Woodland ROAR Report

Header Images: Wildcats attend Sneak Peek to meet their teachers and drop off school supplies.

For more images of Back to School Events and the1st Day of School visit
Woodland D50 on Facebook and Instagram!

Aug. 22, 2025

Dear Woodland Families,

We have had a wonderful first week back in the W and are thrilled to have our hallways filled with students again! We missed all our Wildcats over the summer (after all, they are why we do what we do!), and having everyone back together again brings renewed energy and excitement to all of our interactions as we embark upon the new school year. On behalf of all my dedicated colleagues, I want to thank you for making Woodland your school district and for entrusting us with the care and education of your students. These are responsibilities that none of us here takes lightly.

Our hope is that every student who started school this week felt welcomed and celebrated as they arrived on their first day. Woodland staff members at all four schools were ready and waiting to help students find their way to their classrooms, and district office staff and administrators were also on site at each school to greet students and families and to provide extra support to the Transportation team. #LifeintheW is all about teamwork and creating a welcoming environment across the district. I hope our commitment to these ideals came through in your interactions with us over the past two weeks as we celebrated the start of the new school year!

Wrapping up our first of 36 possibility-filled weeks together, sharing a few tips for a strong start to the school year:

• Get to know your child’s teacher(s) and staff. Cultivate a relationship between home and the classroom so that your student knows they - and you - have a full circle of support. This same advice applies to your child’s bus driver, paraprofessionals, grade level assistant principal, and other staff members they interact with regularly.
• Participate in school events such as Curriculum Nights, Open Houses, Parent University, Parent Teacher Conferences, and anything else your schedule allows. We know your family schedule is busy, but “being there” is the best way to know what is happening in your child’s day at school.
• Learn the technology (or ask for help when you need it!). If you need help accessing Skyward Family Access, Schoology, Seesaw, or even watching Board of Education meetings on Woodland Live, please reach out to the Family Coordinator at your child’s school. They can point you in the right direction and provide a variety of community-based resources that many of our families are not aware are available.
• Volunteer. Each school has opportunities to get involved by volunteering in classrooms, joining advisory committees, becoming a Parent Mentor, joining the Woodland PTA, attending Parent University events, joining the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC), and more. There are countless opportunities to be part of your child’s education both inside and outside of the classroom!
• Stay Connected. The District sends a weekly newsletter, your child’s principal sends a weekly newsletter, we regularly update the website and district events calendar, and we generate tons of engaging content on social media so you can get a glimpse of what your child is doing at Woodland. If you can’t find the information you are looking for, just ask!

Parents and guardians are a child’s first and most important advocates; please know how much we value and need your participation in your student’s learning community to help make the 2025-26 school year the best one yet for all of us!

Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend,
Dr. Robert Machak, Superintendent

Woodland D50

• Aug. 24 - PTA Kona Ice Truck & Playdate, 1 -3 p.m., Woodland Elementary Playground
• Aug. 25 - PTA Meeting, 7 p.m. Virtual (Register for Link)
• Aug. 27 - WMS 6th Grade Curriculum Night, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Aug. 28 - WMS 7th & 8th Grade Curriculum Night, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Aug. 28 - Woodland D50 Board of Education Meeting
• Aug. 29 - Friday Early Dismissal For Staff Professional Development
• Sept. 1 - District Closed for Labor Day, No Student Attendance
• Sept. 2 - CLC Registration for Free Adult Education Classes (See Below)
• Sept. 3 - Intermediate 4th Grade Curriculum Night, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 4 - Intermediate 5th Grade Curriculum Night, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 5 - Friday Early Dismissal For Staff Professional Development

Primary - 12:40 p.m., Elementary - 1:00 p.m., Middle School - 1:45 p.m., Intermediate - 2:30 p.m.

The time has come to share the much-anticipated MySchoolQuest website for Woodland District 50!

We invite you to visit MySchoolQuest for all your dining program information in one location.

✔️What's on the menu

✔️Nutrition and allergen information

✔️Program details specific to each school

✔️Information about the Quest Food Philosophy

✔️Contact form to provide feedback

Woodland D50 uses BusWhere to provide GPS tracking of your child's bus. You should have received an invitation by email on Tuesday, Aug. 19 inviting you to register your account. The email would have come directly from BusWhere. Registering for an account will allow you to track the ETAs of your child's morning and afternoon bus routes. You can track the bus right from your phone or tablet using the "BusWhere for Schools" app or on your computer's web browser at buswhere.com.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out by phone (847) 856-3644 or email at trans@dist50.net. The Transportation Department expects to be managing a high volume of calls on the first few days of school. We appreciate your patience!

Join us for a back to school conference - "Preparing for Success: Helping Students Build Resiliency and Starting the School Year with Confidence!" This panel discussion will have a representative from Woodland D50, along with our neighboring school districts, mental health providers, and a school resource officer.

This free event is hosted by Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth (HCHY) Warren Township-Gurnee.

Date: Monday, August 25

Time: 6 - 7:15 p.m.

Location: Virtual Presentation

For More Information and to Register visit the Warren Township website.

Woodland welcomed all staff members back to school on Monday, Aug. 18 for a Teacher Institute Day to kick off the 2025-2026 school year. The wonderful Woodland PTA 50 provided breakfast, and we heard welcome messages from Superintendent Robert Machak, Gurnee Mayor Thomas Hood, Board of Education President Brianna Powvens, and PTA President Stephanie Ingram. We also heard from a former Woodland student, Curtis Szajkovics, a Systems Engineer and Flight Controller at Firefly Aerospace. His keynote address was all about cool lunar missions and the impact teachers have on students! As part of his presentation he even had a slide about one of his former teachers who is still a teacher at WMS. Curtis thanked Mr. Whiteaker for igniting his interest in science and technology and for always putting up with his ridiculous questions. It was a great moment for Mr. Whiteaker to learn about the impact he had and to reunite with his former student. This is what #LifeintheW is all about!

More Photos or Reel

Woodland is excited to offer another series of programs designed to share resources with families about supporting your child's education and strengthening the home to school connection. More information will be shared as each event approaches, but please take a look at the Parent University sessions we are developing for you and add the dates to your calendar!

• Oct. 18, 2025 - Supporting Students During the School Year, In-person event
• Dec. 8, 2025 - Dual Language Support for Non-Spanish Speakers, Virtual
• Feb. 23, 2026 - Helping Kids Form Healthy Relationships, Virtual
• April 11, 2026 - Keeping Kids Learning Over Summer, In-person event!

Learn more about Parent University HERE.

Registration will be starting soon for the next round of Free Adult Education Classes through the College of Lake County (CLC). These are FREE classes offered at Woodland Intermediate School for adult learners.

In-Person Registration begins Sept. 2, 2025 at 5 p.m.

Location: Woodland Intermediate, 1115 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee

Testing and registration may take up to three hours, and childcare is available. Please bring a picture ID and your CLC student number. Call 847-543-2485 or 847-543-2872 with any questions. New Student? Apply online if you have never taken classes at CLC before.

Classes offered:

High School Diploma HSD (GED) Class in Spanish

• Tuesday / Thursday, Sept. 16 – Dec. 4, 6 – 9 p.m.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

• Monday / Wednesday, Sept. 15 – Dec. 8, 6 – 9 p.m.
• Tuesday / Thursday, Sept. 16 - Dec. 4

Learn More: Flyer in English and Spanish

Please visit Woodland's Virtual Backpack to learn about other events and resources in the community. New events are added all the time, so check back often.

Featured this week:

• Internet Safety for Parents: Community Presentations
• Champions at Woodland

Woodland will once again be offering a Saturday Study Hall & Homework Help program for students to receive additional academic support, and/or to provide a quiet place to work on projects. The program will be offered every Saturday starting Sept. 6, 2025 (except for Winter Break, Spring Break, and school/government holidays) from 8 - 11 a.m. Learn More HERE. Registration will open soon!

Follow Woodland on our socials for school updates, celebrations, and job opportunities!