Middle School

The Willow Springs Middle School Staff Member of the Week is Mrs. Simandl! A little info about Mrs. Simandl: "I began my journey in education as a paraprofessional at Willow Springs Elementary 12 years ago. I loved working in the school system so I became certified and taught 2nd and then 3rd grade Special Education for 6 years. This is my 1st year in the middle school as the 6th grade special education teacher. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, kayaking and traveling!" Congrats Mrs. Simandl and thank you for all that you do! #OneWillow

Mrs. Cooper's 7th grade science class embraced the Halloween theme yesterday and created “Boo Bubbles” by combining water (H2O) and dry ice (frozen CO2) to produce carbonic acid (H2CO3) through a process called sublimation. The students had fun trying to make the biggest bubbles and trying to make bubbles that would sit still and not pop right away!🫧 #OneWillow

October is #NationalPrincipalsMonth! Today we're highlighting and celebrating Mr. Jon Johnson, Willow Springs Middle School Principal. Mr. Johnson has worked in education for 18 years, 14 of those years in administration. Here's a short Q&A with Mr. Johnson! Q: What do you want students and staff to know about you? A: I really enjoy being an educator and working with people who are trying to accomplish a common goal. I also love God, my family, working on the farm, hunting, fishing, and trapping. Q: What do you like most about being an educator? A: Everyday is a new adventure, and no two days are ever the same. Over the course of my career I have met some really incredible people, most of which were students. I really enjoy talking with students 5-10 years after high school and hearing about what all they are doing. Q: What advice would you give to someone seeking a career in education? A: I believe teaching is a calling. I would encourage them to observe and talk with as many teachers as possible before making a career decision. Education is a lot of work, but it can be some of the most rewarding! Thank you Mr. Johnson for all that you do, we appreciate you! #OneWillow

Students in Ms. Tice's class recently bound books with all of their accomplishments during their academic lab! #OneWillow

Mrs. Coursen's 5th grade art class has been having so much fun with their recent projects!🎨 #onewillow

Here are the Middle School Character Award winners for first quarter!🏅 Thank you to Robert Hollis with Shelter Insurance for presenting the students with gift cards! #OneWillow

Last Monday, the 6th grade team took a trip to Alley Spring to explore the park and learn about Karst Topography! This field trip was made possible from a grant from South Central Ozark Council of Governments! #onewillow

🚨Important reminders! • Today, Thursday October 26th is an EARLY DISMISSAL day at 12:45 pm. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be from 1:00-6:00 pm today. • There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 27th for Fall Break. • There will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, October 30th for Professional Development Day.

On Saturday, the Willow Chess Team hosted the annual Sally Hatton Memorial Chess Tournament! The high school was represented by six players and won the second team spot. Kyle Collins-Redd was the undefeated winner, Caleb Leichliter was in fourth and earned 4.5 points out of six matches, Isaac Miller and Joseph Mansfield won three games each, Matt Sabulao earned 2.5 points, and Sophia Barrett earned two wins. The middle school was represented by six players and won the second team spot. Sabastian Puher and Otto Schuette earned four wins out of six games, tying for the third place. Heidi Bennett, Kyell Robertson, Ayden Bennett and Aubrey Miller got three points each, and tied for seventh. The elementary school was represented by Kane Bennet, who won first place, Michael Iacovlev, who was in third place, and Tristan Bennet, in fourth place. They helped the school win the first team overall. Great job, Bears!🐻♟ #OneWillow

Mrs. White recently did a classroom activity called Reciprocal Teaching! Students were in groups of two or three and one student played the role as a teacher, while the other one played the role as the student. The teacher would ask the question while the student answered. If the student had a difficult time answering the question, the 'teacher' would help them with the answers they were given by giving them hints. They would reverse roles on the next question. The students' favorite part was being the teacher! #OneWillow

🚨 Important information regarding Parent/Teacher Conferences! Thursday, October 26th will be an early dismissal day due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. Dismissal will be 12:45 PM. All buildings (except for preschool) will have Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday, October 26th from 1:00-6:00 PM. 🐻 High School Information - Parents should have been contacted by their student's GAP teacher to schedule an appointment for their conference. If you have not made an appointment, contact your student's GAP teacher. If you're unsure who your student's GAP teacher is, you may contact the High School office. 🐻 Middle School Information - Teachers have scheduled times to meet with each parent. If a parent has a specific teacher they want to meet with, you will be given time to meet with that teacher. If you don't have an appointment scheduled, contact the Middle School office. 🐻 Elementary School Information - Teachers have scheduled times to meet with each parent. If you don't have an appointment scheduled, contact the Elementary School office. The Get Roasted Coffee Company truck will be set up from 2:00-6:00 PM. The book fair will also be set up in the elementary and middle school libraries for families to shop at until 6:00 PM. #OneWillow

The Elementary and Middle School Books Fairs are open to shop this week! 📖 Students can shop all week. Families are invited to shop on Thursday, October 26th during parent teacher conferences. Shop online and/or purchase gift cards at this site: https://efairs.literati.com/?school=willow-springs-elementary-school-willow-spgs-mo

Our 5th graders had a farm visit on Monday with Kelly Hinds!🚜 Students learned a lot from Kelly and watched as they combined corn!🌽 #OneWillow

Picture Retake Day is Tuesday, October 24th!📸 If you're satisfied with your child's picture, no further action is required. If you purchased and were unhappy with your picture package, please send your picture package to school with your student on retake day. Your retake picture package will be produced and shipped to the school four weeks after retake day. Please note, if your child is photographed on the original and retake picture days, the retake picture will replace the original picture in certain products, like the yearbook. Students who were absent for picture day should come to school prepared to have their picture taken. If you have not pre-ordered, please use the retake order code that is designated for your school below to place your order at: https://inter-state.com/Order?utm_campaign=Coordinator%20Program%20-%20Retake&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=217333162&utm_content=217333162&utm_source=hs_automation High school order code: 80702DF Middle school order code: 80705Y Elementary school order code: 80700Q To see your order history, check your Inter-State account by visiting: https://inter-state.com/SignIn?s=/account/orders

40 7th and 8th grade girls from the Willow Springs Middle School had the opportunity to visit Missouri S&T for the Expanding Your Horizons STEM conference on Friday! The Expanding Your Horizons STEM conference at Missouri S&T is an immersive experience for middle school students. The conference kicked off with a presentation from Dr. Robin Verble highlighting her career in wildland fire and ecology. After that, students moved around campus to various hands-on presentations in many areas of STEM. The conference ended with a demonstration titled “Is it Science or Is it Magic” from Dr. Gary “Smitty” Grubbs. This year’s conference hosted over 400 students! #OneWillow

Reminder! The Elementary and Middle School will be hosting book fairs the week of October 23rd!📖 To buy Literati gift cards for the upcoming book fairs, visit this site: https://efairs.literati.com/?school=willow-springs-elementary-school-willow-spgs-mo

The Willow Springs Middle School Staff Member of the Week is Mr. Wilson! A little info about Mr. Wilson: 🐻 This is his 6th year in education. He previously worked at the West Plains School District for 4 years before coming to Willow Springs. 🐻 This is his 2nd year at Willow Springs Middle School. "I am a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, watching my kids play sports, coaching baseball, and playing golf. In the summer you can find me knee deep in a river fishing. I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with some of the most interesting students every day. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else, doing anything else." Congrats Mr. Wilson and thank you for all that you do! #OneWillow

Please help us give a warm welcome to our next new teacher feature, Mr. Nathan Cooper! About Mr. Cooper: "My name is Nathan Cooper, and I am an SBU graduate. This is my first year as an educator and I am extremely grateful with how my school year has been so far! I have always wanted this to be my career. I could not be any happier to be at Willow Springs working with the most amazing team and Co-Workers that you could ask for!" Welcome to Bear Nation Mr. Cooper, we're so glad that you're here!🐻 #OneWillow

It’s #TeacherProud and #BearProud Tuesday! Willow Springs is excited to join other school districts across the region in celebrating teachers and district staff on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Teacher Proud Recipients: 🐻Anita Ellis - Willow Springs Elementary School 2nd grade Interventionist 🐻Heather Miller - Willow Springs Middle School 6th grade Social Studies Teacher 🐻Jenny Payne - Willow Springs High School Math Teacher Bear Proud Recipient: 🐻Teresa Vanhorn - Custodian Congratulations to this month's recipients, we are so grateful for all the hard work and dedication you give to our district and students! #OneWillow

Some of Ms. Tice's students recently went on field trips to the Willow Health Care Inc Senior Living Home and to the Willow Springs Post Office!