The Wildcat Chat
What's Happening at Willard? | September 3, 2021
Revisiting Our Dean Talks
PTA Update for Families
Congratulations to our new Willard PTA Board:
- President: Janelle Brevard
- VP of Communications: TBA
- VP of Family & Community Partnerships: Patricia Mars
- Secretary: Wendy Hlebinsky
- Treasurer: Shelly Walsh
We had a record setting turnout for our meeting, and we look forward to engaging and connecting with more Willard families in the year ahead. The board made initial plans for fundraising, and our first event of the year, the annual Willard—Mercer—Lunsford Volleyball game on Wednesday, October 27, at Lightridge High School. Don’t forget to join our organization at this link. The Willard PTA meets in the Willard Library on the second Thursday of each month. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, October 14, 2021, at 6:30 PM. We hope to see even more Willard families there!
MAP Testing Starts, Bring Chromebooks
The new school year brings a welcome return to in-person learning, creating opportunities to see what academic skills our students retained from last year and what supports they need for success this year. It is important that teachers spend time collecting data to inform their instruction so they can consistently remediate and enrich student learning. Some of the data is collected through day-to-day informal assessments and other data is obtained through formal methods, such as state and federal testing. This fall, our students will be participating in the following assessments:
- Thursday, September 9 and Friday, September 10: Reading MAP (in English classes)
- Monday, September 13 and Tuesday, September 14: Math MAP (in math classes)
- Early October: Virginia Department of Education Fall Growth Assessments in Reading (for all grade levels) and students taking Grade 6, 7, & 8 Mathematics (More details tnext week).
Special Note (Chromebooks): Students should bring their chromebooks every day. They will be taking their assessments on their chromebooks.
Special Note (Parent Refusals): If you would like your child to not participate in MAP Testing, please complete this form.
Breakfast is Available for Our Wildcats
Students are welcome to access a free breakfast each morning here at Willard. If students would like to partake, they need to go directly to the cafeteria upon their arrival. Breakfast is served until 8:25 a.m.
In addition, students may also receive lunch, snack, and dinner meals—free of charge. Due to program restrictions one free breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner is available each day per student. Snack meals will be served with lunch. Second meals will cost $4.10.
Covid-19 Information & Mask Wearing
When we are notified of a positive case of COVID-19, school administration and the health clinic staff work with a contact tracer to identify close contacts of that individual. When a student or staff member has been identified as a close contact, the staff member or parents of the student will be contacted and provided with information regarding quarantining and next steps. Depending on when the school is notified of a positive case, identification of close contacts could take a day or more. When a student or staff member has been identified as a close contact, the staff member or parents of the student will be contacted individually and provided with information regarding quarantining and next steps. In addition, LCPS has recently launched the Covid-19 Case Data Daily Snapshot, which is updated daily and helps to provide additional information to our Wildcat families.
Lastly, we want to ensure that both our students and staff are wearing their masks throughout the school day. As a reminder, both should wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth and is able to be secured under the chin. It should fit snugly against the sides of the face.
Let the Recognition Begin
We would love for our students and parents to recognize the outstanding work that our teachers have been doing this school year. Hearing from you truly makes all of the difference. This past week, the Spanish department's Sra. Stone and Sr. Slobodnjak were recognized by Deepti Patil and Ishnoor Chandi, respectively, for their enthusiasm and ability to make every task interactive. Ms. Odebode received a shout out from scholar Julia Gross because she took the time to share about her love of music that began as a child in home and at church. Seventh grader Madison Keys highlighted Ms. Ko for helping to make the environment inviting and calm. To be a part of the recognition excitement, please consider completing this form. Let's Go, Wildcats!