The Wildcat Chat
What's Happening at Willard? | February 5, 2021
Quarter 2 CLAWS Award Videos
Last Friday, January 29, we celebrated our scholars through our quarterly Character, Leadership, Attitude, Work Ethic, and Service (CLAWS) Awards. Nearly 100 students earned top honors in their core content classes and exploratories. In addition, we were able to highlight our scholars who earned Principal's and A/B Honor Roll. We are beyond proud of them. Please use the links below to access the grade-level presentations as well as the corresponding videos.
Grade 6 Award Presentation & Grade 6 Video Presentation
Contest Time | Meet Shelley Pearsall
In March, the amazing author of our CLAWS Club Go WILD for Reading book The Seventh Most Important Thing, Shelley Pearsall, will be hosting a Writing Workshop for 20 of our Wildcat Scholars. This interactive session will be an opportunity for students to hear directly from her about how to craft an memorable story, generate ideas, and create literary works. To be considered, you must enter our Meet Shelley Pearsall Contest—Exciting! Choose one of the four activities listed below to submit for the contest. Submissions are due to http://bit.ly/TSMITContest by Friday, February 19. Please feel reach out to Mrs. Russell (gela.russell@lcps.org) with any questions. Contest winners will be announced the week of February 22. Good luck!
WILD for Change Black History Video
Our WILD for Change organization will be crafting, for our Wake Up Willard announcements, short videos on Fridays to highlight historical figures in honor of Black History Month. The first video looks at the masterful and iconic work of choreographer Alvin Ailey. As a Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, he revolutionized the world of dance. Check out this phenomenal video work here. Thank you to Joycelyn Ansah, Snigdha Chigurupati, Sreesha Kunthsam, Daniella Lily, Helina Mengesha, and Chelsea Peters for crafting this resource.
In addition, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jason Reynolds, recently discussed in his Grab the Mic newsletter for the Library of Congress, what we can learn from Black History Month. This powerful article asks us what we can do to make the world better.
Join Our Virtual Talent Show
Have you ever had a secret, wacky, or just plain cool talent that you’ve wanted to show off? Well now you can, in our first-ever Willard Virtual Talent Show, sponsored by our very own Student Council Association (SCA)! Your talent could truly be anything. Picture it—you can show us your video gaming, drawing, skating, cooking, and musical skills. You could even highlight your cooking skills, magic trick prowess, sports expertise, and best pet tricks. So, to join, please complete this participation form. We can't wait to see what you do!
Upcoming Transition & Curriculum Nights
Preparing for a Move to Hybrid
In preparation for hybrid instruction beginning on Wednesday, March 3, we will be holding both parent and student orientations. Our Virtual Parent Orientation will be on Thursday, February 25, starting at 6:00 p.m. Interested parents should complete this RSVP Form by Monday, February 22 to receive the web link. Moreover, you shall see, below, the Student Orientation sessions that we will be offering for our scholars throughout the day on Monday, March 1. For students to RSVP for this activity, please click here. In the upcoming Wildcat Chats, we will be providing additional information on: bus information, drop off/pick up, lunch, schedule modifications, and needed supplies.
Upcoming MAP Assessments
- Given the recent snow days, students will take the Math MAP Test on Monday, February 8 and the Reading MAP Test on Monday, February 22.
- We anticipate sharing the results of your child’s test in ParentVUE.
- You may use the Preparing for MAP Testing video to prepare for testing.
- Please feel free to click the following link for more information and important notes.
Upcoming SOL Information & Parent Refusal
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) will be supporting the completion of the Standards of Learning (SOLs) for the 2020-2021 school year. These assessments may not be administered remotely to students. Students in any instructional model (100% distance or hybrid) must attend school in person to participate in testing. To support our students’ health and safety, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) will ensure that health mitigation procedures are in place and social distancing is observed. Transportation can be provided if needed.
While we encourage all students to participate in these assessments, we understand that some families may retain concerns about the in-person testing requirement. Parents who do not wish for their student to participate in state and/or federally mandated assessments may indicate their refusal by completing this form.
If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Principal and Testing Coordinator Steve Pickering at steven.pickering@lcps.org or call the school at 571-367-4040. In addition, the comprehensive communication from LCPS regarding testing may be found here. Below, you shall find the comprehensive list of upcoming SOL test dates.
Rising Ninth Grade Course Information
Lightridge High School will be offering a Rising Ninth Grade Virtual Information Session on Monday, February 8, at 6:30 p.m. This is a recent date change. In addition, as we begin planning for next year, our rising ninth grade students will be able to watch a course selection video during CLAWS Club (Advisory) on Tuesday, February 23. For additional information about the high school course selection, please review this letter from Christi Campbell, the Lightridge Director School Counseling. Congrats, Class of 2025!
Thomas Jefferson Application is Available
Thomas Jefferson (TJ) High School has started accepting applications from now until Wednesday, February 24, at 4:00 p.m. We wanted to provide to our Willard families detailed information regarding this effort. In the links below, students may access a background video about TJ, information about how to apply, and the detailed calendar for submission deadlines. To get started, please click on the following:
Building Healthy Relationships
Local organizations are providing virtual seminars to support teenagers as they navigate building respectful relationships. On Wednesday, February 17, at 6:30 p.m., students may participate in the "It's Not Love" webinar. To learn more and to register, please click here. In addition, on Tuesday, February 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk (VBIS) will be offering a webinar on navigating virtual dating relationships. For more information, our Willard parents may click here.
Suicide Prevention Support Video
The Loudoun County Public Schools United Mental Health Team (UMHT) has crafted an informational video on suicide prevention geared toward middle school families. This supportive video looks at suicide risks, signs, protective factors, and current data trends. For those in need of immediate support, please reach out to Loudoun County Emergency Services at 703-777-0320. In addition, our Willard Counseling Team contact information may be found here.
Course Recommendations
Course recommendations for core courses (English, math, science, and social studies), World Language, and some Fine Arts electives have been loaded and are visible in StudentVUE and/or ParentVUE for our Willard families.
Our goal is to empower families to make well-informed decisions regarding course selections for the 2021-2022 school year. For this reason, we will be hosting curriculum night presentations for parents and course selection presentations for students in February. The schedule for these presentations may be found here.
Beginning Monday, March 1, parents and/or guardians will have access to a Google Form to change course requests if families would like to override a course recommendation. This will allow us to be able to monitor course changes, identify concerns, and encourage rich communication between families, students, and teachers, as needed. It is encouraged, but not required, for parents to reach out to the recommending teacher to gather additional information about the basis of the recommendation for their child, so as to make a fully informed decision to override a recommendation. To further support our families, we wanted to provide the answers to our most frequently asked questions and answers during this process:
- Do parents have the final say regarding core content selections? Yes.
- Is there a deadline for course recommendation override requests? Yes. Forms are due by Thursday, June 24, 2021. Late forms will not be accepted.
- What if a student changes his/her mind next year? Unfortunately, once courses are locked in, changes cannot be made.
Please feel free to reach out to your child's counselor with any additional questions/concerns.
CAMPUS Virtual Presentation
Recently, our eighth grade students received a presentation about CAMPUS from the LCPS CAMPUS Coordinator, Chris Clarke, during CLAWS Club (Advisory). CAMPUS, College Achievement Minority Program for Unique Students, is an academic and college preparatory program designed to meet the specific needs of students from historically underrepresented groups in higher education and prospective first-generation college students in LCPS. Mr. Clarke will be offering an interactive Parent & Student CAMPUS Information night on Wednesday, February 10 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Click here for the information flyer. Also, to get access to the virtual Google Meet link, please visit our WMS School Counseling website or reach out to the WMS CAMPUS Counselor, Laura Seipp, at Laura.Seipp@lcps.org.
Academies of Loudoun Background
The Academies of Loudoun will be meeting with our current seventh graders in the spring to help guide them as they begin thinking about their high school options. They have created an informative video to help them see the opportunities that are available. Additionally, they have provided a self-guided virtual tour for students to explore different areas of the school and the available education pathways. We look forward to providing more information in the future about these outstanding opportunities.
Student Survey Opportunity
On Wednesday, March 3, Willard Middle School, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Department of Education, is conducting the Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions of students, teachers, and staff. The purpose of this survey is to measure student support, student engagement, school discipline, and safety conditions in each school. This information will be used to guide educational practices that produce a safe and supportive school environment. Even as we adapt to new instructional circumstances this year, this survey is important for understanding the impact of the pandemic on school climate and conditions, and continuing to monitor our progress towards recovery. The Virginia School Survey becomes a tool to guide instructional practices that provide support for all students in Virginia’s schools. Detailed information regarding the survey may be found here. Also, you may review the student survey at this website: https://tinyurl.com/VaSchoolSurvey. In addition, if you do not wish for your child to participate, please notify Assistant Principal, Steve Pickering, at steven.pickering@lcps.org by Monday, March 1, 2021.
PTA Fundraising Opportunity
Help us raise PTA funds by pre-ordering a Moe's Southwest Grill Taco Kit by Sunday, February 7, by 6:00 p.m. for pick up on Tuesday, February 9, from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. By doing so, we can earn $5.00 for each taco kit sale, which can help benefit Willard scholars. To get started, please complete this pre-order form. You may pick up your kit at the Moe's Southwest Grill in South Riding at 24995 Riding Plaza. For any questions, please contact Moe's team at 804-306-6987 or catering@quesoinc.com. Thank you for your support!
Lightridge Fundraiser
Lightridge has partnered with Chick-Fil-A in South Riding to raise funds to benefit pediatric cancer research. On Tuesday, February 9, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., through the drive-thru or mobile curbside, families can help us raise funds for this worthwhile effort. For mobile curbside, enter "Lightridge Mini-Thon" in the special instructions before submitting the order. Thank you for your participation.