A Message from the Principal
 
Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - February 7, 2019

 
 
 
 
 
 


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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,

I hope everyone has enjoyed the warmer this week.  With spring right around the corner, please keep an eye on the upcoming registration meetings for our 8th graders moving on to 9th grade and our 7th graders going into 8th grade.  Two other important events that you will want to mark on your spring calendar are the WSMS 3x3 basketball tournament on March 1st and the LISD STEM Festival on March 2nd. Please see below for more details.  Have a great weekend.




Have a great weekend!

Kent Messer
Principal
Willow Springs Middle School
1101 West Lucas Rd, Lucas 75002
Office: 469-742-8417
Mobile: 214-293-9938
@WSMSLovejoyISD
#wsmslovejoy

Advisory Schedule - Friday, February 8th
This Friday, we will have advisory. For a copy of the activity bell schedule for advisory, please go here .


Club Day - Friday, February 8th
This spring, WSMS will host three Club Days during the school day! Teachers and staff sponsor these non-academic clubs as a fun way to build relationships with students. Your child has already signed up and know the club they will participate in this semester. Most clubs only require your child to show up, participate, and have fun! However, the following clubs have a few requirements:
~ Food Tasting Club - Students are asked bring their favorite food for tasting and sharing.
~ K9 & Kritter Club - Students are NOT allowed to bring their own pet, unless parents have been contacted by the sponsor
~ Extreme Club - A helmet is REQUIRED to participate. Students should drop off their equipment in the main office in the morning.
~ Gaming Club - Students are asked to create a compilation video of their awesome gaming and share it with Mr. Johnston.
~ Nail Art Club - Students should bring their own nail polish and nail accessories from home.
~ Remote Control Club - Students are allowed to bring their own RC/Drone. Students should drop off their equipment in the main office in the morning.


Incoming 9th Grade High School Registration Information - Monday, February 11
Please join LHS counselors Monday, February 11th at 6pm at LHS for a very important Parent Registration Information meeting.  Students and parents are also encouraged to attend the LHS Electives Showcase, Monday February 11th, 6pm-8pm. The Showcase is an opportunity for students and parents to meet teachers and students involved in the many elective classes at LHS.  


2019-2020 Registration Meetings
It is time to begin the process of registering current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for the upcoming school year at WSMS and LHS!  Middle school and high school counselors will begin speaking to students in late January about elective classes, core class selections, how to register online, and what to expect in the 2019-2020 school year. Parent Registration Presentations will be held on:

  • Parents of current 8th graders:  At LHS, February 11, 6pm Parent Registration Presentation
  • Parents and current 8th graders:  At LHS, February 11, 6:30pm LHS Elective Showcase,Immediately following parent meeting
  • Parents of current 6th graders:  At WSMS, February 26, 9am-10 am - Parent Registration Presentation
  • Parents of current 7th graders:  At WSMS, February 26, 11am-12 noon - Parent Registration Presentation
  • Parents of current 6th graders: At WSMS, February 27, 5:30pm-6pm - GT Information Meeting-- DATE CHANGED
  • Parents of current 6th graders: At WSMS, February 27, 6:00-7:00pm - Parent Registration Presentation-- DATE CHANGED
  • Parents of current 7th graders: At WSMS, February 27, 6:30pm-7pm - GT Information Meeting-- DATE CHANGED
  • Parents of current 7th graders: At WSMS, February 27, 6:00-7:00pm - Parent Registration Presentation-- DATE CHANGED
For a complete registration timeline, please click here.   Contact the Student Support Center at 469-742-8422 if you have any questions about these dates.


WSMS Cheer Tryout Meeting - February 12
Coach Strange and Coach Wiggins are asking the parents of any student interested in cheer to attend the informational meeting on February 12th at 5:30 pm in the WSMS Library. This meeting will cover tryout requirements and discuss the difference between the three different teams your student might be placed on based on their tryout scores. We will also go over the cost for your student to be a WSMS cheerleader and answer any questions you may have about the cheer program. Please email [email protected] if you are unable to attend this meeting and your child is interested in cheering at WSMS next year.


WSMS PTA Parent Presentation - "Building Resiliency in our Teens"presented by Kathy Daley
Our next General Meeting will be Tuesday, February 12th at 10:00am in the band hall at Willow Springs. Immediately following our meeting will be a Parent Presentation from Kathy Daley on "Building Resiliency in our Teens"  We look forward to seeing you there.


Upcoming Student Holidays - Friday, February 15th and Monday, February 18th
Monday, February 18 is a designated bad weather day . If we do not have a school closing due to bad weather , it is a student and teacher holiday . If needed, Friday, March 30th is the second bad weather make up day; otherwise, it will also be a student and teacher holiday.


WSMS One Act Play - Feb. 22, 23 & 28
Lafayette No. 1 by Mandy Conner
SHOW TIME: 7:00 pm
DATES: Feb. 21, 22, 28 and Mar 1
TICKETS: $5 for students, $7 for adults
LOCATION: WSMS Cafetorium
As the yellow fever epidemic ravages the streets of 1816 New Orleans, no one thinks of the orphans known as the Forgotten--except for Lizzie Landry. Lizzie brings bread from her mother's kind employer to the band of homeless youths she's befriended, even though local police and politicians consider them nothing but a nuisance. But when the epidemic entangles Lizzie's fate with those of the Forgotten, they all must band together to hold the city accountable for their most vulnerable citizens. A haunting historical One Act Play.

This 40 minute DRAMA, is our UIL competition piece for One Act Play, on March 2 in Grand Prairie. Each night at our home show there will be a guest critic to provide feedback for the cast and tech. Audience is welcome to stay, but may leave after the performance if they choose.


8th Grade Service Learning Project, February 26th & 27th
Our 8th grade service learning project will be Tuesday, February 26th and Wednesday, February 27th.   Our 8th grade students will be assigned a service location at either North Texas Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, or Heritage Ranch Assisted Living.   Half of the 8th grade students will participate on Tuesday and the other half will participate on Wednesday.
  • All students will be placed in groups based on their 8th grade science teacher/class.  On the day students remain on campus, they will follow their regular bell schedule.
  • All students will need to bring a sack lunch.
  • All 8th grade students will be asked to fill out and turn in a waiver signed by their parent to participate in this event.

We are in need of 10 parent volunteers for each day (February 26th & 27th).  If you are interested in chaperoning this event, please complete sign up here .   This is for 8th grade students only.   Remember that that all volunteers need to have LISD volunteer clearance to participate.  

More info to come.


WSMS 3 on 3 Basketball Tourney - March 1
On March 1st, WSMS will hold our annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the WSMS gyms from 4:30--6:00. The cost is $40 per team and each team can consist of 3-4 players.  Students are welcomed to come and watch this tournament free of charge. We will have pizza, snacks, and water for purchase. All items can be purchased for $1.00.




WSMS Cheer Tryouts - March 20 - 22
Students who are trying out for 7th or 8th grade cheer will meet in the main gym at WSMS from 4:30-6:00 pm March 20th and 21st to practice and prepare for tryouts which will be held on March 22nd from 4:30-9:00 pm in the WSMS Main Gym. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about the WSMS cheer program or if you missed the informational parent meeting on February 12th.


Academic UIL - Tryout Information
Academic UIL competition is on the horizon, and we are looking forward to attending this year's competition on April 12 and 13, 2019 at Coppell MS North!  All students in grades 7 and 8 are eligible to try-out for a team. Students may compete in as many events as they would like as long as the events they enter compete at different times during the competition day. Students who make the team (3 members plus one alternate for most teams) will begin practices as determined by the team coach.  Practice days and times will vary with each competition and coach. Tryouts will be held in the next two weeks. Times and locations will be publicized soon, and team practices will begin the week of February 25th. If you have any questions, please contact Laura Rogers at [email protected] .

 
Save the Date: STAAR Testing This Spring

Campus Information and Reminders
Safety Corner
For security purposes, we ask that visitors enter the building one at a time.  To encourage this, please do not hold the door for visitors behind you. We would like to make it a safety habit that every visitor ring the bell to enter the building.  Once you enter the building, all visitors should sign in at the front office. Please bring your driver's license to help expedite the process. If you are a cleared volunteer, your driver's license will not be needed if you sign in as a volunteer.  


Bringing Your Student Lunch
As a reminder, parents can bring a lunch of their choice to their own son or daughter but are prohibited under the Texas Administrative Code to bring lunch for other students. For example, we have had parents bring Chick-fil-a for their son and three of his friends. This is a violation of the Texas Administrative Code. In addition, if a parent brings food for other students, the parents of the other student may object to their child being provided a lunch from an outside restaurant due to diet or medical concerns of their child. In the future, if a parent brings lunch for more than one student, we will inform the parent that SCMS and LISD are only permitted to allow parents to deliver food for their own student. For more information about the Texas Administrative Code, please click here . Thank you for your cooperation in supporting the nutrition and safety of our students.


STEM Festival T-Shirt Design Contest
Calling all students! Submit your entry for the design of the STEM Festival 2019 t-shirt. Click here for details.


WSMS MathCounts Team Competes in Regional Competition
On Saturday, February 2 the Willow Springs MathCounts team competed in the Preston Trail Regional MathCounts Competition on the campus of UTD. The MathCounts Competition Series is a national program that provides students the opportunity to compete in live, in-person contests against and alongside their peers. Created in 1983, it is the longest-running MathCounts program and is open to all sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.

The regional competition consisted of over 200 individual competitors and 30 teams from the Northern Dallas area. The Willow Springs team consisted of 10 seventh and eighth grade students. Six students competed as individual competitors, and four competed both as individual and as team competitors. The students put forth outstanding efforts, with two students scoring in the top 25% of all competitors . Hannah Mao finished just outside the top six, reaching both the Countdown Round and a spot in the state competition with a 16th place finish. Patrick Dunleavy finished in 33rd place. In addition to exceptional individual efforts, Hannah Mao , Patrick Dunleavy , Joshua James , and Harry Wang performed masterfully finishing 7th, missing the state competition by one place.




AIM for Success Student Survey Results
On November 27th and 28th, WSMS students attended the AIM for Success program. Aim for Success addresses the problems of teen pregnancies, the escalating STD epidemic and emotional pain often associated with teen sexual activity. The speakers encouraged students to abstain from sex until marriage so they could have an easier time reaching their goals and dreams. At the end of the presentation students took an anonymous survey. The survey compares WSMS Students with other students across the country who have also participated in the program.
To see the results of the survey, click here .(Survey results are attached). If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact WSMS counselors, Kathy Stone or Kay Bordelon.

Winter Illness
Since we are entering the FLU season, we just wanted to remind you of the District Policies about students attending school with illnesses. Students MUST STAY HOME from school if they have experienced vomiting, diarrhea, or a fever of 100.0 or higher in the last 24 hours, without the use of medications to lower the fever, or stop the vomiting or diarrhea. This will help prevent the spread of illnesses to other students and staff as well as prevent your own child from contracting another illness since their immune system is already still low and trying to recover from their previous illness. Please read the attached letter about Flu from the CDC by clicking  HERE.


Inclement Weather
School closures will be determined based on safety. In the event of a school closure, notifications will be announced on the district's website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. We will also announce any closure through the media and by phone. Links to our social media accounts are shown below.


Lovejoy ISD App
The Lovejoy ISD App is available for download on both Apple and Android devices.  To download the app for Apple devices, please click here .  To download the app for Android devices, please click here .  



Twitter and Facebook
Are you following the district on Twitter ?  Have you liked us on Facebook ?  Join us on social media for news and announcements.


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.  


LISD Calendar
Please go here for LISD calendars.



Athletics
7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Rockwall Williams
A Team: Won 31-15
B Team: Lost 26-32
C Team: Lost 17-21


7th Grade Boys Basketball vs Rockwall Williams
A Team: Won 52-46
B Team: Won 44-31
C Team: Won 11-10


8th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Wylie Cooper
A Team: Won 36-17
B Team: Won 30-27
C Team: Won 14-13


8th Grade Boys Basketball vs Wylie Cooper
A Team: Lost 34-39
B Team: Won 51-6
C Team: Won 32-28


WSMS Girls Track and Field
Track season begins Monday, February 11th. Any female student-athlete who has signed up for track will need to be in the cafeteria at 7:25 a.m. on Monday morning. Please arrive no later than 7:25. Remember to dress warm and bring water.


WSMS Boys Track and Field
Track season begins Monday, February 11th. Any male student-athlete who has signed up for track will need to report to Coach Fuller on Monday at 4:00 PM. Practice will be after school.


B Team Tournament Results
*The 7th grade boys B team had their district tournament this past weekend and lost a tough game against Rockwall Utley by a score of 33-23.
 
*The 7th grade girls basketball team won their first matchup against Ford in the District tournament 24-10. Unfortunately, they lost Saturday morning against Curtis 20-22.
 
*8th Grade Boys beat Rockwall Williams, Allen Ford, and Allen Curtis in the finals to win their district tournament.
 

 
* Congrats to our 8th grade girls B-Team for taking the Championship Title!



C Team Basketball Tournament Results
*7th Grade Girls - 7th Grade Lady Leopards C Basketball Team took 1st place in the District Tournament.
 
*7th Grade Boys - This past weekend, the C team competed in their district tournament. In the first game the Leopards defeated Ford 29-25 to move onto the next round. The semifinal game was against Ereckson, who the Leopards had previously lost to but not this time as the Leopards played a terrific game winning by a score of 35-25 to reach the finals. In the championship game, the Leopards again faced a team who beat them before. Once again, the Leopards were up for the challenge and were not going to be denied. In a back and forth battle, the Leopards were able to make clutch free throws down the stretch to secure a 25-23 victory and win the district tournament.


 
*8th Grade Boys - C Team beat Wylie McMillan 25-23 and then lost to Allen Curtis 32-29 in the semi-final game.



WSMS PTA

Upcoming General Meeting Parent Presentation
Our next General Meeting will be Tuesday, February 12th at 10:00am in the band hall at Willow Springs. Immediately following our meeting will be a Parent Presentation from Kathy Daley on "Building Resiliency in our Teens"  We look forward to seeing you there.
 
Volunteer Opportunities
Teacher and Staff Luncheon:
The WSMS PTA will providing lunch for teachers and staff on February 13th.  Please show your "love" for our staff by signing up to bring items to make the luncheon a success.  Volunteers are also need to help set up.
 
You can sign up for both using this link:
 
WSMS CAT:
Volunteers are needed in the CAT (center for academic training), to read tests to one, or a small group of students.  We have a need for volunteers on many days and there are a lot of time slots available. Please consider signing up for one or more time slots.  
 
You can signup to volunteer in the CAT using this link:
 
Student store:
If you would like to volunteer in the student store, please sign up here:




Sincerely-
Kasey Havens
WSMS PTA President 2018-2019
214-534-6200  

Circle of Partners


For your mortgage needs we hope you will consider  Black Swan Mortgage Pro . Stephanie Cigainero, owner of  Black Swan Mortgage Pro  is pledging 10% of her pay on Circle of Partners transactions, which will be matched by her employer  Movement Mortgage . Stephanie has been in the home loan mortgage business since 2006 and may be reached at 469.531.0257 or at https://movement.com/lo/stephanie-cigainero/ . She is married to her best friend and Australian native, Josh. They have two daughters, Aspen a 5th grader at Sloan Creek and Maia. They are a host family to foreign exchange student Alessia Bellometti.  




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.


 

District and Other News

Foundation for Lovejoy Schools
Denim & Diamonds Online Auction - Now - Tuesday, February 12
The Denim & Diamonds online auction opened on Tuesday, February 5 and will close on Tuesday, February 12 at 10:00 PM. Up for bid are classroom parties, sports camps, prom tickets and other Lovejoy experiences donated by Lovejoy staff.  Additionally, auction donations normally reserved for the Denim & Diamonds event are available in the online auction. Click here to bid now!  

Save the Date - March 2 - STEM Festival and Open House for Prospective Families
Save the date! Lovejoy ISD will host the second annual STEM festival on March 2 at Lovejoy High School. The event will be held from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. We hope you will join us for an exciting day filled with fascinating speakers, hands-on experiments, Makerspace, student exhibits, robotics lab, cool contests with prizes, food trucks, and much more.

An Open House for prospective families will be held during the STEM festival. We hope you will invite your friends and family members who are interested in Lovejoy to join us for this event.  Check out this video to see all the fun events and activities coming to the STEM Festival.

Look for more details in the next edition of Email Express.


 

Lovejoy STEM Festival CANgineering Competition - March 2
Lovejoy is pleased to announce the first ever CANgineering Competition at the Lovejoy STEM Festival on March 2. Form a team and get creative. Your team will compete to build a structure made entirely of canned and non-perishable foods. The best in show will win a prize.

Click here for detailed information regarding the CANgineering Competition. Gather your family and friends and join us for this exciting competition!

   

New! Lovejoy Student Hosts Toy Drive
Lovejoy High School Freshman, Katie Berman, requests your assistance with a toy drive she is organizing to benefit Ready Fighter One. Following you will find information from Katie:
"My plan is to host a toy drive from February 4 - 15. We are collecting items to donate to hospitals that treat children's cancer. Ready Fighter One was my friend MJ's last wish. MJ was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and passed away on the 11th. We are collecting:
Video Games
Playstations
Xboxes
DVDs
Toys
Board Games
Boxes for donations will be located at all campuses. MJ's school would not allow us to host the drive. I thought the next best thing would be to host it at Lovejoy. My team and I would handle all the details all we need is your support and time."
For additional information please contact [email protected].


Lovejoy Gifted Association Announces Rocket Build and Launch Events
3...2...1... Lift-off!

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first people to land on the moon with the Lovejoy Gifted Association's Rocket Fest.  The Lovejoy Gifted Association is partnering with the Dallas Area Rocket Society (DARS) for their annual LGA Rocket Fest. This event is suitable for students in grades 3 thru 6.  Participants may choose between a basic and an advanced rocket model.

There will be a Rocket Build Party in the Sloan Creek Cafeteria on Wednesday, March 6th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm where a volunteer from DARS will talk the junior rocket scientists through building the basic rocket step-by-step. Participants purchasing the advanced rocket may pick up their build package that same evening and are welcome to start building at SCIS or build at home.

The rocket launch will be held on Sunday March 24 in the front parking lot of Lovejoy High School at 12:00 noon, where volunteers from DARS will provide the launch equipment and make sure the launch process happens in a safe and orderly fashion.

You may reserve a spot and purchase your rocket kit from the Lovejoy Gifted Association Store at https://my.cheddarup.com/c/rocket-fest-2019 no later than Feb 17th, 2019. Each rocket package comes with rocket engines for two launches. Please note that junior rocket scientists must be accompanied by an adult at both events. The Lovejoy Gifted Association is a non-profit organization that supports the G/T programs across all schools in Lovejoy ISD. The LGA Rocket Project is a fundraiser and proceeds will flow back into Lovejoy ISD. If you have questions, contact Jay van Rijn at [email protected].


Hop Into Spring Chess Tournament - March 30
This annual Lovejoy Tournament continues to be a hit around the metroplex.  Come join your fellow chess players on March 30 at Sloan Creek for a wonderful day of chess play. This five round tournament awards the top three players in each section a trophy and fourth place receives a chocolate bunny. Gather up a team from your school and compete together.  Registration is going on now. Please visit North Texas Chess Academy's website to register.




Lovejoy Offers Group Counseling
Lovejoy is offering group counseling for students for a variety of areas. The groups will meet weekly, during school hours, and will be facilitated by Lovejoy's Social Worker, Noelle Gove, LCSW. The overall goal of the counseling groups is to address student's social/emotional needs that may be impacting their experience and success at school. Groups are being offered, based on need, to every campus in the district, grades K-12.

If you are interested in your student participating in a group, please click here to complete the interest form. Noelle Gove will be in contact with parents regarding further details of the group and to obtain consent for student participation. This form is not a consent for counseling, but rather a survey of interest.


Little Leopards Toy Drive!



To Benefit the Children of Little Leopards
Sponsored by the LHS Work-Based Learning Program
*Accepting new to gently used toys for children birth-5 years of age

Early Childhood- Little Leopards:  Play food, Outside Toys, Musical Toys, Books
School Age:  Legos, K'nex, Kinetic Sand, Sports Balls, Dolls, Shopkins, Dollhouses

*Toys may be delivered to any  Lovejoy campus or the Administration building, or collected upon request until Feb. 15, 2019
For more information: sancy_fuller @ lovejoyisd.net


Lovejoy Lacrosse - Boys' and Girls' Teams Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the boys' and girls' 2019 Spring season of Lovejoy Lacrosse. Join the most exciting, fastest-growing sport in the country.

Register now for Boys and Girls: Grades Kindergarten through High School

Visit www.lovejoylacrosse.com for information regarding the program and the upcoming Spring season.

Hurry, as rosters are filling quickly!