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Willow Springs Middle School Principal Newsletter - September 19, 2019
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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,
As we wrap up the 5th week of school, I love seeing our students excel in a variety of school activities. Our volleyball and football seasons are underway and our theatre program has begun rehearsals for their fall musical. In addition, last week we inducted 115 eighth grade students into our National Junior Honor Society. It is a great time to be a Leopard. Hope to see our students at the Back to School Social tomorrow after school. Although some are always hesitant to come, they always have a great time once they are here. Please see below for more info.
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WSMS Fall Back to School Social & Dance - Tomorrow, September 20th
Our Fall Back to School Social and Dance will be Friday, September 20th from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at WSMS. We will have a DJ and music in the cafeteria as well as basketball and volleyball, in both gyms.
Tickets can be purchased online beginning Monday, September 9th for $8 up until Thursday, September. 19th at 10pm, from the
Online Payment Center
. Tickets will be $10 on the day of the social.
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Students are welcome to purchase snacks and water during the dance
-Pizza, chips, candy and bottled water will be available for students to purchase for $1.00
Chaperones: We need at least 12 chaperones for this event to be able to offer all of the activities. Chaperoning is easy, very little work, and it's fun to watch the kids having a good time (they forget we are there). Please
click here to sign up. BACKGROUND CHECK MUST BE COMPLETED.
Additional Dance Information
*This is not a date dance so middle school students will not need a date to attend.
*Students will not need to change clothes or get into any special attire. Students will wear what they will be wearing to school and must be in dress code.
*After school athletics will only practice during 8th period so students can attend the social/dance. Coaches will make adjustments to their schedules so practices are over by 4:15.
*This is for Willow Springs students only, students who attend a campus other than Willow Springs will not be allowed to enter.
*Once school is dismissed at 4:00, students staying for the dance will report to the Auxiliary Gym until the dance begins at 4:30.
*Once students enter the dance, they will not be allowed to leave the building until 6:30 p.m. If your son or daughter needs to be picked up early, please come to the cafeteria doors in the courtyard to check your student out.
*7th Grade Parent pick up will be in the back of the school in the courtyard.
*8th Grade Parent pick up will be in the front of the school near the main entrance.
ParentPortal Update Needed by Tomorrow, September 20th
The PowerSchool ParentPortal is now open for you to complete the online Enrollment & Student Information Forms. Please
click here
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, FERPA Acknowledgments, General Waivers, and other information.
As of today, there are 219 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.
Activity Schedule - Tomorrow, September 20th
On Friday, September 20th, we will have Club Day. For a copy of the activity/advisory bell schedule for the day, please
click here
.
Club Day -Tomorrow, September 20th
Tomorrow is Club Day 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 the counseling office before bringing an animal to school. Students may leave their equipment for Guitar Club, Extreme and Remote Control Club in the front office.
No Pass - No Play: Six Week Progress Report Grades
Next Week, September 27th, will be the last day for six week progress reports. Although we have moved to a nine week grading system this year, UIL requires all schools to check eligibility after the first six weeks and again at the end of the first grading period if it exceeds six weeks. Based on our district academic calendar, we will have two eight week grading periods in the fall. Our first grading period will end on Thursday, October 10th. For a copy of the UIL eligibility calendar, please
click here
.
Picture Retakes - Friday, October 4th
Picture retakes with Legacy Studio are Friday, October 4th, for students that did not have their picture taken on August 30th or for students needing a retake. For parents who originally purchased a package and want their child to have a retake, please have your son or daughter bring those original photos with them on this retake day. Students who did not have their picture taken on August 30th may have their picture taken and a proof with order information will be sent home within two weeks.
2019-2020 Reflections Theme Is In!
The Willow Springs PTA is pleased to announce the theme for this year's Reflections contest: "Look Within". We encourage ALL 7th and 8th graders to participate in this annual competition which promotes student creativity and expression. The categories include dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. Students may enter works in one or more categories with no limit to the number of entries in a single category.
The deadline for submission is Monday, October 28th by 3pm
. Every student who participates will receive a certification of recognition signed by the Texas PTA President and recognition on the Texas PTA website.
In order to participate, students must complete an
entry form
.
For any further questions or concerns regarding Reflections, please contact
Christy Payne
.
SAVE THE DATE - WSMS Career Day Sign Up
WSMS will host its 5th annual Career Day on Wednesday, November 6th. We hope you can join us to share your experience and expertise with WSMS students. The Career Day sign up form can be
f
ound here
.
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Campus Information and Reminders
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Safety Corner -
Bullying Prevention Presentations to all WSMS students
All WSMS students had the opportunity to experience Bullying Prevention this week. At the middle school level, bullying can be perceived as being different for every individual. Our goal is to help students to understand that it is not always the intent of the action/comment, but how it was received. In addition, all students need to look out for each other and report any incidents where students or staff are not treated fair and respectful. As Leopards, we are all in this together. Please spend some time discussing bullying with your son or daughter.
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.
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
.
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 WSMS and LISD are only permitted to allow parents to deliver food for their own student. Thank you for your cooperation in supporting the nutrition and safety of our students.
Attendance
Did you know: Student Attendance impacts school funding. Our state accountability system uses student attendance as criteria for evaluating the performance of schools. We also receive state funding based on our "Average Daily Attendance" of students that are present during 2
nd
period, which ends at 10:30 AM. As you begin to plan out of town trips around Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Break, please consider keeping your children in school through the Friday before each break. Let's work together to encourage our students to be in class every day.
One of our focus areas for this year is to increase our student and teacher daily attendance on campus. Research shows that the more students are in class with their teacher, the more they will learn over the course of the school year. The more students learn, the more success and confidence they will have in middle school. To promote this, we will be recognizing students and staff who have perfect attendance during each six weeks. Please assist us by working with your son or daughter to ensure they are getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, and are taking care of themselves overall.
PowerSchool Parent Portal for Student Absences
A new feature has been added to the PowerSchool Parent portal where parents can enter the excuse notes for a student absence. Parents can do multiple students at the same school with one entry. This does not supersede sending in appropriate documentation but it does allow parents to skip phone calls and/or parent notes in the case of illness, vacation, etc.
This does not automatically mark the student absent; however, it does alert the attendance clerk to this absences to be approved and changed to the appropriate code. The app does not have this feature; however, parents can log onto the Browser from a phone and have this feature. For Instructions, please click on the links below.
Nine Week Report Cards
In an effort to "go green," we will not be mailing home report cards for the 2019- 2020 school year. Your student(s) will still receive a hard copy of their report card each nine weeks through their Advisory class. The report card will be printed on yellow paper for students to take home.
If you prefer to have a hard copy of your student's grade report mailed home each three or nine weeks, please contact please contact
Carol Vik
.
Student Nutrition and Cafeteria Accounts
For information about student breakfast and lunch accounts, and our student nutrition program, and free and reduced lunch, please
click here.
Grief Support Group at WSMS
Students who experience the loss of a loved one can feel isolated and misunderstood. WSMS will begin a Grief Support Group the week of September 16th. If you feel your student could benefit from this group, please contact your WSMS counselor: Kathy Stone, A-Le,
[email protected]
, or Kay Bordelon, Li-Z,
[email protected]
.
Navigating the Transition to Middle School
Is your student new or relatively new to Lovejoy? Is your student experiencing difficulty with this transition? If so, we are here to help. WSMS will begin a
Navigating the Transition to Middle School
Support Group the week of September 16th. If you feel your student could benefit from this group, please contact your WSMS counselor: Kathy Stone, A-Le,
[email protected]
, or Kay Bordelon, Li-Z,
[email protected]
.
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:
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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
LISD Calendar
Please go here for LISD calendars.
WSMS Twitter Feeds #wsmslovejoy
@WSMSLovejoyISD (Campus Event Updates)
@sscwsms (Counseling updates)
PowerSchool App
The PowerSchool app is now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You use the same PowerSchool online login. Enter the District code NJBC.
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Volleyball Results vs Rockwall Utley - September 12th
7th Grade
A Team - Loss
B Team - Won
C Team - Won
8th Grade
A Team - Won
B Team - Won
C Team - Won
Football Results vs Rockwall Utley - September 17th
7th Grade
Red - Won
Black -Won
8th Grade
Red - Won
Black - Won
Athletic Drop Off Before School
We know that mornings can be hectic, please help us with athletic drop-off in the morning by pulling forward as far as you can to keep the flow of traffic moving. Our goal is to unload 6-8 cars at a time in the courtyard, rather than just one. As you approach the courtyard, please continue to pull forward to the end of the metal awning to unload. This will allow cars behind you to move forward and unload 6-8 at time. Also, please remember that there are two drop off lanes in the morning to enable a steady flow of traffic. Thank you for your assistance with this to ensure everyone has a safe and smooth drop off.
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District Communications
Student and Parent Concerns/Grievances
The faculty and staff of Lovejoy ISD are committed to the service of our students and their parents by responding promptly and professionally to concerns or grievances which may arise.
Student and Parent Complaints/Grievances are governed by LISD Board Policies FNG (LEGAL) and FNG (LOCAL).
How Do You Resolve Parent Concerns?
If you, as the parent or guardian of a Lovejoy ISD student, have concerns regarding your child's education or performance, we want to talk with you. Sitting down and talking with the people who interact most often with your child on a daily basis - his/her teacher, counselor, coach or director- can remedy the majority of concerns.
Most concerns can be and usually are resolved at the classroom/activity/sports or campus level. However, if your concerns are not addressed by visiting with the teacher, campus counselor, coach or director, you may choose to follow the three-level process listed below:
Level One:
Within 15 business days of the incident causing the concern/complaint, you may request a meeting with the next level supervisor which could be the Athletic Director, Fine Arts Director or Campus Principal. The Level One form may be found
here
.
Level Two:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Level One process, within 10 business days of receipt of the Level One decision letter, you may request a meeting with the Assistant Superintendent of Operations (Athletics, Safety, Operations) or Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction (Teachers, Administrators, Student Discipline). The Level Two form may be found
here
.
Level Three:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the Level Two process, within 10 business days of receipt of the Level Two decision letter, you may appeal the decision to the School Board by contacting the Superintendent. The Level Three form may be found
here
.
Upcoming Events
LoJo Glow - Thursday, October 3
Mark your calendars and make plans to join us for the 1st Annual Black Light Community Pep Rally!
Community News
We are pleased to announce the
Lovejoy ISD Community News Page
. This new addition to the Lovejoy ISD Webpage will share news from our schools, programs, booster clubs, student organizations, Foundation for Lovejoy Schools, community, and more. Check back often for up-to-date news on events and activities.
For more information on the following topics click the "Lovejoy ISD Community News Page" link above.
Varsity Football Tickets Available Through School Store
2019-2020 PTA Reflections Contest - Look Within
Girl Scout Troops Now Forming
Lovejoy Swim and Dive Fundraiser
Lovejoy Gifted Association Meet & Greet
Junior Leopards Mini Cheer Camp
Trail Cleanup
Lovejoy Preschool PTA Open House
LLI 11th Annual Golf Tournament
Pink Out Pep Rally and Football Game T-Shirts
Homecoming T-Shirts
City of Lucas Farmers Market
Foundation for Lovejoy Schools Men's Tailgate Party and Cornhole Tournament
Running Over Depression
Mountain Bike Team
News from Collin College
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