Elementary School

We are looking for an amazing administrator to join the Woodland Middle School Team. Check out this opportunity for a Middle School Assistant Principal position! hashtag#LifeintheW

Friendship Parties at Elementary!

Today, our Elementary Wildcats celebrated Valentine's Day and Friendship! It was such a great morning celebrating the season and friendship.

A big thank you to our Parent Volunteers for helping make these parties so special!

Students throughout the district have been making Valentines for seniors in the community. Today is the day! We are on our way to join the Village of Gurnee and the Gurnee Police Department to spread the love and deliver the Valentines. 💌

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the February Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting with special guest Dr. Mario Guzman Sescosse. Dr. Guzman Sescosse's presentation was "Parenting: A Relationship of Love and Discipline" and attendees found it to be very informative and interactive. We also raffled off copies of his book and he was gracious enough to sign copies for the winners.
While the adults were learning, the children in attendance created crafts with a few of Woodland's Dual Language teachers and volunteers from the “Avanza” student group at Warren Township High School. Our friend Tobias Comfort Dog was there too!
Thank you to Community Trust Credit Union and Starbucks Gurnee for donating additional prizes for the event! We appreciate your support. #LifeintheW

Wow!!! Thank you for coming to Woodland's Black History Month Celebration this past Saturday! It was a great event full of music and togetherness, amazing performances, wonderful support from our community partners and volunteers, and beautiful artwork by our talented students. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. #LifeintheW

We look forward to seeing you this Thursday, Feb. 5, at Woodland Intermediate for a presentation by Dr. Sescosse (6:30 p.m.). We will be raffling off signed copies of his books, gift cards, and bilingual books and games. There will also be crafts for the children, refreshments, and many more surprises!
Topic - Parenting: A Relationship of Love & Discipline
Learn More & Register HERE: https://app.smore.com/n/3v2d4
Thank you from the Bilingual Parenting Advisory Committee!

Hip, Hip, Hooray - it's the 100th day!
Happy 100th Day of School Wildcats. Ms. Santos is using the excitement about 100 Days in a fun math activity for partners. Great job 1st graders 🤩 #LifeintheW

Celebrating Groundhog Day in Art at Woodland Elementary! Students listened to a Groundhog Day book, then learned to draw their own groundhog in Mrs. Wilinski’s art classes. Shadow or not, these are some great artists! #LifeintheW
So... did the groundhog see his shadow?
2026 Groundhog Day Results:
Woodstock Willie (IL) - No shadow (Early Spring)
Punxsutawney Phil (PA) - Shadow (More Winter)

A classroom visit full of Kindness, birthday celebrations, and winter poetry! Thank you to Ms. Buckland's class for sharing your day with us. #LifeintheW

Many thanks to State Representative Joyce Mason who met with us this week to review several pieces of legislation she is drafting to address our state authorized charter school funding issue. We are grateful for Representative Mason’s support and her unwavering commitment to the children of Woodland CCSD 50! #LifeintheW
To see more news and announcements, check out the Woodland ROAR Report for Friday, Jan. 30 - https://app.smore.com/n/sc8y0v

Black Dads Rock! on CLC Lancer Radio
The Music That Made Us: Black Fathers, Culture, and Community with Black Dads Rock
In a powerful and uplifting episode of CLC’s Lancer Radio, Professor Jay Wiltshire and Dr. Brent Steffens sit down with members of Black Dads Rock, a Woodland District 50 initiative dedicated to celebrating Black culture and challenging harmful stereotypes about Black fatherhood. Blending conversation with a thoughtfully curated soundtrack, the guests share songs that have shaped their lives and communities, using music as a springboard to explore identity, fatherhood, resilience, and representation.
Episode on CLC Lancer Radio - http://www.lancerradioclc.com/Show_Archives/Black%20Dads%20Rock%202026.mp3
Spotify: Black Dads Rock! Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wq0RIv5T1cYU22ulWDUQK?si=a20c213b0c8f4c56&nd=1&dlsi=ffa2a44141a24d7e
Black History Month Celebration at Woodland, Feb. 7 - https://aptg.co/TV_3L_

Help us give a warm Wildcat Welcome on this very cold day!
Woodland welcomed three new #LifeintheW team members at last night’s Board of Education meeting: two new Board of Education members, Dr. Virginia Tate and Ms. Gabriela Valverde Strobehn, were sworn in at the meeting; the Board also appointed a new Elementary School Principal, Dr. Christopher Harmon, to start July 1, 2026 when Mr. Reardon moves into his new District-level Human Resources position.
See the rest of ROAR Report here: https://app.smore.com/n/4qk6y

WINTER FEST POSTPONED!
The Parent Mentor Winter Fest event has been rescheduled due to the extreme winter weather impacting our area tomorrow. The new date is Feb. 20, 2026. We hope to see you there! 🤩❄️
Event Flyer: https://aptg.co/zy4qVQ

Woodland D50 is closely monitoring the weather forecast for Friday, Jan. 23, which currently calls for extremely cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills. Please read this Winter Weather Update for more information - https://app.smore.com/n/2zx36

Congratulations to Ms. Wilinski and Ms. Hunt and their incredibly talented art students on your show opening last night in Gurnee! Muller Honda of Gurnee is currently featuring 89 pieces of Woodland Elementary student artwork throughout their showroom. The artists toured the art gallery opening last night with their families and celebrated with classmates on the success of the show. The students were so excited when they found their artwork and couldn't wait to show their supporters!
Thank you to Muller Honda for supporting the arts and celebrating student talent in our community! #LifeintheW

Tonight: Student Art Gallery Opening at Muller Honda of Gurnee!
Muller Honda of Gurnee
Wednesday, January 14, 2026,
6:00–7:30 p.m.
Woodland Elementary Student artwork will be displayed throughout the dealership, giving our young artists the opportunity to showcase their talents in a real-world gallery setting.
Please join us for an evening of art, community, and celebration as we recognize the creativity and accomplishments of our students. Families are welcome, and we hope you will take time to view the artwork, support our artists, and enjoy this memorable experience together.

Did you see that sunrise this morning? WOW!
Thank you to Mrs. Wilinski for sending in this beautiful picture from Elementary as she arrived for a great day in the W 🤩

January 9 is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day!

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Gurnee Police Department for all they do to support and protect our community.

We would also like to recognize and thank our incredible Woodland School Resource Officers (SRO) for the many ways they support our schools, staff, and students each and every day. Thank you for your dedication, partnership, and commitment to keeping our learning community safe. 💙

If you see Dets. Hansen, Tazzioli, or Gullifor make sure to say thank you and give them a high-five!

Thank you to our awesome Technology Team and the Tech Integration Specialists for creating this exciting EDTECH Camp for Woodland staff to kick off the January 2026 Teacher Institute Day! #LifeintheW

Woodland students joined students from around the world in an Hour of Code this week. These second grade students practiced their coding skills in the Elementary Library by coding Botley robots. You can learn more about the Hour of Code initiative at code.org.