Coffee & Conversation!
Dr. Machak invites you to stop by the district office for a casual conversation and a cup of coffee after you drop your student off at school. There is no formal agenda. This is an open house format designed to be social. Ask questions, share feedback, or simply visit with other Wildcat families.
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026
Time: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Location: Woodland's Educational Support Center, 1105 Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
Not Able To Attend? Share Your Voice Here!
Community Voice Suggestion Box - https://forms.gle/5FzYbRxddHZWDPch9
RSVP to Yuliana Yucus at yyucus@dist50.net

Ms. Quinn and Ms. Newman are Building Thinking Classrooms at Woodland Intermediate! Watch as Ms. Quinn's Challenge Math students work in small groups to solve a complex problem using teamwork, collaboration, and the encouragement to take risks.
With this model, students jump right in and start "thinking" even if they aren't sure what to do or how to solve it yet. They aren't completing steps or following directions, they are noticing patterns, testing new ideas, and making connections in order to figure out what to do next.
The students are given a prompt and a few reminders and then they set out to solve the problem.
Reminders:
Everyone contributes (pass the marker)
Take turns
All ideas are good ideas
Be supportive
They are even encouraged to learn and take inspiration from the work they see happening in the other groups. Knowledge is shared!
#LifeintheW

Please help us welcome two new team members to Woodland!

• Mr. Brian Todorovic - Data Analytics Manager
• Ms. Abby Dixon - Social Worker at Woodland Intermediate

We are so excited to have you both on the Woodland team! This is #LifeintheW

Please help us welcome two new team members to Woodland!
• Mr. Michael Brierton - Physical Education Teacher at Woodland Intermediate
• Mr. Quintin Fiala - Physical Education Teacher at Woodland Elementary
We are so excited to have you both on the Woodland team! This is #LifeintheW

A huge thank you to our AMAZING bus drivers for keeping "cool" 😎 in these hot temperatures! We appreciate you! #LifeintheW

WEDNESDAY: Team Up for Good Attendance - Wear your favorite sports team shirt or colors!
Looks like a few of the students in Ms. Beaudry's class will be cheering for the Bears this football season.
This week we are kicking off Attendance Awareness Month with a districtwide spirit week. Increasing overall student daily attendance is one of the three main goals of the Woodland Board of Education.
It's not too late to participate!
🦸‍♂️ THURSDAY: Favorite Character Day (Wear a shirt with your favorite character or colors)
💚🐯 FRIDAY: Be Present Be Proud Day (Wear green & white or Woodland spirit wear)

Please help us welcome two new team members to Woodland!
• Ms. Valerie James - 1st Grade Teacher at Woodland Elementary
• Ms. Danielle Dechter - 3rd Grade Teacher at Woodland Elementary
We are so excited to have you both on the Woodland team! This is #LifeintheW

It’s Spirit Week at Woodland!
We are celebrating Attendance in the W all week long. Attendance matters and showing up every day makes a difference in out students’ learning, growth, and success.
If you need a little inspiration for what to wear each day, check out what our Family Coordinators would wear to show their spirit!
Keep showing up, Wildcats!
#AttendanceWorks #LifeintheW #YourPresenceMatters

A fun lesson about Inferencing!
There was a disaster in the classroom, and Ms. Sellers and her students had to get to the bottom of the mystery. They had to use the evidence they found, background knowledge, and personal experiences to come to a conclusion. #LifeintheW

Safety in the W! It is very important to go over safety procedures and conduct safety drills at the beginning of the school year. This week, students went over how to evacuate through the back of the bus in the event of an emergency. Thank you to the Transportation team for providing guidance, and helping our students and teachers practice!
Here are just a few photos from the bus evacuation drill at Elementary and Intermediate.

Intermediate Wildcats are here and ready to ROAR! Here's to an amazing year in the W!

Happening Now! Intermediate’s Sneak Peek is welcoming our students and families back for the new school year. Students are dropping off supplies, seeing their classrooms, and meeting their teachers! 💚🐯

Welcome back to our amazing staff and dedicated team members–both new and returning! Thank you for joining us this morning as we kicked off the new school year together. It was so exciting to see our staff back together, connecting with one another, and ready to celebrate the exciting year ahead!

Stay connected to District News, Events, Information, and Reminders with the Woodland ROAR Report. This is the weekly district newsletter. Look for it by email or text every Friday morning during the school year.
Here is the Aug. 7 edition - https://app.smore.com/n/mqnpy
Find a greeting from Dr. Machak, information about finding your child's teacher assignment in Skyward Family Access after 3 p.m. today, and transportation information for the first few days of school.
(If you did not receive the ROAR Report by text or email this morning, please reach out to Brooke Hagstrom at BHagstrom@dist50.net to make sure your contact information is correct in our system.)
#LifeintheW

Welcome New Wildcats! 🐯💚
There is so much happening at Woodland as we make our way closer to the start of school. Our newest #LifeintheW team members officially kicked off the school year at New Teacher Orientation today. These Wildcats connected with district and school leaders, signed in to their district devices, met their mentors and new coworkers, and got excited for the new school year. We are so excited to have these educators as part of our learning community!

We are back in the Educational Support Center!
After a temporary relocation due to construction, parking lot and building projects, we are back in our permanent home. We had a great summer at the Middle School, but it feels good to be back in our offices again.
The move is currently underway so there may still be some delays in response as we unpack our boxes. There is also still a bit of work to complete and the parking lot isn't completely done yet, so we ask you to pardon our dust just a few more days!
Looking forward to the school year! In case you missed it, we launched Back to School Communication on Friday.
B2S newsletter - https://app.smore.com/n/1qk7v4
B2SHQ page - https://www.dist50.net/page/back-to-school-headquarters

Back to School Communication Starts NOW!
Here is the welcome newsletter from the District: https://app.smore.com/n/1qk7v4
Visit the Back to School HQ page on the website for all the information you need in ONE spot: https://www.dist50.net/page/back-to-school-headquarters
We are looking forward to a fantastic school year with you and your Wildcats! #LifeintheW
You should have received an email and text alert this afternoon with a link to the welcome newsletter. If you did NOT receive this alert, please reach out to Brooke Hagstrom at BHagstrom@dist50.net so that we can verify that your contact information is showing up correctly in our messaging system and troubleshoot.

This week some of our team members attended the STRIVE for Success Autism Training Series with Easterseals. Participants were excited to walk away with practical strategies and a personalized toolkit to take back the classroom. The energy in the room was fantastic!
Thank you for taking time during your summer break to engage in meaningful professional development on behalf of our students! #LifeintheW

Please join us in providing a warm Wildcat Welcome to several new Woodland bus drivers! Today the Transportation Team held an onsite orientation and training for new drivers. We are so excited to have you join the #LifeintheW team! 💚