Willow Springs Middle School


A Message from the Principal
WSMS Principal Newsletter, May 4, 2021
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Dear WSMS Parents and Guardians,

I first want to remind you that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. If you have time to send a quick note to your child’s teachers, I highly encourage you to do so. The staff at WSMS, although not always perfect, have poured their hearts into your children this year and a note of thanks would go a long way to help them finish out the year strong.

May is here and the calendar is fast and furious for the remainder of the year. I want to remind you how important it is to have your students on campus. With all of the fiscal challenges the district is currently facing, the biggest impact you can make is to ensure your child is present each day.  

I want to make sure you are aware of the events on our calendar in the coming month so you can plan accordingly. As we get closer to each one, I will provide specific details if they apply.  

Please remember that if you have a virtual student, they must take the STAAR test on campus. We anticipate each day of STAAR testing to be completed by 2:30 PM.

All of these dates are in May:

 3-7   Teacher Appreciation Week
    6   8th Grade Science STAAR 
    7   8th Grade Social Studies STAAR 
    7   7th Grade Girls Scoliosis Screening 
   10  LISD School Board Meeting
   11  7th Grade Math (Excludes GT) STAAR
   11  8th Grade Boys Scoliosis Screening 
   12  7th Grade Reading STAAR
   13  8th Grade Reading STAAR
   14  8th Grade Math STAAR (Pre-Alg and Geometry Only)
            PTO Parent Presentation-Digital Awareness
   17  Service Learning Day for B Day Science Students 
   18  7th Grade GT Algebra End Of Course STAAR Exam
   19  8th Grade Algebra End of Course STAAR Exam
            8th Grade Panoramic Picture
   20  7th Grade Awards Ceremony @ 8:00 AM 
            8th Grade Yearbook Distribution and Signing Party @1:00 PM
            7th Grade Yearbook Distribution and Signing Party @ 2:30 PM
   21  8th Grade Awards Ceremony @ 9:00 AM 
            EOY Pep Rally on Football Field @ 2:45 PM
25-28 Finals
   
   28  Early Release at 12:45 PM

Have a great week!


Kevin

Kevin Parker
Principal
1101 West Lucas Rd, Lucas 75002
Office: 469-742-8417
Mobile: 469-667-2280
@WSMSLovejoyISD
#wsmslovejoy
New / Updated Information
NEW! Thursday, May 6th - Friday, May 7th STAAR 8th Grade Science and Social Studies
Cell Phone STAAR Policy
On STAAR testing days, we are requesting students who will be testing do not bring electronics to campus. Cell phones, tablets, laptops, eReaders, electronic watches, or other electronic devices will NOT be allowed in testing rooms. If students forget and bring their devices to school, they will be asked to sign a waiver and place their electronics in a plastic bin that will be removed from the testing room. Any electronics brought to school on testing days will be returned once testing is complete. Students will NOT be allowed to place electronics in lockers on testing days.
 
Additional Information For STAAR Tests April 6th
  • If students have been issued a Chromebook from the school, they will need to charge it and bring it to school for testing.
  • Students will have 4 hours to complete the test.
  • If a student arrives past 9:15, then they will NOT be allowed to take the test, and the student will have to make the test up on a different day.
  • If students are absent from the test, they will have the opportunity to take the test on a different day as long as it is within the testing window.
  • All test taking students will need to bring an appropriate snack, a sack lunch, a book, and a bottle of water.
  • Appropriate snacks are quick, easy, and nutritious. Snacks should not require utensils, shouldn't be sticky or full of sugar. (Examples of appropriate snacks are: protein bars, string cheese, crackers, goldfish, cheerios, etc).
  • All test taking students will eat lunch in their testing rooms.
  • Due to security on testing days, parents will not be able to deliver lunch to their students on STAAR testing days.
  • No morning athletics for 8th Graders.
  • No before school tutorials on 4/6/21 or 4/7/21.
  • Virtual students are required to take the STAAR.
  • Click here for CoVid precautions the school will be taking for STAAR.


NEW! Service Learning Rescheduled Date
The second day of service learning has been rescheduled for Monday, May 17th. We are once again in need of volunteers, rakes and wheelbarrows. Please consider signing up to help us finish our great outdoor projects. Click here for sign up. 


NEW! End Of Year Awards
7th Grade Student Award Ceremonies - Thursday, May 20
This year our 7th grade student award ceremony will be on Thursday, May 20th from 8am - 9:30am in the WSMS main gym. During this award ceremony, we will be recognizing A and A/B honor roll, as well as a select number of students who will be receiving a teacher award from one of their teachers. Parents will be notified in advance if their child will be receiving an award.  

8th Grade Student Award Ceremonies - Friday, May 21
The 8th grade student award ceremony will be on Friday, May 21 from 9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. in WSMS Main Gym. During this award ceremony, we will be recognizing the following: All 8th graders for completing 8th grade, A and A/B honor roll, a select number of students who will be receiving a teacher award from one of their teachers and Principals Award recipients. Parents will be notified in advance if their child will be receiving an award. 

**Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, we are unable to have parents attend these ceremonies. We will have photographers on hand to take pictures of students receiving awards, which will later be shared with you. Parents will be able to view the awards ceremony through a live stream. Virtual students WILL be able to come and attend should they decide to do so.


REMINDER! Dress Code Policy
Please help us by making sure what your son or daughter wears to school every day is in compliance with the LISD dress code. As part of the emotional, psychological, and physical changes of adolescence, middle school students can sometimes be nervous and apprehensive about what they or other students are wearing to school. Let’s work together to lower their anxiety by following the LISD Dress Code. For more information about the LISD Dress Code, please go here.


REMINDER! Scoliosis Testing
Our school Nurse, Gretchen Young, will be screening all ALL 7th grade GIRL students for possible Scoliosis on Thursday, May 6th and ALL 8th grade BOY students on Tuesday, May 11th. Scoliosis screening is required by House Bill 832 passed by the Texas Legislature in 1985.

Students will be required to remove their shirts for the screening. Girls WILL NEED TO WEAR one of the following under their blouse or shirt: swim suit top, bra or sports bra. The procedure for screening is simple and quick, it requires the back to be visually examined while standing straight and bending forward. For this examination, boys and girls will be seen separately and individually examined by the WSMS nurse.

If you do not wish for your student to be screened you must have your child examined by your healthcare provider and an affidavit submitted to the nurse's office on or before May 10th. Parents will be notified of the results of the screening only if professional follow up is necessary.

If you have any questions or concerns, or wish to submit medical documentation regarding your child, please contact Gretchen by email or phone at 469-742-8420.


REMINDER! Not Returning to LISD Next Year?
If your student will not be returning to WSMS or Lovejoy High School for the 2021-2022 school year, please email Carol Vik with your student’s name, as well as complete and return this form.


REMINDER! Note From The Nurse
Regarding 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 2021-2022 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 2021-2022 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 9th, 2021. 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.

Upcoming Dates
2021 STAAR Testing Dates - Mark Your Calendars
There have been a few updates to STAAR testing dates. Please take a look at the timeline below. If you haven’t already, begin marking your calendars for the Spring 2021 STAAR Testing Dates. If possible, try to avoid STAAR Assessment Dates when making appointments for your children. This allows your child to have adequate time on assessments to do their very best! Click here to access the WSMS STAAR Timeline. Thank you! 


National Junior Honor Society Applications for Current WSMS 7th graders
7th grade students eligible to apply for National Junior Honor Society will be notified by email during the second week of April. Student eligibility will be based on the cumulative GPA of 94.0 for the first three grading periods of the 2020-2021 school year. Upon receiving this email, students will be allowed to fill out an application for NJHS that will be included in the eligibility email. All applications will be due by 5:00pm on May 14th. This is a firm deadline. Students will receive acceptance letters via email in August during the first week of school. The induction ceremony will be held during the first six weeks of the 2021-2022 school year. More information regarding specific eligibility requirements for NJHS will be coming at a later date.


Campus Information and Reminders
LHS School Store Sale
Ready to stock up on Lovejoy gear? You are in luck! A BIG sale is happening at Lovejoy High School! Click here for great deals!

WSMS Twitter Feeds #wsmslovejoy
@WSMSLovejoyISD (Campus Event Updates)
@sscwsms (Counseling updates) 
Athletics
Tickets for WSMS Sporting Events
In order to control our environment as best we can, we are requiring attendees to pre-purchase tickets.  The link to do this for the WSMS home games this week can be found here.  


4/20/21 Soccer Results vs. Rockwall Utley
Boys
7th Grade - Won
8th Grade - Lost
Girls
7th Grade - Won
8th Grade - Won
WSMS PTO
Special Membership Meeting
The WSMS PTO will hold a special membership meeting on May 10 at 10am via Zoom to discuss proposed changes to the bylaws and standing rules and a proposed budget amendment. Please sign up to attend by Sunday, May 9 so we can get you the link and documents for the meeting. The budget amendment concerns a donation from the PTO to the Lovejoy Foundation's Fund-A-Need grants to enable the district to keep as many security officers as possible.


Teacher Appreciation Week
This week, May 3-7, is officially Teacher Appreciation Week!! We are blessed with an amazing group of teachers at WSMS, and we encourage you to send them notes and other expressions of gratitude. As a PTO, we are providing supportive signage, a popcorn machine, a luncheon and other treats to let them know how much we appreciate them.


Outstanding Service Awards
The WSMS PTO is pleased to announce that we have chosen Lisa Wilkins and Sylvia Woods (WSMS teacher) as the recipients of this year's Outstanding Service Awards. If you see them please congratulate them and thank them for their service!

 
Parent Presentations
This year parent presentations have been done virtually, giving you the benefit of viewing them at your convenience. If you haven’t yet had a chance to watch yet, you may do so here:
Sexting and vaping: https://youtu.be/b3T8t6qFixs
Class Registration Helpful Hints: https://youtu.be/rkGIpL34iQM 
 
 
Warm regards,
  
 
Christy Payne
WSMS PTO President
2020-2021
District and Other News
Community News
The Lovejoy ISD Community News Page includes 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.
Lovejoy Summer Enrichment
Click here to see the complete list of camps and activities LISD has to offer this summer.
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