The month of June brings us many end of year events including our PTA sponsored Fifth Grade Field trip on June 7th, PTA Picnic Theme evening event on June 9th, the lunchtime BBQ on June 15th, Kindergarten Graduation on June 20th, and the Fifth Grade Promotion on June 21st. Keep an eye out for more specifics on these events and others in the weeks ahead.

The final days of the school year are upon us. Our students have grown so much, and their high level of learning is always worth celebrating. Teachers and school staff have worked hard and enjoyed their time spent with our wonderful students. We will miss them over the summer and look forward to their return in September. For our fifth graders moving on to the middle school, remember the valuable lessons learned at Willow Crest. You are AMAZING and your continued growth will further prepare you to become the incredible citizens and leaders of our community and beyond.

During the summer months please enjoy time with family and friends. Remember to be safe around water and wearing a lifejacket is always a good idea. Read a good book over the summer and tell us about it when you return. Enjoy your summer vacation and begin thinking about how awesome the 2023-2024 school year will be. GO OWLS!

Lenny Holloman

We are committed to the safety of our students, which includes conducting required emergency drills. On Thursday, June 8, we will have an extended emergency drill in the afternoon to practice what we would do if we had to evacuate due to an earthquake and could not reenter the building. This includes evacuating to the field, taking attendance, setting up our incident command system, practicing search and rescue, preparing to provide needed medical attention, and simulating student reunification with families. The drill will last approximately 45 minutes, and then we will return to normal activities and follow our usual schedule and dismissal routine. Please contact Tom Dudley, assistant principal, if you have any questions or feedback about emergency procedures.

Did you hear what the Surgeon General just said about social media?

Earlier in May, the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced that social media poses a “profound risk of harm” to kids and teens’ well-being. For years, there’s been notification after notification about social media’s potential effects on mental health — especially among children and teens, whose brains are still developing and more vulnerable to social media’s addictive features. Murthy said all this scrolling has contributed to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem for many kids and teens.

What'd he recommend for families to do?

In his advisory, Murthy called on families to take frequent breaks from social media and video game use. Doing so can help young people connect more deeply in person, feel more present and “separate from the constant, often anxiety-provoking, influx of information about the world and other people’s lives.”

Willow Crest will miss your children over the summer, but it is a great time for unstructured play that leads to creativity. Encourage kids to play outside, go to the neighborhood park or play board games with their family and neighbor friends. Kids can try new sports, learn to cook with an adult’s help, have a bubble gum blowing contest, build a fort or break out those Legos and build a castle! Just let kids be kids without too many devices.