We posted pictures of her Elementary classroom earlier this month, but today, we wanted to officially welcome Mrs. Viji Chandrasekar to Woodland! Having previously worked as a Guest and Student teacher at Woodland, we are very excited to have her back in the classroom as a full-time teacher. Welcome to #LifeintheW!
(We will continue to visit new staff members over the next few weeks so keep the welcome wishes coming)
Shining a spotlight on the Parent Mentor Program at Woodland!
Our amazing Parent Mentors recently had the opportunity to share their experience with Community Leaders to highlight how impactful this program is for Woodland Teachers and Students. Thank you to State Senator Mary Edly-Allen, State Representative Joyce Mason, Village of Gurnee Mayor Hood, and Dr. Karner from the Lake County Regional Office of Education for supporting our Parent Mentors.
The Parent Mentor Program is more than just parent volunteers visiting their child's classroom. These are Woodland parents who apply to be part of the program and complete a formal training program before being assigned to a classroom. Parent mentors work four days a week for two hours a day. While in the classroom they work one-on-one with students, lead small group activities, support the classroom teacher, and participate in weekly training and workshops to increase their skills and proficiency. After completing 100 parent mentoring hours, our program participants receive a stipend of $1500.
Learn More: https://www.dist50.net/page/parent-mentor-program
Today was Primary's first Friday Focus Assembly! Our littlest Wildcats sang and clapped along as their teachers danced, performed a skit, and taught them what it means to ROAR (Be Respectful, Take Ownership, Be Accepting, & Be Ready) like a Woodland Wildcat! 🐯
October is National Principals Month, and Woodland has some of the best around!
Please help us wish Stacey Anderson (Primary), Jared Reardon (Elementary), Tim Sheldon (Intermediate), and Tiffany Drake (Middle), a very happy National Principals Month! Woodland is lucky to have such knowledgeable and caring school leaders, who show up each day ready to support the students and staff in their schools. Not a single district initiative, directive, or goal happens without their hard work. #ThankaPrincipal #LifeintheW
Mrs. Monterroso invited a special guest to class to be a motivational speaker for her 8th Grader students - her husband, Angel Moterroso! Angel moved to the United States from Peru when he was 14 years old, and he was an English as a Second Language (ESL) student.
The students asked Mr. Monterroso thoughtful questions about his educational journey and his career. They also asked:
Why is it important to honor and celebrate your culture?
How has knowing two languages benefited you in your life?
Mr. Monterroso talked about his career and how he came to be a Channel Strategy and Programs Advisor for North and Latin America for Zebra Technologies. He closed the presentation by talking about investing in yourself by setting goals, learning a new skill, prioritizing self-care, developing healthy habits, and networking.
The 3rd grade students in Mrs. Bogdala's class invited friends from Mrs. Barton's class for Readers Theater! The 3rd grade students were so excited to perform the stories for their younger peers, and to teach them about fables and folklore. Way to go Wildcats! 💚
#LifeintheW
Today we want to celebrate and give a big thank you to the amazing custodial team for all your hard work to make sure our #LifeintheW learning spaces are clean and safe for students and staff! We appreciate all you do to keep our schools running smoothly and always being ready to help. Please join us in thanking our custodians for their service and dedication to Woodland.
Today in Mrs. Chandrasekar’s 2nd Grade class, students worked on their reading, writing, comprehension, and literary analysis skills. Mrs. Chandrasekar also read the book "Mango, Abuela, and Me" by Meg Medina. The students loved the story and were challenged to relate the events, themes, and characters of the story to what they have previously read and studied in class.
Today our Intermediate Wildcats had a visit from a special guest to help honor and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Author Vicky Weber spoke about the Taíno people, their language, history, and myths. She read her book, “Taíno Tales: The Legend of Coquí” to the students, and they learned how the Taíno legend of the coquí frog came to be. They were then able to ask her questions about her book, what it takes to be a writer and author, and more about the Taíno culture.
WMS Girls Soccer vs. Antioch - Go Wildcats!
6th grade students in Ms. Osharow's Social Studies class were sent to Scribe School to learn how to communicate using symbols. After learning about this ancient form of communication, the students had the opportunity to practice these skills by translating and decoding, and then by creating messages on their "clay tablet" using a "training stylus". Hands on learning in the W! #LifeintheW
The Woodland D50 Board of Education will meet on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Please review the meeting information and agenda: https://secure.smore.com/n/r9zs3
A big thank you to Ms. Wodrich and her students for inviting us to play Bocce Ball at Woodland Intermediate. The students taught Dr. Machak, Officer Hansen, and Ms. Tragasz how to play, and everyone had a great time!
These students have invited other 4th and 5th graders to play with them as well. In this post you will also see a few photos from Ms. Vaughan's class learning how to play bocce ball too!
Ms. Santner’s 4th Grade students became geologists for the day! First they had a discussion about erosion and gave examples of how weather and the environment can shape rocks and landforms. Then it was time to participate in an erosion lab where the students contributed to erosion by shaking a container of rocks. The students made predictions, recorded their observations, and compared results with other groups based on how their rocks broke down into smaller particles.
A classroom of students shaking containers with rocks made for a very noisy lab, but the students sure seemed to think it was fun!
It was Hot Hot Hot on Warren’s football field for the annual Fill the Drum event! All My Rowdy Friends sure know how to Party Rock for a good cause. Thank you to everyone who filled the drum with donations for the Warren Township Food Pantry. Great job to all the talented musicians who performed on Thursday night!
During a visit to Mrs. Hansen’s class, we spotted students working on their journals. After reading Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems, the students drew a picture and then discussed facts about Piggie. 1st Graders LOVE to practice writing, so as they entered their facts they worked on spelling, spacing, punctuation, and capitalization!
Doesn't Mrs. Hansen draw a great Piggie?!
Students at WMS are climbing to new heights in P.E. class! These Wildcats conquered the Dangling Duo by supporting each other and working together to reach their climbing goals.
Thank you to Ms. Campbell for capturing these moments. Great photos!
Woodland is excited to introduce you to two more new team members! Please help us give a big Wildcat Welcome to Miss Allison Junge and Miss Salena Jason. We can't wait to see what amazing things you will do this year! Thank you for joining the #LifeintheW team and supporting the students at Woodland Intermediate. Have a wonderful school year 💚🐯
(We will be continuing to visit new staff members over the next few weeks so keep the welcome wishes coming)
September is Attendance Awareness Month
Thank you to these Wildcats for showing us that being Present makes them Powerful!
School districts across the country are working to reduce chronic absenteeism. Being absent can negatively impact a child’s academic performance; it also limits their opportunities to practice essential problem solving skills, self-regulation, self-discipline, and social development. A well-rounded Woodland education includes so much more than academics - #LifeintheW is better with all of our Wildcats in the house!
Today we celebrate the Woodland Technology Team for everything they do behind the scenes to keep Woodland running smoothly. Whether they are trouble shooting issues with laptops and Chromebooks, implementing innovative technologies and deploying new applications, or maintaining our servers and networks, this team makes sure we are always on, always connected, and always secure! #LifeintheW
