It takes a village! Today we celebrated the very best of the best volunteers with a small appreciation ceremony at Woodland Elementary. The Volunteers were featured in a slideshow with pictures of their time with the students throughout the year, and the students shared drawings and cards they created to say thank you to their Senior Readers and High School Mentors.
Our volunteers come to us through connections with the Warren Township Senior Center, Warren Township High School, Lakeland Church, Kids Hope and other local organizations. While they are visiting, the volunteers read with students, play games, provide assistance, and build positive relationships! #LifeintheW
Our volunteers come to us through connections with the Warren Township Senior Center, Warren Township High School, Lakeland Church, Kids Hope and other local organizations. While they are visiting, the volunteers read with students, play games, provide assistance, and build positive relationships! #LifeintheW

The Woodland Middle School Track Teams are having a great season! Good luck at the Conference Meet this weekend 🏃♂️🏃♀️⭐️










Ms. Bogdala’s class spent time describing their favorite types of weather! From sunny days, perfect for playing outside, to cozy rainy days spent inside, students wrote about what they love most and the created a weather scene to go with it.



Did you attend the Live Arts Festival at Warren Township High School on Friday? Congratulations to the many talented artists who had a piece of artwork in the show. Several Wildcats won awards, others were featured as part of the Buddy Project, and it was a great event for families to view art, listen to art, participate in art, and be inspired by the talented youth in our community!
2026 Live Arts Award Winners From Woodland
Elementary "Best in Show"
Grades 1 - 3
1st Place: Joyce (3rd grade)
2nd Place: Damian (1st Grade)
3rd Place: Skyla (1st Grade)
Grades 4 - 5
3rd Place: Chelsea (5th grade)
Grades 6 - 8
1st Place: Ella (7th grade)
Way to go Wildcats!
2026 Live Arts Award Winners From Woodland
Elementary "Best in Show"
Grades 1 - 3
1st Place: Joyce (3rd grade)
2nd Place: Damian (1st Grade)
3rd Place: Skyla (1st Grade)
Grades 4 - 5
3rd Place: Chelsea (5th grade)
Grades 6 - 8
1st Place: Ella (7th grade)
Way to go Wildcats!





⭐️ ATTENTION Incoming Kindergarten Families! ⭐️
Join us tonight at Woodland Primary for the Kindergarten Information Presentation. This is an event for parents and caregivers, with a presentation that will provide an overview of our programs - Monolingual & Dual Language.
Date: April 27, 2026
Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Location: Woodland Primary, 17366 W. Gages Lake Rd.
Gages Lake, IL 60030
English Flyer - https://aptg.co/lsF1CN
Spanish Flyer - https://aptg.co/NjcXKv
Please help us spread the word. Some families may not realize it is already time to start thinking about Kindergarten!
Join us tonight at Woodland Primary for the Kindergarten Information Presentation. This is an event for parents and caregivers, with a presentation that will provide an overview of our programs - Monolingual & Dual Language.
Date: April 27, 2026
Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Location: Woodland Primary, 17366 W. Gages Lake Rd.
Gages Lake, IL 60030
English Flyer - https://aptg.co/lsF1CN
Spanish Flyer - https://aptg.co/NjcXKv
Please help us spread the word. Some families may not realize it is already time to start thinking about Kindergarten!


Happening Now: Woodland's Annual Career Fair! We are here until 11 a.m. so please come say hello.
Stop by our Career Fair to explore open positions and see what makes Woodland a great place to work. Walk-ins Welcome
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 8 - 11 a.m.
Location: Educational Support Center, 1105 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
https://www.dist50.net/article/2786368
Stop by our Career Fair to explore open positions and see what makes Woodland a great place to work. Walk-ins Welcome
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 8 - 11 a.m.
Location: Educational Support Center, 1105 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
https://www.dist50.net/article/2786368


Woodland D50 Board of Education Highlights!
Check out the highlights from the April Board Meeting in the ROAR Report. https://app.smore.com/n/82ku9
The Board of Education welcomed Jay Wiltshire as a new member. Mr. Wiltshire was sworn in at the beginning of the meeting and he began his service on the Board immediately after taking the Oath of Office.
We also welcomed two new Assistant Principals, Heather Weideman (Intermediate) and Stephanie Reuter (Middle School), to our administrative team. Heather and Stephanie are already very busy serving the Woodland community in a number of important ways, Heather as a veteran teacher at Intermediate School and Stephanie serving as an active parent volunteer; both will begin their new roles on July 1, 2026.
To help us recognize April 19 - 25, 2026 as National Volunteer Week, the Wildcat Music Boosters led meeting attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.
And the Parent Mentor Program shared an update on the success of the program and highlights from this school year.
Check out the highlights from the April Board Meeting in the ROAR Report. https://app.smore.com/n/82ku9
The Board of Education welcomed Jay Wiltshire as a new member. Mr. Wiltshire was sworn in at the beginning of the meeting and he began his service on the Board immediately after taking the Oath of Office.
We also welcomed two new Assistant Principals, Heather Weideman (Intermediate) and Stephanie Reuter (Middle School), to our administrative team. Heather and Stephanie are already very busy serving the Woodland community in a number of important ways, Heather as a veteran teacher at Intermediate School and Stephanie serving as an active parent volunteer; both will begin their new roles on July 1, 2026.
To help us recognize April 19 - 25, 2026 as National Volunteer Week, the Wildcat Music Boosters led meeting attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.
And the Parent Mentor Program shared an update on the success of the program and highlights from this school year.






The Flag Football season is off to a great start! With several games still ahead, we are looking forward to cheering you on.
GO WILDCATS!
GO WILDCATS!






Congratulations Wildcats!
This week, eight students were recognized at the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) annual Student Leadership awards breakfast. Two student recipients from the highest grades at each school (Grades K, 3rd, 5th, and 8th) were honored for going above and beyond both inside and outside of the classroom.
Congratulations to Woodland's IPA Student Leadership Award recipients:
Primary - Elise and Nathaniel
Elementary - Scarlett and Gabriel
Intermediate - Vivienne and Vikram
Middle - Erin and Caylan
⭐️ #LifeintheW
This week, eight students were recognized at the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) annual Student Leadership awards breakfast. Two student recipients from the highest grades at each school (Grades K, 3rd, 5th, and 8th) were honored for going above and beyond both inside and outside of the classroom.
Congratulations to Woodland's IPA Student Leadership Award recipients:
Primary - Elise and Nathaniel
Elementary - Scarlett and Gabriel
Intermediate - Vivienne and Vikram
Middle - Erin and Caylan
⭐️ #LifeintheW





Opportunity is knocking!!!
Woodland's Annual Career Fair is THIS SATURDAY (4/25/26) and we are looking forward to meeting you.
Stop by our Career Fair to explore open positions and see what makes Woodland a great place to work. (Photos from last year so you know what to expect)
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 8 - 11 a.m.
Location: Educational Support Center, 1105 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHcRZsZPJIARNtGy6aUhV1qazpB0snJIa88COX0Cmb8fzgPw/viewform
Now Hiring For All Positions:
Early Childhood - 8th Grade Teachers, Special Education, Student Support Services (OT/PT/Speech/Social Work), Maintenance & Custodial Staff, Bus Drivers, Playground Supervisors, Substitute Teachers, Paraprofessionals, and Dual Language Teachers.
Woodland's Annual Career Fair is THIS SATURDAY (4/25/26) and we are looking forward to meeting you.
Stop by our Career Fair to explore open positions and see what makes Woodland a great place to work. (Photos from last year so you know what to expect)
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Time: 8 - 11 a.m.
Location: Educational Support Center, 1105 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHcRZsZPJIARNtGy6aUhV1qazpB0snJIa88COX0Cmb8fzgPw/viewform
Now Hiring For All Positions:
Early Childhood - 8th Grade Teachers, Special Education, Student Support Services (OT/PT/Speech/Social Work), Maintenance & Custodial Staff, Bus Drivers, Playground Supervisors, Substitute Teachers, Paraprofessionals, and Dual Language Teachers.








Happy Earth Day! Let’s celebrate our planet today and everyday 💚🌎🌱









April 22 is Administrative Professionals Day and we want to give a big thank you to all of our amazing Woodland Admin!
Thank you for everything you do for our students, staff, and learning community.
Thank you for everything you do for our students, staff, and learning community.

Rehearsals underway for the 4th Grade Music Concerts at Woodland Intermediate! #LifeintheW 🎶💚


The results are in! Congratulations to the Woodland Middle School Bowling teams on a great performance at the State Tournament!
Girls - 6th Place
Boys - 7th Place
Special shoutouts to our individual medalists:
Erin C placed 4th overall
Mathew M placed 6th overall
Girls - 6th Place
Boys - 7th Place
Special shoutouts to our individual medalists:
Erin C placed 4th overall
Mathew M placed 6th overall


We are excited to announce the Woodland finalists in the annual Village of Gurnee Teacher and Staff Member of the Year program. From approximately 280 nominations, we have selected five teachers and five staff members to be recognized as finalists. One person from each category will ultimately be selected as the District winners, but first we want to celebrate our finalists!
💚 Teacher of the Year Finalists: 🤩
Mary Wagner, Early Childhood Teacher
Nicole Balogh, First Grade Teacher
Esperanza Rubio, Spanish Intervention Teacher
Amy Bautista, 6th Grade Advanced and 7th Grade Challenge Math Teacher
Jess Pierson, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist/Hearing Itinerant Teacher
🤩 Staff Member of the Year Finalists: 💚
Holly Yunker, Paraprofessional
Karen Hoppel, Paraprofessional
Gabriela Navarro Diaz, Family Coordinator
Brandi Smith, Hall Monitor
Natalie Monzo, Operations + Facilities
Thank you to our staff, families, students, and community members for submitting nominations and helping us recognize amazing educators and team members. Stay tuned to find out who will be Woodland's 2025-2026 Teacher and Staff Member of the Year for the Village of Gurnee!
💚 Teacher of the Year Finalists: 🤩
Mary Wagner, Early Childhood Teacher
Nicole Balogh, First Grade Teacher
Esperanza Rubio, Spanish Intervention Teacher
Amy Bautista, 6th Grade Advanced and 7th Grade Challenge Math Teacher
Jess Pierson, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist/Hearing Itinerant Teacher
🤩 Staff Member of the Year Finalists: 💚
Holly Yunker, Paraprofessional
Karen Hoppel, Paraprofessional
Gabriela Navarro Diaz, Family Coordinator
Brandi Smith, Hall Monitor
Natalie Monzo, Operations + Facilities
Thank you to our staff, families, students, and community members for submitting nominations and helping us recognize amazing educators and team members. Stay tuned to find out who will be Woodland's 2025-2026 Teacher and Staff Member of the Year for the Village of Gurnee!


Cool Club Alert!
Spanish Musical Club is one of Intermediate's newer clubs. This exciting group gives students the chance to combine their love of performing and musical theater with the Spanish language, no matter their experience level.
This club is for everyone–new performers or seasoned pros–interested in performing in Spanish.
They’ve just begun working on their production and are learning songs and diving into the script together. We can't wait to see what's next for this cool club!
Spanish Musical Club is one of Intermediate's newer clubs. This exciting group gives students the chance to combine their love of performing and musical theater with the Spanish language, no matter their experience level.
This club is for everyone–new performers or seasoned pros–interested in performing in Spanish.
They’ve just begun working on their production and are learning songs and diving into the script together. We can't wait to see what's next for this cool club!



Mystery Reader at Elementary! Mr. Trivelin brought a pet turtle for the students to observe during his recent visit to Ms. Chandrasekar's class. The students were excited to see it up close.
Following the visit, students participated in an observation-based writing activity, where they recorded details about the turtle and what they learned. This experience supported the development of their sentence writing skills, descriptive language, and ability to share ideas through discussion and writing.
Mr. Trivelin is a retired biology/life sciences teacher. He taught at Warren High School for many years. Thank you for joining us! #LifeintheW
Following the visit, students participated in an observation-based writing activity, where they recorded details about the turtle and what they learned. This experience supported the development of their sentence writing skills, descriptive language, and ability to share ideas through discussion and writing.
Mr. Trivelin is a retired biology/life sciences teacher. He taught at Warren High School for many years. Thank you for joining us! #LifeintheW
April 15th is ASL Awareness Day!! Celebrate with us by watching our very own Woodland students sign the music video, “A Million Dreams”. So proud of them! Learn more about American Sign Language in an interview with Dr. Machak and Woodland's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Itinerant teacher, Jess Pierson afterwards!
Watch the Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmqgvGFNtyw
Watch the Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmqgvGFNtyw


The WMS Scholastic Bowl Team takes on Round Lake! #LifeintheW





Register now for the #LifeintheW Career Fair!
Join us on Saturday, April 25 from 8-11 a.m. at the Educational Support Center to learn more about career opportunities throughout our district and working in the W.
We hope to see you there!
https://forms.gle/crxbb16Cj1ycc9u87
Join us on Saturday, April 25 from 8-11 a.m. at the Educational Support Center to learn more about career opportunities throughout our district and working in the W.
We hope to see you there!
https://forms.gle/crxbb16Cj1ycc9u87


