WSMS Principal Newsletter

Hello Willow Springs,

We are in the final stretch of this school year, I can't believe it! This year's 8th grade panoramic photo will be taken on May 17 around 2:00pm. Students can purchase the photo during lunches the next day. 7th Grade Awards are on May 18 at 8:00 a.m. in the same format as previous years. More detailed information will be sent closer to the date.

Thank you so much to our amazing PTO as well as all the community members who helped celebrate our teachers each day this week. Every act of kindness and encouragement was greatly appreciated by all.

Blessings,

Caitlin Eldredge

Principal

WSMS

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8th Grade Parents: We are so excited to celebrate your children's accomplishments on 5/13 at the high school starting at 3:45. Following the awards, we are hosting a student reception in the commons area. It will include music, food, photo ops, and special guests to welcome the students to high school. Click here to pre-purchase a ticket for your student.

Please also reference the email sent regarding turning in 2 pictures of your 8th grade student for our memory slideshow (one baby or kid photo, one current photo). The form should be fixed after experiencing a few issues early on. Please have these submitted no later than May 5. Participation is optional.

Congratulations to our broadcast journalism students at Willow Springs Middle School. Student journalists recently received results from two state competitions, UIL Interscholastic League Press Conference “Keep It Real” convention and Texas Association of Journalism Educators Best In Texas.

Our weekly announcements, WSMS News, received the association’s highest rating, Award of Distinguished Merit, for the sixth year in a row. For the second time, the program won a coveted Silver Star Award which represents the top 10% of all broadcasts in the state. Only 8 broadcast programs across the state received a Star Award. WSMS News was the only middle school to receive this award against five 5A and 6A high schools. Multiple students won Individual Achievement Awards: eight gold medals, six silver medals, two bronze medals and one honorable mention.For a complete list of awards and winners, please click here:

https://www.uiltexas.org/journalism/ilpc/results

All of our first place winners advanced in the Tops In Texas competition. Click on the link above and click on Tops in Texas to the right to view some of the competition. Notice, they are all high schools in Texas.

Journalists also won 26 awards in TAJE Best In Texas, including two Superiors and multiple Excellent and Honorable Mentions. Scroll through to see our students’ work against high schools all over the state!

https://www.taje.org/4294/news/2023-best-in-texas-news-broadcast-awards/

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:

Lovejoy Families,

If you haven't already, please complete our Intent to Return to Lovejoy ISD form, this information will help plan for a successful school year and prepare for adequate staffing. The form can be found here.

We are looking for responses from all Lovejoy ISD families.

Thank you for your help and support. It’s great to be a Leopard!

To enter the building, push the button on the panel and hold your state-issued identification up to the camera above the button. Once we confirm your identity and purpose of visit we will unlock the door. Please Do Not hold door for others to enter. This applies to food deliveries as well.

Our campus accepts food deliveries from parents and guardians (not delivery services) that are dropped off for their child only. WSMS is not responsible for lost or misplaced deliveries.

Thank you so much for your understanding and support as we work together to maintain a safe and secure campus.

On Saturday May 13, we will celebrate the accomplishments of our future Lovejoy High School graduates of 2027.

3:45 - 4:45

Awards and Graduation are held in the LHS Main Gym.

4:45 - 5:00

Take time to pause and capture the memories with picture time for families in the courtyard.

5:00 - 6:30

Students are invited to attend a student reception in the LHS Commons. We will have desserts, music, and special guests to congratulate the 8th graders and welcome them to high school. Information about how to purchase a ticket for the student reception will be shared at a later date. Tickets will be available online and at the door. The attire is semi-formal wear that is in dress code.

Please note that our campus does not accept meal deliveries ordered by students or from delivery services. We can accept food dropped off by a parent or guardian for their child only. Please clearly label these items. Our campus does our best to monitor the numerous deliveries throughout the day. Ultimately, the campus is not responsible for lost or misplaced meals. As a backup plan, please ensure that your student has funds in their lunch account.

Please click here for the Spring STAAR testing dates!

At the beginning of each school year we ask for donations of the following: kleenex, hand sanitizer, paper towels and sanitizing wipes, to supply our classrooms and other areas. We’ve noticed that our supply is getting low. We are almost out of tissues. Please consider picking up some of these items next time you're at the store. All donations may be dropped off in the front office. THANK YOU!

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

As we move into the spring, please review our campus tardy policies. Teachers will provide an overview of the policies with students during homeroom time. Please reach out to our assistant principals if you have questions. We know that sometimes students need breaks and time is short during the passing period. Students should report to their teacher to be counted present and utilize a hall pass to take care of their needs if they are concerned about arriving on time to class.

A student is considered late when the tardy bell rings and the student is not in the appropriate classroom. Repeated instances of tardiness will result in more severe disciplinary action. As a measure to ensure a safe, orderly, and secure school environment, WSMS enforces a tardy policy.

Students who are late will be allowed to enter class, but will be marked as tardy in PowerSchool by a designated staff member. Students who are more than 20 minutes late will be counted absent.

● Students will be assigned a teacher detention or Leopard Time when they receive 4-6 tardies

● Students will be assigned a two hour detention when they receive 7-9 tardies

● Students who persist in being tardy (10+) may receive additional consequences

Tardies reset each 9 weeks.

Thank you for your support.

Click HERE to view the nutrition newsletter

Please go here for LISD calendars.

We have enjoyed getting to speak to the kids through our Classroom Conversations.
The fourth quarter focus will be on: Citizenship. This includes discussing the roles and responsibilities of citizens; explaining how one's personal actions can impact the perception of
others; describing how justice, fairness, and freedom are related; and
identifying and practicing a variety of conflict-resolution skills and strategies.
Please reach out to your student's counselor if you have any questions.
Kelly Collins - 7th Grade
Carey Miller - 8th Grade

We are excited to continue course requests for the 23-24 school year. Here is the calendar of important dates.

Our 2023-24 Registration Page is updated with parent videos and helpful information to make the registration process easier. Please don't ever hesitate to reach out with any questions. Please know there will be an opportunity to view and make changes to your students' requests in May. This will be done via a Google form.

Kelly Collins - 7th Grade
Carey Miller - 8th Grade

If you are interested in Off Campus PE, the 2023-2024 application is now available. Click here for more information.

Dear Parents,

Lovejoy ISD currently offers students access to digital library books through SORA. The District has the ability to curate the collection of books accessible to students through the SORA platform. However, publishers at times have included external links with the digital books, similar to what is found in some hardcopy books. These external links are not maintained by the District and are not a material within the control of the District. The District neither selects the external links nor endorses the specific links. The District believes the online SORA platform is a beneficial program and will continue to allow students whose parents agree to utilize the resources.

In the spirit of transparency, the District is notifying parents of their right to opt out of the use of the SORA platform for their children. If you elect to not have your child access digital books through SORA, please contact your campus librarian.

As a reminder, parents may access a list of digital books their children have checked out by following the steps noted below.

Sora How-To for Parents: https://tinyurl.com/lisdsorahowto

To purchase a ticket for this week's HOME games, please click here.

Online athletic forms are online and ready to be completed for the 2022-2023 school year. Please go to https://lovejoyisd.rankonesport.com/New/Home.aspx set up your account, and fill out the forms. The physical forms are now available for athletes to pick up. Players may get one at the front office of WSMS, or print one by clicking here.

Any and all online paperwork questions should be directed to Steve Smith at 469-742-8411 or wsmsathletictrainer@gmail.com.

We had such a blast celebrating our teachers and staff this week. We truly are so grateful for all their work and love they give our students and school. We’d also like to thank Andrea Taylor for planning and coordinating all the fun events this week for our staff.

We need a few volunteers to help with our 8th grade awards and reception on May 13. Please click on the sign up genius for more information.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f49a9af2ca1f49-8thgrade/85383026#/

Please join us for our last membership meeting of the year on May 11th at 10am in the WSMS band hall.

If you prefer to make a monetary donation instead of donating items to each event, we hear you!

The donation amount is up to you. You can donate to one event or to ALL upcoming events with the form below. All your donations go directly to hospitality events this school year.

Make a donation to the hospitality fund:

https://ptowsms.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/207177

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.

Please Click here for Important Information

LHS Student Council is hosting a Hygiene Drive that benefits the homeless via the organization, Dorcas Heart. Please consider donating new, originally packaged supplies. If you're interested, we'd also like to encourage you to find eco-friendly options. All donations are being collected at LHS. See the attached flyers for details.