WSMS Principal Newsletter

Hello Parents,

We end our week with beautiful weather. I want to pause and thank each one of you who have expressed your support and partnership as we work through course registration and the shift to a 7 period school day. Thank you for the encouraging words as our staff and administrative team navigate the changes. We are truly better together. Our counselors will be available at 10:00 on Monday in the WSMS cafeteria to answer general registration questions.

All WSMS registration information can be found on our campus website. Counselors will be meeting with rising 7th and rising 8th grade students on March 6 and 7 to complete the course request process. Please reach out if you have questions about course registration. Thank you for your partnership.

Save the Date!

Spring Social March 22 at 4:15 PM

7th Grade Awards Ceremony May 13 time TBD at WSMS

8th Grade Awards Ceremony May 18 4:00 - 5:00 PM Lovejoy High School

Sincerely,

Caitlin Eldredge

WSMS Principal

Our online lunch payment system, MySchoolBucks, has informed us there will be an increase to the current $2.75 program fee for each transaction when funding your student’s meal account. Beginning on March 7, 2024 the program transaction fee will increase to $3.25.

MySchoolBucks states the increase is due to rising payment processing interchange fees and increased operational costs. If you would like to make changes to your saved payment methods or automatic payment setting, please log into your MySchoolBucks account. If you have questions about your account you can call their support team at 855-832-5256.

Our current MySchoolBucks limit per transaction is $240. If there are siblings within the district Student Nutrition can transfer funds between siblings. As an alternative to the online payment system, the Cafeteria Cashiers do accept checks with no transaction fee.

Our campus does not accept meal service deliveries. Parents may drop off food items for their child only at lunch time. You may drop off lunch for your child only. We do not distribute orders throughout the day. Students may pick up dropped off lunches on their way to the cafeteria for lunch.

Please note that our office staff is not authorized to receive or distribute dropped off medication to students. Please contact our nurse, Ms. Glover, if you have questions about medication procedures through the school clinic.

At WSMS, we are noticing a sharp increase in the number of students arriving to school without their chromebook and charger. While we have a limited number of loaner devices in order to support our students on district wide assessments, the demand for them is very high at this time. We kindly ask for your partnership in reminding students about this expectation.

It is expected that all students use their Lovejoy issued devices during instructional time and testing. All other personal devices must remain off and put away unless they are being used as approved testing modification. Students must obtain prior approval if their personal telecommunications or other personal electronic devices are to be used for instructional purposes while on campus. Students are responsible for:

● charging their device every night

● bringing their device and charger to class every day

● maintain and caring for their device

Student devices and chargers are considered instructional materials, the same as a textbook, and are expected to be in class every day. Parents will have an opportunity to purchase insurance on their district issued device. Parents/students will be responsible for covering the cost of repair if insurance is not purchased. Prices vary based on the extent of the damage. A replacement, loaner device will be provided to students when their device is out for repair. Lost chargers will incur a $10 replacement fee.

Students should carry 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

Leopard Time- Leopard Time is from 12:21 - 12:54 each day. All students at WSMS are assigned a Leopard Time teacher for attendance and monitoring purposes. Teachers may request that students leave their assigned classroom to report for academic intervention or extended learning by providing them a signed pass. Passes are also available for the library if students are not requested by an academic teacher.

Priority Tutoring Days are listed below: A priority day indicates that the teachers of the subject listed have priority in requesting students to attend their tutorial. If students are not requested by a priority teacher, a teacher of a different subject may request them. Please reach out to your child's teachers if you have any questions or concerns about Leopard Time.

Monday- Math

Tuesday- Social Studies

Wednesday- RLA

Thursday - Science

Friday - High School Credit Electives

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

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.

In spring, we will be implementing a small group for students who have experienced or are currently struggling with grief. If you have a student who you feel might benefit, please fill out this google form.

We have completed our Spring Registration Meetings for students and parents.

Please visit our WSMS Registration Page for all of our up to date registration information.

Rising 7th graders need to turn in their 7th grade Course Request Form by March 5th to their Social Studies teacher.

Rising 8th graders need to turn in their 8th grade Course Request Form by March 6th to their RLA teacher.

Updated PTO General Meeting dates and locations

(Aprils meeting will be off campus due to STAAR testing)

April 17- 10:00am- LCDC Board Room

May 15- 10:00am- WSMS Band Hall

Interested in serving on the WSMS PTO board next year? Please fill out this interest form and someone from our current board will be in contact with you soon!

https://forms.gle/ohBn8TXkjpf7UwUZ8

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.

K-8 Lovejoy Softball Bat Girls! Is your daughter interested in softball? Does she play softball? Have her come and join the Varsity team as a Lovejoy Bat Girl for a game! Please sign up for our softball season using the QR code or signup genius link below! Girls need to be dressed in softball attire and have a batting helmet to wear. Each girl will receive a t-shirt as a thank you for their participation! Please sign up by March 1st! Come and support your Lady Leopards! Play Ball!

The Leopard Golf Program will host a meeting March 6th for all those interested in playing high school golf. We will meet at the WSMS cafeteria, at 6:30pm. Coach Moseley and Coach Donovan will provide information about:

How Does HS Golf Work

Tryout

Summer Expectations

Competitive Culture

Teaching/Lessons

Multi-Sport Athletes

So if you are interested in the possibility of playing HS golf, please join us.

Thank You

Coach Moseley