Middle School

The Willow Springs Middle School Staff Member of the Week is Ms. Sara Batson! A little info about Ms. Batson: 🐻 She has taught a variety of grade levels including preschool, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades and all the core subject areas. However, she has spent most of her career teaching ELA in the eighth grade here at Willow Springs until this year where she took the position as the 8th grade Special Education Teacher. 🐻 She has been in education for 19 years. 🐻 "I enjoy reading, being outdoors (it doesn't matter to me if I'm working in the yard or near the water as long as I am outside), going to the gym, and spending time with friends and family." Congrats Ms. Batson and thank you for all that you do! #OneWillow

Join us Saturday, November 18th at 10:00 am for the Bears for a Better Christmas cornhole tournament! All proceeds from the tournament will go to Bears for a Better Christmas to purchase toys, books, and warm winter clothes for kids. There will also be a bake sale and silent auction going on. If your family lives within the Willow Springs school district, has kids 0-15, and needs assistance with gifts, warm items, and books for Christmas stop by MUNCH to sign up as soon as possible.

Mr. Wilson's Adaptive PE class recently enjoyed a Scooter Grand Prix, spike ball, stacking cups and yard darts!✨ #OneWillow

On Friday, we honored and celebrated those who have sacrificed so much for us!🇺🇸 We appreciate everyone who joined us for our Veterans Day breakfast and assembly that was student-led and organized by Kaylee Pendergrass and the Willow Springs FACS and FCCLA! Thank you to Mrs. Courtney Foster and Mr. Jeff Conger for speaking at today's assembly! We also want to thank the 4th grade choir, high school choir and Mr. Good for performing! Thank you, veterans! We are forever grateful for your sacrifices.❤️🇺🇸 #OneWillow

The Willow Springs Middle School Staff Member of the Week is Mr. Tanner Barnes! A little info about Mr. Barnes: 🐻 He is in his second year teaching and second year at Willow 🐻 "I love helping kids do and learn things they never knew they were capable of. That's where my passion of teaching and coaching comes from. In my free time, I have a love/hate relationship with golf, I enjoy deer hunting and really doing anything outdoors, I like Kansas basketball, and I enjoy watching football on Sundays. Go Bills!" Congrats Mr. Barnes and thank you for all that you do! #OneWillow

The first edition of the Willow Springs District Digest is available now!🐻 See all the exciting things that happened during the first quarter by clicking this link: https://go.willowbears.com/newsletter

Here's what Mrs. Drake's students have been up to recently! The 7th grade Intro to Business students learned how to calculate cost of goods sold by calculating the unit price of a cup of “dirt and worms”. After the calculations, students made their own dirt and worms and enjoyed the sweet taste of success! They also talked about how COGS effects profit and the adjustments that companies might be forced to make. Mrs. Drake's Project STEM students were tasked with creating paper rollercoasters. Students were required to stay within design and time constraints while learning about potential and kinetic energy!

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