The Wildcat Chat
What's Happening at Willard? | January 29, 2021
Quarter 2 CLAWS Awards
This 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. We will be providing the full video presentations in next week's chat!
Grade 6 Award Presentation, Grade 7 Award Presentation, & Grade 8 Award Presentation
In addition, below you shall find the list of winners from the recent Fall Solo Music Festival and 2021 All District Band. Congratulations to these musicians. Again, we want to thank our community for allowing us to work with and learn from your children. They are amazing!
Upcoming MAP Assessments
- Each student’s teacher will be sending an email with specific Google Meets for the test administration and log in information. They will also provide contact information for technical assistance during testing.
- If your child has an IEP, 504, or EL Plan with testing accommodations that can be delivered via the remote, online MAP administration, your child’s Case Manager or EL Teacher will also email you with information on how that accommodation will be implemented.
- If you do not wish for your child to participate in one or both of the assessments, please fill out this form with your decision no later than Friday, January 29.
- We anticipate sharing the results of your child’s test in ParentVue.
- You can use the Preparing for MAP Testing video to prepare for testing.
Upcoming SOL Information
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.
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.
Thomas Jefferson Application Opening Soon
Thomas Jefferson (TJ) High School will begin accepting applications starting on Monday, February 1, at 8:00 a.m. Students will have from then until Wednesday, February 24, at 4:00 p.m., to complete the process. For detailed information, please click on the following:
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.
Mental Health & Wellness Conference
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.
Student Survey for Competition
Preparing for the Future
Spring WILDLife Clubs Are Here
Yearbook Newsletter
Interested in contributing to our yearbook Into the WILD? Then, you definitely want to check out the monthly newsletter where there are opportunities for you to be featured in our publication. In addition, it includes information about how to purchase this literary gem. If you should have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Yearbook Advisor, Kirsten Cleary, for support.
Updated Math Course Selection Process
The LCPS Math Department has recently updated the LCPS Middle School Mathematics Course Selection Process with detailed information regarding the course options and selection process for rising sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. We would recommend reviewing this document as it provides math progression charts, informational videos, and the LCPS Math Curriculum Framework.
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!
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.