A Message from the Principal
 
Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - November 1, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 


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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 14th.  Please see below for the final 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
Willow Springs Middle School
1101 West Lucas Rd, Lucas 75002
Office: 469-742-8417
Mobile: 214-293-9938
@WSMSLovejoyISD
#wsmslovejoy


ParentPortal Update Needed ASAP
The PowerSchool ParentPortal is now open for you to complete the online Enrollment & Student Information Forms. Pleaseclick here to access the Parent Portal. Completion of these forms is required every year for every student. Please take a few minutes to update your contact information, emergency contacts, authorized pickup, FERPA acknowledgments, Student Code of Conduct, Student Handbook, etc. As of today, there are 30 students whose forms have not been updated.

PLEASE NOTE: Regarding the Release of Directory Information for School Use:

In order for your child's picture to appear in the Yearbook, you should answer "YES".

IMPORTANT - Students and parents have a separate login/password for PowerSchool. Students should never have access to ParentPortal or use their parent login. If students were to access the ParentPortal on a school or public computer and not log out, family demographics as well as sibling's grades would be open for others to access. If you have any questions, you may contact Carol Vik at 469-742-8415.




WSMS Theatre - TONIGHT, TOMORROW and SATURDAY
The WSMS Theatre and Choir department will be presenting Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. Click here to purchase your tickets!



PALS Campaign - Caring for the Kids
The PALS would like WSMS to help young children overcome the lasting effects and traumatic effects of homelessness BY PARTNERING UP WITH VOGEL ALCOVE. Vogel Alcove has been helping the homeless children in the Dallas Metroplex area since 1987.

So, WSMS please join in with our mission to help young children from our immediate area gain some relief from our kindness. We will be collecting items November 1 st - November 15 th .  There will be a plastic bin in rotunda area for needed items.

NEEDED ITEMS
UNSCENTED /SENSITIVE BABY WIPES
SOCKS---BABY, TODDLER, CHILD, YOUNG TEEN

ITEMS FOR BYE-BYE BAGS
INDIVIDUAL BOX CEREAL
SQUEEZE FRUIT POUCH
GOLDFISH
CHEESE CRACKERS
VIENNA SAUSAGES
TUNA KIT W/CRACKER
CHICKEN KIT W/CRACKERS
BEEF JERKY STICKS
DRIED FRUIT SNACKS


WSMS Career Day 2018
WSMS will hold Career Day on Friday November 2, from 10am - 12:50pm. All WSMS students will visit 4 career presentations, learning about a variety of industries. There will only be two lunches on Friday, November 2nd, so the cafeteria may be more crowded than usual. All students are asked to dress for success on Friday as we host over 40 industry professionals in our building. If you have any questions about Career Day, please contact your student's counselor.


PTA Reflections - "Heroes Around Me" - Deadline November 2nd
WSMS PTA is excited to kick off another year of celebrating Arts in Education with participation in the National PTA Reflections Competition. All students are encouraged to get in touch with their inner artist by interpreting the 2018-2019 theme, "Heroes Around Me." Students may submit work(s) in dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, or visual arts. For rules and entry forms click here or visit the WSMS front office. Entries are due to the Willow Springs office by November 2nd. Please contact Nicole Dubree at nicolemdubree@gmail.com with any questions.




Yearbook Early Order Deadline - November 2
There is still more time to order your WSMS Yearbook at the lowest price of the year of $40.00. Yearbook may be purchased online only by electronic check, PayPal, debit, or credit card. For more information, please click here. The price will go up to $50.00 after November 2.  



Progress Reports
Friday, November 2nd marks the end of the 3 week grading period.  Progress reports will be going home on Monday, November 5th.


Recycling Week - November 5th - 9th
WSMS will be celebrating National Recycling Day with a shoe collection.  During the week of November 5-9th, the PTA will be collecting your outgrown athletic shoes at WSMS.   All sizes are needed and will be donated to those in need. The students will see collection bins in the main hallway for their donations.


7th Grade Hearing /Vision Screenings - November 6th and November 7th
Tuesday, November 6th and Wednesday, November 7th, 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.



Campus Information and Reminders
Safety Corner - Drug Dogs on Campus
We will have a drug dog on campus for an unannounced visit once a month for the remainder of the school year.  When classrooms are selected to be searched, all students will need to exit the room leaving their backpacks and other belongings.  The drug dog, the handler, and an administrator will enter the room to conduct the search. At the conclusion of the search, students and the teacher can re-enter the room.  



Final Exams, December 14th-19th
For a copy of the fall semester final exam schedule, please  click here.  

Final exams will officially begin, Friday, December 14th. Teachers are expected to provide students with final exam reviews by Friday, December 7.  In addition, all final exam reviews will be loaded on the WSMS website on December 7 (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.  


WSMS Robotics Club
Robotics club is open to any and all students. Sign-up is a google form that can be found in the library google classroom, Ms. Woods and Coach Keebles classrooms. As of today we have 42 that have signed up. For now communication is going to happen through the Robotics Club google classroom stream.  The classroom code is 4dbnqr.
 
Morning meetings are Wednesday and Friday mornings,  8:00am to 8:43am. Afternoon meetings are Wednesday and  Thursday, 4:00pm to 5:00pm. 
 
Those interested in competition are studying the game rules and generating robot concepts. Teams will be established once we see who will be attending which meetings, so they may work together on their team bot. Those not interested in competition are free building and exploring gear systems. Coding is to come.  More information will be coming regarding competitions.

Please contact Sylvia Woods at sylvia_woods@lovejoyisd.net if you have any questions.

   


WSMS 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 Orchestras.

Willow Springs MS All Region Orchestra Members

MS Brahms Orchestra
Ayana Dalley - 4th chair violin
Cecile Zhang - 7th chair violin
Alissa Chang - 16th chair violin
Harry Wang - 20th chair violin
Kent Iyoki - 30th chair violin

MS Beethoven Orchestra
William Simpkins - 10th chair cello
Hannah Mao - 1st alternate viola

Sloan Creek All Region Orchestra Members

MS Beethoven Orchestra
David Wang - 11th chair violin


Perfect Attendance 1st Nine Weeks
During the first grading period, we had 264 students (36% of our entire student body) that had perfect attendance. This means these students were in class every period of every day during the first nine weeks. Let's continue to work together to encourage students to increase our perfect attendance. For a complete list of students who had perfect attendance, please click here.


Students feeling under the weather?
As you know, it is prime cold and flu season. To help best manage our students and to keep in line with the policy in the Student Handbook, if students are not feeling well at school, they need to be checked out through the school clinic. The student must be fever free (Temperature of 99.9 or less for 24 hours without the use of over the counter medications to keep the temperature down) and must NOT have vomited or had diarrhea in the last 24 hours. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.


WSMS School Store
The WSMS Store will be open every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Stop by to get your school spirit gear!

If you are interested in volunteering in the school store this year, please email

Reporting an Incident at WSMS
One of our top priorities at Willow Springs Middle School is to ensure the safety of all of our students.  Our most important asset in this is the eyes and ears our students can provide us on campus. We will begin using the Safe Schools Alert System this year for students and parents to report incidents they are aware of happening.  You can access the system by going to www.lovejoyisd.net .  Under Quick Links click on "REPORT IT!"  You will have four ways to submit an incident.  Furthermore, you will receive an access code to follow the progression of how an incident is being handled.  


Developing Student Ownership in Learning
One of our goals is to work with students to build ownership and responsibility in their own learning. Consider having your student make first contact with his/her teachers by emailing them about assignments and/or tests. For example, if your student has not completed a homework assignment or a test, please encourage your student to do the following:

  • Log into Power School to determine what test/assignment is missing.
  • Go to the Google Classroom to print off and complete the assignment and/or any test preparation materials
  • Email their teacher and ask questions about the assignment or missing work
  • Talk to their teacher about the missing assignment or test
  • Know how and where to turn in the assignment or complete the test

LISD Calendar
Please go here for LISD calendars.



Athletics
 
Volleyball Results vs Rockwall Williams - October 25th
7th Grade
A Team - Won
B Team - Lost
C Team - Lost
 
8th Grade
A Team - Lost
B Team - Won
C Team - Won
 
 
Football Results vs Rockwall Williams - October 30th
7th Grade
Red - Won
Black - Lost
 
8th Grade
Red - Won
Black - Lost


XC Update
The WSMS Cross Country team had a blast at the Glow Run-A-Thon on Monday! We had a great turnout and most kids ran 5-6 miles!!


Pictures will be Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 AM - meet in front of the trophy case as usual.  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 13th 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!




WSMS PTA

The 5th Annual Lovejoy Letter writing campaign is kicking off!  We are asking for a small note of gratitude for the teachers and staff of WSMS!  These letters will be organized and delivered to the staff of WSMS by Mr. Messer on the Friday before Thanksgiving break.  You may deliver your completed notes of gratitude to the front office no later than November 9th.

PTA reflections entries have been extended to next Friday, November 9th.  For questions or concerns please contact Nicole Dubree at nicoledubree@gmail.com

WSMS will be celebrating National Recycling Day with a shoe collection.  During the week of November 5-9 th , the PTA will be collecting your outgrown athletic shoes at WSMS.   All sizes are needed and will be donated to those in need. The students will see collection bins in the main hallway for their donations.

Secondly, the city of Lucas will host their second annual Fall Sweep this weekend, November 3 rd from 8am-12pm.  Members of the local Legacy 4-H club will also be on hand giving away saplings.  You can find more information at:

Shop at Kroger?  Connect your Kroger card to earn dollars to support your WSMS PTA.  Follow the link to connect your Kroger Card to WSMS PTA:
1. Go to Kroger to create an account or link if you already have a Kroger account.
2. Click on the Community Rewards tab and search Willow Springs Middle School PTA, WG753
3. Click Save and shop as usual with your Rewards number and earn money for WSMS PTA.

To get involved and volunteer at WSMS please view our volunteer calendar here . Or you can visit our website,

Your support and membership are critical in allowing us to continue to support and give back to the students and teachers of WSMS! To join today or to give to the Leopard drive please follow the attached link: Willow Springs PTA Membership



Kasey Havens
WSMS PTA President 2018-2019
kasey.havens@yahoo.com
 

Circle of Partners



On behalf of Lovejoy ISD we would like to thank Accent Landscape Management for participating in the Lovejoy ISD Circle of Partners . We thank Accent Landscape Management for their support of Lovejoy ISD and the important value they place on the education of our children.
Accent Landscape Management pledges 10% of gross revenues on work performed within Lovejoy ISD. Accent provides landscaping, irrigation and lawn maintenance services for commercial and residential properties. Their website may be found at Accent Landscape Management . Owners, Phillip and April Sheppard, are proud Hart parents of second grader, Kaiser, and Kindergartener, Sebastian, with two-year-old Charlotte soon to follow.




Lovejoy ISD is pleased to welcome Tutoring 101 to the Circle of Partners. Tutoring 101 and Lovejoy ISD have formed a revenue generating/sharing partnership to bring their services to Lovejoy families. Please see below for several offerings.

Private tutoring is available for students in grades K-12 in all subjects. Tutoring 101 recommends once a week tutoring for an hour to increase grades and learn subject matter more deeply. A once a week appointment usually results in an increase of one letter grade or more. Turn those C's into B's.

What is your SAT/ACT score? Want a better one? What do you need it to be?
Invest in a PSAT/SAT/ACT Prep program not just a class. Tutoring 101 helps high scorers get top scores, average students raise their scores and poor test takers achieve the scores colleges want. Tutoring 101 students have earned admissions and scholarships, and have saved thousands of tuition dollars every year.

 


Classes are conveniently located at Lovejoy High School. Call 972.359.0222 or email Robyn@Tutoring101.com for additional information.

 


 

District and Other News

Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
Denim and Diamonds - The Party, Saturday, February 2
The Foundation for Lovejoy Schools is planning a great party on February 2. Everyone is invited to participate. The Party is being held at the Marriott Legacy in Plano at 7:30 PM. There are no reserved tables this year. Buy your ticket and come have fun trying our new food stations, music, drinks, a poker tournament, casino games and live and silent auctions. Click here for additional information.

We need your help to make The Party a success. Sponsorships are needed to pay for the cost of the venue, food, etc. so that proceeds from the event will go directly to support Lovejoy schools. Click here and here for details.  Your donations are needed for the silent and live auctions. Vacations, parties, fun items, restaurant gift cards, etc. are needed. Click here for details. You may visit the Foundation website for additional information.

Thank you in advance for making this the best Denim & Diamonds party we've ever had.

 

Men's Tailgate Tournament - Wednesday, November 7, 6:30 PM
Tickets on sale now!
Gentlemen, please plan to join the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools for food, beer, and a double elimination cornhole tournament, guaranteeing all players two games. The tournament will be at the home of John and Kris Dunaway on Wednesday, November 7. Sponsors for the event are Renfrow Dunaway Group, Lee Lewis, Fable Security, Chick-fil-A Stacy Road and Twin Creeks Village, and Lovejoy HVAC. Click here for additional information and click here to register.

Please contact Vicki Deerman, Interim Executive Director of the Foundation with any questions.



Kendra Scott Gives Back Party - Thursday, December 13
Benefitting the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools




  
2nd Annual Lovejoy Professional Network Golf Tournament - Friday, November 2nd
The Lovejoy Professional Network is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Lovejoy Professional Network Golf Tournament on Friday, November 2from 1:30 PM - 8:00 PM at Heritage Ranch. This year the proceeds will benefit the Lovejoy family of Casey and Jamie Sullivan. Casey passed away earlier this year.  He was an avid golfer, music lover, coach and proud father of Ainsley (9th), Ryder (8th) and Piper (4th).

The Lovejoy Professional Network's goal is to fill the course with 144 golfers. The event will include a dinner with a silent auction and raffle giveaway. If you are unable to attend the tournament, you are invited to attend the celebration dinner for Casey. You may click here for details. Please contact Mark Urbin for additional information.   

10th Annual Turkey Chess Tournament - Saturday, November 3rd
Register now for Lovejoy's 10th Annual Turkey Chess Tournament. This is a five round USCF (United States Chess Federation) event that will be held at Sloan Creek Intermediate School. Click here to register for the event.


Buddy Walk - Sunday, November 4
Jonathan McGill is a 3rd grade student at Lovejoy Elementary and has Down Syndrome. His family is working to raise money for the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas. This organization provides support to people with Down Syndrome, their families, and the community. The McGill family will be participating in the Down Syndrome Guild's largest fundraiser, the Buddy Walk, on November 4 at Fair Park. The purpose of the Buddy Walk is to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down Syndrome while raising funds. Please click here if you would like to support the McGill family and the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas.


Lovejoy High School Thirst Project Hosts Fundraiser - Tuesday, November 6
The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the world water crisis. They raise money to provide clean and safe drinking water to those in developing countries, like Africa, India, and the Philippines.

The Lovejoy High School chapter of the thirst project is dedicated to helping out the millions of people facing the world water crisis. Throughout the year, the Lovejoy High School chapter will host events to raise money for the Thirst Project's mission and raise community awareness.

You are invited to join the Lovejoy High School Thirst Project on Tuesday, November 6 at Wild Salsa for a fundraiser.  Click here to access the flyer to present at Wild Salsa. 20% of the proceeds will benefit The Lovejoy Thirst Project.

You may click here for additional information regarding the Lovejoy Thirst Project, and to donate.


Lovejoy Letter Campaign - A Message from the Lovejoy Letter Liaison
We need your help to let our teachers and staff know how much our Lovejoy ISD community values them and the impact they have on our children! Teachers' salaries include a 1 ½% payment (annual compensation) on the Friday before Thanksgiving break. In addition to the payment the staff receives, we would like to include a handwritten letter from Lovejoy families expressing gratitude and appreciation to each teacher and staff member on our campuses.

We would be so grateful if you would write a letter or letter(s) to any teacher(s) or staff member(s), either current or past, who have played a valuable role in your child(ren)'s educational experience. Please clearly label the envelope with the teacher's/staff name and LLC (Lovejoy Letter Campaign) and return it to the front office of the applicable school by Friday, November 9.

The letter campaign has become a meaningful Lovejoy tradition. We appreciate the time and effort your contributions will make to this year's letter campaign. Remember #shortandsweet #showappreciation.

Sincerely,
Lovejoy Letter Liaison


STEM - DNA Event, November 9th
Lovejoy Gifted Association presents A Future in STEM:

"Unlocking the Secrets of DNA"
A hands-on experience of DNA extraction for 5th - 8th grade G/T students with exploration of careers in this fascinating area of STEM

Special Guests:
John Yundt-Pacheco, MSCS, Sr. Principal Scientist for Bio-Rad Laboratories
Sylvia Woods, STEM & Robotics for Lovejoy ISD

Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Willow Springs Middle School, Room C502

This event is for 5th-8th grade student members of the Lovejoy Gifted Association
Register at https://bit.ly/2Dfdy70

Not a member, yet? Not a problem!
Join the LGA at https://bit.ly/2QbCDlR


3rd Annual Running Over Depression - Saturday, November 10th
Please join us for the 3rd Annual Running Over Depression Run on Saturday, November 10th at Lovejoy High School. The 1K Fun Run will begin at 8:00 AM and the 5K Run will begin at 8:30 AM at Leopard Stadium. Running Over Depression is an event being organized by Lovejoy Seniors Brett Pedersen , Michael O'Brien and Carson Hockersmith for their Senior Projects. The goal of this run is to raise awareness about teenage depression and suicide prevention. All proceeds from the run will be donated to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Please click here to register. If your business is interested in sponsoring Running Over Depression please email runningoverdepression@yahoo.com.


Design Your World - STEM Conference for Girls, Saturday, November 10
Design Your World - STEM Conference for Girls is the award-winning signature outreach hosted by the Society of Women Engineers Dallas Section, twice a year since 2012. Girls in 6th - 8th grades from the greater Dallas area are invited to experience a day of fun and learning through STEM activities. Parents and educators are also invited to learn about resources to help their kids stay interested in STEM and hear from women engineers about their education and workplace experiences. You may click on the links above to learn more. You may use the link found here to register for the event.




Veterans Appreciation Dinner - Monday, November 12




Lovejoy High School Fall Blood Drive - Tuesday, November 13
Lovejoy High School will host a blood drive on November 13. The Blood Drive will be run by the Red Cross and is open to LHS students (16 and older), staff members, parents, and community members. The drive will be held from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM in the LHS Auxiliary Gym. Pre-registration is not required. A parent signature is required for 16 and 17 year olds to donate.

Every person who donates blood has the potential to save three lives.


Lovejoy Fine Arts Festival - Save the Date! November 30 and December 1
The Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts Festival is around the corner.Click here for updates on performance schedules, art galleries, and more!