Willow Springs,

I know that all of us are looking forward to a wonderful fall evening filled with school events and school spirit! Please note that students do not have school on 11/16 and 11/17 and our Thanksgiving Break is from 11/20 - 11/24. As I reflect on this Veteran's Day, I am so grateful for the military men and women who serve and protect our country. We are also incredibly thankful for the Veterans who choose to serve our students by teaching the next generation of leaders. I hope you enjoy a beautiful weekend with your families.

Blessings,

Caitlin Eldredge

WSMS Principal

7th and 8th Grade Students- Aim for Success Program:

Our school has partnered with Youth Equipped to Succeed (YES) to provide information on relationships and sexual health. Youth Equipped to Succeed believes strongly in connecting students to positive messages and healthy relationships that will help them navigate cultural pressures. Through their programming, students of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances are equipped with the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need in order to achieve more healthy and successful futures.

Thank you to all of the parents that viewed our parent presentation. If you were unable to join us, please reach out to your student's counselor for an outline of what was discussed.

A paper copy of the OPT IN form was sent home on October 27 through 2nd period.

There is ONE way to opt in to the student presentation- complete the OPT in form, check yes, and turn in to 2nd period teacher.

There are TWO ways to opt out of the student presentation- complete the OPT in form, check NO, and turn it in to 2nd period teacher OR not turn in the form.

Forms are due by November 7. We can not accept any forms after that date.

Student presentations will be on November 14 (7th grade) and November 15 (8th grade). The tentative schedule for each day is as follows:

Boys:

8:45-9:45- Last name A-L

9:55-10:55- Last name M-Z

Girls

1:00-2:00- Last name A-L

2:10-3:10- Last name M-Z

7th Grade: Ms. Carey Miller

8th Grade: Ms. Kelly Collins

Willow Springs Middle School Theatre presents Moana at the LHS Auditorium this Friday and Saturday night at 7:00pm. Click here to purchase tickets.

As a reminder, LHS is also hosting Leopard Friday and a playoff football game Friday evening. On-site parking will be very limited. Satellite parking with shuttle buses will be available from Grace Church, Willow Springs Middle School, and Hart Elementary.

TO ALL 8TH GRADE PARENTS: FRIDAY 11-10 IS THE DEADLINE FOR 8TH GRADE RECOGNITION ADS. All 8th grade recognition ads must be paid for, created, and submitted online by Friday 11-10. You can use the direct link at JostensYearbooks.com?REF=A01101585 to purchase and create an 8th grade ad. See the attached flyers for details and pricing.

Yearbook Order Form

8th Grade Recognition Ad Flyer

Our campus does not accept items sent through meal delivery services. We do not deliver food and drinks to classrooms during the school day.

If you are a parent or guardian dropping off lunch to your child, please do so before lunches begin. A lunch is from 10:58 - 11:32 and B lunch is from 11:47 - 12:17. You may drop off food for your child only. Please clearly label the food and place on the table in the foyer.

MAP reports were sent home with students through their math class on 10/19. More information about MAP Growth can be found in the MAP Growth FAQ.

Beginning 10/23, students should begin carrying their student IDs with them while on campus. Whether it is on a lanyard or in a backpack, the expectation will be that a student will be able to produce their WSMS ID card upon request. More information will follow regarding replacement cards if students have lost their ID badge.

Please see the campus tutorial schedule below. If you do not see the teacher's name or have questions, please email your child's teachers directly to partner with them if your child needs academic assistance. Thank you for your support.

Tutorial Schedule Click Here

We would like to encourage you to talk to students about competing in this year's Academic UIL Competition in April. This competition gives our students an opportunity to experience what it's like to compete in a high-stakes, fast-paced academic setting. We will have more information on the specifics soon. If you or your students have any questions, please reach out to,

Joseph Washburn (joseph_washburn@lovejoyisd.net). We are seeking students to compete in the events listed below:

Spelling

Number Sense

Calculator Applications

Science

Social Studies

Mathematics

Attendance continues to be a top priority for Lovejoy ISD. It should come as no surprise that attendance has a direct relationship with student learning. Additionally, public school funding is provided by the State of Texas based on each district's average daily attendance (ADA).

Lovejoy has developed an Attendance Task Force consisting of staff, parents, and students to formulate ideas about how to positively impact ADA in our district. One suggestion is to update the community via weekly principal communication on the number of absences each campus has accrued YTD along with the budgetary impact of those absences. This information can be found below:

WSMS office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:35 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Each visitor to our campus is required to show ID at the front doorbell camera and state the reason for the visit before clearance to enter the building. Please wait for the door to be unlocked and do not hold open the door for others who have not yet been verified to enter. When students are signing out, a parent or guardian is required to enter the office to sign them out. We do not send our students outside to waiting vehicles. Thank you for supporting us as we keep safety and security the top priority.

Please go here for LISD calendars.

Click Here to view the nutrition newsletter

The PowerSchool app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You use the same PowerSchool online login. Enter the District code NJBC. **Helpful Tip: If your app is not syncing, follow these steps:

1. Log out
2. Update app
3. Log back in

Mark your calendar for our next PTO membership meeting of the year on Wednesday, November 15th at 10:00 in the WSMS band hall .

We hope to see you there. Everyone is welcome so encourage your friends to become a PTO member and join you!

2023-2024 PTO Meetings:

November 15, 2023

February 21, 2024

April 17, 2024

May 17, 2024

Thanksgiving is a great time to show our WSMS staff how thankful we are for each of them and all that they do for our students every day. This year we will be providing them a charcuterie lunch and handing out our letters of Thankfulness along with a pie for each staff member to take home for the holiday. We have several ways that you can help.

-Click on the Amazon list to purchase items for our lunch and have them shipped directly to the school, so easy! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3OHIJBVLSD2NE?ref_=wl_share

-Sign up to buy a pie or bundt cake (home made, store bought or choose to order from one of the stores listed on the sign-up and have them delivered for you) https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4AA9A62AA2F85-45351837-give#/

-Sign up to help deliver the pies/letters and serve lunch on 11/15.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F49A9AF2CA1F49-45526325-wsms

Your membership dues and donation enables us to provide important programs for students and parents, to organize volunteers to support our campus, and to deliver appreciation events for teachers and staff throughout the year. Please encourage your friends to join PTO today. We appreciate your support!

Dues are $10 for individual and $20 for the whole family. Join and Donate Here

If you’d like to know more about volunteer opportunities at Willow Springs please fill out this form and we’ll notify you as needs arise. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-ZUVnniJK4utt6GgYVq8mkXVZVxAlz1uo3VdBkLeXkjnIVA/viewform

Kroger Community Rewards offer a great way to earn money for the Willow Springs Middle School PTO. Just swipe your Kroger rewards card or use the phone number on your Kroger rewards account when shopping to earn money for WSMS.

Visit Kroger Community Rewards website:
www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards.

New users will need to create an account which requires a valid email address and a rewards card. Once logged into your Kroger account, search for WILLOW SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL PTO either by name or WG753 and then click Enroll.

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 ISD recently entered into a partnership with My Community Credit Union. This partnership is intended to enhance student opportunities in the areas of financial literacy and provide hands-on learning experiences for future careers related to finance. An MCCU branch is scheduled to open at Lovejoy High School in the fall of 2024.

On Friday, October 27th, MCCU kicked off their Debit Card Design Contest. The contest is open to all Lovejoy ISD students. Three debit card design winners will be selected representing grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The winners will have their designs on our Lovejoy Leopard MCCU Debit Cards and will receive a $100 gift card!

Content Rules:

Must be an original image/design/artwork.

Participants may submit up to 2 designs.

Parent consent is required.

Submissions are due to marketing@mccu.coop by midnight on January 26.

Winners will be announced on March 1.

Final Card Size: 2-1/8 by 3-3/8

Scan the QR Code for Official Rules and additional details, or visit mccu.coop/lovejoy.

Join us on November 28th at 6:00 p.m. in the Lovejoy Child Development Center Library for a panel discussion on Achieving Accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Join Stephani Kranz, Brie Smith, Allison Claunch, Heather Fisher and Eva Pearl as we talk about understanding accommodations beyond the walls of Lovejoy, talking about ACT/SAT accommodations, how colleges work with accommodations, the differences of what is allowed and then job accommodations.