Congratulations to Jeff Winiger - Bus Driver of the Year! Jeff Winiger was recently awarded the Bus Driver of the Year Award from the Transportation Department. His students know him as Mr. Jeff, and he has been part of the #LifeintheW team since 2021. To students and families, he is known for being kind, friendly and happy. To his friends in the Transportation department, he is known for his willingness to help and being a supportive coworker. Mr. Jeff has excellent attendance, and he strives to be a good role model for the Wildcats in his care. He has great student management skills and is always willing to lend a helping hand. Even though he has the largest Elementary route in over 12 years, he takes the time to get to know all of his students and their families. Learn more about Mr. Jeff and why he was selected as Bus Driver of the Year in the weekly newsletter: https://secure.smore.com/n/nbd6k Thank you for always going the extra mile Mr. Jeff!

It's a beautiful morning in Gurnee, and many of our Wildcats may be walking or riding bikes to school. Thankfully these amazing partners in safety get up early each morning to see our students safely through the crosswalks. Thank you to Angelo White and Joann Metzger for being one of the first friendly faces to greet our staff, students, and families as they walk, bike or drive by. We appreciate you and your big morning energy! Smile/Honk/Wave to show your appreciation today and help us spread the love to our crossing guards. 💚

An 8th Grade brother surprises his 3rd Grade sister as the "Mystery Reader" and their smiles might melt the internet! Thank you to Mrs. Estrada and Mrs. Bogdala for sharing this #LifeintheW moment with us 💚

Students in Ms. Behling and Maestra Jagla's class had fun learning about erosion with these hands on experiments! 2-ESS2-1 Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.

Introducing Ms. Joselyn, Woodland's Superintendent for the Day! She met with District Leaders and Board of Education Members for a breakfast meeting to start the day, and she has a busy schedule of important meetings, appointments and projects to get through before dismissal. Her bubbly personality and willingness to work hard will certainly help with the tasks ahead. Thank you for your service Joselyn. We know that you will make great decisions on behalf of the #LifeintheW team. Thank you to the Woodland Educational Foundation for offering this as a raffle prize at the recent Launch Fundraiser. Joselyn was excited to win the Superintendent for the Day experience.

Which teacher brings MAGIC to the classroom? Which educator cares about the whole family? Which teacher makes learning fun/has a great sense of humor? Which educator makes sure students and their families feel heard? Find out in Episode 3 of the Woodland Wildcast! https://woodlandwildcast.podbean.com/e/teacheroftheyear/

1st Graders sure know a LOT about chickens! A few feathered friends from Fleming Family Farms visited Elementary on Wednesday. Not only did the students get to meet several different breeds of chickens, but they also observed size, shape and color differences between the eggs they lay. Thank you to Mrs. Hansen and Mrs. Filipowicz for inviting us to join in the fun! #LifeintheW

Check out these budding engineers in action in our library!

Mrs Wilinski invited Mrs Barton's Special Ed class to make a Mothers Day gift out of clay, then they came another day to paint and create a gift bag. Students are excited to bring their creations home! 27.A.1b. Identify how the arts contribute to communication, celebrations, occupations and recreation.

Today Mrs. Kampf's class went outside to do bottle flips to learn about graphing. They worked with a partner and recorded their bottle flips in a recording sheet. Then they graphed and analyzed their results!

Today is Día del Niño. A holiday celebrated throughout Latin America and various parts of the world. This holiday celebrates children and all of the rights they are entitled to. To make this day extra special, parents wrote their children letters to let them know how special they are! These were a surprise to Maestra Santos' students and the smiles were so bright! To continue the celebration Maestra Santos' class invited Mrs. Winter's class to join her students in playing some board games. It was a great day for ALL!

We are excited to announce that five wonderful Woodland staff members will be recognized by the Lake County Regional Office of Education at their annual awards banquet on May 8! School districts across Lake County will be sending the best of the best to this event to celebrate excellence in teaching and to recognize school district personnel who contribute to the education of our youth through their work as administrators, educators, and support staff. Please join us in congratulating these amazing #LifeintheW team members: 💚 Amber Beutel, Educator of the Year: Diverse Learner Teacher – Primary 💚 Sherri Peck, Educator of the Year: Elementary/Early Childhood Teacher – Elementary 💚 Margarita Castrejón, Educator of the Year: Middle School Teacher – Middle School 💚 Tiffany Drake, Educator of the Year: School Administrator – Middle School 💚 Kenny Lohfink, Educational Service Personnel of the Year – Operations & Facilities

These students are having a great year with Mrs. Peck and Ms. Garcia! They were learning about biographies, comparing and contrasting, fractions, practicing a variety of skills during centers (reading, writing, and math), and working together - all in one morning. A warm and welcoming space for learning 💚 #LifeintheW

Wondering who you might see, or the types of activities you will be able to do at Family Fun & Games Night? Here are a few pictures from the 1st night. We hope to see you tonight! #LifeintheW

Woodland is hiring! We are looking for the next Director of Educational Services to join the #LifeintheW team. Learn more about this opportunity HERE: https://www.applitrack.com/dist50/OnlineApp/default.aspx?Category=Administration

The Woodland D50 Board of Education will meet on Thursday, Apr. 25, 2024. Meeting Information & Agenda - https://www.smore.com/n/3s9kb

It was 'picture day' for First and Second Graders in Mrs Wilinski's Art Class! Students created their own mini-self portraits in art and assembled them on recycled boxes, as part of Earth Week, to create a Box City. See if you can find your favorite young artists! 26.B.1d. Visual Arts: Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create visual works of art using manipulation, eye-hand coordination, building and imagination.

After reading a poem about Spring, these Elementary students are drawing what they visualized using sidewalk chalk! #LifeintheW

Happy Earth Day! Mrs. Bogdala's class started the day with a special book about the Earth read by Annaliese and her mom. #LifeintheW 🌎

Mrs. Filipowicz introduced her students to some wiggly friends today. The students observed mealworms as they learned about the life cycle of insects. Hands on learning in the W!