
Congratulations to our Parent Mentors for a wildly successful year supporting our Wildcats in the classroom!
In these photos, the Parent Mentors are receiving a certificate of completion, thank you cards, and artwork from the students they worked with over the past several months. They originally signed up to help students, but the program ended up helping them as well! The mentors talked about the relationships they have developed through the program, and all of the skills and confidence they gained through this experience. They had personal jokes, heart-warming stories from the year, and amazing testimonials about their time serving our learning community in this role. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION AND ROLE MODEL!











The Woodland D50 Board of Education will meet on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
Review Agenda & Meeting Information HERE: https://secure.smore.com/n/s0whzf

Thank you to the Woodland Educational Foundation for hosting a Staff Appreciation BINGO Night on Friday. We had a great time!
https://www.dist50.net/page/foundation











Here is the Principal Parent Newsletter for 5-17-24
https://secure.smore.com/n/fr784
Tim "Why do cicadas rarely use social media?" Sheldon
Intermediate "They wait until they have something ground-breaking to post" Principal

Our busy bees were back at work this week in the Native Species Garden! This week, the Garden Club prepped the space with cardboard, mulch, and all the gloves and trowels we had! Then, during Science classes, student representatives from each room came to help us plant! We planted over 300 plants in one day! What an amazing accomplishment, Wildcats!











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. 💚



These scientists dissected a squid at Woodland Intermediate with a little help from parent volunteers and teachers. Hands-on learning in the W! #LifeintheW










Here is the Principal Parent Newsletter 5-10-24
https://secure.smore.com/n/fr784
Tim "Why was the mother firefly so happy?" Sheldon
Intermediate "Because her children were so bright!" Principal
Happy Mother's Day Tomorrow!

Here is the latest edition of the Principal Parent Newsletter 5-3-24.
https://secure.smore.com/n/fr784
Tim "Why did Anakin Skywalker cross the road?" Sheldon
Intermediate "To get to the Dark Side, of course" Principal
Happy Star Wars Day (May the 4th(force) be with you!)

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/



How many 4th graders want to be future business owners and entrepreneurs? Look at all those raised hands.
Mrs. Kohler invited her twin brother to share his journey from Woodland Student to Business Owner! That's right - Matt was once a 4th grader at Woodland just like the students in the audience.
He talked about what inspired him to start his own business, the amount of time and research it took to develop his product, and how he has slowly and deliberately grown his business to meet the demand. The presentation focused on economics as part of the 4th grade Social Studies curriculum. The students even got to sample his product!
Thank you to the Milwaukee Pretzel Company for inspiring our students and sharing your story. #LifeintheW









Can you dig it?! Today the Garden Club began clearing weeds in the West Courtyard! We even discovered some important inhabitants of our courtyard ecosystem.... the insects and decomposers!






Today, our 4th East students learned about building a business from Matt Wessel of the Milwaukee Pretzel Company. It was so great, and the kids loved the pretzels! Special thanks to Mrs. Kohler for setting it up and sharing the pictures!





5th Grade students in Mrs. Moore's Advanced Math class created games based on Probability. The students had fun explaining the rules of their game to Dr. Machak, and then trying out all the other games around the room. #LifeintheW











Here is the Principal Parent Newsletter for 4-26-24
https://www.smore.com/n/fr784
Have a great weekend,
Tim "Why was the egg asked to leave class?" Sheldon
Intermediate "It kept telling yolks" Principal (this will be relevant when you read the newsletter)

Live Arts 2024! A great night of fine arts at WTHS! Check out the amazing Intermediate artwork on display.








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











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


Go (future) Cubs, GO! Today Mr. Campanella's afternoon math class held a pitching bullpen! Everyone lined up to throw a cotton ball and we measured the distance, in half-foot increments. Students collected the data to display on their Line Plots!





