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Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - May 11, 2017
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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,
We have had a great week of STAAR testing at WSMS. Our students have worked extremely hard and our teachers did an excellent job creating a positive testing environment. We are very proud of everyone's efforts.
Please see below for information about upcoming events. We are looking forward to a great week.
Sincerely,
Kent Messer
Principal
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End of the Year Award Ceremonies - 7th Grade Tomorrow
Tomorrow is our 7th grade awards ceremony from 9:00--10:15 AM in the WSMS Gym. All 7th grade students will attend and a select number of students will be receiving a teacher award from one of their teachers. Parents have been notified if their son or daughter is receiving an award. Not all students will be receiving an award but it is important for all students to attend this ceremony to recognize and congratulate our award recipients.
WSMS Library Books and Fines - Due Tomorrow
All library books will be DUE May 12. All students will need to have all books in and fines for lost books cleared by May 19 in order to pick up your yearbook.
Final Exam Reviews - Available Tomorrow
On Friday, May 12, teachers will provide students with a copy of the final exam review. In addition, an electronic copy will be posted on course websites and on the WSMS website under "Parent Resources" on Friday, May 12.
Teachers will be going over their review in class prior to the final exam. Each review will provide vocabulary, concepts, and/or skills needed to be successful on the final. Students will be expected to take the information from the review and apply it to questions on the exam that include graphs, charts, maps, diagrams, and excerpts. These application based questions provide a foundation for the level of thinking that aligns with the higher level thinking of our state standards in middle school and high school. Rather than studying the review for 2-3 hours the night before the final exam, we encourage students to prepare for each exam by studying for approximately 15-20 minutes a day. In addition, students should refer to notes, handouts, assignments, and their textbook to support their learning and preparation. For an example of a final exam review topic and how it might be tested on the final exam in each of the core subjects, please
click here
(these questions are from the 7th grade curriculum in ELAR, math, science, and social studies).
Drug and Alcohol Presentation - Monday, May 15
On Monday, May 15th, all of our students will be participating in a presentation on the dangers of drug and alcohol use. This program will be age appropriate for middle school students and is sponsored by our WSMS PTA. The program will be presented by Aim For Success and is titled The Power to Succeed: Understanding the Problems of Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drugs. For more information about this program, please
click here.
Thank you to the WSMS PTA for providing this program for our students.
Willow Springs Cheerleaders - Physicals due Monday, May 15
The first payment for cheer uniforms are due May 8th. Cheer physicals are due by May 15th. Camp payments are due by July 1st. Payments may be made at the Online Payment
Center
located here
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WSMS Choir Pop Show - Monday, May 15
Join the WSMS Choir for their Pop Show on Monday, May 15th in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium. The Pre-Show will begin at 6:45 PM, with the main show beginning at 7:00 PM. General admission is $5.00.
8th Grade Panoramic Picture - Monday, May 15
The WSMS 8th grade class of 2017 will be taken on Monday, May 15. Panoramic pictures will be on sale
during all lunches on Tuesday, May 17. Please
go here
for more information.
Invitation to join the State Champion Leopard Fishing High School Team Tuesday, May 16
Calling all future Leopard Fishing Team Members - Leopard Fishing will be holding an orientation meeting on Tuesday, May 16th for rising 9th grade students (new Freshmen) and their parents. This meeting will provide information to those students and families that have an interest in joining one of the top high school fishing teams in the country. The meeting will be held at Willow Springs Middle School Café at 6:30PM. For further information, or if you can't make the meeting, call or email Glenn Harrison at (214) 535-8397 or [email protected].
Intro to the Springs
- Wednesday, May 17
On Wednesday, May 17th, Willow Springs Middle School will welcome 6th graders to our campus. All SCIS 6th graders will join us for a morning tour and lunch at WSMS. They will visit WSMS classrooms to learn about campus life. All 7th graders will eat lunch together on Wednesday, May 17 from 12:15-12:45.
8th Grade Retreat to Main Event - Wednesday, May 17
Congratulations to our 8th Graders for a superb year! We will celebrate this momentous transition to high school with them at Main Event on Wednesday, May 17.
End of the Year Award Ceremony - 8th Grade, Friday, May 19
Our 8th Grade Award Ceremony is next Friday, May 19 from 9:00 AM-11:30 AM in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium. At the conclusion of the 8th grade awards ceremony, students will be returning to campus for lunch. After lunch, all 8th grade students will receive their yearbook and will participate in a yearbook signing party with their classmates.
Yearbook Distribution - Friday, May 19
Yearbook distribution is May 19th in the Aux Gym. All 8th grade students will receive their yearbook after their awards ceremony on May 19th. All 7th grade students will receive their yearbook later that day during 7th period.
Any extra yearbooks will be for sale at school during yearbook distribution in the gym on May 19th during distribution. We cannot guarantee or hold yearbooks in advance if a yearbook was not purchased during yearbook pre-sales earlier during the academic year. Any extra yearbooks are $50 available on a first-come, first-served basis by grade on the scheduled yearbook release day and during lunches the week of May 22nd.
.
Also, please note that if any child owes a library fine, their yearbook will be held until that fine is cleared up in the library. In this case, students will pick up their yearbook in the library after paying their library fine.
Yearbook Distribution Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed to assist with yearbook sorting, setup, and distribution. Please
click here
if you can assist.
Lost and Found - Donated May 26
Please encourage your son or daughter to look through the lost and found by the library and the athletic lost and found and claim any sweatshirts, shoes, hats, etc. they may have left behind. All items not claimed by May 26 will be donated to Allen Community Outreach the week of May 29.
Flapjacks for Finals - Monday, May 22
As a tradition at WSMS, we will be kicking off final exams with "Flapjacks for Finals" on Monday, May 22 from 8:00 a.m. - 8:55 a.m. in the cafeteria. This is the day before the first final exam. Please encourage your son or daughter to stop by the cafeteria for hot cakes before school.
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Campus Information and Reminders
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Safety Corner
As school dismisses at 4:00 every day, we are asking our students to exit the building by 4:10. If they remain in the building, we ask that they be in a classroom for tutorials, the CAT, the Library, or the Fine Arts wing for rehearsals. We will be sweeping the halls between 4:00-4:10 asking students to move to their designated location. If your student needs to remain on campus past 4:10, please encourage them to remain in tutorials, the CAT, the Library, or the Fine Arts wing until you arrive.
National Media Contest Results
Last month, students from Mrs. Smith's Convergent Digital Media and Advanced Media classes competed in the Journalism Education Association National Media Contest. JEA contest categories included: Photography and Caption Writing, Yearbook, Newspaper and Broadcasting. Media students competed in the Broadcast Category submitting news and feature packages, sports packages, documentaries and PSA's which were all shown during the year on our school announcements. Please
go here to view the results and for all JEA results, here.
Media students won multiple awards in several categories: One Superior, 7 Excellent, and 6 Honorable Mentions. There are three awards -- Superior, Excellent and Honorable Mention. Superior ratings, which are awarded with a medal, may be given to no more than 10 percent of the entries in any contest. Judges may give as many ratings in Excellent and Honorable Mention as appropriate. See attachment for individual winners! Please congratulate these students for their incredible work in journalism. This is quite an honor as this was a national competition and the results show how many broadcasting awards were given to our students representing our school and the Lovejoy district. We dominated the broadcast division!! Go Leopards!
WSMS TV News Brings Home 80 Medals at ILPC
Staff and Individual Awards Surpass All Competitors in Division
Broadcast journalism students from Willow Springs Middle School are proud to announce the results of their hard work over the past year as they competed in the Interscholastic League Press Conference last week in Austin. Students took home 50 gold medals, 2 silver, and 28 bronze medals in the Broadcast Individual Achievement Awards. The WSMS TV News staff received a total of 10 awards and one honorable mention in 12 individual categories - more than any other school in their division. Students competed mostly against 4A high schools. Individual students and staff took home 5 gold medals - the most of any school.
In the Feature Story category, seventh grader Ailsa Kokoricha's package on Martin Luther King tied for first place with a digital video story on a library competition called "Battle of the Books," produced by eighth graders Elizabeth Breiner, Tajvir Singh, and Aaron Johnson. Elizabeth Breiner, Reese Scheckel, and Kamri McKnight won first place in the General Sports category with their package on concussions. The entire staff took home two other separate gold medals for Graphics and Producing.
Sports anchor and reporter, Julia Brochu, won a silver medal for her Sports Feature Story on Ralph Rucker. WSMS students also split a bronze medal for their entries into the General News Story category. The two-way tie was awarded to Nia Marwaha for her profile on the Suzuki Violin competition and to Julia Brochu and Kamri McKnight for their profile on new student, Braden Schlimme. In Videography, 7th graders Sam Betz and Colin Ashby along with 8th grader Chaney Kelly won a bronze medal for their piece on Band.
To complete the Broadcast Individual Achievement Awards, the Willow Springs staff won a bronze medal for Anchor presentation. The entire staff also won an honorable mention for Editing. The staff includes: Bo Allen, Dalton Braun, Elisabeth Breiner, Julia Brochu, Ella Brumley, Johnny Franze, Karly Greenwood, Dawson Holt, Aaron Johnson, Ian Klinger, Nia Marwaha, Brock McKissack, Kamri McKnight, Ralph Rucker, Reese Scheckel, Tajvir Singh, Blake Slaughter, Dayton Stammen, Christina Taylor, and Savannah Wynn.
LeopardLife - Results from Interscholastic League Press Conference
For the second year in a row, the WSMS student newspaper, LeopardLife, received the prestigious Star Award,
recognizing
the top 10 percent of publications across Texas at the state journalism ILPC (UIL) spring convention April 21-23 at the University of Texas at Austin. LeopardLife and Rosette Yearbook and LeopardLife also placed in Best of Show at the Spring National Student Press Association (NSPA) Convention prior to ILPC earlier in the month of April.
Additionally, students' work from publications at Willow Springs Middle School competed in various categories and placed in 34 events, earning combined gold, silver, and bronze individual awards. Other students also earned several Honorable Mentions. LeopardLife print and online newspaper and Rosette yearbook received the highest critique of Distinguished Merit from ILPC/UIL - the association's highest critique rating.
LeopardLife is under the leadership of Carter Satterwhite and Layla Healey, Editor in Chiefs; Taylor Crosby and Jackson Willard, Managing Editors; Carrie Duke and Major Friesland, Photo and Graphics Editors; Abe Bedjaoi, Josh Bittlestone, Jacob Parkinson and Jack Marsden, section editors. Rosette yearbook editors are Anna Beard, Editor in Chief; Amelia Flinchbaugh and Jack Czyz, Assistant Editors; Mark Wen, Business Manager and Photo Editor; and Grace Baker, Photo Editor.
ILPC awards included students in the following categories and earned individual awards
and may be viewed here.
More than 1,100 journalism students and advisers attend the ILPC/UIL convention each year with more than 100 instructional sessions on legal issues, trends in the field, and best journalism skills and practices. Sessions are led by leading journalism advisers, professional journalists, and university professors. Journalism Adviser Nicole Sanders led two workshop sessions at ILPC and at NSPA, one for yearbook filling in for Josten's area creative director titled Icing the Cake, which outlined the importance of details and editing. Another session Sanders presented was for advisors only at ILPC and at NSPA titled From Chaos to Caliber, focusing on student engagement and continuous process improvement.
Parent Questionnaire
Lovejoy ISD is partnering with BrightBytes, an educational research organization, to learn more about our students' school and home technology use and the impact it has on instruction. We are reaching out to ask you to take part in the Technology & Learning questionnaire. This is a semi-annual initiative, and your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of the role technology plays in your students' learning.
Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy
. Please go here to complete the survey.
Final Exam Grades
Final Exams are a summative assessment over material that has been covered during the entire year. Teachers will be closing out their grades for the second semester once final exams have been completed. As a result, students will not have the opportunity to re-take their final exam. As the semester comes to a close, 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 summer. If you or your student needs any assistance or support with academic or behavioral support, please partner with our teachers, counselors, and administrators. Let's work together to ensure that our students finish strong in their second semester of learning.
Spring Final Exam Bell Schedule
For a copy of the spring final exam bell schedule, please
go here
.
Final Exams Make-Up
If a student was unable to take a final exam during Final Exam Week (May 22-May 26), they will need to coordinate with their teachers to schedule a make-up time during finals week. Please feel free to contact your son or daughter's teacher to schedule a time to make up a final exam.
WSMS School Supply List 2017-2018
WSMS school supply lists will be posted soon on the school website under parent resources.
Notes from the Nurse - Medications
If your child has medicine at school, please make sure your child has exactly enough medicine to finish the school year. You are responsible for picking up any extra medicine as the school district has a policy against sending medicines home with students. At the end of this school year, any remaining medicines, including inhalers, will be thrown out. The school cannot store these for you during the summer.
Please remember, if your child is going to continue being medicated at school during the 2017-2018 school year, you will need to complete a new medication sheet at that time and bring a SMALL or travel size bottle of medicine that is not expired.
Immunizations
Early reminder to parents of students that will be 7th graders during the 2017-2018 school year:
It is a State requirement that all 7th grade students must have had 2 required updated immunizations in order to attend school. These required immunizations are, TDaP booster (Tetanus booster) and Menactra (Meningococcal).
Please obtain a copy of your child's updated shots and provide it to our school nurse, Gretchen Young, BEFORE August 18, 2017. You may drop it off in person, send it through the mail to Willow Springs Middle School, 1101 West Lucas Road, Lucas, TX 75002, by email to
Gretchen Young
or fax at
469-742-8501
.
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LHS launches Online Leadership Course for LHS Students this Summer
This summer, LHS will launch the first of many Online Signature Courses as part of their move into the secondary school online course market. A 7-week long Leadership course will be the inaugural LHS Online Signature Course offered to Lovejoy High School students. Successful completion of the course will satisfy the .5 credit speech graduation requirement. The course will be facilitated by LHS Leadership instructor, Jenay Sherman, and will feature many engaging aspects not regularly found in the standard secondary school online course. Students should check with their guidance counselor for enrollment requirements as space is limited. Click here for more information.
Lovejoy Leopard Lacrosse - Boys' K-8 Teams Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the boys' 2017 Fall season of Lovejoy Leopard Lacrosse. Join the most exciting, fastest growing sport in the country.
Register now for boys grades Kindergarten through 8th. Visit www.lovejoylacrosse.com for information regarding the program and the upcoming Fall season.
Girls' teams and Boys' High School will begin registration soon.
Hurry, as rosters will fill quickly.
Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
Tonight! Kendra Scott - Allen, Gives Back to the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
Just in time for Mother's Day: Kendra Scott in Watters Creek will hold a "give back" event which will give the Foundation 20% of sales on May 11th, from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. We hope you will join us on the 11th for this special event. Kendra Scott will provide snacks and beverages
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Online Payment Center Has New Look
The Lovejoy Online Payment Center has a new look. You are able to
log on to the Online Payment Center
from any mobile device and make a payment. There is no need to download an app, just visit the Online Payment Center through the internet browser on your mobile device. It's that easy. In addition to the mobile-friendly update, you will enjoy the following features:
- Quick, two-step checkout process
- Convenient login window
- User-friendly design
- And more
Keep an eye out for additional updates regarding the Online Payment Center.
Senior Project - Children's Miracle Network
Ashton Franquiz, a Junior at Lovejoy High School, will be competing in the Miss Texas Outstanding Teen pageant. She is the reigning Miss Hunt County's Outstanding Teen 2017. Ashton is a philanthropist at heart and feels blessed to be raised in North Dallas and in the Lovejoy District. She is part of the Majestics leadership team, choir, theatre program, and NHS. She dances outside of school and finds time to give back through the National Charity League. Ashton feels "To much is given, much is required." Ashton believes we all can make a difference, even if it is 1 hour serving somewhere. Some are called to serve and some are called to give, but by doing something, we can all make a difference.
Over the next several weeks, Ashton is raising money for the Children's Miracle Network. Would you help her in this campaign? "Your spare change can make a change." Containers to collect change will be located at each campus.
Lovejoy High School Choir Pop Show - May 11-12
The Lovejoy High School Choir Pop Show: Legends will be presented Thursday and Friday, May 11th and 12th at 7:00 PM in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium. Join the Choir as they present legendary songs by Michael Jackson, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, and more. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students, staff, and seniors.
Click here
to purchase your tickets.
Lovejoy AP Studio Art Show - Saturday, May 13
The Lovejoy AP Studio Art Show will be held on May 13th from 6:00 - 9:00 PM at the Villages of Fairview. This is always a great show. We hope to see you there.
Lovejoy ISD Pre-Kindergarten
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Pictured: Kevin Parker, Principal of Puster Elementary School, "shoots hoops" with incoming Pre-Kindergarten student, Crew Thomas.
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Lovejoy ISD is accepting applications for tuition-based Pre-Kindergarten. This comprehensive program will be staffed by credentialed teachers and housed on the Puster Elementary School campus. This program will offer enhancements in music, fitness, art, library, science, technology, engineering, and math. We are enthusiastic to provide a Lovejoy education for community members looking for a rich learning experience which will provide a firm foundation for kindergarten and beyond.
To apply, please
click here
. To schedule a tour of the Pre-Kindergarten program, please contact
Stacey Dillon
at 469.742.8003.
Summer Enrichment Camps
The Summer Enrichment Camps have been finalized, and we are excited to offer opportunities for Pre-K through 12th grade. You will find everything from dodge ball to robotics, and cooking to coding.
Summer Enrichment Camps will be offered in three sessions:
Session I: June 12-16
Session II: June 19-23
Session III: July 10-14
Click here
to see all of the exciting summer enrichment camp offerings. Registration is open.
With a few exceptions (athletic camps and Lovejoy theatre camp), information for all enrichment camps is available through this link. If there is a need to register through the camp provider, the link will be provided with the session description for each session (e.g., PSAT Prep from Princeton Review).
Please review the enrichment camps and consider one or more of these excellent opportunities for your children this summer.
Lovejoy ISD Athletic Summer Camps and Performance Course
Registration is now open for Lovejoy ISD Athletic Summer Camps. Early Registration will end on Friday, May 12th. Click here for details.
Lovejoy Athletics is pleased to announce its partnership with Geno Pierce's Performance Course for the 2017-2018 school year. Performance Course brings with it a proven track record of championship success. Performance Course offers many different courses from high-intensity to foundational programs. There is something for everyone. Click here for details and registration links.
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