research. This year's initiative is to bring the Lovejoy community together as a whole to promote a sense of unity and caring. We hope you will save the date of April 6th and join us for Relay for Life.
Relay for Life Dinner
A dinner in honor of survivors, caregivers, and their families will be held in conjunction with the Relay for Life event. If this applies to you or to someone you know, please RSVP to
Katherine Guo
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Relay for Life Stories to Share
The high school Relay for Life committee is also organizing a tribute to those who have been affected by cancer. If you have a story to share, please contact
Katherine Guo
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Relay for Life Gallery Wall Opportunity
To encourage participation of students at the elementary and intermediate school levels, the LHS Relay for Life organizers are hosting a coloring page activity. Students may
click here
to print the coloring page and decorate it as creatively as they can. They may then turn the page into the receptionist desk at their campus to receive a pencil, sticker or other prize. The event organizers will use all coloring pages to create a gallery wall for the event, which will represent loving support for those whose lives have been affected by cancer.
Relay for Life Luminarias
Relay for Life is selling Luminarias for the Relay for Life event on April 6th at Willow Springs Middle School. Luminarias honor those whose lives have been affected by cancer. You may dedicate a Luminaria to loved ones who lost their battles 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
.
Firefighters Pancake Breakfast - April 21st
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STAY CONNECTED
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