"Willis One" Newsletter - April 3, 2020

Please take a few moments to read the Willis One newsletter -- one page of notes related to Willis Junior High School. You may access the letter, in English and Spanish, on Mr. Delp's section of the Willis web site (CLICK HERE). Willis students, we miss you. Hang in there Firebird families!

Willis Office Closed to the Public

Due to the statewide school closures, and the governor's recent stay at home order our office is closed to the public until further notice. At this time, we are not able to accommodate requests for students to pick-up materials left in classrooms, lockerrooms, etc. Please know that we will work out a method for students to retrieve any materials they have at school when it is safe to do so. Should you require assistance with an issue, please call 480-883-5700.  We are checking these messages daily and will get back to you as soon as possible. You may also email a teacher or staff member directly. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Counseling Resources

Willis families, our goal during this unprecendented time is to do what we can to ensure the safety of our students, staff and families and to do our best to support our community during this time of crisis. We want you to know that our counseling team is available to support our students. Please visit the counseling page for resources, and review this letter from Mrs. Chapin and Mrs. Murray. Please contact us if we can be of assistance!

Online Learning Resources

Here are a few links you might want to bookmark -- digital learning resources provided by Chandler Unified School District and options provided by the Arizona Department of Education. Right now, please don't stress about school, but there are many good options here to keep learning. As we work our way through this challenging situation, we will continue to provide guidance for parents and students. Our goal is to do what we can to keep people safe and support our kids and our school community. We will get through this together!

School Closure Update

As you may be aware, Governor Ducey and Superintendent of Schools Hoffman announced this morning that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. We recognize that this generates a lot of questions and it may result in some anxiety. Please be patient and we will work to get answers to your questions. Please don’t be anxious (and tell your kids not to be anxious). Students will not be penalized for a crisis that is beyond their control.

We will continue to provide online learning opportunities through Google Classroom and we are working to have hard copies of materials available for students who may not have access to technology (more on this soon). Please stay connected to the Willis web site and the Chandler Unified School District website for updates.

Finally, if you (or families you know) are need of assistance, please let us know and we will do our best to provide help via our Family Resource Center.

Letter From Mr. Delp

Please take a moment to read this letter from Mr. Delp related to the school closure and our transition to digital learning. We want to assure our families that we are here to support you, and your students, and that we do not want to add stress to an already turbulent situation. We miss our students and wish our entire community good health -- body and mind! Thank you for your patience during this time.

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 and how to make a contribution. Please share this information with others who might be willing to lend financial support to Willis. Thank you!

Receive Willis Text Updates via Remind

Parents, you may sign-up to receive periodic text reminders about upcoming events using the NEW Willis Remind account. Use the link to sign-up, or text @willisj to the number 81010. See remind.com for more information. You can also download the REMIND app to manage your alerts.

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!