Join us for the next BPAC Meeting!
Date: Wednesday, March 13
Time: 7 - 8 p.m.
Location: Woodland Middle School (Library)
Presentation: Social Media and Teens
Presented by School Resource Detective Kelly Hansen Gurnee Police Department (it will be interpreted into Spanish).
The monthly Board of Education meeting always starts with celebrations as a way to recognize the achievements of Woodland staff and students, and/or to highlight a special program or group. At the February meeting, the Woodland Intermediate Spelling Bee winner and finalists led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance, Woodland Elementary students sang "Life Every Voice and Sing" in honor of Black History Month, and some of Woodland's Parent Mentors presented on the growth of the Parent Mentor program!
#LifeintheW
Woodland D50's Black Dads Rock Panel at the Black History Month Celebration at the Warren Newport Public Library!
A wonderful celebration of art, music, poetry, dancing and community! Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Black History Month Community Celebration at the Warren Newport Library in Gurnee.
The Board of Education is reviewing a draft calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. Dr. Machak is inviting Woodland D50 families to weigh in on the February "mini-break" and the School Improvement Planning (SIP) Day schedule. Read his letter in the weekly newsletter and take the survey: https://www.smore.com/gm4h3
Thank you for your feedback!
Congratulations to the Exchange Club of Gurnee Young Citizenship Award Recipients!
Ella V., 8th Grade, Woodland Middle School
Darious V., 5th Grade, Woodland Intermediate
#LifeintheW
Remember how the Gurnee Police Department was asking for help from the community to make Valentine's Day cards for seniors? Yesterday was delivery day! National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) Officers had the honor of delivering the hand-made cards alongside district and community leaders. Everyone was feeling the love on Valentine's Day.
Love in the breakfast line at WMS!
The Positive Culture Club (with help from 8th grade classes, art students, and special education classes) decorated breakfast bags to spread Valentine's Day kindness through food. Thank you to Arbor for allowing the students to decorate the breakfast bags, and to our students for adding sunshine to our day. #LifeintheW
These Wildcats have talent! Congratulations to all the WMS Talent Show contestants for putting on a GREAT show.
And the winners are...
1st place- The Woodland Drumline (6, 7, & 8th grades)
2nd place- Fode T. (7th grade)
3rd place tie- Luna G. (8th grade) and Serenity H. (7th grade)
Thank you First Responders!
Woodland sends a big thank you to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Gurnee Police Department, and the Gurnee Fire Department for their support and guidance during our annual safety drills. Building relationships with local first responders is an important part of our safety plans.
Caring 4 Kids Clothing Drive
Morgan Ghys, Miss Northern Illinois’ Teen (and former Woodland student) needs your help! Morgan has partnered with Caring 4 Kids to do a Clothing Drive for kids in the community. She is collecting new and gently used clothing for kids including sweatshirts, crewnecks, sweatpants, and leggings to keep kids warm and comfortable. (Youth sizes 5 / 6 up to 16)
There are collection boxes at each school, and in the district office. We are accepting donations through Friday, Feb. 23.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Special Concert on Friday, Feb. 2!
Join the WMS Jazz Band for NOLA Jazz Night featuring music in the style of the brass bands from New Orleans.
7: 30 p.m. - Woodland Jazz Band
8:15 p.m. - Special Guests, The Extra Crispy Brass Band
The Extra Crispy Brass Band is from Milwaukee, WI and they will be doing a clinic with the Woodland jazz band before the concert. ECBB seeks to spread the joy of New Orleans brass band music to as many youngsters as possible in hopes that they will continue the legacy of this unique form of jazz.
Feb. 1, 2024 - Good morning Woodland Stakeholders. Please read this Community Safety Alert from Dr. Machak.
English: https://5il.co/2dyeq
Spanish: https://5il.co/2dyer
Woodland Middle School Presents: A Wrinkle in Time!
Jan. 26 & 27, 6:30 p.m.
A Woodland family sent in a photo and positive praise for their bus driver today. Thank you for taking the time on a very hectic morning to send in a happy note! 💚
"I wanted to say thank you for taking such wonderful care of the kids today and having their safety as a priority. Walking up to the bus I could feel the warmth coming from the bus so the kids were comfortable and greeted with a smiling bus driver."
At the Bilingual Parent Advisory (BPAC) Meeting last week, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services gave a presentation called "Prevention Talk" to teach parents and caregivers about trends in drug use and the dangers of substance use in youth. The presentation featured a mock teenage bedroom simulation to show parents what to look for in their child's bedroom called "Stay Out of My Room!" While the parents attended the presentation, the kids completed winter crafts with some of our Dual Language teachers. It was a great turnout!
Revised 2023-2024 Calendar: Emergency Closure Make-up Days https://5il.co/2cvo2
Please note this change to the last day of school:
June 3 & 4 were originally scheduled to be Early Release Days, and those will now be full student attendance days.
June 5 will now be a SIP Day Early Release.
June 6 will now be a Half Day In-Service Early Release, and the last day of school (assuming no additional Emergency Days are used).
The Gurnee Police Department is collecting Valentine Cards for Seniors in the community. Today, several WMS NJHS students created Valentine Collections Boxes during their lunch period. Woodland students across the district will be making cards over the next few weeks. If you want to help spread the love, you are welcome to submit cards too! #LifeintheW
REMINDER: Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting, Jan. 17!
The next BPAC meeting is Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Woodland Intermediate School. Nicasa Behavioral Health Services will provide a presentation called "Prevention Talk" to teach parents and caregivers about trends in drug use and the dangers of substance use in youth. The presentation features a mock teenage bedroom simulation to show parents what to look for in their child's bedroom called "Stay Out of My Room!"
Children are welcome to attend and create winter crafts with Woodland Dual Language teachers while parents attend the presentation.
Many district staff members were on site over the past few days to make sure our buildings, grounds, and buses are operational to bring staff and students back safely on Wednesday.
❄️ Our Transportation staff was in on Monday & Tuesday to clean off the buses, get them running, and to check that all safety equipment is working properly. To operate buses, we need to make sure the stop arm can extend when needed, safety lights and features are working as expected, and that the heat on the buses is working.
❄️ The Operations & Facilities team worked throughout the closure to clear parking lots and stay on top of the snowfall. Once the snow cleanup was done, their response then turned to making sure all building systems were operational, including heat, water, and electricity. They also had to be on site for a sprinkler system malfunction at Intermediate to clean up any water related mess or damage. This burst sprinkler head had only minor implications to specific areas of Intermediate, and due to their diligent work, will not impact school on Wednesday.
❄️ Our Technology Department was also on site each day to troubleshoot disruptions to our network and any other technical components that our school district relies on to keep school running smoothly.
Thank you for always showing up, even in the worst conditions, to keep us safe! #LifeintheW
