Principal's Newsletter
Willard Elementary
May 24, 2023
Now we are ready to celebrate! Here is what is coming up!
Thursday, May 25: Field Trip to Dinosaur Park!
Friday, May 26: Career Day!
Monday, May 29: No School, Memorial Day!
Tuesday, May 30: Foam Party! Please send students to school in clothes that are okay to get wet, but no swimsuits please!
Wednesday, May 31: PTA Field Day!
Thursday, June 1: Candy Bomber!
Friday, June 2: Last Day of School! 1st grade and full day kindergarten- 8:45-12:45, AM kindergarten 8:45-10:45, PM kindergarten 10:45-12:45. No preschool.
**IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR CHILD TO HAVE WORK TO DO AT HOME THIS SUMMER, OUR EDUCATIONAL APPS ARE STILL AVAILABLE UNTIL AUGUST. Lexia and Superkids for reading, Waggle on HMH for math, and Scratch Jr. for some coding practice are great choices to keep them busy!**
Thanks again for an amazing year! Have a great summer with your cute kiddos!
May 1, 2023
Can you believe it's our last month of school?! We have 23 1/2 days left of school and so much to do!
I need to make the sad announcement that I have accepted a position at our district office as the literacy director for next school year. It's a great opportunity for me, but I will miss my students and staff at Willard so much! Thank you for your support the last 4 years as Willard's principal. I am thrilled that my replacement will be Heather Godfrey. Heather has been an instructional coach at Discovery and a 1st grade teacher at Mountain View. She is absolutely incredible and will be a great leader for this amazing school.
Here are our upcoming events for the rest of the school year!
May 18: Acadience testing
May 22 & 23: KEEP testing- no Kindergarten! Make sure you sign up for a testing appointment.
May 22: 1st grade field trip to Three Mile Creek
May 25: Kindergarten and 1st grade field trip to Dinosaur Park! Please send back permission slips.
May 26: Career Day!
May 29: Memorial Day, No School
May 30: Bubble Party!
May 31: PTA Field Day
June 1: Candy Bomber
June 2: Last day of school, minimum day
Schedule: 1st grade and full day kinder: 8:45-12:45
AM kinder: 8:45-10:45
PM kinder: 10:45-12:45
March 1, 2023
Last week Superintendent Carlsen sent out a video explaining the need to adjust our start and end times for next school year. Here is the video link in case you missed it.
https://www.loom.com/share/b1fef38500f0440aa82da9383b346f3f
If you would like to share your opinion, please contact our School Community Council members. They have a meeting on Monday, March 6, so please let them know of your feelings before that day.
Willard School Community Council Chair: Christina Braegger (cbraegger328@gmail.com)
Parent Members: Carol Christensen (cadchristensen@gmail.com), Rachel Doyle (rgayle19@hotmail.com), Angela Silvester (angterry7@yahoo.com).
Just a quick reminder that if you are dropping off your students before school, please please get in line in the city office parking lot and have students walk in through the west doors. The south doors in front of the school is for buses. After school has started and the west doors are locked, you can send kids in through the front doors and have them come to the office for a late slip.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Friday, March 3: Minimum School Day (End of the trimester)
Full Day Kinder & 1st grade: 8:45-12:45
AM Kinder: 8:45-10:45
PM Kinder: 10:45-12:45
No preschool
Thursday, March 16: Class Pictures (also retakes & new students)
Friday, March 17: Class pictures for Friday preschoolers
Friday, March 24: No School- District Professional Development Day
February 2023
I have some AMAZING news that I want to share with you all! We just completed our Acadience Reading and Math assessments for mid-year.Right now, in Kindergarten we are at 92% of our students on benchmark for reading! And in first grade, we are at 87% in reading and 82% in math. In my 19 years of education, these are the BEST scores I have ever seen for middle of the year! What amazing students and teachers we have at Willard! Everyone is working so hard, and it's paying off! I couldn't be prouder to be a Willard Eagle!
What a crazy week we have had with 2 hour delays and virtual learning! As a reminder of the procedures for these kinds of days:
2 Hour Delay (Wintry Conditions) Schedule Information (Determined by the Superintendent)
Length of Schedule: The school day begins 2 hours later than regular and will end at regular time.
Notification: Principals, employees, staff, parents and students will be notified in succession by 5:30.
Students: The school day will begin for students 2 hours after the regular time.
Kindergarten: PM will stay the same schedule but the AM students will be 2 hours and 10 minutes with them waiting for the bus to bring in the PM students.
Preschool: No preschool
Transportation: will arrive at pick up times 2 hours later than regular times and will drop off at the end of the day at regular time.
Child Nutrition: Breakfast and lunch - No Breakfast will be served, Lunch will be provided
Virtual Day (Wintry Conditions) Schedule Information (Determined by the Superintendent)
Decision: This decision will be made by the superintendent by 5:00am and will be communicated to employees and students and families via text, email, facebook, and district/school websites.
Length of Schedule: Students can access assignments during the day after 10am.
Teachers: will communicate to students and parents how to access assignments for the day.
Students: Students will attend school from home and access assignments from the teacher via email/Canvas.
Assignments for the day will be made available to students by 10am.
Thank you for your support as our district administration tries to make the best decisions to keep all of our students safe.
Have a great month!
January 2023
I hope you all had a great Christmas break! We're excited to begin a new year full of learning at Willard!
I wanted to clarify the procedures in case of a snow day.
Principals, employees, staff, parents and students will be notified in succession by 5:30 am.
- The school day will begin for students 2 hours after the regular time.
- AM Kindergarten: 10:45-12:45
- PM Kindergarten: 12:45-3:05
- Full Day Kindergarten and 1st grade: 10:45-3:05
- No Preschool
- We will not serve breakfast on snow days, but will serve lunch at the normal times.
For those Kindergarten students who are applying to be in Dual Immersion next year- the application closes on Friday, January 6. Call the office if you need help with the application.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Tuesday, January 3: School resumes
Friday, January 6: Dual Immersion applications close
Thursday, January: Dual Immersion lottery if needed
Monday, January 16: No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Thursday, January 26: Acadience Mid Year Testing! Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest, eats a good breakfast, and is in attendance this day!
December 2022
Kindergarten Parents- our Dual Immersion applications and lottery are now open! If you are interested in your child learning Spanish in our program, plan on attending our parent information meeting on Tuesday, December 6 at 6:00. Look for more information coming in emails from me. In addition to my principal job, I am also over Dual Immersion for the district, so I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the program.
On Wednesday, December 21, we will have a minimum day. The schedule will be:
8:45-12:45- Full Day Kindergarten and 1st grade
8:45-10:45- AM Kindergarten
10:45-12:45- PM Kindergarten
No Preschool
*Please note that we will be starting at 8:45, even though it is Wednesday. There will be no late start due to the minimum day.
Christmas break is from December 22-January 2. We will resume school on Tuesday, January 3.
November 2022
Things are going so well at Willard School! It's been a great year so far! Just a reminder that Kindergarten and 1st grade parent drop off and pick up is on the west side of our school (pull in through the city office parking lot). We leave the front driveway open for buses. If you are late bringing your child (after 8:50), then you are welcome to drop your child off in the front and send them to the office so that we can mark them present on our attendance rolls.
We have Thanksgiving break coming up! Tuesday, November 22 is a MINIMUM DAY. The schedule will be as follows:
Full Day Kindergarten and 1st grade: 8:45-12:45
AM Kindergarten: 8:45-10:45
PM Kindergarten: 10:45-12:45
Preschool: No School
There will be no school on November 23-25.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! We appreciate your support and we love your students!
Principal Nelson
October 2022
We have had a great first month of school! We have been working to learn our rules and expectations of the school, reviewed previously taught skills, and now just finished our beginning of year testing. We are thrilled with our beginning of year reading data!
Our end of year goal for Kindergarten is that 90% of Kindergartners will be on grade level as measured by our Acadience End of Year Testing. As of right now, we have 58% of our Kindergarteners on grade level.
Our end of the year goal for 1st grade is that we will increase our percentage of students on grade level by 10% from Beginning of Year to End of Year. Right now, we have 88% of our 1st graders on grade level. Wahoo!
We are confident that we can reach our goals this year! Thank you for helping at home by doing your homework pages. We will also start Baggie Books this week, so look for those in your child's backpack. They will come home on Wednesdays, and expected to be read and send back the next Wednesday.
We have our Parent Teacher Conferences coming up this week! They will be held from 3:30-6:30 on Wednesday and Thursday. Because of the double classes, Dual Immersion and Mrs. Coburn's AM and PM Kindergarten will also do conferences during the day on Friday. Sign up for a time to meet with your child's teacher at www.ptcfast.com/schools/Willard. We hope we see everyone there!
We also have the Flu Shot Clinic coming up on Wednesday, October 5 from 1:30-5:30 at Three Mile Creek School. If you would like to take advantage of the clinic, go to the following link: https://brhd.jotform.com/222620685714961
Don't forget Fall Break is October 13 and 14!
Thanks for sharing your students with us! We are off to a fabulous start of the year!
August 26, 2022
A reminder that next week is half days all week- 8:45-12:45, including Wednesday. Late start Wednesdays will begin next week.
We open our doors at 8:30 for students. They will be offered a breakfast when they walk in the doors, which they can take to their classrooms to eat. They don't have to take breakfast if they wouldn't like one, but breakfast is free to all students!
Kindergarten Parents- after we complete testing on Thursday afternoon, we will send out a text and email to let you know who your child's teacher will be. You are welcome to come in for an open house to meet the teacher and tour the classroom on Friday, September 1 from 1:00-3:30. PTA will be there so that you can join and buy school t-shirts. We will also have our lunch staff there for our full-day kindergarten students to pay for lunch or apply for free/reduced status.
Below are some upcoming events:
Tuesday, September 5: Labor Day, No School
Friday, September 16: District Professional Development Day, No School
Wednesday, September 21: Acadience Reading and Math beginning of year assessments
Tuesday, September 27: Vision Screening for all students
Friday, September 30: Fall pictures
June 1, 2022
Many parents have asked me how to keep up on your child's skills this year. Make sure you keep your child's Quick Card so that they can access the district's educational apps online. Lexia is our favorite one to help with reading. It is research based and our students have made great gains using it. Lexia is available through July 31.
The other apps that we use at school is Teach Your Monster. It has reading and math games and is super fun for the kids!
Dual Immersion students will also have access to Benchmark, which would give them practice reading Spanish over the summer.
Here's what's coming up this week:
June 1- Field day (students will be outside for a few hours, you might want to put sunscreen on them!)
June 2- Yearbooks, Candy Bomber at 2:00. AM kindergarten and preschool parents can bring students back at 2:00 so that they can participate. This is also the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN
June 3- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR 1ST GRADE- SCHOOL DISMISSES AT 12:45
May 2, 2022
Kindergarten KEEP End of year testing is May 24 and 25. There will be NO KINDERGARTEN on those days. Please sign up for a time to bring your kindergarteners in for KEEP Testing at https://ptcfast.com/schools/Willard.
We do have our fun end of year field trip to Hogle Zoo for Kindergarten and 1st grade students coming up on Monday, May 23. Plan on AM and PM Kindergarten students going to school all day that day.This field trip is for STUDENTS only. We have filled our chaperone spots with our Willard staff and parent volunteers that are familiar to the students.
The teachers and I have had a lot of questions about extra volunteers coming down to the zoo with us. In our experience, we have found that having too many people come with us to the field trip is really problematic. Here are some reasons why:
-First of all, let me say that taking 266 kindergarten and 1st grade students to Salt Lake is a HUGE responsibility that we do not take lightly. We need to make sure that every single child is accounted for at all times. We have students divided up into groups with one adult for every five students. We have found that when extra parent volunteers come, they like to drive their own student down, bring siblings with them, go off to do their own thing, want to take their child's best friend from another group to join them, stay longer after the bus leaves to continue the trip with their own child, etc. All of these activities can result in confusion about who is supposed to be watching which child and where everyone is. The worst possible thing would be a child getting lost or left behind at the zoo because there are a bunch of parents doing their own thing with their own children and we lose track of who needs to be where.
-Second, when parents come down with their own children, they tend to want to do all the extras that are possible down at the zoo. This means that some children end up getting to ride the train, the carousel, visit the gift shop, or get chicken nuggets and fries for lunch while the rest of the students get left out. This trip is about every student getting a fun experience, not hurt feelings.
-Last, because of bussing schedules, we are leaving school at 9:00 and plan to arrive at the zoo around 10:30. We will have to leave around 12:30 to get back to school in time for the buses to pick up Three Mile Creek students on time. This only leaves us 2 hours at the zoo. A lot of times, parents who spend the time and money to come down to the zoo want to stay longer than 2 hours and want to keep their child down to the zoo longer. Again, we don't want to lose track of students by allowing some to stay down with parents while others ride the bus home.
I just want to reiterate how seriously we take the safety of our students. By assigning children to one chaperone, they can make sure they have all five of them on the bus, walking through the zoo, to the bathroom, at lunch, and back on the bus. This will help us keep track of everyone and make sure that every child is always accounted for. And just think- if you take a family trip to the zoo in the summer, you will have a tour guide who can show you all the best places!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
5/19- Acadience Testing
5/20- 1st grade field trip to TMC 12:45-1:45
5/23- Hogle Zoo Field Trip
5/24 & 5/25- KEEP Testing
5/27- Career Day
6/1- Field Day
6/2- Yearbooks, Candy Bomber- Last day for K and preschool
6/3- Last day of school for 1st grade- dismiss at 12:45
Thanks so much for your help and support!
Principal Nelson
April 1, 2022
First, if you or anyone you know has children who will be of Kindergarten age next year, please spread the word about Kindergarten Round Up. It will be April 20 for students with last names A-K, and April 21 for students with last names L-Z. It will start at 3:30 in the gym. After a short meeting, you will be able to tour the classrooms and building. Please bring birth certificates and proof of residency in our school boundaries.
I wanted to share a great document for literacy progression by age for parents to refer to. This has great information!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uqk-Wv4_OT0BAIl7zOA2Yh0hnmXlkA8A6IkJVXx893k/edit?usp=sharing
Also- the time is rapidly approaching for making class lists for next school year. If you have any special requests for our consideration before we make the lists, please fill out the following form:
https://forms.gle/cgzZr3WAjAVUehNP9
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 4-8- Spring Break! No School
April 20 & 21- Kindergarten Round Up 3:30
April 29- PTA Spirit Day
March 1, 2022
We do have some schedule changes that you should be aware of:
Thursday, March 3- No Kindergarten or Preschool, 1st grade is dismissed at 12:45
Friday, March 4- No School for ANY student (end of 2nd trimester)
Thursday, March 24- No School for ANY student (Teacher Professional Development Day)
April 4-8- No School- Spring Break
February 1, 2022
This FRIDAY, February 4 we are celebrating the 100th Day of School. Your kids are welcome to dress like they are 100 years old that day. They will be doing some fun activities in their classrooms.
PTA Staff Appreciation week is February 22-25. Thank you for joining us in thanking the amazing staff we have at Willard who work so hard and love our students! Look for more information from the PTA. They will also begin our Twisted Sugar fundraiser that week. We have some fun incentives for our students coming up if we make our fundraising goal!
The week of February 21-25 is a little crazy! Here is the schedule:
Monday, February 21- No School- Presidents Day!
Tuesday, February 22- Normal day 8:45-3:05
Wednesday, February 23- Regular Late Start 9:45-3:05 Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday, February 24- NO SCHOOL FOR ALL STUDENTS- TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY, Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, February 25- NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN- Parent Teacher Conferences. 1st grade and preschool are regular schedule.
January 3, 2021
As a reminder, in order to get communication from the school in case of emergencies, please make sure that your information is current. You can check the Aspire website (the same place you did online registration at the beginning of the year- aspire.besd.net), or call Mrs. Ivie in the office. It is a good idea to give us not only your cell phone, but your work phone numbers and a few emergency contacts as well. If you have a neighbor or friend who is authorized to pick up your child in case of emergency, please make sure they are added to your child's emergency contacts. This will help us a lot if this ever happens again! (Which is hopefully never!)
We have Counselor Appreciation Day on next Monday, January 10. Mrs. Barker does so much to help our students, we just love her! Look for her emails about the Second Step lessons she does with each class. If you would like to send her a quick note of thanks, her email is Rachael.barker@besd.net.
We have our Acadience mid-year reading testing coming up at the end of the month on January 27! We are so excited to see our results! Our students are doing amazing this year and making so much growth! I hope to share our school data with you next month!
Thanks again for your support, we appreciate our awesome school community so much!
December 1, 2021
Looking ahead to the coming months, here are the NO SCHOOL days coming up.
January 17- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 21- Presidents Day
February 24- District Professional Learning Day
March 4- End of 2nd trimester
March 24- District Professional Learning Day
April 4-8- Spring Break
May 30- Memorial Day
Our students have been working hard on learning our school rules and what they mean. The classes are working on practicing the rules in class and they get a prize when they pass it off with me. The school rules are:
Be Respectful- I'll be kind to my friends and listen to my teacher.
Be Responsible- I'll be where I'm supposed to be and do what I'm supposed to be doing.
Be Safe- I'll keep my hands, feet, mouth, and objects to myself with my body in control.
Check out the Shouts Outs that have come in this month below! Thanks for sending those in! Have a great Christmas holiday with your families!
November Shout Outs
Krisha Obray: Krisha, Thank you for always being willing to step up and help your team and our school when needed. You are the perfect example of a team leader. I appreciate your honesty, professionalism and expertise. Willard is a better place because of you!
Nicolette: She is such a cool mix of so many things: fun and chill but also in control, confident and knowledgeable but also open, independent but also a team player, etc. etc. So glad she's part of the team!
Michelle Southwick & Stephanie Worhty: For getting students to master all of their letter sounds
Cody Howard: Cody, thank you so much for my new docking station! It's changed my life! Seriously, you are so appreciated. You are always so friendly, kind, positive and helpful. Our school is so lucky to have you! Thanks a million for all you do!
Tasha Morgan: She has been great at checking up on my son while he's been out sick all week! We love Mrs. Morgan!
Heidi Ivie: Very helpful and kind
Mrs. Southwick: She’s kind, organized, lots of fun, and makes everyone feel loved and special! We love her!!
Heidi Ivie: She helps with parents that gave questions or concerns, always helps me out when I get worried a with the bus route
LISA HANSEN: Lisa is always helping the children participate in library. She even keeps me on schedule!! Thanks for being positive and a hard worker. Those kids love you!!
Stephanie Worthy: Stephanie is the best Kindergarten para ever!! She knows what I need even before I do! She is amazing at running groups, filling in for me when I am gone, managing all kinds of stress and chaos and everything in between. She LOVES these kids with her whole heart and is 1000% invested in helping them succeed. We are so so so blessed to have her in Kindergarten with us!
Nicolette Robins: Helping with me with technology and is very supportive.
Natasha Morgan: Being supportive, sharing ideas and helping our DLI class.
Bradi Holder: For going the extra mile and help test all the DLI students.
AshLee Nelson: For all the support and testing she give all the students especially the DLI class.
Krisha Obray: For being a great team leader and supportive.
Nicolette Robins: I don't think you realize how amazing you are! You are one of the best teachers I know. You are the perfect mix of loving and firm and your kids adore you. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you are apart of this team!
Mrs. Ivie: Always has a smile on her face and is so caring and responsible all the way from us parents walking into the office and exiting the building with our children. Thank you Mrs. Ivie for being humble & kind. We need more ppl like you in this world❤🌹
Candice Coburn: Candice, thank you for always being willing to listen, learn, and do what is best for students. I appreciate how you are always reflecting on how to make your students succeed. We are so lucky to have you at Willard!
Nicolette Robins: Nicolette is great. I love how she works with everyone and wants to be a team player. She also wants her students to succeed. She is open to ideas to ensure success.
Mrs. Ivie: She is very nice Lady always very kind
Mrs. Obray: She goes above and beyond to make my daughter feel loved. She treats her as an individual and customizes her methods to help her flourish.
Jenny McFarland: Your going to be missed by me so much. Working with you the past few months has been so much fun. You are such a caring and loving person. I wish you well in your future travels.
November 1, 2021
Just a quick reminder to our kindergarten and 1st grade families- please drop your children off at the west side doors (pull in through the city office parking lot). The front doors are for drop off for our kindergarten and 1st grade buses and then for our preschool students afterwards. It is very difficult for our buses to maneuver the small parking lot if we have cars driving around in their space and kids running across the lot. Our first priority is always the safety of our students, so we appreciate your help so much!
If your child is worried about walking in by themselves in the morning, let us know! Our school counselor, Mrs. Barker, passes out breakfast to the kids at the west doors and she would be happy to come out and help your child.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, November 23- NO PRESCHOOL OR KINDERGARTEN- 1st grade dismisses at 12:45
November 24-26- Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
OCTOBER SHOUT OUTS- Thanks for those who sent these in!
Betty Davis: For keeping the library windows clean!!! And your beautiful SMILE!
Jen McFarlane: Jen is always positive and upbeat, greets the children nicely in line, and makes sure they have what they need to eat. She doesn't hesitate to help out when needed, and is willing to teach the children correct manners and protocol when going through the line.
Bonnie Davis: She is so complimentary of her students and really keeps parents informed and encourages their kids all day no matter what stinkers they're being.
Mary (bus driver for take home from morning Kindergarten): She is always smiling and is so kind and patient with my son.
Rosa González: My student is loving Spanish and because of her classroom environment he didn't even need a big adjustment period. She is doing an amazing job and needs a big thank you!
Mrs. Cheryl: She is a wonderful teacher and my daughter loves her! She is learning so much and you can tell its because of Mrs. Cheryl
Betty Davis: She keeps the school clean and in her short time being back you can tell the difference.
Keldi Francom: Keldi had a reading group that she noticed was having a hard time staying engaged. She went above and beyond by trying some fun and silly ideas to get the kids engaging with the material. And it worked!
Mrs. Faerber: Mrs. Faerber is an amazing teacher. She goes beyond the call of duty to make her kids feel special! My son comes home every day happier than the day before and it’s because of how much he enjoys learning in Mrs. Faerber’s class. We cannot thank her enough for all the hard work and effort she puts into her students!!
Coleen green bus: Always caring, loving and responsible. She gives us that comfort & trust that we as parent's need. She is always in good spirits and patient with the kiddos💚😊👩🦳
Mrs. Obray: Mrs. Obray is such a positive teacher! Halvin comes home feeling so proud and happy to share the many things he has learned during the day. He is super motivated to continue learning and working hard because of the positive atmosphere and encouragement he receives from Mrs. Obray everyday!
Michelle Davis: For her caring and loving manner for all the Students at our school and help that she gives all the staff at Willard School.
Nicolette Robins: for sharing new ideas and being supportive.
Heidi Ivie: for all the extra things Heidi does to help, support and love all the staff and students at our school.
Michelle Archer: Thank you for all you do to keep our reading groups running well at Willard! You are appreciated!
Leslie Valcarce: Leslie, you are such a great addition to our staff at Willard! Thank you for going with the flow and for all you do to help our students in your reading groups!
Mikalyn Venable: Mikalyn, thank you for always being willing to jump in where needed! I appreciate your flexibility and willingness to help! We love having you at Willard!
Tara Ross: Tara, thank you for your flexibility when plans have changed in reading groups. Thank you also for your expertise and excitement during music and art specials. The kids love coming to you!
Stephanie Worthy: Stephanie, thank you for your patience and caring for your student in your reading group. You are building relationship and making good gains with him! You're amazing!
Mindy Owen: Mindy, thank you for always being willing to help where needed, problem solve, and adjust when needed for our students. Your creativity and expertise is so appreciated. We love having you at Willard!
Heidi Ivie: I never do shout outs for Heidi because I could write a new one every day for her!!! (So I figured I'd better make an exception, since she really deserves a million of these.) She is so kind. She is so aware of everyone. I cannot even fathom how she gets anything done with how often she gets interrupted to help someone else with something. She is a superhero to the kids and to all us <3
Kari Burgraff: I'm so glad you decided to say yes and help out the K/1st grade teams in addition to all the good you do with preschool. Your experience with the kids, perspectives, and collaboration are so very valuable. Thank you! (We can do this!!! One bite at a time!)
Candice Coburn: Candice is an endlessly flexible team player. Her insights and approaches are so powerful and she is so kind and good to LISTEN! I learn so much from her <3
Nicolette Robins: You strike such a great balance between having a BLAST in your class/building rapport with your kids yet also having really good boundaries and clear expectations. So glad you're part of the team! I'm learning so much from you already!
Ms Coburn: Very kind and helpful
Cheryl Thomson: She is an amazing teacher and has always been really good about including me in my sons school work!!!!
Miss Cheryl Thomson: Miss Cheryl is a wonderful preschool teacher! Our daughter loves talking all about her day when she gets home and always says she cannot wait to go and see Miss Cheryl again!♥️
Andrea speech therapy: Very friendly and happy spirit make you feel comfortable
Mrs. Southwick: Mrs. Southwick is an amazing teacher and she responds so fast. My daughter loves her and loves everything they are doing in her class. Good job Mrs. Southwick thank you for being you and keeping my daughter super excited about school!
Mrs Faerber and Mrs Ivie: So helpful and kind!!!! Always have a smile on their faces.
Mrs. Nelson: She has been a champ coordinating all the students and their families and teachers through COVID cases and still being so positive.
Bonnie Davis: She has been so patient and informative during all the hectic-ness that has been blue group covid stress.
Rosa Gonzalez: She has been so great with the kids despite the COVID stress.
Rachael Barker: Rachael is so very caring and understanding to our students and as well as to staff.
Rosa Gonzales: Thank you for sticking with me and for being so helpful and kind during the hardest and craziest conference weeks ever! You’re the best!
Michele Southwick: Michele, you are working so hard with your students! You have taken on this new challenge with grit and grace. Thank you for loving your students and always being willing to learn. You are fabulous!
Nicolette Robins: Nicolette, we are so incredibly lucky to have you at Willard! You were definitely born to be a teacher! Thank you for diving in, going with the flow and being so willing to learn! You're Rockin' It!!!
Thomas: Thomas, thank you for all you're doing to help things run smoothly at Willard. We appreciate you jumping in when needed. Thanks for all you do!
Heidi Ivie: Heidi is always on top of things. She goes above and beyond to make this a place that we want to work and learn at. The students love her and so does the staff!!! Thanks for being a part of making this school amazing!
Mindy Owen: I thought you would like hear what Ridge said about his reading teacher(Mrs. Owen) "Since I met Mrs. Owen, we have had an unbreakable bond." She must be doing a great job.
Kari Burggraf: Kari, thank you for being willing to help with all of our students. I appreciate you brainstorming ideas on how to help. Thank you also for being available to check on students when needed. You're the best!
Haley Kilmer: Haley, you are so thorough when helping our students. I love how you always dig deep into the data to figure out just what your students need. Thank you for all you do for the kids at Willard!
Michelle Davis: Michelle, thank you for your patience as we were getting Raz Kids up and running! I also love how you always take time to consider others' perspectives when we are coming to decisions as a group. Your priority of making sure all voices are heard is so appreciated. Thank you for being so considerate of others!
Krisha Obray: For all the help and sharing idea's she give all her team.
Michelle Davis: For all the help and doing a lot of the extra work to make our program run smoothly.
Natasha Morgan: For her understanding and listening too her team when ever it is needed.
Mrs. Morgan: Because she is fun and nice. Oh! And she is a good painter! I love her.
Miss Robins: Miss Robins is the best!!! She is a very fun, organized, stylish teacher that is ready to help her students!!
Miss Robins: notices what her students need and takes care of things promptly!! She has a fun personality and her students love her!! Thank you for being a Rock Star Teacher Miss Robins!!
Bradi Holder: Bradi goes above and beyond in making sure that all the paras have what they need to teach successful reading groups. She works with a lot of different personalities and help each of us have the supplies and resources needed. She listens and helps to find solutions and and ways to make our school successful!!
Mrs. Coburn: Being so creative and patient teaching our little ones!
Benton Howard: Being a good friend!
Mrs Coburn: Mrs Coburn has helped my student so much! I feel she understands his needs and works hard to make school enjoyable for him. Words can no express how grateful I am for her kindness and the care she has shown to my son.
Mrs. Bullock with Speech Therapy: She went above and beyond with helping get my little guy started with their speech therapy. She felt like she didnt have enough info from preschool testing so she asked if we could come early so she could do some of her own testing to get a better feel for where my son should be. I appreciate her so much!
Tara Ross: Thank you for always being so positive about everything. My kids love coming to music/art and it’s because you go above and beyond to make it fun for them. It doesn’t go unnoticed!
Tara Ross: After Art, Henry said, "My day was awesome!" Then showed me his flower drawing.
Krisha Obray: For helping make new reading groups for Michelle
Natasha Morgan: For helping make new reading groups for Michelle
Nicolette Robins: For helping make new reading groups for Michelle
Krisha Obray: Thank you for being a wonderful mentor, leader, and friend. You are a wonderful teacher and you teach me so much! Thank you!
JENNIFER MCFARLANE: For passing out the kindergarten lunches on Wednesday when I was unable to leave a student who received a big bump on the head!!! Thank you for always being positive and smiling and willing to help out!!
Susan Maero: For passing out the kindergarten lunches on Wednesday when I was unable to leave a student who received a big bump on the head!!! Thank you for always being positive and smiling and willing to help out!!
Mrs Obray: My son just thinks she is the nicest funniest TEACHER EVER! He always just wants to go to school incase she needs help with anything (: She's awesome at communicating WE LOVE HER and feel so lucky to have her as his teacher
Mrs. Coburn: She is so positive and makes every child feel special and loved! She is the best and we love her!
Kari Burgraff and staff: They are absolutely wonderful with my Autistic son! He absolutely loves going to preschool and has progressed so much! We are very grateful for them!
Miss Kari: So grateful for her patience and gentleness towards my son, Xander! You’ve been an answer to so many prayers and you’ve made him love being at school! Thank you so much!
Rosa Gonzales: For sharing great ideas and always being willing to help me out ❤️
Heidi Ivie: Cuz, so they get any better than Heidi?? NO!!!
October 1, 2021
Our goal is to meet with EVERY family!
I wanted to say THANK YOU to those who fill out the staff "Shout Out' form that is emailed to you every few weeks. We have an amazing staff at Willard School who work so hard to make sure kids feel safe and loved and are learning at high levels. I have included the September Shout Outs below to show off some of the great things that are happening!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
October 6- Flu Shot Clinic 3:00-6:30 at Three Mile Creek
October 6, 7, 8- Parent Teacher Conferences
October 8- NO KINDERGARTEN
October 14 & 15- Fall Break
October 25- Flu Shot Clinic 2:30-6:00 at Three Mile Creek
October 29- Halloween PTA Parties and Costume Parade outside on the walking track
11:00- AM Preschool, AM Kindergarten, Davis and Gonzales Parade
2:40- PM Preschool, PM Kindergarten, Southwick, Robins, Morgan, Obray
¡Hola increíbles padres de Willard! Hemos pasado el primer mes de escuela y nos va muy bien hasta ahora. Tomamos nuestra evaluación de lectura Acadience la semana pasada y estamos emocionados de compartir los resultados de su estudiante con ustedes en la Conferencia de Padres y Maestros. Hablando de Conferencias de Padres y Maestros, se llevarán a cabo el 6 y 7 de octubre. Kindergarten y Dual Immersion también tendrán conferencias el día 8 debido al gran tamaño de sus clases. Debido a las conferencias, no habrá KINDERGARTEN el viernes 8 de octubre. Por favor, inscríbase para una hora de conferencia en el siguiente enlace: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Willard o puede llamar a la escuela al 435-734-4934.
Nuestra meta es reunirnos con TODAS las familias.
Quería decir GRACIAS a los que llenan el formulario de "Shout Out" del personal que se envía por correo electrónico cada pocas semanas. Tenemos un personal increíble en la escuela Willard que trabaja muy duro para asegurarse de que los niños se sientan seguros y amados y están aprendiendo a altos niveles. ¡He incluido los Shout Outs de septiembre para mostrar algunas de las grandes cosas que están sucediendo!
PRÓXIMOS EVENTOS:
6 de octubre- Clínica de vacuna contra la gripe 3:00-6:30 en Three Mile Creek
Octubre 6, 7, 8- Conferencias de Padres y Maestros
Octubre 8- NO KINDERGARTEN
Octubre 14 y 15- Vacaciones de otoño
25 de octubre- Clínica de la vacuna contra la gripe 2:30-6:00 en Three Mile Creek
29 de octubre- Fiestas de la PTA de Halloween y desfile de disfraces fuera en la pista de atletismo
11:00- AM Preescolar, AM Kindergarten, Davis y Gonzales Desfile
2:40- PM Preescolar, PM Kindergarten, Southwick, Robins, Morgan, Obray
Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor www.DeepL.com/Translator
September Shout Outs
-Mary Clark, red bus driver, is always kind and welcoming to the children!
-Mrs. Morgan has made 1st grade an easy and fun transition for my son. He loves it so much!
-Heidi Ivie. Oh my, why not!! Mrs. Ivie is Willard Elementery!! She knows the kids names and parents! She always calls back! She is so helpful and remembers everything!! She is on the ball and on top of everything going on at the school!! Mrs. Ivie is a ROCK STAR!! And, her office smells amazing!!
-Ashley Jensen, orange bus driver, is so sweet to the little kids! She always greets them with a smiling hello or have a good a day as they go on and off the bus! Thank you for taking our kiddos to and from school not only safely but kindly too!! Orange bus driver-She is a ROCK STAR!!
-Mrs. Faerber was so sweet and magical for my child today.
-Mrs. Ivie is very on top of all Office management
-Michelle Warner, you’re AMAZING! Thank you for going above and beyond this week. I appreciate your help so much! So glad you’re at Willard! :)
-AshLee Nelson, thank you so much for all of your preparation for this school year! It can feel like a bit of a jungle, but you make it all worth it! Thank you for making Willard a great place to be!
-Stephanie Worthy is always working hard with a smile. It is fun to work with someone who has a positive attitude.
-Heidi Ivie, Thank you for all the hard work you’ve done, to get the school year started! Oh my goodness, you have been faced with so many challenges this year! Bless you for all you do! I appreciate you so much! ❤️
-AshLee Nelson, Thank you for making the school so cute and so inviting with your cute jungle decor. You’re a very creative and talented person!!! I absolutely love every bit of your decorations. It makes the school such an inviting place to be. It gives us a big hug as soon as we end get the front doors!!!! Love, love, love it!!!! I also appreciate all the massive amounts of hard work you have done to get this school year started off right. I appreciate you so much! ❤️ You’re awesome!!!!
-Mrs. Obray has been so amazing making sure my daughter is okay everyday!! She comes home from school almost everyday talking about how much she loves her!!
-Mrs. Coburn made it so comfortable and easy for my daughter to start school. She has such a warm and loving environment and made each of the kids feel at ease as they started school for the first time. So grateful for all her efforts!
-Ashley Jensen (orange bus driver) is awesome with the kids. She makes them feel special and helps those who are scared or nervous! We love her!!!
-Mrs. Ivie, for all she does to keep the school going (and her help so far with PTA)!
-Miss Davis, for a great start to the school year!! (and meeting Henry when he couldn't come to the Open House). Thank You!!
-Sra. Gonzales, for a great start of the school year! (and meeting Henry when he couldn't come to the Open House). Thank You!!
-Mrs. Nelson, for all she does for the Students (and school)!! Thank you for your help with PTA, too!
-Mrs. Coburn is a very kind person, very accessible!!
-AshLee Nelson makes me feel comfortable and safe with my child who needs a little extra attention in school. She truly loves her students.
-Mrs. Southwick rolls with the punches like a champ!
-Keldi Francom has been so helpful and kind in setting up reading groups and helping us newbies. She has been so patient. She even jumped in and saved me when I was double booked during her prep time. Thank you for all your help!
-Keldi Francom, you have been so helpful and kind throughout the first few weeks of school. Thank you for jumping in where needed and for coming up with great ideas when things don’t go as planned. You are amazing!
-Michelle Warner, you have been so good about being flexible as we figured out scheduling for reading groups. Thank you so much for going with the flow and for having a positive attitude throughout. We are so lucky to have you at Willard!
-Sandy Warner, you are doing a wonderful job with your new Kindergarteners! Thank you for being flexible and willing to go with the flow. You are a true professional and I appreciate your flexibility and kindness each day!
-Mrs. Ivie is always smiling and patient with the kids and parents!
-Ashley Jensen and all Bus Drivers are rock stars!! They don’t just drive kids to school!! They deal with traffic, kids safety getting on and off the bus, kids while they are on the bus, and kids that are scared to ride the bus or having a bad day, worried parents, and complaints of all kinds!!
Today, while a child was having a rough morning on the bus, 2 cars passed the bus while the bus flashers were on!! The poor bus driver was trying to help the child, the mom, and deal with traffic all at the same time!! She is a ROCK STAR!! Thank you so much for being a bus driver and getting our kiddos to school safely!! I really appreciate it!!
-Tara Ross saved me!! I was unprepared for reading group and she let me borrow her supplies. (Plus she gave me the heads up on where to find my lesson plan) THANK FOR SAVING ME!
-Ashlee Nelson is awesome
-Miss Davis sent info in the Remind app about how she's been teaching the students to use the hand sanitizer stand and encouraging the kids to use hand sanitizer. She's is being a great example of masking and is actively engaged in protecting our children.
-Cheryl Thomson and Kristen Thompson- A former preschool student, Brynlee, came to get her picture taken at the school this morning. When she was done, she asked to go see her old preschool teacher. So we did! She got to see Ms Kristen and Ms Cheryl. They were so cute with her and excited to see Brynlee, and got big hugs! Thanks for taking time out of your morning to make Brynlee feel special! She misses you.
-Michelle Davis for all she does to make the DLI classes run smoothly.
-Ashlee Nelson does a million different things to help all the teachers as well as staff members at school.
-Mrs. Obrary- I love the rules she has in her classroom that help teach respect and hard work.
-Mrs. Southwick is a great teacher
-Miss Davis for listening to parent comments and helping implement them.
-Senora Gonzales for listening to parent comments and implementing relevant suggestions. Thank you
-Mrs. K’s communication is great. She is easy to get along with and is just awesome. My child really enjoys spending time with her even though he doesn’t always like the subject material. (What child likes to do things that are difficult for them) Thank you for being awesome and so fun with the students.
-Mrs. Ivie, thank you for putting up with the good and bad of each day. Keeping calm throughout the chaos of each day. You are a big part of what keeps that school running smoothing. I’m so thankful both of my children have attending Willard Elementary and feel blessed both our elementary schools in our district are so great! Thank you for all you do!
-Mrs. Michelle Warner makes the library a fun, wonderful place for kids to learn to love reading!
-Kari Burggraf is so positive and fun to work with! She has tried so hard to have a positive attitude with her new job!
-Mindy Owen works hard and does an excellent job at whatever it is she is doing. Nothing is done half way. She goes above and beyond. She is always willing to help.
-Sandy Warner- First year of teaching kindergarten! And killing it!!
-Mrs. Faerber- I loved watching you dance and sing in your class today!! You are a spectacular teacher!!
-Heidi Ivie- For caring so much and doing the dirty jobs no one knows about (because you handle things so well!) or thinks about.
-Rachael Barker- Thank you for the awesome faculty meeting and for all the thoughts and tips you shared. I really needed that message. I appreciate all the friendship and kindness you share with me. I appreciate you so much.
-Rosa Gonzales- thank you for all you’re doing for our students. I know this school year has been SUPER challenging and I appreciate all you’re doing for me and for the students. ❤️❤️❤️ They say anyone who teaches Kindergarten should go straight to Heaven and I think the same thought the same should apply to you in your challenging position. You make all the other DLI classes at 3 Mile Creek possible and you’re making a big difference in so many lives. Thank you for working with me and thank you for being my friend.
-First Grade Team- Thank you for being such great people to work with. I appreciate all the facets of your personalities and your perspectives and contributions. And thank you for being so kind to me. ❤️❤️❤️ Love ya all!
-Candice Monson- Thank you for helping our sweet student and for making me happy with your genuine and loving personality. You are such a sweet person.
-Karen Braithwaite- Thank you for helping our sweet student! He is such a sweet heart and I appreciate all you are doing to help him. We sincerely appreciate your help.
-Michelle Archer- Thank you for helping with our phonemic awareness needs. I appreciate your help so much and love talking to you. ❤️
-Haley Kilmer- You gave a such an awesome lesson on the TH sound. I was so impressed with your lesson and I loved how you modeled how to support the TH sound as you teach. I could watch you teach every day. I love all your ideas and I think you are an amazing teacher!!!! Wow!!!! ❤️
-AshLee Nelson- Thank you for the Tiki Bar on Fridays. Quite possibly the best idea yet.
-Tara Ross and Mikalyn Venable- Thank you for helping the students in the hallway, as they travel to and from reading groups. That is the most helpful change this year and I appreciate the way you help the students to walk and not run, reach their destinations, behave well, etc. It probably seems like such a little thing, but your efforts have made a BIG difference. Many thanks!!!
-Tash Morgan- Thank you for being so patient and kind as we share the Chromebooks. I appreciate how kind you are about everything.
-Bradi Holder- Thank you for managing all the DIBELS testing and for helping Rosa to administer the paper part in the Spanish class. I know that was quite a task and I appreciate all your efforts. Thank you for the kindness you always show to me every time I see you too. That’s my favorite thing about you.
-Keldi Francom- Thank you for helping students when they need extra support. You have a loving heart and I love how you jump in to help in so many ways, wherever help is needed. Thank you for being here. I think you’re amazing!
-Kari Burggraf- Thank you for suggesting the Happy Sad chart to us. It has helped me so much and I love how simple it is to use. I look forward to hearing more of your ideas in the future.
-Mrs Faerber called me personally one night to tell me my boy was doing great in class and she enjoyed having him have a student. I really appreciated her taking the extra time not only to notice but to call me at night
-Jen Macfarlane and Susan Maero- our lunch staff, has the Best Rice Crispy Treats at Lunch!
-Mrs. Faerber is so kind to her students and she does a great job of recognizing all of the good things that are happening inside her classroom! Thank you for everything you do!
-Haley Kilmer is always so positive! I love working with her. She is helpful and kind. Haley even stays positive when she is un-jamming the copy machine every time she uses it (even when she finds it that way.)
September 2021
-Superintendent Carlsen sent out our district Covid response for the year a few weeks ago, but to review:
- Masks are welcome, but are not required this year.
-PLEASE keep your child home if they are sick!
-We will continue with our intense cleaning regimen to keep germs to a minimum.
-If a student comes in contact with someone who tests positive with Covid, we will send an email to everyone who is in the same class, whether or not they were in close contact with the student. If you get this email, the following options will be recommended: (1) Voluntarily quarantine for 10 days (student will have classwork to complete in Canvas); (2) Come to school, but wear a mask for 10 days; or (3) Either voluntarily quarantine or wear a mask for 7 days, then get a Covid test and return to school if student is negative. Again, these are recommendations, not requirements. If there is any question about a Covid concern, please feel free to call our office at 435-734-4934. We are happy to help!
-School breakfast is provided for FREE for ALL 1st grade, full day and morning kindergarten students each day. School lunch is also FREE for all 1st, grade, full day, and afternoon kindergarten students. Although meals are free this year, it does help our district with funding if you fill out paperwork for free and reduced lunch. We would appreciate you filling out this application at the following link: https://www.besd.net/page/free-and-reduced-lunches
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 30-September 3- 1st grade minimum days 8:45-12:45 (No preschool or Kindergarten)
September 7- First day of Kindergarten and Preschool
September 17- Fall Pictures
September 21- Acadience Reading and Math Testing
September 28- Vision Screening
Willard School
Email: ashlee.nelson@besd.net
Website: www.willard.besd.net
Location: 40 W 50 S St, Willard, UT, USA
Phone: 4357344934