Woodland D50 News and Information

February 24, 2023

Dear Woodland Families,

We were once again challenged this week with winter weather, and I imagine many of us are counting down the days to spring. The official first day of spring may still be 24 days away, but spring training is already underway and the White Sox play on Saturday!

I want to once again thank all of you for your patience as we made adjustments to our programs in response to our most recent round of inclement weather. On Wednesday we had to cancel after-school activities and I know that can be disappointing when our students are looking forward to competing in that game, showcasing their skills at a talent show or music concert, or just connecting with their peers at a practice or rehearsal.

This week offers another great opportunity to thank our Operations & Facilities staff, district bus drivers, and Transportation staff. Winter weather presents additional challenges and responsibilities for these hard-working men and women - staff and student safety is paramount. Our drivers, custodians, and maintenance staff serve on the front lines of keeping us all safe, from making sure our walkways and parking lots are clear to keeping our buses running as they should; they truly keep the district moving. Days like Wednesday mean “all hands on deck”; our crews come in earlier, stay later, and monitor changing conditions throughout the evening to watch for power outages, freezing pipes, and other health, life, and safety concerns in our schools. This work often happens behind the scenes. Without this support, however, we could not provide a safe learning environment for our staff and students. In fact, we would not have been able to open our doors on Wednesday without them. Please join me in thanking them for their dedication.

Last night was the February Board of Education meeting. I hope you will take the time to read a summary of highlights from the meeting below. I had the pleasure of inviting Mayor Hood from the Village of Gurnee to provide a State of the Village report to the Board. We were also able to honor some of our amazing past and present students under my Superintendent’s report (Photos Below).

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Dr. Robert Machak, Superintendent

Woodland D50

• Feb. 25 - Woodland Art Murals Displayed at WNPL Black History Month Celebration (Event Details)
• Feb. 27 - Digital Safety for Parents, WMS, 6 p.m. Register HERE.
• Mar. 2 & 3 - Honk Jr.! The musical tale of the Ugly Duckling at Woodland Intermediate, 7 p.m.
• Mar. 3 - School Improvement Planning (SIP) Day, Early Dismissal

PTA Events:

• Mar. 3 - Chuck E. Cheese Fundraiser, More Information
• Mar. 11 - Woodland PTA Dance for K - 5 grade students and families, Register HERE.
• Mar. 15 - PTA Meeting, 7 p.m., Virtual

The Woodland School Board of Education Governing meeting was held on Feb. 23, 2023. Please see below for a summary of highlights from the meeting, or we welcome you to watch the meeting HERE (once it is posted to the website).

Thank you for your continued support of Woodland District 50!

The Board of Education welcomed the Woodland Intermediate and Woodland Middle School Spelling Bee winners to lead participants in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Under the Superintendent Report, there were three presentations:

• State of the Village of Gurnee, Mayor Hood (Gurnee Presentation)
• Wheelchair Accessible Picnic Tables at Intermediate, Eagle Scout Alex Laycock (Eagle Scout Presentation)
• Black History Month Presentation, Teacher Jennifer Summers-Lemoine and WMS Black Student Leaders (Presentation)

More photos on Facebook and Twitter!

The Board of Education approved employment for a new Bus Assistant, and three new Playground Supervisors. Additionally, we will welcome three new Guest Teachers, and one Substitute Paraprofessional.

Also under consent agenda, the Board approved the resignation of seven staff members, and five retirements.

The Board of Education appreciates the donations from generous supporters to help enhance programming in the district.

• Elementary - The Blackbaud Giving Fund donated $10 to be used for student supplies.

The total donation for February 2023 is $10. That brings the total donation amount for the 2022-2023 school year to $14,215.07 to date. To see previous donations for this school year, view the list HERE.

Under Consent Agenda is where you will find approval of Board Meeting minutes, Policy Revisions, and approval of the monthly Financial Reports, Treasurer Reports, and Board Payables for the month. These reports are posted to the website after the meeting.

• Approval of Solution Tree Professional Development Software - Solution Tree is a customized Professional Development program designed to provide our specialists and interventionists with on-site training and coaching in providing best-practice, research-based interventions and supports for our students. In partnership with the district, Solution Tree has developed seven days of customized professional learning at a cost of $47,600. The cost will be covered by grant funding.
• Approval of Job Share Requests - Woodland D50 has a job sharing program in the district which has been in place for 16 years. There was only one job share request submitted this year, and it is a continuation of a job share arrangement that has been in place for 11 years.

The business that takes place under "Action Items" is first reviewed by the Board of Education at the previous monthly governing meeting under "Reports/Discussion Items". An item will first be presented as a Report or Discussion item for the Board of Education members to be introduced to the topic and allow time for questions, review, and revisions before that item is moved to the Action Items portion of the agenda for a vote the following month.

• Approval of the 2023-2024 Staffing Plan - The district analyzed and determined the staffing needs for the 2023-2024 school year, and provided a report to the Board of Education in January. Several factors are used to determine future staffing needs including retirements and resignations, student enrollment, class size goals, ensuring quality programming, and maintaining fiscal responsibility. Staffing decisions are guided by realigning or creating positions to best meet the educational and social emotion needs of our changing and future student populations. The Board of Education approved the staffing plan as presented.
• Approval of Award of Middle School Roof Phase III - The Middle School Roof Project is a multi-year project to replace the roof at Woodland Middle School. Phases I & II were completed in the summers of 2021 and 2022. The Board of Education approved moving forward with a total bid amount of $2,438,030. This includes the base project cost, an extended warranty, and inspections.

Reports and Discussion Items are placed on the agenda as an introduction to a topic. If the topic will require a vote, it will be brought back under "Action Items" at the next regularly scheduled meeting. This allows Board Members to familiarize themselves with the topic and ask questions, or request additional information and modifications before voting on the matter. The following topics were introduced as a Report/Discussion Item at this month's meeting:

A. Written Report and Presentation on the Advanced Academic Program Audit

B. Written Report and Presentation of 2nd Quarter Discipline

C. Written Information on the Purchase of a Middle School Dishwasher

D. Written Information on Asphalt Replacement at Primary and Elementary

E. Written Information on Revised Board Policies

Links to presentations will be added to the website HERE.

You are always welcome to go back and review meeting materials, presentations, Board Payables, Finance Reports and the video recording from a regularly scheduled Board Meeting on the district website HERE (select the meeting date to view supporting materials). These items are typically posted within 24-48 hours after the meeting.

Please visit Virtual Backpack for information about other events and resources in the community.
New this week: 211 Lake County Helpline

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211 is a free, confidential, multilingual, 24/7 helpline to get connected to local health and human services. Call 2-1-1, text your zip code to 898-211 or visit 211LakeCounty.org to get connected.

This is content you have seen before, but we don't want you to miss out.

Wildcat Summer Adventures (WSA) is Woodland's summer school program. Registration will be open January 16 - April 15, 2023. To register for the program, you will visit Skyward Family Access and fill out the registration form. Once you are logged in, find "Online Forms" in the left column. You will be notified of payment due by email at a later date. Enrollment and Transportation fees are outlined in the program flyer.