The annual Cash for Classrooms campaign is in full swing and flyers are going home with students this week. Please consider giving what you can to help the Chandler Education Foundation fund enrichment grants to teachers and schools across the district. A record number of teachers have applied for grants that enrich and extend learning, making lessons memorable. Grants are awarded within weeks! Chandler Education Foundation has been a non-profit supporter of CUSD students and staff for over 32 years. Do you prefer to give online? Learn more and give at www.ChandlerCashForClassrooms.org.  Thank you for investing in our future!

Attendance Has Moved to the Willis Front Office

Due to a few staffing changes attendance has moved from Student Services to the Front Office. If you are signing your student out, or in, you may now do so in our main office (entrance closest to the front gate). As a reminder, we are also happy to pre-arrange for your student to be in the office when they are being signed out. Just call our office at 480.883.5700 and let us know your students name, and the time you will be picking them up.

The attendance line (for reporting absences) will remain the same -- 480.883.5703. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.

Student Pick-Up and Drop Off 

As you are likely to experience, our parking lot at Willis is not large enough to accommodate the amount of traffic we experience during drop-off and pick-up times. In addition to managing our own lot, we must be mindful of limiting traffic back-up on McQueen Road -- this can be very challenging. In the interest of your convenience, and student safety, I would like to make you aware of a few alternatives to using our front parking lot (especially for after school student pick-up).

• Delay your pick-up time by approximately 10 minutes. Our front parking lot is typically cleared-out by 4:10, or 4:15 pm.
• Parents may park in the Monterey Point II neighborhood, directly West of Willis. Students may then cross McQueen (with the assistance of our crossing guard) and meet their parents in the neighborhood. Please do not park in the entrance to the neighborhood, but pull into one of the side streets.
• Parents may park along Frye road directly North of Willis. Students may exit on the North side of our campus and cross the baseball/softball fields. There is a gate near the softball fields where students may exit campus onto the sidewalk along Frye Road. This area typically has very little congestion.
• There is also have a very small parking lot, south of campus, that may be used for student drop-off and pick-up.

You are certainly not obligated to use these alternative methods, but your consideration would help us diminish the congestion in our front parking lot. Regardless of the pick-up area you use, please be patient, and extremely cautious (watch carefully for students) in order to keep all of our kids safe.

Support WJHS with a Tax Credit Donation

Please consider supporting Willis Junior High School through the Arizona Public School Tax Credit program. Tax credit support is a critical supplement to our budget and is truly a substantial need for our school. These funds are used to support a wide variety of extracurricular activities and events for our students. This letter from Mr. Delp includes details about the Arizona Tax Credit program, how to make a contribution, and a paper copy of the tax credit form. Please share this information with others who might be willing to lend financial support to Willis. Thank you!

ENROLL AT WILLIS TODAY!

Willis Junior High is proud to have been serving our Chandler community for 40 years!  We take a great deal of pride in identifying individual student needs and fostering academic, social, and emotional growth.  Diverse academic offerings include:

• Honors
  • Accelerated courses in core academic areas
• Innovation Academy
  • Recognized as a Verizon Innovative Learning School
  • Google Apps for Education and daily use of technology
• STEAM Academy
  • Academically rigorous program focused on preparing students for high school International Baccalaureate and STEM programs
• Intervention Programs
  • Classes to increase student fluency in reading and mathematics
• Acclaimed electives that includes an internationally recognized music program, engineering, photography, foreign language, art, and state-champion Vex Robotics

At Willis, we have a pathway to success for every student.  We cordially invite your family to be a part of our Firebird community. Please contact our front office at (480)883-5700 to get enrollment information, or schedule time to speak with an administrator, or counselor, about what Willis has to offer your student!

WJHS Social Media: Facebook and Twitter

In order to facilitate timely communication with students and parents and share our story, Willis has established social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. To receive updates, announcements, and school related news, please feel free to follow us on these social media channels. #wjhsstory

     Twitter: @willisfirebirds

      Facebook: Willis Junior High School

     Instagram: @wjhsfirebirds