Upcoming Important Dates
- Aug. 19 - Sports Physical Exams
- Aug. 24: Sunship Earth Meeting for 5th Grade Parents from 5 - 6:00 PM in the cafeteria
- Aug. 24 - MS Back to School Night from 6 - 7:35 PM
- Sept. 4- No School in observance of Labor Day
- Sept. 25 - No school for students
- Sept. 14 from 5 -7 PM - 1st Quarter Progress Conferences from 5 - 7 PM
- Sept. 23 from 7 - 10 PM - City Park Fun Night
- Oct. 2 - 5- 1st Quarter Exams
- Oct. 6 - Records Day/ No School for Students
- Oct. 9 and 10 - Fall Break/ No School for Students
- The school calendar for the 2023-24 school year is available on the website here.
Back to School Night
We hope that our middle school parents/guardians can join us for Back to School Night on Thursday, Aug. 24 from 6 - 7:35 PM. Back to School Night is an opportunity for parents/ guardians to meet their child’s teachers and to get an overview of the coursework. Parents/guardians will follow their child’s daily schedule, meet their teachers, and receive brief introductions to their classes. Parents will report to the cafeteria during the exploratory block to meet with the middle school admin team and receive brief introductions from exploratory teachers. Please note that the Marsalis building does not have an elevator.
For parents who are unable to attend, we will share information including teacher video introductions and curriculum letters.
Sunship Earth for 5th Grade
We are excited to announce that The Willow School will participate in the T.R.E.E. (Teaching Responsible Earth Education) Sunship EarthTM program. This five-day/four night discovery learning adventure is designed solely for fifth graders and is truly school away from school. Sunship Earth is an environmental science program that teaches 1/3 of the state science curriculum while giving students an appreciation for the Earth’s wonders and motivating them to protect the precious life systems of our planet. Students will attend Sunship EarthTM at T.R.E.E.’s Outdoor Classroom on the Northshore (just west of Covington).
While T.R.E.E. covers more than half of the program's costs through grants, there is still a cost of $385 per student to attend. The fee will cover bus transportation, educational fees, wholesome meals, snacks, all supplies for activities and crafts, and a staff of 1 adult for every 3 children. There will be four sessions that will feature a homeroom and a half of a homeroom.
An information meeting for Sunship Earth (what to expect, what to pack, etc.) will be held on Thursday, August 24th. The meeting will be held before Back to School Night. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria, from 5:00-6:00 pm.
We hope you are as eager as we are for your child to attend Sunship EarthTM! If you are curious to find out more information about T.R.E.E.’s Sunship EarthTM, check it out at www.treetalk.org.
MR. MARTIN IS A FINALIST FOR LA TEACHER OF THE YEAR
On May 30th, our amazing theater teacher Mr. Richard Martin was selected as a finalist for Louisiana Teacher of the Year. He was recognized at the Louisiana Teacher Leader Summit in front of 5,000 teachers from across the state. He is one of the final nine teachers for Louisiana Teacher of the Year! This summer, Dr. Avis Williams, superintendent of NOLA Public Schools, recognized Mr. Martin as a finalist at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. We are so proud of you, Mr. Martin!
Sports Physical DAy
Physicals at Ochsner Elmwood - Building B (LOCATION)
Willow's partnership with Ochsner includes a scheduled time for athletes to obtain physicals for the upcoming school year free of charge. This is an optional event but please take note that up-to-date physicals WILL be required for participation on any Willow sports team from 5th grade and up. Our scheduled date is August 19 at 10:30a. No one arriving after 11am will be admitted. Ochsner is strongly encouraging everyone to please bring the physical form with them and complete up to the parent signature when they arrive.
*Important* The LHSAA revised their physical form in May 2023. Any student-athlete obtaining their physical on or after Aug. 1, 2023 must have their doctor sign this version. Please see the document HERE. If an old version of the physical form was used to verify a physical examination conducted prior to Aug. 1, that form would still be valid as long as it does not expire during the term of that student athlete's participation in Willow Athletics.
Before Care
Before care will be offered from 7 - 7:30 AM on Monday through Thursday and 7 - 8:30 AM on Friday. There is a fee for before care for students who enter campus between 7 - 7:30 AM on Monday through Thursday and 7:00 - 8:30 AM on Friday. Parents must register their child for before care using the Before Care Registration Form. Please complete a separate registration form for each child you are enrolling.
Duty on Joseph Street doesn’t start until 7:30 Monday through Thursday and 8:30 on Friday. Students dropped off on Joseph Street prior to the start of duty will be unsupervised. The safety and security of our students is our top priority.
Drop Off and pick up
Our morning drop off time is 7:30 - 8:00 and afternoon pick up time is 3:35 - 3:45. Students will enter and exit campus from Joseph Street. Families will be able to turn left or right on Loyola Avenue or continue forward on Joseph. When the traffic stops, please feel free to let your child leave the car. Our staff will be on duty to monitor students as they enter and exit campus. Please use this (Marsalis Building Drop off and pick up plan) for a graphic. The safety and security of all of our students, staff, parents/guardians is our top priority.
School Hours
School hours Monday-Thursday are 8:00-3:35. Students are tardy to school Monday through Thursday after 8:00. School hours on Friday are 9:00-3:35. Students are tardy after 9:00. Students may enter campus at 7:30 Monday through Thursday and 8:30 on Friday with no charge.
Fall Sports Tryouts
In an effort to gauge tryout participation numbers beforehand, during the school days on August 16-18, signup sheets will be available for students to indicate their interest in the available Fall sports. Signing up is NOT a commitment to play NOR is it a guarantee that the student will make the roster. Even if a student does not sign up, they may still attend tryouts.
7th/8th Grade Tackle Football
A team meeting will be held after school from 3:45p - 4:30p on August 15 at Brees Family Field. The first practices will be held at Brees Family Field from 4p - 5p on August 16 and 17.
5th/6th Grade Flag Football
Tryouts: August 21-22 at Brees Family Field, 4p - 5:15p (pickup no later than 5:30p)
5th-8th Grade Volleyball
Tryouts: August 21-22 at Brimmer Campus Gymnasium, 4p - 5:15p (pickup no later than 5:30p)
5th-8th Grade Cross Country
Tryouts: August 23-24 at Brees Family Field Track, 4p - 5:15p (pickup no later than 5:30p)
5th-8th Grade Cheerleading
Tryouts: August 23 at Marsalis Auditorium and August 24 at Brimmer Campus Gymnasium, 4p - 5:15p (pickup no later than 5:30p)
Middle School Swimming
- 5th/6th Grade Tryouts: August 21 at Dryades YMCA, 4p - 6:15p
- 7/8 Grade Tryouts: August 23 at Dryades YMCA, 4p - 6:15p
- Buses will transport the team after school to and from the pool. Please plan for pickup in front of the Marsalis Campus on Loyola Avenue around 6:30pm
New Student Orientation
We had a wonderful New Student Orientation before the start of school. Welcome to Willow! We are proud to have you join our Willow Family!
First Day of School
Our first day of school was so much fun. There were lots of smiles, balloons, and bubbles! Welcome to Willow Middle School!
First Spirit Assembly
Let's go, Willow Lions! Our August 11th Spirit assembly was so much! Thank you to Ms. Ory for planning such fun activities and games for us.
Lunch Accounts
Our online payment system is a great way to make payments to your child’s cafeteria account. The link to make payments to a student’s account as well as apply for free or reduced meals is www.schoolcafe.com. The district is NOLA Public Schools. NOLA Public Schools is our food service vendor. Your child's school cafe account number is the PowerSchool ID number with "WS" after it. Students who received free and reduced lunch last year must apply for free and reduced lunch each year. The designation will expire soon if it is not completed. If you are unsure if this applies to your child, please check your child's status at www.schoolcafe.com.
Meal Prices
Breakfast: Full price-$2.25 / Adult $2.75 / Visitor $2.75
Lunch: Full price-$3.25 / Adult $4.00 / Visitor $4.25
Parent Coffee
We had our first Parent Coffee on Wednesday, August 16th. We sincerely appreciate the support from our PTSA. It was wonderful to connect with our families. We will have Parent Coffees throughout the school year. Please be on the lookout for more information and upcoming dates.
STEM in 7th Grade Science
Science is cool! Our 7th-grade students completed a STEM activity in creating data tables based on a variety of objects in Ms. Sanchez's class.
Our last day of school for the 2022- 23 school year was on May 26th. We were not able to share the photographs and videos from many of the special events that happened that day. Please enjoy these memory items below to look back on our special last day of school.
spirit awards
Each year, we bestow two students in each grade level with the Spirit Award. The Spirit Award distinguishes students who most exemplify Willow spirit, Project Pride, and leadership. For this reason, it is an extremely special accomplishment to receive the Spirit Award. We are extremely proud of the recipients of the 2022-23 Spirit Awards.
5th Grade
- Randy Calvin
- Marjorie Harville
6th Grade
- Vivian Leslie
- Olivia Lyons-Sosa
7th Grade
- Henry Brandao
- Nylah Bryant
Congratulations to our spirit award winners!
recognizing our 5th grade student of year semi -finalists
We had a special recognition for our 2022-23 5th-grade student of the year semi-finalists. In order for a student to be invited to participate in the selection process for The Willow School's 5th grade Student of the Year, the student needed to maintain a 4.0 GPA for all of 3rd, 4th, as well as the 1st quarter of 5th grade. Of those invited to participate, 5 students were chosen as the semi-finalist for our school.
- Anna Aldana-Huelga
- Zara Ahmed
- Tobin Bosworth
- Blouin Morin
- Vasilisa Gredil
Anna Aldana-Huelga was then selected as our finalist for the 5th-grade student of the year. She competed in the statewide contest. Way to go, Anna!
7th grade bridging ceremony - may 26, 2023
On May 26th, we celebrated our 7th graders (rising 8th graders) in a special ceremony at the Brimmer gym. The students received certificates that they created using their favorite Willow memories. We are very proud of the Class of 2028! Go Lions!
passing the torch
It is our tradition for the student leaders of our school to "pass the torch" to our next student leaders. On May 26th, our 7th grade Spirit Award winners "passed the torch" to our 6th grade Spirit Award winners. Through this symbolic experience, the students demonstrate their leadership skills and foster our K - 12 community.
The Office of Youth and Families (OYF) is proud to sponsor the 10th cohort of the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI). PLTI is a free 20-week program that seeks to enable parents to become better leading advocates for children. On Saturday at 10:00am, interested parents and caregivers are invited to attend a Taste of PLTI. Applications are due 8/21 at 3pm. Interpretation in Spanish and English is available. Parents and caregivers can learn more and apply at www.nola.gov/plti
GOt Pictures?
We collect photographs from special events at school throughout the school year. Please help us build our collection! Send us photographs from school-sponsored events such as sporting games, plays, performances, and other special events.
Middle School Admin Team
CEO: Nicolette London nicolettte_london@willowschoolnola.org
Principal: Kendra Henry kendra_henry@willowschoolnola.org
Assistant Principal: Elizabeth Sepanik elizabeth_sepanik@willowschoolnola.org
Curriculum Coordinator Director: Shelia Banks shelia_banks@willowschoolnola.org
Admin Support: Claire Ory claire_ory@willowschoolnola.org
Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Campus, 5625 Loyola Ave. New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone: (504) 324- 7330 Fax: (504) 324-7340
https://www.willowschoolnola.org/
The Willow School does not discriminate in the rendering of services to, or regarding employment of, individuals because of race, color, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.