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Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - November 8, 2018
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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,
We are looking forward to a great weekend. Our middle school volleyball and football programs wrapped up successful seasons and we will be heading into our winter sport seasons over the next two weeks.
Congratulations to our theatre and choir students for their outstanding performance of
The Little Mermaid
last week. They made our school and community proud.
Tomorrow is the last day to bring your used shoes to donate to our recycling week project. Students can drop off donations in boxes located in the hallway leading to the cafeteria.
As we head into Thanksgiving break next week, we have an exciting week of activities on campus. Please see below for more details. Go Leopards!
Sincerely,
Kent Messer
Principal
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NJHS Service Project: Allen Community Outreach: Thanksgiving Food Drive: Nov 5th - 15th
It's that time of year when giving just a little can change a needy family's entire holiday season. Willow Springs homeroom classes are partnering with NJHS to hold a Thanksgiving Box Drive for Allen Community Outreach. NJHS students will be working with 7th and 8th grade homeroom classes to put together a Thanksgiving Box for needy families in our community. Each box will contain all of the items and non-perishable groceries needed to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal. All donations will need to be in by November 15th.
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.
Lovejoy Letter Campaign - A Message from the Lovejoy Letter Liaison - DEADLINE Nov 9th
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
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.
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
Cross Country Meet/Carpool Pick Up Next Tuesday, November 13th
WSMS is hosting a middle school cross country meet starting at 4:15 PM next Tuesday, November 13th. This could potentially slow carpool pick up and flow with the arrival of four other schools coming to compete in our cross country meet. Please be patient as we will have parents from other schools and buses arriving on campus between 3:30--4:30.
Come Watch the Battle of the Books, November 13th
This Tuesday, November 13th at 4:15, come cheer on the students and teachers (even an Assistant Superintendent!) as teams go head-to-head in this fierce battle for the Championship. All are welcome!
Spelling Bee - Thursday, November 15th
Willow Springs Middle School will be hosting our 10th Annual Spelling Bee on November 16th at 9:30 a.m. in the cafeteria. All are welcome to attend.
Thanksgiving Lunch in Cafeteria - Thursday, November 15th
On Thursday, November 15th we will offer a Thanksgiving lunch at Willow Springs Middle School. Students will have the option to purchase a Thanksgiving lunch if they choose in one of the serving lines. Additional lunch choices will be available in our other two serving lines. This is traditionally a student lunch but parents are always welcome to attend. At the middle school level, we have had very few parents participate.
Club Day - Friday, November 16th
Club Day is Friday, November 16th and we will be on an activity bell schedule. For copy of the activity bell schedule, please
go here. Students participating in the Extreme Club must wear a helmet. Students who are in the K9 and Kritters Club must have permission from Mr. Abney before bringing an animal to school. Students may leave their equipment for Guitar Club, Extreme and Remote Control Club in the front office. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kathy Stone.
WSMS & PTA Presents a look at Sex Education & Your Willow Springs Student
Students in grades 7 and 8 will be shown the
AIM for Success Student presentations on November 27th (8th grade) and November 28th (7th grade
)
at Willow Springs Middles School. Students will participate in the program through their math classes with a trained AIM presenter. The Aim For Success, Inc. motivational programs have educated over a million young people across America during the past 18 years on topics such as sex, drugs, alcohol, and bullying. AIM has been educating our Lovejoy students for more than 15 years!
Click here
for a quick overview of the program.
WSMS will be hosting an
AIM Parent Presentation on November 13th @ 10:30 am
. Please plan on attending this program for an overview of what your children will be hearing. If you prefer your child not attend this program, please contact Kathy Stone at
[email protected]
.
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Campus Information and Reminders
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Safety Corner - School Bus Safety
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 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.
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.
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:
-
-
Go to the Google Classroom to print off and complete the assignment and/or any test preparation materials
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Email their teacher and ask questions about the assignment or missing work
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Talk to their teacher about the missing assignment or test
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Know how and where to turn in the assignment or complete the test
November Nutrition Newsletter
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XC Update
The WSMS Cross Country team will have their first meet of the season on Tuesday, November 13th right here on the Willow Springs campus! Come out and support your running Leopards! Start time is 4:15 with 7th grade boys and each race will begin at the completion of the previous race.
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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 [email protected] for additional information.
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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.
Kendra Scott Gives Back Party - Thursday, December 13
Benefitting the Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
New! SafeSchools App Now Available
SafeSchools has launched their new mobile application for anonymous reporting. You may
click here
for the SafeSchools Alert Mobile Application Download Instructions.
New! Senior Project Benefitting Archway Hospice Center
LHS Senior Amanda Gibson is asking for your help with her Senior Project:
"Hi, my name is Amanda Gibson and I am currently looking for donations. For my Senior Project, I am making fleece blankets for the Archway Hospice Center in Prestonwood. I am looking for fleece donations for blankets preferably 1 to 2 yards long. The donations may be dropped off at Lovejoy High School, attention Mrs. McClelland's room B124."
New! Volunteers Needed for the Samaritan Inn Opening
The Samaritan Inn stands on the goal line of opening their new facility that will ensure continued support for Collin County families in need of a hand up for getting back on their feet. The ribbon cutting is scheduled on Tuesday, November 13.
While the staff has been turning their attention to the massive cleaning project, it is unfortunately taking them away from their daily duties. Extra Hearts and Hands are needed to volunteer from November 8 - 12. If you or someone/group you know may be interested in helping, please contact Cheryl Spofford in the Samaritan Inn's Volunteer Department. Cheryl may be reached at: [email protected]
NEW! Lovejoy Gridiron Club Football Play-off T-Shirts
The Lovejoy Football Gridiron Club is selling 2018 Leopard Football play-off t-shirts. The deadline to order is Tuesday, November 13 at noon. The shirts will be distributed on Thursday at the multi-purpose building turf area at 5:30 PM. You may pay by (check, cash, paypal). You may turn in the order form to the Lovejoy High School School Store or to any Gridiron Club Officer (Nate Rainey, Tony Iovinelli, Lauri Pool and Travis Droupy). You may email [email protected] with question.
Click here for the order form. The PayPal link is:
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 [email protected].
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.
LHS Choir Provides Carol-O-Grams
Carol-O-Grams are singing telegrams provided by the LHS Choir. Lovejoy residents absolutely love and look forward to this event. Purchase a Carol-O-Gram as a holiday gift for someone within the Lovejoy ISD boundaries. Purchase one for your neighbor, or have your neighbor purchase one for a neighbor...Share a random act of kindness! Each Carol-O-Gram is $26 and you can order online
by
clicking here
or
by going to
www.lovejoychoir.com/carol-o-grams
. The order form and payment button is located on the webpage.
Orders and payments must be received by Friday, November 16.
Lovejoy Fine Arts K.12
Save the Date! November 30 & December 1, 2018
The Lovejoy ISD Fine Arts Festival is around the corner. The Festival team will need a great deal of donations and volunteers to make this year's event a success. If you have a student in the visual or performing arts, please take time to review the following and lend your support.
Student Volunteers: Sign up will begin on November 26.
Click here
for updates on performance schedules, art galleries, and more.
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