Intermediate Fall Cross Country Meet
Student Contribution: Student-Designed Badge "Responsible Readers" by Genesis Herrera, 5th Grade
(Dis)Ability Awareness Assembly
I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Machak, the Board of Education, and our district community for being so supportive of our shared efforts to put equity into action at Intermediate and across the district. Additionally, I want to thank Jessica Pierson, Pam Valkenaar, and our other staff members who helped to organize this assembly opportunity for our students. I am also incredibly proud of our students, almost all of whom earned the new Awesome Assembly Attitude Badge, for their rapt attention and engagement in this assembly. At times you could hear a pin drop as they listened to the speakers and they mostly used sign language applause to show their approval in recognition of the subject matter at hand.
Lockdown Drill & Safety Awareness for Staff
Later Friday afternoon, during the professional development time for staff, our staff members debriefed the experience with our School Resource Officer and a detective from the Gurnee Police Department. In addition to the procedures and best practices for a lockdown, staff members learned about best practices for a host of eventualities related to any potential threat to the safety of the building. While it is a somber topic, staff members left with specific strategies to enhance their ability to respond to each unique situation that might arise. We are grateful to our community partners in the Gurnee Police Department for their shared commitment to our safety and security through preparedness and proactive professional development.
Schoology Badges Make A Silent Splash in the Cafeteria and Beyond!
As you can see from our new Schoology Information & Data Sheet, the majority of Hallways have had success at doing this, including one that has reached the second-level Legendary Status. Whereas in the past sometimes students have struggled to respond to adult prompting to end their conversations, now they are monitoring themselves and constructively persuading their peers (often by raising their hands and putting a finger to their lips) to achieve the expected behaviors. It is truly a case of when the bar appears to high at times, raising it- rather than lowering it, can sometimes be the right strategy for success.
We (including students) are adding more badges every week to incentivize everything from individual to class-wide to school-wide great behavior. For example, we debuted our Awesome Assembly Attitude badge this week to make sure students are collectively observing the respective cool tool of "Chill (Stay Calm), Chair (In your seat), and Cheer (In the right ways and at the right times)." I will be adding to Schoology and the sheet linked above to not only keep you in the loop, but let students know about their opportunities and progress towards making great choices with their behavior.
New Volleyball Courts "Set" Students Up for Success (Dad Joke Alert)
Each year, I approach students about what we can do to make recess more safe, fun, and engaging. Our painted soccer and football fields are a direct result of these conversations. This week we debuted another student suggestion, our new Volleyball Courts. On each side of the building our Buildings and Grounds teams cleared spaces and purchased appropriately sized Volleyball nets. Despite the rain this week, we were able to get students out onto these courts a few times. More importantly, they will be a great feature of our recess spaces for years to come.
Schoology Badges As a New Feature of PBIS
To that end, we debuted the use of badges on Schoology as a means to recognize students. Our first badge was perfect attendance for August; however, we plan to expand the selection of achievements to feature targeted behaviors throughout the school day. This is also a way that we can empower some of the staff to engage with PBIS outside of the classroom. For example, our custodians could have the chance to celebrate the homeroom that has the cleanest tables after lunch on a week. We have sought out input from our student themselves on badges for individuals, groups, classes, or even the whole school! With these badges they will earn incentives such as extra money for the Roarazon store. We welcome you to submit your suggestions for badges too!
Upcoming Assembly on September 29th on Disability Awareness
The assembly will happen three times during the day with two hallways attending during the presentation which will be approximately 45 minutes in length in our MPR.
ClassDojo for Buses In-Progress
Courtyard Committee Kick-Off
Welcome 5th Grade Teacher Ginell Turner
We are excited, after the official approval from the Board of Education this past week, to announce a new member of our team. Ms. Ginell Turner will be joining us next year as a 5th grade teacher. Here in her own words is Ms. Turner:
“I’m so excited and blessed to be at Woodland, especially because this is the district that strongly impacted my growth as a child. I received my Bachelors and Masters of Art from American University in Washington, DC by the age of 24. My majors include Film/Media Arts and Elementary Education and a minor in Psychology. I have a beautiful baby girl who I love spending time with and my hobbies include writing poetry, photography, and yoga. I take great pride in my students’ well being and success. Some words students use to describe me; kind, fair, a listening teacher, caring, patient and much more. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me about my experiences as a teacher, mother, and videography.”
Wildcat Show
We are delighted to invite you all to perform at our WILDcat Show. Woodland Intermediate Lip sync and Dance Show. Performers are invited to lip sync and/or dance to their favorite school–appropriate song for the show. Choreography, costumes, and theme are up to you! The length of your routine will be determined by the number of acts that sign up (usually about 1 minute each). You may choose your own groups, or form a group at the information meeting.
If you are interested in performing in the show, please complete the parent permission form by Thursday May 18th.
Questions? Contact
Mrs. Valkenaar: pvalkenaar@dist50.net
Session Dates:
Thursday, May 18th- Informational Meeting: 8:00 am - 8:50 am
May 18th - June 1st- Practice on your own
May 25th- *Music DUE DATE* @ pvalkenaar@dist50.net OR via Schoology to Mrs. Valkenaar *YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC ELECTRONICALLY*
Thursday May 25th- Rehearsal in the MPR: 8:00 - 8:50 am
Thursday, June 1st- Performance- 5 pm in the MPR (students stay after school to rehearse.)
All students interested in performing MUST attend the Informational meeting, rehearsal, and after school performance.
Mosaic Project Commences with Assemblies and Design Workshop- Volunteers needed!
Equity in Focus
With that in mind, I reached out to a number of the parents of our Black students to schedule a listening session to gather their input on how we can address these disparities in our data. We met this past Friday. It was a frank and honest conversation about how we are meeting the needs of our Black students, some of the specific concerns that families have, and ideas for improvement. Everyone appreciated the opportunity to connect and we agreed to continue this process by scheduling future sessions, broadening the outreach, and keeping the conversation going. If you are interested in joining future conversations with this group, please let me know.
How to deal with one of the bigger challenges the internet presents to our children...
I have put off this topic as long as possible, but as we are now at a point where our 4th graders are almost 5th graders and our 5th graders are almost at Middle School, I feel it is appropriate to address.
One of the most uncomfortable aspects of the internet for our children (and their parents) is the reality that pornography seems to be everywhere online. Seemingly innocuous unrelated websites can house links that, within a click or two, lead our children to images, videos, and language we would all prefer they not see or be aware of for many years to come. Web filters and blocking sites are helpful to prevent exposure. Unfortunately, it is a reality that even children of intermediate school age, can find themselves exposed to these parts of the internet accidentally or purposefully. According to CommonSense Media:
Approximately 15% of teens surveyed by Common Sense said they first saw pornography before age 11—either by accident or on purpose. And more than half of those teens said they had seen it by age 13.
Based on these statistics, it would mean that in a class room of 24 fifth-graders, 3 or 4 of them have already been exposed to pornography online. Even if your student is one of the other 20 students, the reality is that they may be friends with or interact with another student who seen these things online. We want to make sure your student is not exposed to this content and that, if they are, they don't share it with other students. Unfortunately, both of these things-talking about or sharing things through group chats- do happen, albeit infrequently, between our students. If we all work together, we can help eliminate these rare instances altogether.
To help you prevent students from seeings these things accidentally or seeking them out, please read this article on a myriad of ways you can strengthen the protections on all of your personal devices. Please know that our school devices have robust protections in place regarding this content.
Additionally, this article offers some advice on what to do if you find out your child has seen pornography online or been exposed to it another way.
This is an uncomfortable topic to be sure. However, I am also sure it would be extremely uncomfortable if you discover such content on your child's device or if they come home asking about something a peer told them. Hopefully neither of these things happen to you, but as I mentioned above, "hope is not a strategy."
If you would like to read more on this topic, you click on this link for a comprehensive report on the topic of teens and pornography by CommonSense Media.
In Other Online News:
Repost of Other Content from Last Week's Edition:
ClassDojo Survey (for all parents)
SecURLy Sign-Up (for all interested parents)
Choir Performance
More Student Voices in PBIS
As you have read, students have already offered critical insights into cool new incentives to offer, including our Lunch with a Friend VIP Table.
Engaging with Students About Online Behavior- Bright Ideas
Last week, I received a a report from a teacher that a couple of students had found novel ways to get around the security that is in place with respect to their Chromebooks and our internet filters. Rather than seeking to punish (or take away their devices), I sought first to understand. So I interviewed these two students to understand what they had done. I am not sure what is more astounding- their technical capacity with computers or their willingness to freely share what they did.
One student told a story that began like this (and this is a direct quote), "There is a 7th grader, who knows a 6th grader, who knows a friend of mine that I talked to who showed me this website." The student relayed a specific website that allegedly another older student created/purchased a membership to that is an online redirect/proxy hosting website. This website along with a few commands allowed the student to access websites (such as games) that had been previously blocked. The problem is that when they get around the filters, they not only have access to games, but also more dangerous things such as social media or adult websites.
The other student told me a story that entailed him actually going online to learn Java and C++, two different computer coding languages. Using this code he was able to enter in a couple of commands that similarly allowed him to get to a couple of websites that had been blocked. The notable quote from this conversation was "I already started working on another way because I know this way will probably be blocked soon."
To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, I am not even mad, but impressed! Please don't get me wrong, I am not happy that students are misusing their devices on things that are not academically productive. Rest assured, I have already spoken to our tech team and we have removed the backdoors that these students created and/or found. I have also address these students behavior that is contrary to the code of conduct. However, objectively speaking, their efforts demonstrate a sense of initiative, curiosity, and perseverance that I want them to have as they move forward in their academic careers and in life. I just want and need them to have those qualities for productive things!
I was also particularly struck by the statement of the 2nd student about already working on a new way. It reminded me of how last week in my newsletter I mentioned trying to block every website is potentially a fruitless game of "Whack-a-Mole". We can try forever to block or punish their behavior out of existence, but I don't think that in the end that will be the most productive use of our time nor will we be successful. Worse, that effort is likely to create an "us vs them" dynamic and then the game they will want to play is beating the adults! Rather than trying to find a cool website with games, the game itself will be defeating the computer security features. That is not a constructive dynamic, nor one which will ultimately support a positive learning environment.
This episode did give me a moment to pause and reflect on an idea to try and proactively better shape the trust dynamic with our students. In the coming days, I will be rolling out an proposal for a "Bright I.D.E.As" team of students. These Bright Internet and Digital Engagement Ambassadors will be a student focus group of sorts to better understand and meet the needs of our students vis a vis technology. We will utilize them to better understand and answer the questions:
What are students doing online with school devices that we want to increase, decrease, change, start, or stop?
Are there things that students currently want to do, but can't, that we might find a way to do without disrupting the learning environment? (Could there be a designated time where some game sites are available?)
How can we channel student interest in computers and computer science in ways that are productive?
By no means do I seek to reward behavior that is contrary to our code of conduct. However, just like we survey our students to find out what to offer in our ROAR store, we need to engage our students about their online habits. Members of this team will be chosen based parent consent, their own application, teacher recommendations, and a willingness to engage constructively with the school. No one will be taught ways to beat the system; rather, the goal is for the students to help the adults understand how we can ensure that our devices and their time on screens are productive and supportive of our ROAR expectations and their academic progress. We will seek their input on everything from access to devices and websites to social media- no one needs to be technologically advanced to participate, but rather only know and understand how tech affects them in their everyday life at school.
In a world where the internet is constantly evolving and our students rapidly adapt to these changes, we must be prepared to innovate to support and respond to these changes. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is futile. This Bright IDEAs team is meant to be an innovative way to try and address the situation.
I will be sharing more information about this idea in the near future- as it is still a new idea, please share your feedback! Stay tuned!
New Recess Striping and Flags
Last year we added a variety of equipment to our space. This Fall at the start of school, we had newly painted games on our blacktop. Now I am happy to report the next addition to our spaces to make kids excited about playings constructive games together. Over spring break, our buildings and grounds team painted a large soccer field and a football field on each of the fields adjacent to our school. Students are very excited at the look and feel of these fields as they seem more "official". Also, it will help to keep these games on a surface that is more forgiving than black top.
Additionally, to help with football- a popular activity in almost every recess- we are adding flags which will help students to be able to interact more safely as they play. Similar to the "tag" idea above, two-hand "touch" football can follow a similar course of events leading to conflict. By providing the proper equipment and set of expectations we hope to make recess as safe and fun as possible for our students. Check out Noah and Zamil in the video below as they help me to explain how to and how not to use our new flags.
Intermediate Hosts Sold Out Superhero Dance!
ClassDojo Bus Pilot Expanding to Three More Routes!
Spelling Bee! "Ayurvedic" is a word?!?!
Reaching for the Stars! Pathblazers Achievement Board Launches
If you are looking for a way to support your students' efforts on their MAP goals and (EARN MORE STARS!), Pathblazers is a great program to use. We are excited to invite you to sign up for our new PathBlazers Club. These sessions will include time with a certified teacher to facilitate their independent usage of PathBlazers. Further, based on their most recent MAP scores, the facilitators will be able to provide input to your student on what to focus on to help them surpass their Spring Growth Goal. Click on the included link to submit your interest. (Please note that you can register for multiple sessions per week).
Picnic Tables from Eagle Scouts!
I want to give one of our teachers, Laurel Wodrich a shout out for her help, including that of her nephew’s Eagle Scout Troop, to procure for us a wheelchair-accessible picnic table, but also refurbishing our existing picnic tables outside for our students! For those of you who have seen them previously, you will recognize immediately how much better they look. As you can see, the students are thrilled! Another great example of our collaboration with the community!
2nd Quarter PBIS Incentive
Elite 8 MAP Growth Goal Incentives Bracket
FY23 Intermediate Spring MAP Goal Challenge Update!
Thank you to everyone that submitted ideas for whole school incentives for when we achieve our MAP goals. There were so many creative and cool ideas. I narrowed the list down due to safety, cost, and appropriateness to 8 options. We have the potential to win 4 of them and possible get a bonus one too!
To help us decide which 4 out of the 8 suggestions that we will choose, you will get to vote in a series of head to head polls. Like a sports tournament, I have constructed a bracket to show how these contests will unfold.
We want to grow the number of students who meet their MAP goals by 3% in both Reading and Math for 4th and 5th Grade compared to last year. That makes for 4 separate goals- 4th Reading, 4th Math, 5th Reading, 5th Math. To be clear if we meet any one of these goals, then EVERYONE gets to participate in the incentive, not just that grade level.
Over the next two weeks, we will vote to narrow down the options in this bracket so that, by winter break, you will now all four of the potential incentives we will have. If we do not get all 4 then we will do the incentives in the order of their popularity within the Final Four (#1 would have received the highest vote total, #2 the second highest, and so on).
Check out the matchups below. Stay tuned for the first poll later today!
Pathblazers Club Coming Soon....
We have seen a tremendous uptick in the utilization of this program recently which means more time for more students to get differentiated supplemental instruction. Students can access this app through Clever. If you are looking for an easy way to support your student academically at home, ask them to use Pathblazers!
PTA Happenings: Holiday Shop and Upcoming Meeting!
Thank you so much to the PTA and all of our volunteers for an incredibly successful Holiday Shop experience this week! Over the course of 2 days, every student had opportunities to shop for gifts for their friends and family. We sincerely appreciate everyone's generosity with their time, support, and, of course, your money to support this endeavor.
4th Grade Concerts
Musical Audition Packets
Attention all students who like to sing and act. Audition forms are now available outside the library. The school musical will be Honk, Jr. the story of the ugly duckling. Please read Schoology Updates and pick up a form if you are interested in trying out for the musical on Dec 12, 13, or 14.
Fall Band Concert
Veterans' Day Ceremony
Students also read poems, essays, and personal statements about how impactful our armed forces have been in not only establishing our nation, but keeping it safe as a bastion of freedom and opportunity for the world. These writing contest winners were Ayeza Ahmed, Erin Colclasure, Ellyanna Engler, Alexandra Gaytan, Layla Robinson, Quinn Sandine, Sofia Santi, Isabelle Semler, and Olivia Shay
Alice @Wonderland Performances
Results of the Parent Survey
If you would like to add your voice and opinion to the survey, click here!
PS- I already took one of the suggestions and prominently featured our suggestion box at the top of the newsletter! We sincerely value your feedback, including when it's about how to provide feedback!
Restorative Practices
PBIS: Building Culture & Climate Improving in September
We believe that when students know what to do and are properly incentivize, it yields a positive learning environment for everyone. We are happy to say that as we look at our progress for the month of September, we see real progress over the this year and last by comparison to 2019 (recall that September 2020 was remote due to the pandemic). In 2019, we had 2.5 major offenses per day in September. This dropped to 2.19 per day last year, and fell even further to 1.76 per day this year! This represents a 30% decline in the most serious behaviors over the past two years. We hope to sustain and build on this progress both the rest of this year and into the future.
Free Little Libraries
Don't Forget to Read This Summer!
Woodland District 50 Teacher of the Year: Joe Rejczyk
PBIS Spring Challenge Winners Announced:
On Thursday, March 24, we announced 15 winners- five from each grade level-of our latest PBIS challenge. Winners will be able to go for two minutes inside our newly acquired “Cash Cube” when they return from spring break. While in the cube they will have the opportunity to grab roar cash, gift certificates, and other prizes. We will also be able to use our Cash Cube moving forward as a tool for other PBIS incentives moving forward.
Board of Education Meeting
Meeting Details:
The Woodland Board of Education will hold a Special Board Meeting on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022 at 3 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Educational Support Center (ESC) and the meeting will be streamed live on the district website.
Please note: The meeting starts at 3 p.m., but the first item on the agenda is a closed session. The public meeting will begin immediately following the closed session when the Board of Education returns to open session.
The Board invites members of the public to provide citizen statements in-person. To participate, please register in advance using this form (English / Spanish).
Watch: The meeting will be streamed live on the district website HERE
Agenda: View the Agenda HERE
Location: Woodland Educational Support Center, 1105 Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
Scholastic News Sparks Student Initiative
(The background is that with pre-packaged lunches due to COVID, it has been impossible to know which students would take a chocolate milk.)
Sparked by their enthusiasm, I have already had meetings with Arbor, our food service company, spoken with our Chief School Business Officer, and have placed this as an agenda item on the next District Principals Meeting Agenda. After all, it's only a matter of time before this cause surfaces at other schools too!!!
This whole episode is a great testament to the creativity and enthusiasm of our students and teachers to make our curriculum relevant to students' lives. I am very proud of students who are exercising their leadership, communication, and collaboration skills- all important for 21st century careers. Just had to share as it could be a great conversation topic with your student!
Educator Spotlight: Jennifer Silasiri
We sincerely appreciate Ms. Jennifer Silasiri, a fifth grade general education teacher, for her hard work, dedication, and creativity in sponsoring the annual Spelling Bee at Woodland Intermediate. From organizing individual homeroom procedures, lining up judges, and even getting students awards, she did it all when it came to the Spelling Bee.
All those who participated in the Final Spelling Bee received a 2022 Spelling Bee Finalist Award. In addition, the winners were each presented a trophy! One student will now represent Woodland Intermediate School in the Sectional Spelling Bee on February 16th. Should she not be able to make it, our school runner-up will represent our school instead.
Winner: Ayanna Carranza
Runner-Up: Viddharth SathishkumarWe sincerely appreciate Ms. Silasiri for all of her dedication to this great tradition.
Principals for a Day
100th Day of School February 8th, Poster Contest!
Reminders for Returning to School
PBIS Challenges
Educator Spotlight: Intermediate PE Department
Holiday Shop Success
Fourth Grade Music Concerts
PICTURES FOR SENIORS
4th & 5th Grade Musical Auditions: Into the Woods, Jr.
We are so blessed and lucky to have a such a creative and talented staff, including Andrea Little and April Cooksey, who are bringing you this year's 4th & 5th grade musical: Into the Woods, Jr.! Please see the included information packet regarding auditions which are scheduled December 13th-15th. In order to audition, students will need to have a completed permission slip which is part of the packet or it can be completed by following this link. Paper copies will be available to students in-person at school, too. Please be sure to review all of the information included in this packet to make sure you are informed about the commitment and expectations this activity involves. We know that this will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the arts and showcase ours students' talents.
Holiday Helpers Donation Week
Winter PBIS Challenge
Holiday Shop
Educator Spotlight: Emily Dorgan and January Muetz
PBIS Fall Challenge Conclusion!
Woodland District 50 COVID Vaccine Clinic
Woodland D50 is excited to bring optional vaccination clinics to our younger students now that the COVID19 Vaccine has been approved for 5-11 year olds. This is welcome news for many of our families who have been waiting for this added layer of protection for your child(ren). This is also good news for our school community as it will continue to enhance overall safety in our schools as more of our population is vaccinated.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) optional vaccination clinics will be held at Woodland Elementary on the following dates. Two doses are necessary for this vaccine and they are given three weeks apart. Please schedule an appointment for the 1st and 2nd dose using the links below. The vaccine is free.
1st Dose: Nov. 30 & Dec. 1, 3:30 - 8 p.m. Schedule 1st Dose Appointment
2nd Dose: Dec. 21 & Dec. 22, 3:30 - 8 p.m. Schedule 2nd Dose Appointment
Please note:
A parent or legal guardian must be present to give consent for a child to receive this vaccine. We ask that only one adult attend if possible to limit the number of people, and to help with social distancing.
There are many options for getting the vaccine through local pharmacies and other health partners, so you do not need to wait for this clinic. We are only providing this opportunity because we want to make scheduling this important safety measure as easy as possible for our learning community. If you have questions about the vaccine, please consult with your child’s pediatrician.
Resources:
Centers for Disease Control (CDC): COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
American Academy of Pediatrics: The Science Behind COVID-19 Parent FAQs
Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH): Vaccination Information for Young People FAQs
Annual Holiday Food Drive
Woodland D50 is once again calling on staff and families to help support the Annual Holiday Food Drive. Last year we served more than 150 families and distributed more than 200 coats through Operation Warm.
The annual food drive is the district’s way of bringing our community together and providing additional support to Woodland families during the holiday season. With your help we hope to collect food and raise money to assemble food packages and other needed items for our families.
There are several ways to participate!
Food Donations: Bring in your donations to school, or drop off your donations at the district office. Follow this guide to see what is needed: English / Spanish
Accepting Donations Now through Dec. 10!Financial Donations: Your donation will go toward purchasing food and other needed items for Woodland families. Please use this link to donate.
Receive a Food Package: Woodland families are invited to self-register if they wish to receive a food basket, or you can nominate a deserving family who may need support. Register Here.
Book with an Educator, Dec. 6: Woodland staff members will read their favorite books virtually in support of the annual food drive! Join us for a relaxing night in your pajamas and cozy up for a good book. You can listen to a story from any of our volunteers, from all of the buildings. Learn more: English and Spanish
Thank you in advance for supporting the Annual Holiday Food Drive. When we all come together to lift each other up, we are demonstrating what it means to be part of #LifeintheW!
Lunch Cool Tool: Use the time to eat, Stay in your seat, Keep your area Neat!
Additional Space for 4/5 Grade Volleyball Intramurals: Mornings 8:15-9:00am
Change in Winter Party Date
We are making a change to our internal calendar and moving our Winter Class Party from December 17th to December 22nd. Given that it is a shorter day, holding the party on this day is less disruptive to student learning. Furthermore, the day before a long break is the perfect time to celebrate!
SHIELD testing for Thanksgiving Week
We hope that everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving Break by continuing to observe the 3W's-washing hands, wearing masks, and watching your distance-to help keep COVID from spreading during the holiday season.
Thanksgiving Week Tech Support
Educator Spotlight: Pam Valkenaar
Annual Holiday Food Drive
Woodland D50 is once again calling on staff and families to help support the Annual Holiday Food Drive. Last year we served more than 150 families and distributed more than 200 coats through Operation Warm.
The annual food drive is the district’s way of bringing our community together and providing additional support to Woodland families during the holiday season. With your help we hope to collect food and raise money to assemble food packages and other needed items for our families.
There are several ways to participate!
- Food Donations: Bring in your donations to school, or drop off your donations at the district office. Accepting Donations Now through Dec. 10! Follow this guide to see what is needed: English / Spanish
- Financial Donations: Your donation will go toward purchasing food and other needed items for Woodland families. Please use this link to donate.
- Receive a Food Package: Woodland families are invited to self-register if they wish to receive a food basket, or you can nominate a deserving family who may need support. Register Here.
Thank you in advance for supporting the Annual Holiday Food Drive. When we all come together to lift each other up, we are demonstrating what it means to be part of #LifeintheW!
Questions: Please contact Yuliana Yucus at yyucus@dist50.net or (847) 596-5635.
PTA Updates
Signature Chocolate Fundraiser Pick Up - The pickup event for the Signature Chocolate Fundraiser Orders and Prizes will be on Friday 11/12 6-8pm and Saturday 11/13 8am-12pm at the Middle School. For more info, click here.
Spirit Wear - Final Days to get your Spirit Wear, the online shop must close on 11/14. https://woodlandwildcats.itemorder.com/ November PTA Meeting - Thursday 11/18 at 9:30 via Zoom. Register here to attend.
Educator Spotlight: Tina Jurkacek
Intramurals: 4th Grade Volleyball
Feedback on our Drills
I sincerely encourage you to speak with your students about safety in school during an emergency and to debrief these drills, especially the lockdown drill. In this instance, we conducted a "soft" lockdown which would be utilized to guard against either an external threat or an internal emergency. The internal emergency is the contingency that many forget when thinking about such a drill. For example, if someone suffered a heart attack in the hallway, we would go into a soft lockdown. This would help to ensure that students are safe and school could continue while emergency personnel would be able to get through the hallways quickly and safely. While the worst events often make the news, these drills are not just for those moments which are fortunately very rare statistically speaking.
Technology Check-In & Out
Salute to Service Week! November 8-12
Donations for Conference Dinners
In an effort to express our appreciation to our hard-working staff, the Intermediate School will be hosting two dinners for staff members that coincide with the nights of Parent Teacher Conferences. One will be held in November and the other will follow in March. We are requesting your support for these dinners.
This year, we are asking for donations to pay for the dinners. We will be providing a catered main course for the entire Intermediate staff, supported by your donated salads and desserts. If you choose to send a donation, we ask that you send cash or check made out to Woodland Intermediate School. Please send the donation in an envelope marked, Staff Conference Dinner, no later than Friday, November 12th. We will collect money one time only for both events. In order to plan appropriately, if you wish to make a dish or dessert, please bring it to school on the day you selected below.
Thank you in advance, for making these dinners very special for our well-deserving, dedicated staff. Again, please return your donation and/or completed form no later than Friday, November 12th. If you have any questions, you may call Michelle Mallari @ (847) 596-5909.
Please also see the included flyer for more details
Reminders: Halloween Safety & Conferences
If you plan to celebrate Halloween, here are some helpful health and safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics. We hope that you and your family are able to enjoy festivities safely. We know that this is often a very social time for our students. We appreciate your attention to masking, hand washing, and social distancing this weekend. Although COVID cases are on the decline in our state, we want to make sure it stays that way.
IMPORTANT PTA INFORMATION
"This year’s fall book fairs were successful. Primary
and Elementary book fairs were online. Primary
earned $155 in Scholastic Dollars, Elementary
East earned $221 in Scholastic Dollars and
Elementary West earned $302 in Scholastic
Dollars. The Intermediate book fair was in person
and had total sales of $18,990, earning $4,300
in profi t and $416 in scholastic Dollars."
Clubs and Intramurals
Awesome STEM Activity from Ms. Kaiser's Class
Students in Ms. Kaiser's class dissected squids! This activity is part of our Plant and Animal Structure Unit in science. The students previously read about squid and their internal and external structures. During dissection, the kids had diagrams to assist them in identifying external and internal structures. Mr. Rejczyk and and one of his students also joined Ms. Kaiser's class for the activity. This STEM activity was aligned with the common core standard: LS1.A: Structure and Function: Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1). Many other classes and grades will be doing similar dissections in the coming days and weeks! This is just one of the great hands-on learning activities that makes learning engaging and fun at Woodland Itermediate.
Red Ribbon Week! Don't Forget!!!
Hot Lunch, Cold Weather, & Truck or Treat!
WSRA Trunk or Treat - The PTA will be participating in the WSRA Trunk or Treat event on Sunday 10/24. There will be two separate sessions: 1:00-2:00pm or 2:30-3:30pm. There is a small $2 fee per trick or treater and registration is required to attend. See link for more info. https://woodland50pta.memberhub.com/sends/2fd0e4fb-8fd4-41b0-aad1-3b8ca3bca98e/view/
PBIS Incentives
This coming month, we have updated the challenge and the prizes! Please take a look at the video below to find out more details regarding our FALL PBIS Challenge running from Monday, October 18th through Friday, November 19th. Once again, we are challenging our students to make the best choices, but the potential prizes (did someone say Limo Ride?!) have definitely created a buzz with our students already. Fortunately, we were able to get Tom Cruise to shoot the video for us- check it out!
PTA Updates and Reminders
Signature Chocolate Fundraiser - Order Forms were due back at school on Friday 10/15. Online sales will stay open through 10/18. If you forgot to bring your order form to school we can accept them on Monday 10/18. Thanks for your support!
WSRA Trunk or Treat - The PTA will be participating in the WSRA Trunk or Treat event on Sunday 10/24. There will be two separate sessions: 1:00-2:00pm or 2:30-3:30pm. There is a small $2 fee per trick or treater and registration is required to attend. See link for more info. https://woodland50pta.memberhub.com/sends/2fd0e4fb-8fd4-41b0-aad1-3b8ca3bca98e/view/
Fall Fest Reminders
Please recall that while students are able to where costumes that day, we have strict guidelines relative to what is permissible at school.
Costumes must be worn over regular school clothes, in case the costume needs to be removed. Costumes must be worn to school. Teachers and staff will not be able to assist students with their costumes. No costume masks will be allowed as we need to ensure students are wearing appropriate face coverings over their mouth and nose at all times. No weapons, real or look-a-like, are ever allowed in school. Costumes are no exceptions. This includes items that are presumably easily identifiable as look alike, including colorful squirt guns. Nor will students be able to use costume accessories in inappropriate ways. For example, magic wands will be confiscated if they are used to poke, prod, or hit other students. No blood, gore, or simulated injuries are allowed. If a costume becomes disruptive to the educational environment such that instruction is interrupted, we will ask that students change out of their costume, even if it meets all of the guidelines above. Students will be asked to remove any part of or all of their costume in order to ensure compliance with all of the guidelines listed. Face paint and dyed hair is permissible provided it complies with all of the guidelines stated above. Students will not be permitted to go to the bathroom to either put on nor touch up any face paint nor hair dye during the day.
We understand that dressing up for many is part of the fun of the season. However, at school, we need to not only guard against the pandemic, but also take into account trauma-informed practices. For many of our students, depictions of violence are all too reminiscent of difficult moments in their lives. Additionally, in this era of shootings such as the one in Arlington, Texas recently, we must be forever vigilant that schools are never a place where any form of violence is acceptable. We believe these guidelines are in keeping with those ideals. Furthermore, students will have a further opportunity to dress up at home with your own family’s guidelines on Sunday, October 31st, if you so choose.
Red Ribbon Week!
Veterans' Day
Intramurals Updates
Earlier this week we provided additional information and directions for the pick-up and drop-off routines for Intramurals and clubs. I am including this information again here so that we can have the safest routine as possible. We appreciate that there may be some delay as students and parents learn this new routine; however, we want to make sure that everyone is safe during these moments of traffic in front of the school.
Choir begins on October 20th this week. Due to the overwhelming interest in this activity (we had 50 sign-ups in less than 45 minutes), we are including a Choir Interest Form. Please fill out this form if you are interested in choir and were not able to sign-up. Our Choir sponsors, Ann Souza and Ron Roth will reach out to these families with future choir opportunities, including additional sessions and openings.
Adapted PE Peer Buddy Program
Unfortunately, due to student scheduling, this program is only available to 5th grade Dual students at this time. We will look for opportunities in the future for more students to be able to participate in this program
More Intramural Opportunities on the way!
To that end, I am happy to announce that our Intermediate Choir will have sign-ups open on Tuesday, October 12th at 6 pm. We will send out a google form link via email to all families. Choir will be available in a Fall and Spring Session. To ensure equity, if the we will work to ensure the maximum number of people are able to participate over the course of the year. In other words, if there are too many people to accommodate everyone in the fall, then we will only allow people who were not in the Fall session to be in the Spring session.
Choir will be from 8:15-9:00 am in the Multi-Purpose Room at Intermediate. It will be held on Wednesday Mornings. It will be held on the following Wednesdays, prior to Winter Break: Wednesdays 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, 12/1, 12/8, 12/15
The final session will be a performance that will be recorded to be shared with the entire school community. Please see the included flyer.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gm0xR2k4BB43P1Q1NOs3uupqcxPfAJOP/view?usp=sharing
Fall Fest Party October 22nd
Costumes must be worn over regular school clothes, in case the costume needs to be removed. Costumes must be worn to school. Teachers and staff will not be able to assist students with their costumes. No costume masks will be allowed as we need to ensure students are wearing appropriate face coverings over their mouth and nose at all times. No weapons, real or look-a-like, are ever allowed in school. Costumes are no exceptions. This includes items that are presumably easily identifiable as look alike, including colorful squirt guns. Nor will students be able to use costume accessories in inappropriate ways. For example, magic wands will be confiscated if they are used to poke, prod, or hit other students. No blood, gore, or simulated injuries are allowed. If a costume becomes disruptive to the educational environment such that instruction is interrupted, we will ask that students change out of their costume, even if it meets all of the guidelines above. Students will be asked to remove any part of or all of their costume in order to ensure compliance with all of the guidelines listed.
We understand that dressing up for many is part of the fun of the season. However, at school, we need to not only guard against the pandemic, but also take into account trauma-informed practices. For many of our students, depictions of violence are all too reminiscent of difficult moments in their lives. Additionally, in this era of shootings such as the one in Arlington, Texas, we must be forever vigilant that schools are never a place where any form of violence is acceptable. We believe these guidelines are in keeping with those ideals. Furthermore, students will have a further opportunity to dress up at home with your own family’s guidelines on Sunday, October 31st, if you so choose.
October Incentives- Freeze Pops and more!
Recess Changes
Additionally, rather than assigning recess personnel to different zones of the playground, we are connecting them to specific homerooms. As you may know from your students, there are three zones in our play area- the blacktop, the field, and the playground- on each side of the building. Different equipment and games are available in each area. Students are divided into the regular groupings that rotate through those areas throughout the week. Instead of having personnel always be at one area as has been the prior practice, we are attaching them to specific homerooms. This will allow our staff to get to know the students and understand their specific needs as they play. Those recess staff members will follow thier homerooms as they rotate through the play areas throughout the week. This will allow the recess staff a better understanding of who can play well together as well as which students might need to play separately based on the prior days' and weeks' events. Furthermore, it will provide the teacher with a consistent point of communication about how recess went for their students, regardless of where the students were on the playground. This change is going into effect on Tuesday, October 12th
While these changes might be subtle, we have already seen a significant improvement in the quality of recess time for our students just with the increased support, oversight, and accountability provided by these modifications.
Library Grant for a Makerspace!!!
Ms. Campbell has not rested on her laurels at all. In fact, just this week we found out that she has successfully won a grant for more than $16,000 to create a Makerspace in our school to benefit our students! We will be working this year to plan, identify resources, and organize a space for this incredible new addition to our school to support STEM Education.
Congratulations Ms. Campbell, Again!!!
Assessments: MAP and IAR
This week 4th and 5th grade students will be taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) for the 2020-21 school year. These are online assessments of Math and English Language Arts. Districts were given the choice to administer this test during the normal window- Spring of 2021-or defer to this Fall. Woodland deferred to this Fall so 4th graders will be taking the 3rd grade assessment and 5th grade will be taking the 4th grade assessment as these were the grade levels they were in last year. If you are interested in more information pertaining to the special circumstances around this assessment for the 2020-21 school year, you can find out more on this Illinois State Board of Education webpage.
PICTURE DAY IS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th!
http://edclarkschoolphoto.hhimagehost.com/2021WoodlandIntFallPictureDay
Picture Ordering will close at 8am on picture day.
if you are having issues with the link copy and paste this into your browser:
https://AccessMyEvent.com/2KF3X0
And yes that's me, Principal Sheldon in 5th Grade, if I am not mistaken.
New Car Pick-Up/Drop Off Traffic Pattern
Illinois Assessment for Readiness (IAR) Testing from September 27-October 1st
As you may be aware, all students in Illinois in grades 3-8 take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) each spring. Due to the pandemic, this test was waived altogether in the 2019-20 school year. Last year, school districts were given the option to take the 2020-21 test either last spring or to delay it to this fall. Woodland District 50 decided to take last year’s test this fall. We are preparing to give this prior year’s assessment the week of September 27th-October 1st.
Due to the fact that this is last year’s assessment, students will be testing in their grade level from the prior year. For example, our current fifth graders will be taking the fourth grade test because they were in fourth grade during the 2020-21 school year. Our current third graders won’t be taking the test as they were in second grade last year and, therefore, are not eligible for the test.
There are testing sessions in both ELA and Math. Fourth and fifth grade students will participate in three testing sessions for each Math (60 minutes each) and two testing sessions for English Language Arts (ELA) (90 minutes each). The students will take the IAR assessment online using their Chromebook. As such, it is very important that your student comes to school each day with their Chromebook fully charged.
You can assist your student in performing his/her best on these tests by seeing that he/she is well rested, eats breakfast, and is in school on the scheduled dates. In the event of an absence during testing, every attempt will be made to arrange for testing on an alternate make-up date.
Please note that all of our students will be taking the 2021-22 IAR assessment- this year’s test- in the spring of 2022.
Please note that all of our students will be taking the 2021-22 IAR assessment- this year’s test- in the spring of 2022.
SHIELD Testing Update
You can change your child's status (opting in or opting out); however, we ask that you email an administrator directly about this change. If you go back through Family Access and change the original opt out letter, this does not change their status automatically. We need to manual change part of the student's profile in Skyward to ensure that, when the teacher checks whether or not the student will take the test, the student's profile accurately reflects their SHIELD status. Please feel free to reach out with questions or concerns regarding this process.
PBIS: ROARazon Store Opens!
Class Parties This Year
Curriculum Night: Monday, September 13 for all 5th Grade Families
We are asking that parents observe the following district requirements for this event:
Curriculum Night is in-person only (no Zoom option) and masks are required
Only one adult per child (appeals to this policy must be made to the principal only)
No children (students or otherwise) are allowed in the building during the event
Please RSVP using this link
Electronic Copies of All Materials will be available the morning of the event for all parents.
Student Engagement Spirit Week
Our school will be celebrating “Student Engagement Week” from September 13- 17, 2021. We want to celebrate and support students here at school and their caregivers that encourage them. The following is a schedule of activities that your child is invited to participate in during school next week. Help us build a culture of working toward goals and achievement with engagement!
You can find the details for each day by following this link!
Curriculum Nights
3rd Grade Dual & All 4th Grade on Thursday, September 9th from 6:30-8:00 pm
All 5th Grade on Monday, September 13th from 6:30-8:00 pmWe are asking that parents observe the following district requirements for this event:
Curriculum Night is in-person only (no Zoom option) and masks are required
Only one adult per child (appeals to this policy must be made to the principal only)
No children (students or otherwise) are allowed in the building during the event
Please RSVP using this link
Electronic Copies of All Materials will be available the morning of the event for all parents.
SHIELD Testing
Please be aware that when we begin SHIELD Testing, we expect to uncover positive cases. If your child tests positive, you will be contacted directly. If you see an increase in notifications sent home in the first few weeks of SHIELD Testing, please don't be alarmed. This doesn't mean that cases are spiking, it just means that we are finding the cases that would have gone undetected until those individuals began to show symptoms.
Students will be tested once a week through a saliva sample, and results will be available within 24-hours. This test will be done at no cost to the families or the school district.
Intermediate School will begin testing for those students who have not opted out on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. I have included a couple of videos for you, including one for the students and one for parents, so you can understand this process and what to expect from it.
For additional information and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit our website.
MAP Testing Begins This Week
Dear Woodland Families,
During the week of September 7, 2021, your student will have the opportunity to take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on a Chromebook to determine his/her instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year (and from year to year) in math and reading.
MAP Growth tests are unique in that they adapt to your student’s level of learning. If your student answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. This results in a detailed picture of what your student knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.
The scores from the September assessments will be shared in mid-October with each student’s family. We will also share information that will help you review your student’s scores and what they mean.
Remember, this is just one snapshot of your student’s abilities and we use a variety of other assessments to create a clear baseline of where your student is starting and we will project growth and work together towards those goals.
Advanced Academics Identification:
Please read this letter with information on how MAP is part of the Advanced Academics Identification Process.
How to Help at Home:
Please make sure your student is well rested and eats a healthy breakfast.
Talk to your student about taking his/her time and reading every question and answer choice carefully.
Make sure your student arrives at school on time.
Encourage your student to think positively and to try his/her best!
Scholastic Book Fair
It’s Book Fair time! We are so grateful to our Woodland PTA for their generous support of this awesome fundraiser for our school. A portion of every purchase is donated back to the school. The Scholastic Book Fair will run from September 7th through September 13th. All students students will be given the opportunity to shop with their homeroom teacher at school.
Acceptable forms of payment from the students are cash, check written to Woodland PTA, or student eWallet (see flyer). We will not accept credit cards from student shoppers.
The fair will also be open to families during Curriculum Nights on Thursday, September 9th for 3rd Dual and 4th grade, and again on Monday, September 13th for 5th grade. Credit cards will be accepted at this time. Volunteers are needed to help make the fair a success. If interested in helping during the week of the fair, please sign up at: https://signup.com/go/MbWLDNu If you don’t have time to visit the Book Fair, visit our online store at: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/woodlandintermediatesch
Suggestion Box Responses
Suggestion (received 8/30/21): "my child shared that they dont get to choose their lunch option (veg or non veg) rather only get what is available. in the morning could students select their preferred option so when they get to lunch, they can get their selected lunch option. could hand sanitizer also be accessible/passed out by lunch supervisors so they can clean their hands before eating. maybe it is there but think kids need to be told where it is."
Response: Students should be offered a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian option for every lunch. If that did not happen for your student, I apologize. Here is a link to the school lunch menus. Because these meals are bagged options and school meals are free this year, they are able to select as they walk into the cafeteria. Additionally, we have installed hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrances and exits of all spaces for eating. We have spoken to our lunch team and reiterated that students should be prompted to sanitize before eating and after in order to be safe and healthy.
Suggestion (received 8/30/21): "The virtual curriculum nights and parent teacher conferences seemed to work well last year. Could you consider doing that again as a district this year? It would be safer for all and allow both parents to attend instead of only 1. Or if it is in person, could you consider having 2 offerings or staggered times so both parents can attend/less traffic/congestion in the parking lots and can park legally?"
Response: We have worked hard to incorporate as many mitigation strategies as possible for our in-person curriculum nights to safeguard everyone's health. We recognize that there are pros and cons to any setup of this event. Due to the number of presentations that some parents need to attend (e.g. advanced math) in addition to their homeroom, any staggering of the event, would effectively create a second curriculum night. Given our collective bargaining agreement, this is not only not possible, but also is understandably a substantial time commitment for our faculty and staff.
Relative to Parent Conferences, more information will be sent out to families closer to that event, including the steps being taken to mitigate COVID transmission and crowding.
FREE PTA Kona Ice Truck Event: Saturday, August 28th from 10 am to 1 pm
Curriculum Night Reminders and Guidance
- This is a parent event only. No students or other children should be in attendance.
- We are asking every family to only have one person attend, if possible, in order to limit the number of people in a classroom or school.
- All parents must wear a mask and please stay 6ft apart, as much as possible, from our staff and other parents.
- If you have any symptoms of Covid-19, please do not attend.
Please reach out with any questions you have ahead of these events.
Transportation Updates
- Car Riders: All car riders will enter and exit through the front door of the school. We want to limit the amount of walking that students have to do when they get out of the car. Additionally, the flow of students has been very manageable for social distancing. Finally, when the weather changes we want to avoid longer walks in the rain or snow and ice for safety and comfort of our students.
- Pick-Up Barricades: The pick up barricades by the district office may not always be set-up, but please remember for pick-up you should always use the access road adjacent to the church for safety's sake.
- Drop-Off Using the Line: Please do not park and walk students between cars to the front door unless absolutely necessary. It is much safer to let students exit the car in the drop off line using the passenger-side door, than to walk them across the street and in-between cars that are entering and exiting the drop-off line. We appreciate your help with this matter.
The My Stop APP: Explanation and Directions for Use
According to our transportation department:
"The app doesn’t work when the buses are off. IDOT and Woodland policy is that buses are to be off when loading and unloading students. When we turn the buses off, the app doesn’t show location of the buses. Once they start their route in the first start location on their route, then the app then tracks the bus for them. If buses have to Detour in a different direction, the app may alert parents that the bus is off route. There is also a 30-second delay. The app does not have a refresh function. The way to refresh the app is to switch back and forth between their students. If they only have one student, then they either must log out and log back in or they can close their phone or go to another app after the screen goes black and open it back up. The app does not allow to have the app open continuously, as it will not update. Drivers have no control or even know where the GPS location device is on their bus."
I hope that this information is helpful in explaining some of the issues you have encountered with this app.
Remind App
IMPORTANT NEW FORMS ON FAMILY ACCESS: SELF-CERTIFICATION & SHIELD TESTING
Self-Certification: If you participated in Hybrid Learning last year, you'll remember that you had to sign a symptom certification card each day to certify that your student was symptom-free. This year we are streamlining the process and we are requiring all students to have a Safe Learning Environment Agreement Form completed in Skyward. This is a ONE-TIME agreement that parents/guardians will sign to acknowledge that they agree not to send their child to school when they have any of the COVID-19 symptoms. Login to Skyward Family Access and complete the form before the first day of school.
Shield Testing: If you are allowing your child to participate in SHIELD testing, no further action is required. If you do NOT want your child to participate in SHIELD testing, you must complete the opt-out form. If you opt-out, you will not be eligible to participate in Test to Stay with SHIELD testing, you will have to quarantine if you are identified as a close contact. For more information on SHIELD Testing, click on this link.
INTERMEDIATE COVID MITIGATION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please continue to reach out with questions and concerns. I will do my best to provide you with most detailed answers that I can.
MEET AND GREET WITH TEACHERS/SCHOOL SUPPLY DROP-OFF TUESDAY, AUGUST 24TH 2-4 PM
All 3rd Graders 2:00-2:40 pm
All 4th Graders 2:40-3:20 pm
All 5th Graders 3:20-4:00 pm
If you are looking for information on school supplies, you can click on this link for lists by grade level.
DETAILS ON LUNCH SERVICE THIS YEAR
TRANSPORTATION, LANYARDS, AND DROP-OFF/PICK-UP TIMES
In your welcome packets, you will find a lanyard of a specific color (red, green, purple, etc). This lanyard serves two important purposes. First, we hope students will clip their masks to the lanyard so they do not get lost or dirty when they are removed for lunch and recess. Secondly, the color of the lanyard corresponds to the colors marked on the entrances of the building which students will use, as we did last year.
With respect to drop-off times, we ask that student (unless you are dropping off with the Champions program) are not dropped off to school prior to 9:00 am, the start of breakfast and supervision. Students should arrive to school no later than 9:20 am which is the start of academic instruction. For pick-up, we will be calling busses and CurbSmart pick-ups at 3:55 pm, the end of the school day.
5th Grade Beginning Band Information
5th Grade Beginning Band Information
Band is an optional class for any 5th grade student at Woodland. If you are interested in joining us this year for band, please visit our website for up to date information.
https://sites.google.com/dist50.net/woodlandintermediateband/home
Then join us for our required band parent meeting which will be live-streamed on Thursday, August 26th at 6:30PM. (Meeting will be available to view afterwards if you are unable to watch live) Live-stream link will be shared in advance of the meeting and posted on our band website.
Band sign-ups will be open immediately following the parent meeting,
and will end on Friday, Sept. 3rd.
Contact the band directors with any questions.
Mrs. January Muetz- jmuetz@dist50.net
Mrs. Emily Dorgan- edorgan@dist50.net
Transportation Information
With the return to in-person instruction this year, we anticipate the need to refine and clarify our transportation procedures. Given that the number of students attending each day compared to the end of last year, we will be using both parking bays next to the school playgrounds (East and West) for school buses to pick-up and drop-off students. You can still sign up for bus transportation to eliminate any potential wait times. Click on this link to access the transportation department's website.
Additionally, we anticipate an increased number of parents opting to drive their students each day. This increase in traffic necessitates a plan for the safe movement of students, both in terms of social distancing and traffic flow. The included pictures detail the procedure for pick-up and drop off procedures for cars only. You will need your current CurbSmart placard in order to avoid having to park and wait for identification verification (requires a photo ID).
Here is more detailed information on CurbSmart and visuals of the pick-up/drop-off process.
Drop-Off Procedure for Cars Only (AM)
Pick-Up Procedure for Cars (PM)
Facebook Live: Information on COVID & the Start of School
I know many of you are curious as to the particulars of how students' classrooms, the cafeteria, and other spaces will look. First of all, rest assured that we are following all of the latest guidance regarding the mitigation of COVID. Safety has been and continues to be our highest priority as a school. I will continue to provide additional updates regarding this topic with any new or updated information. Also, stay tuned to this newsletter and our social media for pictures of the inside of the building that will help you visualize our social distancing protocols. You can see these in-person if you are able to attend our Meet and Greet with the teachers on August 24th.
Meet the Principal
As I am new to both the district and the school, I very much want to have as many chances to get to know everyone. To that end, I am happy to announce that I have added some opportunities for you to connect with me.
First, as you may recall from our Welcome Back Letter, Popsicles with Principals is on August 19th at 1 pm on the West Playground. However, I know that many parents work or have other commitments during the day. Therefore, I will also be holding an optional Zoom Meet and Greet from 6-7 pm on Thursday, August 19th. Additionally, I want to make sure that everyone is as comfortable as possible conversing with me, including families whose primary language is Spanish. I will be hosting a drop-in Spanish-Language Meet and Greet on Friday, August 20th from 2-3 pm at Intermediate West Playground. While my Spanish isn't perfect, I am excited to speak to our Spanish-only parents too in their first language! Hopefully, you will be able to make one or more of these events, as you are able.
August 19th Popsicles with the Principal 1-3 pm Intermediate West Playground
August 19th Zoom Meet and Greet. (Registration Required-click on link)
August 20th Spanish-Language Meet and Greet 2-3 pm Intermediate West Playground
Help the District with a Welcome Back Video!
We are making a group video to Welcome Everyone Back to School and we need your help. Please add your own video message (it's quick & easy) and you'll be part of a memorable surprise. What does #LifeintheW mean to you? Tell us about a special teacher, your favorite subject or let us know what your are most looking forward to this year. Thank you!
Follow this link for more information about this fun opportunity!
Medicine Drop Off
Our goal is to keep your child healthy and learning in school! We need your assistance to ensure we have the required documentation and medication to respond to your child’s health needs by the first day of school.
Medication Drop Off Days
- August 18: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- August 19: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
You can find more information by clicking on this link for a letter from our health professionals.
Meet Our New Assistant Principal, Mrs. Michelle Mallari!
Mrs. Mallari joins Woodland School District 50 after spending 19 years at River Trails School District 26 in Mt. Prospect, IL. She taught both fourth and fifth grades and has 12 years of experience building the MTSS program in her previous district as a reading specialist and intervention specialist. Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Mallari served on school and district level committees, including Curriculum, Problem-Solving, Assessment, and RtI committees. Most recently, she helped develop the District MTSS Guidelines and served on the Diversity and Equity Leadership Team.
Mrs. Mallari earned her BA in Elementary Education from Northeastern Illinois University, MA in Reading Education from Concordia University, and MA in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
As a mother of three children, she and her husband spend many evenings and weekends at piano lessons, soccer games, and baseball games. In her free time, Mrs. Mallari volunteers at the public library, the local food pantry, and tries to stay active by going on family bike rides or at the gym.
Assistant Principal Mallari believes that building positive relationships and connections with students, staff, and the community are essential in fostering a respectful and trusting community of learners.
Stay in touch with us in Multiple Ways!!!
Remind: Have you ever wanted to TEXT your principal? Well, now you can!!! I have created a Remind account that will allow you text with me without either of us having to share our phone numbers. You do not even need the app to do this! You can either click on this link or Text the message @7k6a7c to the number 81010. Only I will see your messages and know you are on remind. Parents cannot use remind to connect with other parents.
Website: If you haven't done so recently, please navigate to our school's website. I am working hard to make sure that this is a robust and up-to-date source of information for our stakeholders. Additionally, I have added a suggestion box to solicit your ideas on how we can get better every way on every day. Certainly, you can email me or get in touch in another way, but I want you to have as many productive avenues, including anonymous ones, to reach out as possible.
Family Access, Class Schedules, and Parent Requests
Rest assured that we have carefully considered all parent and student feedback with respect to placement in classes that we received both last spring and over the summer. To the greatest extent that is feasible, given the complexity of school schedules, we placed students where we believe they will most successful. I believe that the vast majority of families will be thrilled with their class assignments and classmates. As I know you all understand, I cannot make any promises with respect to any particular request that we previously received. It would be unfair to promise to one family what I cannot guarantee to all. I appreciate your patience and understanding regarding the fact that we have to balance a myriad of factors when creating class lists, including specific requests we have received.
Bus Transportation Still Available! Changes to Pick-Up Procedure Coming....
With the anticipated return of in-person instruction, we will be revising our pick-up and drop-off procedures. Buses will be using both the East and West Parking lots given the return of an increased number of students (last year one lot was used for parents' car pick-up and the other for buses). Parents choosing to drop-off or pick-up their students individually via car will do so in front of the school. We are creating detailed procedures and visuals to help everyone to understand the flow of traffic and minimizing wait times for cars. These will be available and distributed in the coming days. There should be no additional wait times for bus riders.
About Principal Sheldon
As your new principal, one of my highest priorities this year is promoting clear and consistent communication between all stakeholders in our school community. This newsletter is one important channel that we will be using for that purpose.
Email: tsheldon@dist50.net
Website: https://www.dist50.net/Page/1778
Location: 1115 Hunt Club Road, Gurnee, IL, USA
Phone: 847-344-4121
Twitter: @IntMrSheldon
