No one parties like Intermediate! We popped by to visit a few classes today for one final round of Fall Parties. 4th & 5th grade students closed out the week playing games, making crafts, and hanging out with friends. A special thanks to our awesome teachers and party volunteers for helping make this a day to remember! #LifeintheW
One of the most frequently asked about topics is covered in the latest episode of the Woodland Wildcast! If you have ever wondered what happens when there is an online or social media threat, or how Woodland determines if a student is at risk, listen to this conversation Dr. Machek has with Det. Kelly Hansen and Middle School Assistant Principal Sean Murphy. 👮🏼💚🍎
https://woodlandwildcast.podbean.com/e/s2-e3-safety-in-the-w/
Happy Fall! The Intermediate Garden Club has been enjoying the lovely fall weather and wanted to share these photos with you. Have you ever seen a more perfect fall photo set? #LifeintheW
A little Halloween fun for the adults too! Take a look at these District Office group costumes 🤩
Today we visited the students in Ms. Kauck & Mr. Leguizamo's 1st Grade Dual Language classes. In one classroom they read a story with Ms. Kauck and identified the Character, Setting, Problem, and Solution before making their own creepy crayons. In the other classroom they learned about Dia de los Muertos with Mr. Leguizamo and made traditional paper flower decorations. Great job Wildcats! #LifeintheW
Wiley can't decide what to be for Halloween. "Witch" one do you like best? 🤣
Today Elementary students had two very special guests visit for the first ELEM Assembly of the year - Alex and NED! Alex and his friend NED took our Elementary Wildcats on an adventure to find a positive mindset for learning.
NED taught the students “Never give up, Encourage others, & Do their best” in everything they do.
He also encouraged students to use the power of a positive mindset and to incorporate NED’s message into things they do every day.
Ask your students about their adventures climbing a mountain, meeting and yeti, zip lining, meeting a pirate, and fixing a spaceship at school today!
There were also some majorly cool yo-yo moves!
During Ms. Ancona’s Language Arts class, our 7th grade Wildcats worked on writing and grammar. They worked together to find and correct the grammatical errors of a sentence. They found errors in the punctuations, word choice, and spelling (Ms. Ancona is very passionate about the correct spelling of FebRuary, and so are her students!). Then they were given time to freewrite a response to a prompt. Here at Woodland we use technology in our classrooms everyday; however, students still work on paper with pens and pencils - the Old Fashioned way!
Fall Festivities in Kindergarten! It was a great pumpkin investigation for these little Wildcats and a few parent helpers.
Answer these questions:
How tall is your pumpkin?
How big around?
How much does your pumpkin weigh?
Does your pumpkin float or sink?
Should we carve a silly face or a scary face?
Bonus Content: You will see students in their pajamas for a Red Ribbon Week spirit day. "Follow You Dreams, Be Healthy!"
#LifeintheW
Pumpkin Tower STEM Challenge at Elementary! Ms. McGinn's Challenge Math Students worked together in small groups to plan and build structures out of toothpicks and candy pumpkins. Students learned the importance of teamwork, planning, talking through a process, and making their ideas come alive. Once completed, students analyzed their structures and shared ideas about what they could have done differently. #LifeintheW
Kicking off the Annual Holiday Food Drive!
We invite our entire Woodland learning community to get involved. There are several ways to participate, LEARN MORE: https://secure.smore.com/n/xe35mq
Take a look at the flyer to see the list of items we are requesting. You can drop donations off at your child's school, or the district office. THANK YOU! #LifeintheW
(Photos in this post are of Food Drive Volunteers setting up the Woodland Food Pantry in December 2023.)
Thrills and chills in the gym! The students were super excited to visit haunted stations in P.E. #LifeintheW
Scenes from a Dual Language 3rd Grade Classroom! Mrs. Kampf's students were ready to practice their math skills at different stations around the room. Depending on the station, a student might be practicing a skill on their own on a device, with a partner on paper, or with a small group playing a game. #LifeintheW
New Opportunities to join the #LifeintheW Team! Please help spread the word.
Facilities Manager: https://www.applitrack.com/dist50/OnlineApp/default.aspx?Category=Non-Certified+Supervisory
Primary Principal: https://www.applitrack.com/dist50/OnlineApp/default.aspx?Category=Administration
All Positions: https://www.applitrack.com/dist50/OnlineApp/default.aspx
Today, Ms. Bautista’s 7th grade math students worked in teams of two to solve an “Escape Room” puzzle! Each of the four math problems, once solved, revealed a part of the code that, when put together, would allow them to “escape.” While the math problems were challenging, Ms. Bautista encouraged her students and helped them succeed!
We dropped in on a few Elementary Halloween Parties today! Fun games, creative crafts, parent volunteers... and some amazing costumes! These pictures are from just a few classrooms, but the entire school was full of superheroes, famous athletes, princesses, wizards, and a variety of other creatures and characters. #LifeintheW
Happy Principal Appreciation Day to Mrs. Anderson, Mr. Reardon, Mr. Sheldon, and Mrs. Drake! National Principals Month is celebrated throughout October, but Oct. 25 has been designated as Principal Appreciation Day in Illinois. This dynamic team of school leaders was recognized at the Board of Education Meeting last night. #LifeintheW #ThankAPrincipal
When it was time for Science in Mrs. Werner's class, the students looked to the screen for the agenda for the lesson:
Moon Phases Activity.
Be in your seat and ready to have fun!
🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔
Little did they know, there would be one more challenge to overcome. Resist the urge to eat the Oreos!
The students were tasked with using Oreos to create a model of the phases of the moon. At the end of the lesson, Mrs. Werner pulled out a secret backup package of Oreos for the students to eat.
Bonus Content! Mrs. Werner's class has a Parent Mentor. Thank you Mrs. Bakanec for supporting this awesome group of students. #LifeintheW
Middle school continued celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by creating Mexican Folk Art Mirrors! Before they began creating, students were taught the history of these mirrors. This project took several days, and while the students worked they listened to Duncan Tonatiuh’s book, The Princess and the Warrior, as well as tradition and modern music from Latin artists.
Introducing WISE – the Woodland Inclusion and Special Education Empowerment Parent Group! This initiative started last year as a Special Education Resource Group for parents, and we are ready to bring you a whole new series of programs for year two. WISE will be a great place to connect with other district families, get to know Woodland staff members who can help with resources, and get answers to your questions.
Join us for the first WISE meeting of the 2024-2025 School Year:
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23
Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Location: Woodland Educational Support Center (District Office)
RSVP:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_Eqssnpeuq5o6QMkHxsRyky79Ejafla_L72VQv9PSynvRpA/viewform
Topic: Managing Behaviors and Meltdowns: Strategies for Parents
Families will learn proactive strategies to de-escalate behavior and manage meltdowns. The session will also provide tips on how to help children with self-regulation.
#LifeintheW
