The Board of Education approved the hiring of Ms. Nicole “Niki” Scofield as the new principal of Woodland Primary upon the retirement of Mrs. Anderson at the end of the 2024-2025 School Year. Ms. Scofield comes to Woodland with nine years of primary and elementary school level administrative experience, including serving the past five years as the Teaching and Learning Coordinator, the Director of Early Childhood programming, and the Director of the Extended School Year program in North Shore School District 112. Ms. Scofield previously served as an instructional coach in Buffalo Grove and as an elementary school principal in the Gavin School District in Ingleside. She is excited to join the #LifeintheW team starting on July 1, 2025.
Ms. Scofield’s experiences as a school and district leader include leading both monolingual and dual language early childhood programs. In doing so, she focused on creating engaging curricula that aligned with the developmental needs of young learners, ensuring a strong academic and social-emotional foundation for success in Kindergarten and beyond. Ms. Scofield engaged teachers, staff, parents, and community partners to create vibrant and supportive learning environments for all of her students.
In his remarks at the January Board of Education Meeting, Dr. Machak explained that “Niki’s background, professional experience, and administrative successes helped her stand out as the candidate best prepared to support the hard work of the Primary School teachers and staff. I am confident that she will uphold the unique responsibilities the Primary School holds as the gateway to the Woodland School District and the formal education process for most of our students and families.”
Ms. Scofield will be a fierce advocate for the needs of the district’s youngest learners. Throughout the interview process, she demonstrated her ability to build strong relationships, connect with students and families, and use student assessment data to inform decisions about programming.
Ms. Scofield shared, “I am truly excited to begin this new chapter in my career, working alongside dedicated educators and passionate families to inspire and nurture our youngest learners. Together, we will create a supportive environment where every child is given the opportunity to grow, explore, and reach their full potential.”
While Ms. Scofield’s official start date as Principal will be Tuesday, July 1; she is already working with Mrs. Anderson to schedule times to visit Primary School to start to get to know our students, parents, staff, and community.