Woodland School District 50

Smile - Staff Selfie Challenge!!! We asked Woodland staff members to send in happy moments throughout the month of May to capture the last few weeks of school. Ms. Sanchez and Ms. Kelley on a field trip with their students to Prairie Grass Nature Museum! Thank you for sharing this happy moment from Elementary 💚

You’ve seen the newsletters and watched the videos—but maybe you’re still unsure what the Parent Mentor Program really is. Maybe your child has mentioned a parent mentor in their classroom, or you’ve heard about one nearby, but you’re not exactly sure what they do. If you’ve been looking for a way to get more involved in your student’s school but aren’t sure where to begin, this is a great place to start! Join us for a virtual Town Hall on May 14 from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. to learn more about the Parent Mentor Program. Now going into its fourth year, this quick and informative session will give you a clear understanding of how the program works and how you can be part of it. For more information on this program and the link to the meeting contact Tanya Abbey at tabbey@dist50.net

Happy Nurses Day to our amazing Woodland Health Teams! We’re so grateful for your compassion and the care you provide every day to keep our Wildcats safe and healthy. Thank you for all that you do! #LifeintheW

Smile - Staff Selfie Challenge!!! We asked Woodland staff members to send in happy moments throughout the month of May to capture the last few weeks of school. Here is a photo of Mrs. Berryman and her class getting ready to go on a Field Trip to the Dream Playground in Kenosha. She said it was a "Great day, great ROAR behavior from her students, and a great example of #LifeintheW 🤩" Thank you for sharing this happy moment from Elementary!

Making Mickey Mouse pancakes in cooking class at WMS! Who’s hungry?! #LifeintheW

Happy Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week! We are so thankful for all of our Woodland teachers and staff for their hard work, dedication, and tireless commitment to our students and families. Thank you for everything you do for our learning community! Let's take a moment to give a huge shout-out to the educators, support staff, and all the behind-the-scenes heroes who go above and beyond every day. You make a difference in more ways than you know! #LifeintheW

This week, students at Intermediate were visited by Mr. Andy from the Farm Bureau. He talked to the students about the importance of nutrition and how different types of foods fuel our bodies in different ways. Students learned about the 5 different components of nutrition: Fruits, Grains, Vegetables, Dairy and Protein. Mr. Andy explained how each food group plays a unique and vital role in supporting our health—from building strong bones with dairy to boosting energy with grains and supporting muscle growth with protein. To bring this lesson to life, students built a giant, nutritious pizza together! Veggies for toppings, cheese for dairy, pepperoni for protein, a whole grain crust, and even fruit (Tomatoes are fruit!) The real takeaway from this presentation? Pizza is the perfect food for a balanced diet! Thank you Mr. Andy and the Farm Bureau for sharing your expertise with our Wildcats!

Lake County Forest Preserve in-house field trip at WMS! The students learned about reptiles and amphibians through hands-on activities. The instructor explained how specialized body parts help them grow and survive in this area. After learning about the different characteristics, the students were able to observe live animals and practice classifying them as either reptiles or amphibians. #LifeintheW

Proud Parents at WMS participating in Decision Day in support of their kids! These staff members have graduating seniors heading off on grand adventures in the fall. Congratulations to your kiddos!

Volunteer Appreciation Event at Woodland Elementary! The students in 1st - 3rd grade have so much support throughout the year from our community. They spend time with High School Mentors from Warren Township High School, Senior Readers from Warren Township Center, and One Hope United Volunteers. The volunteers often help by practicing skills in small groups or one-on-one. They work on reading, writing, and math, but they are also building relationships and practicing social skills. Both the students and the mentors light up when they see each other, and our students made thoughtful gifts and cards for their special people to show them how much they care! #LifeintheW At the event, Dr. Machak provided welcome remarks, Ms. Sauvé & Ms. Spillane explained the impact of the programs and handed out certificates, and everyone watched a video together of cherished memories from the year. THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!! https://www.canva.com/design/DAGknRyWQRU/7tjIU_eUflYIZs7a3D59cw/edit?utm_content=DAGknRyWQRU&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Thank you to the Grayslake Central Rambassadors for visiting with WMS 8th graders that will be attending Central next year! They did some fun icebreaker activities, discussed students' questions/concerns and highlighted the awesome things that are available at Central. The Rambassadors even brought some Central swag for the students!

The Village of Gurnee Teacher of the Year/Staff of the Year Winners from Woodland are... 👏👏👏 Announcement: https://secure.smore.com/n/j5sydb 💚 Woodland's Teacher of the Year: Ricardo Gómez Pimentel, 4th Grade Dual Language Teacher at Woodland Intermediate 💚 Woodland's Staff Member of the Year: Amanda Medina, Dispatcher, Woodland Transportation Thank you to all who submitted nominations as part of the annual contest. This is something we look forward to every year. NEXT STEPS: The two district winners (along with the winners from Warren D121 & Gurnee D56) will be recognized at the Village of Gurnee Board Meeting on May 5. The Woodland winners and finalists will then be recognized by the Woodland D50 Board of Education at the May 22 meeting. Read the full announcement for photos and additional information about the winners and the other finalists.

Middle School is ready to tackle an all-new intramural program this spring: Girls Flag Football! This is a very exciting addition to WMS intramural lineup and has generated a lot of buzz throughout the school. The roster is full, enthusiasm is running high, and students and coaches are excited for this season. Flag Football is a great way for these Wildcats to have fun, stay active, and make new friends in the W. We can’t wait to see how this season goes and how Flag Football will continue to grow at WMS.

Welcoming Future Wildcats at Kindergarten Information Night at Woodland Primary! 💚🐯 Thank you to our incoming Kindergarten families for joining us at Kindergarten Information Night. Starting kindergarten is a significant milestone, and at Woodland Primary, our staff takes on this milestone with enthusiasm, care, and commitment to supporting our youngest learners as they start their education. Incoming Kindergarten parents/guardians heard from teacher panels, middle school students, and administrators to get answers to their questions in preparation for this exciting new chapter. We are here to help every step of the way and look forward to partnering with new families during your time at Woodland.

It was fun seeing all the amazing photos from Warren Township High School Live Arts Festival over the weekend. Here are a few photos from the event featuring Woodland artists. Such talented young artists in our community - WOW 🤩 We heard of at least two special recognitions from the event. Congrats to Emma for her 2nd place overall finish in the 1 -3 grade category, and to Zoe for winning the Mayor's Choice Award!

Technology Volunteers Needed This Summer! Did you know that a school district is a busy place in the summer? While teachers and students are on summer break, many district employees will be on site to get ready for the 2025-2026 school year! From technology updates and facility improvements, to planning for new initiatives, summer is an important time to make sure everything is ready to support students and staff when they return. This is where you come in! The Tech Team is looking for volunteers to help with the following: 🤩 Unboxing Chromebooks - a fleet of 1,000 Chromebooks need unboxing 🤩 Enrolling & Updating - All Chromebooks, new and already in use, will need to be enrolled and updated 🤩 Building Charging Carts - Chromebook charging carts need to be built for our schools No experience is necessary. Service hours available upon request. https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLScNHaoktLJ9ba.../viewform Questions? Please email Mrs. Reyes at mreyes@dist50.net or call her at 847-596-5676.

Celebrating 12 Years of Woodland’s Dual Language Immersion Program! This year marks an incredible milestone: Woodland’s first Dual Language students are graduating from high school! We are thrilled to have been part of these students’ academic and bilingual journeys—from their first steps in the program to this amazing achievement. This celebration is a tribute to the dedication, perseverance, and passion of everyone involved—our students, families, teachers, and staff. From the program’s humble beginnings to now, in 110 classrooms and serving more that 1,300 students, the Dual Language Immersion Program stands as one of Woodland’s proudest accomplishments. Today we honor the past, celebrate the present, and look ahead with excitement as we continue to support and grow this transformative program for current and future Woodland students. Watch our Dual Language Celebration Video NOW! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMfG2rSzprw

Woodland Board of Education News! On Thursday, April 24, 2025 the Woodland Board of Education held its April Governing Board Meeting and a Special Organizational Meeting to welcome new board members after the April 1 Election. The Board welcomes three new members, Julia Plescia, Keri Rasmussen, and Joel Zwiefelhofer who were elected to the Board in April. Dr. Carla Little was also sworn in after being re-elected to the Board to serve another term. Brianna Powvens, Amy Sabor, and Gari Matsey were not up for re-election this year and their service to our learning community continues. At the special reorganization meeting, the Board of Education selected new officers to leadership positions. Woodland D50 Board of Education Officers: • Brianna Powvens, President • Amy Sabor, Vice President • Joel Zwiefelhofer, Secretary Best Wishes to Members Leaving the Board: • Anna Bennett • Corey Holmer • Renea Amen Thank you for your service to our learning community! The Board also celebrated the WMS Science Olympiad Team, the annual Illinois Principals Association Student Leadership award winners, and Woodland’s Dual Language Immersion Program. Finally, Mrs. Katie Satterlee joins the WMS team to fill an Assistant Principal vacancy. For full details, see the weekly newsletter: https://secure.smore.com/n/80vkz

Today, we celebrated the perfect pairing of Earth Week and Volunteer Week at Primary! Parent volunteers joined our teachers to help our littlest Wildcats bring their creativity to life by making class handprint flowers outside their classroom. These volunteers helped each student pick a color, paint their hand, and press it onto the wall to form the petals of a special, one-of-a-kind class flower. (And an extra big thank you for making sure the paint stayed only on the walls!) It was messy work, but we are incredibly grateful for our parent volunteers who bring energy, patience, and big hearts into our schools. We couldn’t do it without you!

Congratulations to this group of incredible Wildcats for being recognized as Illinois Principals Association (IPA) award recipients! Two winners from each school were recognized at the annual awards breakfast for going above and beyond to serve their school community. This event allows for school leaders to celebrate positive student leadership with the student as well as their families. Thank you to this group of students for representing our district at this event. We are so proud of you! #LifeintheW