Tiger Nation
February 2020
Special Programs
Engaged Readers Become Inspired Writers at Woods
In 2019, Wills Point ISD adopted new elementary Language Arts textbooks. This year, we looked at making some changes to how curriculum was delivered to our students. After many conversations with teachers and administrators, WPISD chose Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to provide resources for our English/Language Arts students and teachers. This has proven to have a positive outcome on the growth of our students. Students have access to PERSONAL texts that they are able to make notes in, create graphic organizers, and they now have personal access to hundreds of pieces of literature that belong to them! Wills Point ISD went above and beyond for our students, purchasing the “Premium Package.” We are excited about the new resources and the advantages it gives our students and teachers.
Holly Hurley, 3rd Grade ELAR teacher, said, " I really appreciate the spiral review and learning structure that HMH has set up for our students. It helps keep learning fresh and revisited often. The rigor of both the weekly assessments and the module assessments are STAAR rigor and helpful to getting our students ready. My classes seem to really enjoy the stories in the HMH books and were thrilled to take the book home when we finished it. They still talk about reading those stories at home!"
Primary School
Writing Workshops Turn Readers into Writers
One of the many elements of our new HMH textbook adoption was the inclusion of the Writer’s Notebook. A Writer’s Notebook gives students the chance to learn the basics of writing conventions as they analyze writer’s craft, explore various genres, and grow in mastery.
Our K-2 grade students have access to the personal Softcover MyBook; Print and digital; print WRiters Notebook, Know It Show It, Big Book set, Tabletop mini-lessons, Rigby leveled libraries, bookstix, posters, and the Online iRead tool.
Purpose and Discovery in Math- Are You Smarter Than a 6th Grader?
calculate average speed using distance and time measurements, and measure and graph changes in motion.
Students then participated in a lab by gathering data and graphing and analyzing the motion.
Tiger Tech
February may be the shortest month but it sure has been packed with great things in Instructional Technology this year!
We started off the month with a team of 5 travelling to Austin for the TCEA conference for educators integrating technology. We brought back a ton of resources to share with our district peers and look forward to implementing some of the tools we gained for deeper student learning.
We recognized 3 of our newest Tiger Techs at the School board meeting and have gained a few more since. Those recognized are all from Woods - Ms. Balderas (2nd grade), Ms. Moir (4th grade), and Ms. Glenn (4th grade)
A few more teachers leveled up in the Tiger Tech badging program this past month… Ms. Bankston from Primary got Level 1; Ms. DeDominicis, graphic design teacher from WPHS got Level 2; and Ms. Pearson, the Instructional Coach at Primary got Tiger Tech as well as 2nd grade teachers from Woods, Ms. Hoedebeck and Ms. Curry.
On Saturday, February 22nd, we had 4 teachers voluntarily take a 3 hour exam to be a Google Certified Educator. We now have 7 certified teachers in the district and more on the way, showing commitment to innovative strategies that lead to higher student engagement and a more student-led classroom.
We have added more technology to share in the district, including a 360* video camera for students to CREATE immersive experiences instead of just consuming them, although that is pretty engaging, too.
Brandy Pearson
Misty Hoedebeck
Regina DeDominicis
Staff of the Month
DD Daniell & Sheri Bocook
Crystal Carrico
Cindi Gibson
Antoinette McElroy
Helen Phillips
Karol Potter
Christel Gail
Rosanna Reyes
Kimberly Lancaster
Kindness Week
Hands-On Learning!
High School
(1) Students in Ms. Bausher’s classes are studying germination of seeds and the growth of plants. They germinated beans from dormancy in a baggie and transferred 2 germinated seeds into soil to watch the growth through a transparent cup. Students have been keeping data of growth between the types of beans and using a bean identifying website to differentiate between seed types.
(2) Forensics was using their knowledge of science to determine the time of death on various animals. Students examined various artifacts, time, and temperature to determine the length of time postmortem. It was great to see students working together to investigate the facts!
(3) In Mrs. Homer’s room, students investigated infectious diseases and how quickly they can spread. Students started out with 99 green M&Ms and 1 red M&M. The red one represented the person who had the disease and the green ones were all of the healthy people. At each trial, the healthy M&M’s were exposed to the disease and students were able to graph and see how diseases can display an exponential growth function.
(4) Students in the Anatomy and Physiology class performed a lab on the frog. The purpose of the dissection was to provide an overview of the organ systems. The students learned that the anatomy of the frog was similar to their anatomy and provide insight on how the body works.
(5) In Principles of Health Science, the students were testing their cranial nerves after learning about the nervous system. Here students testing cranial nerves III which controls pupil reactions. The students were able to use tools and techniques that they might use in the future doing their job. They are also able to see how the tests are conducted and what it’s like to be put through them.
(6) Mr. Sanders class was busy making objects fly this past week. The students are studying how to use stored energy to power objects by using physics and math. The students have enjoyed building a machine created by them!
National FFA Week
National School Counseling Week
Shark Tank!
Don't Forget!
Want To Join Our Team?
Calendar of Events
Primary
Mar. 2nd - Dr. Seuss Day
Mar. 6th - PTO Hospitality
Mar. 8th - Daylight Savings Time (Spring Forward! Set Clocks Up 1 Hour)
Mar. 9th - Board Meeting
Mar. 10th - PTO Meeting
Mar. 12th - Open House from 5:00-6:30 pm.
Mar. 16th - Spring Break Begins
Mar. 23rd - Parent Conferences (Student Holiday)
Mar. 24th - Students return from Spring Break
Mar. 26th - PE Showcase at 5:30 at WPHS
Mar. 28th - PTO Daddy/Daughter Dance
Woods
March 2nd: Open House 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
March 2nd - 6th: Book Fair
March 6th: PTO Hospitality
March 7th: PTO Dress Swap @ Woods Cafeteria 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
March 10th: Spring Pictures
March 10th: PTO Meeting 6:00 p.m.
March 11th: Anti-Bullying Assemblies
March 16th-20th: Spring Break
March 27th: Academic Pep-rally
March 25th: 3rd & 4th Grade Benchmark Assessment (Closed Campus)
March 26th: 3rd & 4th Grade Benchmark Assessment (Closed Campus)
March 28th: Daddy-Daughter Dance @ High School
March 31th: Kona
Middle School-
March 2nd-6th - JH Drill practice and tryouts for 6th graders
March 3rd - Aim for Success Parent meeting @ HS cafeteria 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
March 4th - Kona Ice
March 5th - Math Benchmark (campus will be closed for visitors)
March 6th - PTO Hospitality
March 7th - PTO Daddy/Daughter Dress Swap @ Woods cafeteria 10:00 a.m.-12:0 p.m.
March 12th - Aim for Success presentations
March 16th-23rd - Spring Break
March 24th - Dinner with a Gentleman @ HS Cafeteria 6:00-7:30 p.m.
March 25th - Report Cards go home
March 27th - Academic Assembly @ 2:45
March 28th - PTO Daddy/Daughter Masquerade
March 30th-April 3rd - Book Fair
April 2nd - Open House
Junior High-
March 2nd- Track Meet @ Mabank
March 3rd- Tennis @ Wills Point
March 6th- Junior High Color Guard Performance
March 6th- Junior High Track Pictures
March 7th- Tennis Tournament @ Wills Point
March 9th- Track Meet @ Wills Point
March 10th-Power to Succeed Program
March 12th- Tennis @ Kaufman
March 16th-20th- Spring Break
March 23rd- Track Meet @ Kemp
March 24th- Tennis @ Wills Point
March 30th- District Track Meet @ Van
March 31st- Tennis @ Wills Point
High School-
March 2nd- Girls and Boys Golf @ Jacksonville
March 3rd - Softball @ Terrell 5:30pm
March 3rd - Aim for Success Parent Meeting, Lecture Hall 6:45pm
March 4th - Boys Regional Powerlifting @ Henderson
March 4th - Sports Pictures Softball and Baseball
March 4th - UIL Sight Reading Contest
March 5th - Boys Regional Powerlifting @ Henderson
March 5th - UIL Sight Reading Contest
March 5th - Tennis @ Longview
March 5th - Track @ Gladewater
March 5th - JV Baseball @ Princeton Tournament
March 5th - Varsity Baseball @ Spring Hill Tournament
March 5th - Wills Point Softball Tournament
March 6th - JV Baseball @ Princeton Tournament
March 6th - Varsity Baseball @ Spring Hill Tournament
March 6th - Wills Point Softball Tournament
March 6th - Girls Regional Powerlifting @Fairfield
March 6th - Special Olympics @ Rains
March 6th - Winterguard Competition @ Everman
March 7th - JV Baseball @ Princeton Tournament
March 7th - Varsity Baseball @ Spring Hill Tournament
March 7th - Wills Point Softball Tournament
March 7th - Girls Regional Powerlifting @Fairfield
March 10th - Tennis @ Kaufman
March 10th - Aim for Success Program 8:30 am and 10:00 am
March 10th - JV Baseball vs Edgewood
March 10th - Varsity Baseball vs Edgewood
March 11th - Girls and Boys Golf @ Duck Creek Classic
March 12th - Band Trip
March 12th - Future Freshman Fair @ 6:30pm
March 12th - WP Bluebird Relays
March 12th - WP Baseball Tournament
March 13th - Band Trip
March 13th - WP Baseball Tournament
MArch 13th - Tennis @ Brock Tournament
March 14th - Band Trip
March 14th - WP Baseball Tournament
March 14th - JV Softball @ Eustace
March 14th - Softball @ Kemp
March 15th - Band Trip
March 16th-20th: Spring Break
March 16th - Softball @ Athens
March 17th - Baseball vs Caddo Mills
March 19th - State Girls Powerlifting @ Waco
March 20th - State Girls Powerlifting @ Waco
March 20th - Track @ Kaufman
March 20th - JV/V Baseball @ Eustace
March 21th - JV/V Baseball @ Dallas Christian
March 23rd - Student Holiday / Teacher Workday
March 23rd - Boys Gold @ Canton Invitational
March 24th - Girls Golf @ Canton Invitational
March 24th - JV Tennis @ Kilgore Tournament
March 24th - Softball @ Canton
March 24th - JV/ V Baseball @ Canton
March 25th - Special Olympics @ Canton
March 25th - Track Pictures
March 26th - Track @ Crandall
March 26th - University of Texas Relays @ Austin
March 26th - JV Baseball @ Edgewood Tournament
March 27th - University of Texas Relays @ Austin
March 27th - Boys Powerlifting @ Abilene
March 27th - Tennis @ Abilene Tournament
March 27th - UIL Academic Meet
March 27th - JV/V Baseball @ Mabank
March 28th - University of Texas Relays @ Austin
March 28th - Boys Powerlifting @ Abilene
March 28th - Tennis @ Abilene Tournament
March 28th - JV Baseball @ Edgewood Tournament
March 28th - Winterguard @ Flower Mound
March 30th - Girls and Boys District Golf Rd 1 @ Canton
March 31st - Van Zandt County Fair
March 31st - JV/V Baseball @ Van
March 31st - Softball @ Van
April 1st - Van Zandt County Fair
April 1st -District Track @ WP
April 2nd - Van Zandt County Fair
April 2nd - Tennis District Tournament @ WP
April 3rd - Van Zandt County Fair
April 3rd - JV District Tournament @ WP
April 3rd - Softball @ Brownsboro
April 13rd - JV/V Baseball @ Brownsboro