Willard Tiger Families—

Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year! We hope you all had a great summer break and enjoyed your time together. There are so many things to look forward to this year, and we are thrilled to celebrate it all as one team.

As always, TigerNews will be your digest of the many things happening around the Willard School district—from our TigerTALES group, all the way up to our high school state champions! Be sure to follow along on social media as well so you can see what's going on in the district in real time.

This year is particularly momentous for our school district as we embark on the journey of our new strategic plan. We are thrilled to share with you the culmination of months of collaborative effort, planning, and dedication from various stakeholders—including school board members, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, students, and community members. 

Our new strategic plan sets forth a clear vision for the future of our district and outlines the strategies and actions we will undertake to achieve our shared goals. The plan is centered around three priorities—Success-Ready Students, Skilled Workforce and Strategic Leadership. It reflects our unwavering commitment to growing student leaders to become life-ready graduates.

To access the full plan, click here. We will be sharing additional pieces of our Strategic Plan as the school year starts. Be on the lookout for ways to implement the plan into your classrooms, with your coworkers and teams, and how we can share those implementations out.

High School

Doors open: 7:00 A.M.

Instruction begins: 7:25 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 2:25 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 1:57 P.M.

Middle School

Doors open: 7:05 A.M.

Instruction begins: 7:30 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 2:33 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 2:03 P.M.

Intermediate North

Doors open: 8:10 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:35 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:32 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:02 P.M.

Intermediate North

Doors open: 8:10 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:35 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:32 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:02 P.M.

East Elementary

Doors open: 8:20 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:40 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:40 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:10 P.M.

Central Elementary

Doors open: 8:15 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:40 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:40 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:10 P.M.

North Elementary

Doors open: 8:15 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:35 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:32 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:02 P.M.

WOHE

Doors open: 8:15 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:40 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:40 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:10 P.M.

South Elementary

Doors open: 8:15 A.M.

Instruction begins: 8:40 A.M.

Instruction Ends: 3:40 P.M. T-F

Monday Early Out: 3:10 P.M.

Nutrition Services Updates & Important Information



What's Changed?

Our meal payments portal, TITAN Family Portal, has changed to LINQ Connect. If you don’t currently use our online meal payments portal, LINQ Connect allows you to set up one-time or recurring payments for your student’s account. You can also view previous transactions, set spending limits, transfer funds between students, set low-balance notifications, and more.

New website

Our Nutrition Services department has a fresh new look! You'll be able to access breakfast and lunch menus for the whole month, organize pre-payment options, and fill out the free and reduced meal application as many times as you wish throughout the school year! Take a look at our new website here.

Free & Reduced Meal Application:

In order to continue receiving meal benefits for the upcoming school year, eligible families must complete a new Free & Reduced Meals Application. Information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of determining eligibility. If possible, please fill the form out online through the LINQ Connect Portal. The district will notify you within 10 school days, either by email or letter, if you qualify for free or reduced meals. If you do not receive a notice after 10 days, please contact Willard Food Service Department at 417-742-2584.

Attention Parents of Bus Riders

• Check the Parent Portal on Monday, August 21 for the most up to date information on transportation.
• Please be sure your child is at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives. Please also have your child wait at the designated bus stop area (e.g., if the bus stop is the driveway but your student is waiting inside, our drivers won't be able to see them).
• Kindergarten students are not allowed to get off at the bus stop without an adult, parent, or guardian at the stop.

Critical Paraprofessional Staff Shortage 

We are looking for qualified personnel to assist our Special Services department in various positions including Behavior Support Para, Special Education Para, Essential Skills, and Cross Categorical Paraprofessional. These positions are essential to our mission. Visit our website to learn more and apply. 

There are additional vacancies in several departments such as Transportation, Nutrition Service, Maintenance, TigerTALES, and Custodial Services as well. If you or someone you know is looking for a new position, please visit our site and consider applying.

Athletics & Activities Website

Be sure to check out our new athletics and activities website for sports schedules, announcements, paper-free registration, live broadcasts, and more! Also, you'll want to follow our sports instagram @willardtigersports and Twitter @WillardSports for game updates, tournament schedules, and more. 

You're Invited! Annual Community Tailgate

The tailgate will take place on Friday, August 25, before the first home football game of the year vs. Neosho. Willard Public Schools will be providing free dinner (hot dog, chips, cookie, and a drink) to all those in attendance. Guests will receive free entry into the football game. The event will start at 5:00 p.m. and will conclude just before kickoff at 7:00 p.m.

Stop by various booths on your way into the game, ran by local business leaders and various groups throughout the Willard School District! 

Friday, Aug. 18

V Softball Jamboree @ Glendale 10:00 AM

V Football Jamboree @ Bolivar (SBU) 7:00 PM

Monday, Aug. 21

First Day of School!

V Boys Soccer Jamboree @ Willard 4:00 PM

Monday, Aug. 21

First Day of School!

V Boys Soccer Jamboree @ Willard 4:00 PM

Friday, August 25

V Softball @ Morrisville Tournament

V Boys Soccer @ Lebanon Tournament

V Girls Tennis @ Joplin Interstate Championship

Community Tailgate - First Home Football Game vs. Neosho 7:00 P.M.

Saturday, August 26

V Softball @ Morrisville Tournament

V Boys Soccer @ Lebanon Tournament

V Girls Tennis @ Joplin Interstate Championship

Monday, August 28

JV/V Softball @ Monett 4:30

9/JV/V Volleyball @ Fair Grove 5:00 PM

JV Football @ Neosho 6:00 PM

Freshman Football vs Neosho 6:00 PM

District-Wide Calendar

Want to stay up to date with events happening around the district? From board meetings, to competitions, to community events, our district-wide calendar provides dates, times, and locations so you can be a part of the action! This calendar will have the most up-to-date information of what's going on, so be sure to check it regularly. We can't wait to see you at our various events!