The Wildcat Chat

The second semester (Quarter 3) begins on Tuesday, January 23. Our sixth and seventh graders will be switching their semester courses at this time. This means sixth graders who had Art during Semester 1 (Quarter 1 & 2) will now have Introduction to Computer Applications (and vice-versa). Our seventh graders in Technology Education will now have FACS (and vice-versa). We will help students navigate this change when we return.

In addition, we want to start the second quarter off strong with us all recommitting to getting organized. If your child has an agenda, please feel free to ensure that they have it with them on Tuesday. We will continue helping students use their agendas to plan out upcoming assignments and assessments.

Loudoun County Public Schools welcomes you to help us shine a light on the wonderful things happening around the division. Did you have an experience with an LCPS employee who went above and beyond in a situation? Is someone doing something unique or creative that is leading to results? Have you been inspired by a heartwarming story involving a staff member? Whatever your reason, we want you to share your story with us so we can show what makes LCPS a great place to work and learn!

Each month, one submission will be chosen by Loudoun Education Foundation for additional recognition and a wonderful prize valued at $500! Please consider nominating an outstanding staff member at Willard with this nomination form.

The Spring WILDLife Club Catalog was posted on SchoolTwist on Monday, January 15. Spring WILDLife Clubs will begin on Monday, February 5. The early registration for PTA members will open on Saturday, January 27 at 8:00 a.m. The general registration opens on Sunday, January 28 at 8:00 a.m. Registration will close on Thursday, February 1. We look forward to everyone participating in these great adventures!

Be a part of the conversation happening across the state! Willard is currently participating in the Virginia Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning. The national Speak Up is the first survey designed to help families share their ideas directly with schools and national policymakers. Speak Up provides parents and guardians with a mechanism for expressing their views to the administrators at their child(ren)’s school and district about key issues impacting their child(ren)’s education.

Since 2003, Speak Up has collected and shared the views of more than 5.4 million students, teachers, and parents/guardians from across the country. By participating in the Virginia Speak Up, you are expressing your views to a wider audience of local, state, and national policy makers —and contributing to the national dialogue about how best to prepare students for the future. The online survey is open to students, educators, and parents/guardians; it’s quick and easy to get involved. All participation is 100% confidential. Surveys take about 20 minutes to complete. It will remain available until Wednesday, January 31. Please CLICK HERE to take the survey. We appreciate you taking the time to share your views with us! We need your input!

Learn strategies to support your student’s mental health, academic and social engagement, and overall wellness at the United for Wellness Conference and Resource Fair, LCPS’s sixth annual mental health and wellness event, on Saturday, January 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Riverside High School. This year’s conference reflects the county's focus on supporting all areas of student health. The event will feature more than 40 student support specialists and community partners as they share tips and strategies for promoting mental health and wellness. Check out the schedule of speakers and register to attend sessions. Mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss it!

It's crazy to imagine, but we are already starting to look towards the 2024-2025 school year and know that many of our scholars are excited about what awaits ahead. As noted in the image above, our rising sixth and seventh grade nights are in February. For our current eighth graders (rising ninth graders), you will be able to attend Lightridge's Curriculum Night (at Lightridge), starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 24. Please review this flyer for details.

GoSTEM is hosting a biology and chemistry competition and would love for Willard Middle School's students to participate! GoSTEM is an organization founded by students at TJHSST to help instill students’ interests in STEM! They will be hosting a completely virtual competition on Saturday, February 24. There will be a written test that will be hosted online, and there are two tests that students can choose to complete: chemistry and/or biology. The tests will be developed using information from the Virginia standard curriculum and will include multiple choice and free response portions. To learn more about how you can compete, click here!

On Friday, January 26, student and faculty representatives from the CAMPUS program at Lightridge will be offering a presentation to our eighth graders during our Advisory time. College Achievement & Multicultural Program for Unique Students (CAMPUS) is an academic and college preparation program established in 2002. CAMPUS currently serves more than 500 Loudoun County Public Schools students in grades 9 through 12. CAMPUS is a high school college access program designed to meet the specific needs of first-generation college-bound students. CAMPUS is delivered during student’s Resource block. Students participate in CAMPUS lessons on academic and college/career preparation as well as have time to complete school work.The online application is available now through Friday, March 1, 2024, through Student Opportunities in LCPSGO. Additional information about CAMPUS is available at: https://www.lcps.org/CAMPUS

The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Department of Teaching & Learning visited the eighth-grade class at every middle school to share information about the various special programs and academies available to rising 9th-grade students. This detailed presentation on their website shares information about HAMSci, NJROTC, and Pre-IB, which many of our scholars may want to participate in when they enter high school. The deadline to apply to these programs is Wednesday, January 31, so please check out the presentation to learn more and get started on the application process!

Willard's Science Olympiad Team is looking for two volunteers to serve as event supervisors for the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament held at Marymount University on Saturday, February 17. This is a one-day commitment. Please contact vpprograms@willardmiddlepta.org for additional details. Thank you for your participation.

Heart and Sole, the Middle School Girls on the Run Program, is coming to Willard in the spring of 2024! We are so excited to become a new program site beginning in March 2024! Heart and Sole is a program which focuses on empowerment and building confidence amongst Middle School girls. The twice-a-week practice includes focused lessons and activities in conjunction with supporting movement through running. The program ends in May, with a celebratory 5k! Please let us know if your child is interested in participating in this great program, which will be open to all grades 6 - 8. Practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays (3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to align with after-school clubs and activity buses. For more information about the Heart & Sole Program, click here. Please complete the Google Form to share your child’s interest in participating in this program.

The yearbook staff needs your help! Please submit a photo of your student as a baby (ages 0-2) and/or on the first day of school (August 24, 2023) for possible publication in the yearbook. Please send your photos by Sunday, January 21. All grades are welcome.

• Baby Photo Submission Form
• First Day of School Submission Form

Also, still need to order a yearbook? Orders can be placed at www.yearbookordercenter.com, Job #17606. You definitely want to have this literary gem!

Willard Middle School was selected and will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on Thursday, February 8, 2024. NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents/guardians, policymakers, and the public. Fifty of our scholars were randomly selected to take the assessment and will received additional information from our Grade 7 Dean Brandon Clarke.