Willow Springs School District

The Missouri Council of Administrators of Special Education (MO-CASE) is committed to advancing the field of special education through professional development, advocacy, and support for leaders overseeing special education programs. The legislative platform addresses key priorities to ensure the provision of high-quality special education services for students with disabilities in Missouri. Marlenia Barker, Special Education Director; Melissa Altermatt, Process Coordinator; and Amy Pollard; Process Coordinator met with Missouri House of Representatives Members Travis Smith, Bennie Cook, Darrell Atchison, and David Evans on Wednesday, April 3 for MO Advocacy Day with other MO-CASE members. While in attendance, the Willow Springs School District was recognized on the House floor during session. #OneWillow

The middle school staff member of the week is Mrs. Mindy Cooper!🥳 About Mrs. Cooper: - She taught for 22 years at Richards School in West Plains - This is her first year at Willow Springs - She teaches 7th Grade Science, Kitchen Science and coaches girls track "I love spending time with my family, antique shopping, everything outdoors, traveling, and being involved in my church." Congratulations Mrs. Cooper and thank you for everything that you do!🐻 #OneWillow

It's game day! - High school baseball at Ava today has been postponed. - Middle school baseball will host Mountain Grove at 4:30 pm. - High school softball will host Mountain Grove at 4:30 pm. - Middle school softball will host Cabool and will play one game after the high school games at Booster around 6:45 pm. - Varsity tennis will host Mountain Grove beginning at 4:30 pm. - Varsity boys and girls track will be at the West Plains Relays beginning at 2:30 pm. Go Bears!🐻

We want to give a big thank you to all of our Project Prom sponsors!❤️ We couldn't do this without your help, thank you! #OneWillow

Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting the individuals that are retiring from the Willow Springs School District. First up is 2nd Grade Interventionist, Mrs. Anita Ellis! Q: How many years have you worked for the Willow Springs School District? A: I have worked in the Willow Springs School District for a total of nineteen years. (8 years as a paraprofessional, 11 years teaching). Q: How many years have you been in education? A: I have been in education for 33 years. Before teaching, I was a paraprofessional here at Willow Springs Elementary for eight years. After receiving my teaching certification, I taught at the FairView School District in West Plains for three years, Mountain View Elementary for eleven years and am now finishing my eleventh year here at WSE. Q: What will you miss the most about working for the Willow Springs School District? A: It’s hard to say what I’m going to miss the most when I leave the Willow Springs School District. There are so many things here that are very dear to my heart, those being my students' former/present and my co-workers/team. I will miss my students and those “ah ha” moments, when the light comes on. Those moments are my favorite and have reminded me on many occasions why I’m here. My co-workers/team are more like family. I have been blessed to work with such amazing people and to have built relationships that will last a lifetime. I will always hold true to the motto “Once a Bear, Always a Bear”! Q: What are you looking forward to the most about being retired? A: The thing that I am most looking forward to is having more time to spend with my sister, who retired from her job last year. She is constantly telling me how wonderful retirement is going to be! We will enjoy camping trips with our family, long day shopping trips, overnight stays, and sitting by the lake or river this summer. I also love to paint/refinish furniture. I am always finding old pieces of furniture that I would love to give new life. My new schedule will give more time to do that. Congratulations Mrs. Ellis and thank you for all that you have done for the Willow Springs School District! We wish you the best!🐻 #OneWillow #onceabearalwaysabear

April 2024 Regular Session Board Meeting https://youtube.com/live/81UZoDobJGw

Congratulations to the Willow Springs Elementary School Spelling Bee winners! 1st Grade: 🥇1st Place - Madelyn Gorla 🥈2nd Place - Kane Ennis 🥉3rd Place - Graysen Stiebs 2nd Grade: 🥇1st Place - Michael Iacovlev 🥈2nd Place - Rowdy Hays 🥉3rd Place - Amelia Green 3rd Grade: 🥇1st Place - Joshua Coffman 🥈2nd Place -Emery McKee 🥉3rd Place -Evelin Kharitonova 4th Grade: 🥇1st Place - Lily Mullins (not pictured) 🥈2nd Place - Alivia Tharp 🥉3rd Place - Russell Garner #OneWillow

Game Day. It is a wet Tuesday. We will let you know if there are any cancellations or postponements. As of now here is the schedule for today: High School Baseball at Salem, 4:30 PM MS Baseball will host Hartville at 4:30 PM Varsity Golf will be at Cabool Invitational. Varsity Softball will be at Mansfield 4:30 PM, followed by one MS Softball game Tennis will host Salem beginning at 4:00 PM MS boys and girls track at West Plains 4:00 PM

8th Grade students in Mrs. Drake's Project STEM class recently spent some time researching and then building model bridges! They tested those bridges until failure. The strongest bridge was built by Sadie Parsons. Her bridge withstood a weight of 4144 grams! #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 second Tuesday of each month. Our nominees for the month of April are: 🐻 Julia Kelley - Willow Springs Elementary School 2nd Grade Teacher 🐻 Nathan Earls - Willow Springs Middle School 5th Grade Writing Teacher 🐻 Amanda Bradford - Willow Springs High School Special Education Teacher 🐻 Shiloh Walden - Willow Springs High School Agriculture Teacher 🐻 Mike Pyatt - Willow Springs Schools 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

During today's professional development day, the Willow Springs High School Teacher of the Year and Staff Member of the Year awards were announced! The recipients were nominated and then voted on by students and staff. Congratulations to Meghan Berry, Russell Jackson, and Jeff Cunningham! 🏅Mrs. Berry teaches High School Junior English 🏅Mr. Jackson teaches High School Math 🏅Jeff Cunningham is our School Resource Officer Congratulations and thank you for the amazing work you do for our students and district!🐻 #OneWillow

We want to give a big thank you to the Lakeland Pharmacy in Willow for donating eclipse glasses for ALL of our students! 🕶 We greatly appreciate it! #OneWillow

The 4th grade classes went to the YMCA last week to watch their teachers vote to see the process and learn about the importance of voting! #OneWillow

Busy Saturday in sports for the Bears!!! Varsity baseball will be at the Hartville Tournament. Varsity softball will host the Willow Springs Softball Tournament. Varsity tennis will be at the Panther Classic in Forsyth.

Mrs. Kelley's class recently visited the Willow Springs FFA greenhouses for their plant science unit!🌱🌺 #OneWillow

The April Regular Session School Board Meeting scheduled for Monday, April 8th has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 10th at 6:00 pm.

Game Day!! Baseball at Hartville Tournament Boys Track at Hillcrest 1:00. Varsity Tennis will be at Lebanon Tournament today. Good luck!!!

The middle school staff member of the week is Mrs. Amy Bunch-Schmitt!🐻 About Mrs. Bunch-Schmitt: "This is my 16th year in education. During my career I have taught middle school social studies, high school history, 8th grade English/Language Arts, 6th grade math, and now I currently serve as the middle school Reading Interventionist. I enjoy spending time with my family. We love traveling and seeing new places every chance we get." Congrats and thank you for all that you do! #OneWillow

Mrs. Chaney's Kindergarten class enjoyed learning about the Eclipse today!🌒 They tried the special glasses on and enjoyed a tasty snack of moon pies and sunny d! #OneWillow

Today is National School Librarian Day!📖 We want to recognize our amazing librarians who promote literary appreciation through our school libraries, empower students to develop critical thinking, and foster a love of lifelong learning. Thank you for all that you do!🐻 #OneWillow