Middle School

The Woodland D50 Board of Education will meet on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. Please see the Meeting Information & Agenda HERE: https://secure.smore.com/n/75znf Thank you!

There was a great turnout at the January BPAC Meeting last week! Thank you to the families who joined us on a chilly January evening to learn more about Food and Nutrition. We also want to express our appreciation to the Woodland teachers and the Warren Township High School student volunteers from AVANZA for the fun activities you planned for the kids in attendance. Local businesses donated food and raffle prizes, community organizations shared resources, and Tobias the Comfort Dog was there for all the fun too. The next meeting will be March 12, and the topic will be Mental Health. https://www.dist50.net/o/dist50/page/bpac

Due to updated information from the National Weather Service, Woodland D50 will be switching to an eLearning Day for Tuesday, Jan. 21. https://secure.smore.com/n/wf1br Thank you for your flexibility as we respond to this round of winter weather. Please note, this message went out as an email, text message and robocall. If you are a district staff member or a parent/guardian of a Woodland student and you did not receive this notification, please email BHagstrom@dist50.net.

Good evening, Here is a message from Woodland D50 about the status of schools for Jan. 21, 2025. Woodland will be open for normal operations. https://secure.smore.com/n/fyw4ph Thank you.

Mr. Golwitzer’s English class worked on creating descriptive sentences. They began by researching a prominent person in history, sports, pop culture, or media. After gathering key information about their chosen person, students worked on crafting detailed and descriptive sentences to bring that person’s story to life. This exercise combined research with descriptive writing and encouraged students to use vivid and creative language to tell an awesome story.

Student Voice: Food Service Edition! District Administration, along with Quest Foods, held menu planning focus groups with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at WMS. The taste testers were invited to come in for a special lunch service during their normal lunch period to taste possible new menu items and to provide feedback on how things are going with the new food service vendor overall. The students asked great questions, and provided honest feedback about what they like, and what they think can be improved. Of the menu items they tried during the focus groups, the crowd favorite seemed to be the egg and cheese sandwich! While they were sampling food and providing feedback, the Quest team was able to explain what goes in to the menu planning and food preparation process, and talk about the strict guidelines they have to follow to provide nutritious options and keep food safe for our Wildcats. #LifeintheW

REMINDER BPAC Meeting Tonight! https://www.dist50.net/o/dist50/page/bpac Atención familias bilingües: Hoy, miércoles 15 de enero de 7 a 8 pm en Woodland Intermediate los esperamos en nuestro Evento BPAC-Comité Asesor de Padres Bilingües, presentación especial de YWCA sobre Nutrición y Alimentos. Maestras del Dual Language realizarán actividades divertidas de Nutrición con los chicos, "Tobias" nuestro perro nos acompañará, popcorn y popcakes de Starbucks para los niños. Comida saludable para adultos y muchos sorteos. LOS ESPERAMOS A TODOS EN FAMILIA, HOY A LAS 7 PM EN WOODLAND INTERMEDIATE. NO SE LO PIERDA! Attention bilingual families: Today, Wednesday, January 15 from 7 to 8 pm at Woodland Intermediate we are looking forward to our BPAC-Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee Event, special YWCA presentation on Nutrition and Food. Dual Language teachers and students from WTHS Avanza club will be doing fun Nutrition activities with the kids, “Tobias” our dog will be joining us, popcorn and popcakes from Starbucks for the kids. Healthy food for adults and lots of raffles and surprises. WE WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU TODAY AT 7 PM AT WOODLAND INTERMEDIATE. DON'T MISS IT.

Today in Mrs. Friello’s 8th grade math class, students had the exciting opportunity to explore the fascinating world of fractals. With paper, pencils, yardsticks, and scissors, they started creating these intricate, self-repeating shapes. Students had the choice to create either a 2D or 3D representation of a fractal, bringing mathematical concepts to life in a hands-on and creative way.

There’s a mystery at Woodland Middle School, and our Wildcats are on the case! Don’t miss WMS's production of “Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion!” When: Saturday, Jan. 24 & 25, 2025, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Where: Woodland Middle School, 7000 W. Washington St., Gurnee, IL Tickets are $5 for Adults and $3 for Children/Students.

In case you missed it before the Winter Break, the Woodland D50 Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar at the December meeting. View the 2025-2026 Calendar HERE: https://5il.co/33x56

Woodland Middle School brought the Game of LIFE to life! Welcome to Junior Achievement Town where 8th grade students selected a career and were given a corresponding salary. The students walked around “town” and made decisions about housing, transportation, education, clothing, food, savings, and retirement. They also budgeted for personal needs such as self-care and entertainment. Through this activity, students learned the value of budgeting within their means and other valuable life skills. Thank you to the WMS Parent School Partnership Committee, the many parent and community volunteers, and Woodland staff members for all their hard work in making this event possible! #LifeintheW

Today is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day! Woodland would like to send a big thank you to our outstanding School Resource Officers, Det. Hansen and Det. Otachel. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to our school community does not go unnoticed. You make Woodland a safer, more welcoming place for both our students and staff. We are incredibly grateful for all that you do to ensure the well-being of everyone in our school! Please join us in showing heartfelt appreciation to Woodland's School Resource Officers, and all of the law enforcement officers at the Village of Gurnee and the Lake County Sheriff's Office for keeping our community safe.

Help Us Celebrate Amazing Woodland Teachers and Staff! We are excited to launch the annual Village of Gurnee Teacher of the Year contest, with a new category for Staff Member of the Year! In the announcement linked below it explains the criteria for the awards, and links directly to both nomination forms. We look forward to recognizing additional staff members in partnership with the village. Nominate someone today! Announcement: https://secure.smore.com/n/xg4wj Website: https://www.dist50.net/page/gurnee-teacher-of-the-year Nominations are due by Monday, Jan. 27.

Counting down the minutes until we are all back together in the W 💚 Get a good night sleep tonight Wildcats. Let's start 2025 with a ROAR!

Wishing you a Warm & Wonderful Winter Break! Dec. 23 - Jan. 3: Winter Break Jan. 6: Teacher Institute Day, No Student Attendance Jan. 7: School Resumes - Welcome Back!

Do You Have Questions about Standards-Based Grading, Curriculum, Dual Language or Technology? In the latest episode of the Woodland Wildcast, Dr. Machak and the Teaching & Learning Team discuss Curriculum, Standards-Based Grading, Woodland’s Dual Language program, and Technology in the classroom and beyond! Learn how this team comes together to support students and educators. #LifeintheW https://woodlandwildcast.podbean.com/e/s2-e4-teaching-learning-in-the-w/

This past week, students at Middle School participated in the Hour of Code program, in honor of Computer Science Education Week. The goal of this initiative is to introduce students to the world of computer science through engaging and fun coding activities, with the hope of sparking future interest in coding and the tech field. Students had the chance to explore a variety of coding experiences, including producing music (yes, that's coding!), creating their own dance party, or designing a custom Angry Birds level! Thank you to our dedicated Tech Integration Specialists for organizing and bringing this exciting learning opportunity to our students.

And that's a wrap on a fantastic basketball season... 💚🏀 Congratulations to the 8th Grade WMS Girls Basketball Team for winning the title of Conference Champions!!! 💚🏀 Great job to the 8th Grade WMS Boys Green Team for taking 3rd Place in the Conference Tournament!!!

The Annual Holiday Food Drive was a success thanks to the generous donations from the Woodland learning community and our valued community partners. With your help, we served more than 80 Woodland families with extra food and warm coats, hats, and gloves. Here are a few pictures of our team of volunteers setting up for the event, including Tobias Comfort Dog! A special thank you to the Warren Township High School students from Students of Service, National Honor Society, and Avanza for helping throughout the night.

There are so many amazing clubs at WMS, and one of those amazing clubs is Student Council! Earlier this week, StuCo members toured the school to scout locations for highlighting student voice and choice. From showcasing student academic, artistic, and athletic accomplishments, to celebrating various clubs and cultures, the students had great suggestions for utilizing these spaces to highlight the many ways to get involved and make a difference at WMS. #LifeintheW