The Wildcat Chat
Wildcat Chat October 23, 2026
Dear Wildcat Families,
The Week in Review
Happy Friday! Fall is in the air, and we are grateful to our PTA for organizing last week’s Fall Fest. Thank you to everyone who attended!
Thank you to our PTA and our Gardening Specialized Advisory, under the leadership of Mr. White, for our beautiful autumn decor.
We are grateful to to Ms. Hapangama for organizing Unity Week. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s activities to foster unity and inclusion.
Projected 2027-28 Enrollment
We have received our initial enrollment projection for SY 2027-28: 1689. This is a slight increase from our current enrollment of 1656.
Projected enrollment by grade:
Grade 6: 573
Grade 7: 589
Grade 8: 527
Independence HS: 2387
Lightridge HS: 2109
Briar Woods HS: 1907
John Champe HS: 1855
Freedom HS: 1791
Willard: 1689
10/26 Evacuation Drill
On Monday, 10/26, we will conduct a new type of evacuation drill in which everyone will exit to the field behind our school.
The purpose of this drill is to ensure we are prepared to respond to an emergency that requires us to evacuate the building, move a safe distance away, and potentially relocate, such as in the event of a gas leak.
If we ever needed to relocate, we would bus our students and staff to Freedom High School.
Although this drill is not required by LCPS, we are choosing to conduct one to ensure we have practiced this type of evacuation. Several LCPS schools have had to evacuate recently, so we want to make sure we are prepared for this type of emergency.
Strong Finish
As the first quarter comes to a close, we encourage all of our Wildcats to finish strong. Thank you for continuing to support them in strengthening key executive functioning skills, including:
Organization
Time management
Task initiation
Planning and prioritization
Thank you for entrusting us with your children. They bring us so much joy, and we look forward to welcoming them back on Monday.
In partnership,
Dr. Campiglia
Michelle R. Campiglia, Ed.D.
Principal, Willard MS
Grade 6 Testing
- Thursday, May 20 - Reading
- Thursday, May 27 - Math
- October 23: Deadline to register for AMC 8 Math Competition
- October 28: Last day of Marking Period 1
- October 29 - November 3: No School
- November 6: UMHT Book Club #2
- November 9: No School
- November 10: School Picture Make Ups
- November 11: Veterans' Day Panel
- November 13: Grade 6 Neonverse Party, 7 pm - 9 pm
- November 18: Coffee with the Principal, 8 - 9 am
- January 29: Grade 7 Party, 7 pm - 9 pm - NEW DATE
- May 21: Grade 8 Party, 7 pm - 9 pm
- June 10: Grade 8 Kings Dominion Field Trip & Field Day
- June 11: Last Day & Clapout Ceremony for Grade 8 Students
Willard Middle School proudly presents this year’s Spring Musical, We Will Rock You: Young@Part Edition! This 60-minute middle school version is an adaptation of the West End musical We Will Rock You, which rocked the London stage for over a decade. Set in a future where the world is run by a giant corporation and live music is banned, a group of Bohemian rebels will fight to bring back the music and restore Rock n’ Roll! Told through the music and lyrics of the legendary band Queen, this jukebox musical is going to rock!
Our Lost & Found is filling up! Please encourage your student to check the Lost & Found for any missing jackets, water bottles, lunch boxes, or other personal items.
All unclaimed Lost & Found items will be donated on October 28. If your student is missing something, please have them stop by and look for their belongings before that date.
This year, Willard is participating in the AMC 8 math competition. The AMC 8 is a 25 question, 40 minute multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem solving skills. The contest is open to all students in grades 6 – 8, free of charge.
This year the contest will be held after school on Thursday, January 21, 2027.
Registration closes at midnight on Friday, October 23. Late registrations can not be accepted as we have a deadline for ordering contest spots and we do not order extra contests!
Sample practice problems provided by the AMC organization are linked here.
If your child is interested, please register them by filling out the online form linked below.
Once you submit the interest form, you will be emailed a copy of your responses. This serves as your confirmation that your scholar has been registered. Please provide an adult email in the google form!
If you have any questions, please contact the contest coordinator, Jenn Reeder, via email at jennifer.reeder@lcps.org.
PRESENTATION
Jennifer Miller provided an overview of the Office of the Ombuds, and how her office can help parents and staff navigate the school system, and address concerns in a confidential manner. For more information, lcps.org/ombuds. Jeannice Ewing presented on the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA), covering the law and requirements for access to public records, as well as how it covers public meetings like SEAC.
Kelly-Huff Snyder, our State SEAC representative for Region 4 (most of the Northern Virginia school districts) offered an update on current advocacy and activity at the state level. Among other things, they are working on strategic plans, updated assessments, and addressing concerns around subjects like restraint and seclusion, and graduation rates, among others.
CHAIR REPORT
The chair reviewed the current priorities for SEAC: SOL’s, Discipline Data, Bullying, Reading & Math Interventions, and the Transition Center. Please note the impact of changes in SOL cut scores begin to take effect this year.
PUBLIC COMMENT
A public comment was offered on the problems of partial consent with IEP’s, and preventing partial consent from delaying the implementation of changes.
STAFF REPORT
- OSE is serving 10,554 students, with an additional 180 students in the eligibility process currently (typically, 85% qualify for services).
- A VIEW Academy roundtable was conducted with LCPS staff and local businesses to discuss how to prepare our students to meet workforce needs.
- Workshop: Ukeru for Families Friday, October 16, 2026, 12:00pm.
POLICY UPDATES
No recommendations were made for updates to Policy 3130, Evaluation, Policy 4125, Cash Handling Responsibility, and Policy 5170, Substance Use Education. That was adopted unanimously.
On Policy 4340, Procurement Procedure Exemptions, a recommendation was made to leave text in the policy that requires certification related to criminal offenses and discrimination. That was adopted unanimously.
For Policy 8140, Student Attendance Requirements and Procedures, concerns were raised on the conflict between this policy and the state superintendent’s memo, as well as other state and federal law, particularly as a student’s disabilities may affect attendance.
