This week I received a letter from some 4th graders on their requests for additional playground equipment and ideas. Not only is their letter and accompanying chart adorable (see accompanying photos), but I love that their are collaborating as a group to do this and even being solicitous of feedback. You may recall that this fall we added volleyball courts to our playgrounds based on student recommendations. While I don't know that we will be able to make all of their dreams come true, such as the trampoline, I do think that we absolutely can make some of these suggestions a reality and soon! Having safe, constructive choices at recess is essential to ensuring that students engage in healthy social interactions and recreation. I love their advocacy and ownership of this part of their day! Great job Annabella, Vlad, Calvin, Charlotte, Chandler, Lola, Kyle, Tiffany, and Evi!!!

On the evening of Wednesday, November 1st a group of our faculty and staff, including Jesus Ocampo, Denice Cocom, Claire Plowgian, Victoria Torres, and Maria Horques, showcased their incredible Ofrenda for a Dia De Los Muertos event. Dozens of students and family members joined us for this event and more contributed by sending images to be displayed in the Ofrenda or contributing cultural food items for the event. Students also participated as you will see in the included video of the event that includes images and a surprise musical performance from a staff member.

This past Wednesday, November 1st we were thrilled to welcome our family volunteers into the school to support our Fall Fest Activities. Students engaged in games, crafts, and other activities to promote community and collaboration in their classrooms and across the building. These events are great opportunities for family members to have opportunities to interact with their students at school, but also foster collaborative relationships with teachers, too!

The week of November 6-10, 2023 Woodland Intermediate will be honoring our nation’s military veterans and active duty service members. The week will include student participation days and family activities.

Salute to Service Spirit Week:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12nJfZxSI1mco5UcIwuMcYoF4S0_ey4kqiWet1DPvLf4/edit

Google form to Register for Ceremony (Friday, ,November 10th, 9:30-10:30):

https://forms.gle/n7FTCBJNTPWdY1CBA

Hall of Heroes:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14_WP2q9qLAU8_8_Wx6YlJwBXtxKTN0AIu3XU4rCQJ4g/edit#slide=id.g653f198872_0_0

We hope you can join us for the performances of the Enchanted Bookshop, our fall play this coming Thursday and Friday evenings. All students will be able to see a portion of the production during their school day on Wednesday, November 8th.

5th Grade BAND Concerts -Wednesday, November 15th

EAST halls- (Herren, Turner, Feutz, Rodriguez, Ziegler, Hengels, Cooksey)

Concert Time- 6:00pm students arrive at 5:45pm

WEST halls-(Klein, Lanzito, Werner, McCowen, Lother, Poremba, Silasiri, Rakosnik)

Concert Time- 6:45pm students arrive at 6:30pm

DUAL halls- (Rosenblum, Gonzalez, Ibanez, Meinke, Veronie, Raths, Del Campo, Lomeli)

Concert Time- 7:30pm students arrive at 7:15pm

-FREE Family Tech Talk Tuesday 11/7 at 8pm via Zoom. REGISTRATION Required. More Details HERE

-Signature Chocolate Fundraiser ORDER PICKUP will be Friday 11/10 and Saturday 11/11 at Woodland Middle School. DETAILS and Volunteer information HERE. All families who participated in the fundraiser need to attend the pickup event.

-Save the Date: November PTA Meeting MONDAY 11/13 at 7pm via Zoom. REGISTRATION Required.

-Save the Date: Second Tuesdays Fundraiser TUESDAY 11/14 at Chuck E. Cheese 3-9pm

The Prairie Crossing Charter School's (PCCS) renewal application is currently pending before the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Representatives from ISBE recently held a public forum at PCCS, and many PCCS stakeholders attended the forum to speak in favor of the charter renewal. ISBE will be at Woodland on Wednesday, Nov. 8 to seek feedback from our learning community about the impact the Charter School has on district 50.

• Date: Nov. 8, 2023
• Time: 4 - 5:30 p.m. (public comment signup begins at 3:30 p.m.)
• Location: Woodland Middle School, Cafeteria A (Entry Door B2)

PCCS currently serves approximately 392 students that would otherwise attend Woodland School District 50. The way the state funding formula works, approximately $6 Million in state funding (Evidence-Based Funding) is diverted from Woodland to serve those 392 students. For comparison, Woodland receives approximately $5 Million in Evidence-Based Funding to serve the remaining 4,800 Woodland students. This $6 Million is diverted annually, and with every PCCS renewal, the disparity in funding continues to grow.

We are seeking support from our Woodland community to help inform the Illinois State Board of Education of the funding inequities we have faced for the past 25 years relative to Woodland’s financial support of Prairie Crossing. Recovering a portion, if not all, $6 million of the Evidence Based Funding dollars lost to Prairie Crossing would go a long way being able to offer more resources, programs, and opportunities for our Woodland students, as the state’s school district funding formula was created to do.

When the sign-ups for our fall intramurals and clubs went out a month or so ago, one 5th grader, Hannah, noticed that her passion-art- was not represented. Thus began an incredible example of student advocacy and persistence. It all began with a message she sent to me on Schoology,

"hi mr sheldon i would like to know if i can have an art club of my own with an art teacher for people who like art it would be 4:10 to 5:00 to make almost realistic drawings like profeshinle drawer and painters make so im wondering can i have my own club it would only be on Mondays!!!"

I suggested that she pursue an adult sponsor for the club and we could go from there. To say the least, she was dogged in her pursuit of this club. For example, in a subsequent schoology message she included the idea that,

"i would be the host well the leader and you can join are art also if you want to learn some realistic art also there would be 2 arts a day and have real objects to use but i would have to pay for the stuff probably but it would be a happy answer and its okay if its a no but it would be a honer to have it"

Later that same day, she sent a follow up message,

"whats my budget though for every week on the Mondys?"

Over the course of the next several weeks, she not only secured a sponsor, helping to fill out the roster of additional winter intramural clubs that you can sign up for below!

Hannah is exemplary in her embodiment of taking Ownership and Responsibility for her school community to make sure everyone's interests and passions are represented!

We are grateful to our Middle School NJHS students for visiting us this past Friday along with School Resource Officer Kelly Hansen. Along with some of our PBIS Student Leaders, these students created beautiful visuals to celebrate a week of learning about making healthy choices and staying drug-free.

Please sign up here if your student is interested in participating in intramurals. Intramurals will take place at Woodland Intermediate as noted in each of the options. Participation in each program is dependent on availability. Your student can sign up for ONE intramural at this time (you can list your first, second, and third preferences)*. Teachers will send more detailed information once your student is a confirmed participant in the program. Club participation is limited to a number of participants depending on the activity. If we have more applicants than spots, students will be selected through a random lottery. More intramural/club opportunities will be available throughout the school year. Stay tuned! Sign-up forms for ALL Intramurals are due Friday, November, 10th at 9am.

*If there is additional space after everyone gets at least one activity, then students will be allowed to do more than one.

*You may sign up for a session 1 and 2 activity.

*Some activities will run for both winter sessions.

WINTER PERIOD:

SESSION 1: NOVEMBER 6TH - THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 (No PM sessions on 11/01/23 12/6/23 and the week of 11/20/23)

WINTER PERIOD:

SESSION 2: TUESDAY, JANUARY 9TH - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29TH

Please note that Clubs/Intramurals will take place M, T, W, & TH. Before School Hours: 8:05 - 8:50 am. After School Hours: 3:45 - 4:35 (Transportation will be available ONLY for PM Sessions)

Trivia Question: How many students do you think were Chronically Absent out of just less than 1000 students at Intermediate last year?

As I mentioned last week, 20% of our rating by the State of Illinois comes from the rate at which our students are Chronically Absent. Recall that Chronically Absent means that students have missed 10% or more of the school year (18 days) FOR ANY REASON (sick, doctors appointments, picked-up early, tardy, extra day added onto a vacation, mental health day- everything and anything when they aren't in front of a certified teacher)!!!

While you ponder that question, please take note of the following to help us reduce unfortunate loss of attendance for your student

Full Day of School: To get a full day of attendance, students cannot leave school before 3 pm.

Half Day of School: To get a half day of attendance, they must stay till at least 11:35 am (12:30 pm for 4th West and 4th East hallways)

Tardy/Late Arrival: Students cannot get a full day of attendance if they arrive after 10 am.

So, what was your guess? 50 or so- like 1 out of every homeroom or so? Nope

Correct Answer: 207 or 22% of our students were chronically absent in FY23. That's right, 1 out of 5 students missed more than 10% of the school year last year.

The good news is that even a couple of days of attendance saved throughout the year would make a huge difference:

Out of the 207 students who were chronically absent last year:

52 of them missed between 18-20 days (25% of the issue)

115 of them missed between 18-25 days (more than 50% of the issue)

Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to send any student who is ill to school. With that said, on any other occasion where you have discretion, please help our students to attend school whenever possible, including SIP Days, days before long weekends, and next to vacations when we see attendance drop uncharacteristically.

PS If this information made you curious whether or not your student was one chronically absent last year, feel free to email me and I can give you the count of your attendance last year.

We are excited that our Fall Party is on Wednesday, November 1st. As part of this event, students are permitted, but not required to wear costumes. However, please note that all costumes must be managed by students and be appropriate for school. As I previously mentioned, students should not wear any costumes that include blood/gore, include weaponry (or items that could be used as weapons e.g. magic wands), or inordinately disrupt the educational environment. Special Note: Please do not send students in costumes with the fan-driven inflatable components. Due to the size and noise of these costumes, they would be a good example of outfits that are inordinately disruptive. Plus, other students have difficulty resisting the temptation to touch these outfits and could damage them.

We know that many students will be celebrating Halloween on Tuesday, October 31st. However, please note that students are NOT to wear costumes to school on October 31st.

Excerpts from an Article in CNBC

by Ashton Jackson

@ASHTONLINNELL

How old should a child be before getting their first cell phone? There’s only one correct answer if you want them to lead happier, more successful lives, says Yale University psychology professor Laurie Santos: “Wait as long as possible.”

“I think the more we can hold off on giving kids technology — the longer, the better,” Santos, the professor behind Yale’s most popular course and host of the podcast “The Happiness Lab,” tells CNBC Make It.

Children ages eight to 12 who have phones spend just under five hours a day glued to their phones, and teenagers rack up nearly eight hours of screen time per day, a 2019 report from nonprofit Common Sense Media found.

That screen time is seldom used for creative activities like coding or making digital art. Rather, young people spend most of their phone time on social media or watching videos, Common Sense head of research Michael Robb wrote in an analysis of the report.

This is likely to encourage poor mental health — in ways that affect kids differently than adults — and distractions in the classroom, Santos says.

Social media use exposes many kids to cyberbullying, hate speech and discrimination, Make It reported in May. Even YouTube videos meant for children can contain malicious, disturbing or inappropriate content, as CNBC noted in 2018.

Halting smartphone use for children and young people until they’re in 8th grade comes with benefits, according to advocacy group Wait Until 8th, including:

• Less risk of anxiety and depression
• Increased quantity and quality of sleep
• More time for physical activity and the outdoors

Parents should also lead by example, Santos adds: If you’re constantly on your cell phone, it’ll be harder to justify why your child can’t have one.

“They’re not going to want to do as you say, they’re going to want to do as you do,” Santos says.

- Did you miss the Middle School Book Fair? Online purchasing is still available through 11/5 HERE.

-FREE Family Tech Talk Tuesday 11/7 at 8pm via Zoom. REGISTRATION Required. The PTA is hosting this FREE parent event to discuss safe internet practices for students. An internet expert from Trend Micro will present tips and info on many topics including online gaming, internet safety, parental controls and much more including a LIVE Q & A session. The presentation will be in English with an option for a Spanish speaking presenter. REGISTER to attend.

-Signature Chocolate Fundraiser ORDER PICKUP will be Friday 11/10 and Saturday 11/11 at Woodland Middle School. Stay tuned for more detailed information.

-Save the Date: November PTA Meeting MONDAY 11/13 at 7pm via Zoom. REGISTRATION Required.

-Save the Date: Second Tuesdays Fundraiser TUESDAY 11/14 at Chuck E. Cheese 3-9pm

The Prairie Crossing Charter School's (PCCS) renewal application is currently pending before the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Representatives from ISBE recently held a public forum at PCCS, and many PCCS stakeholders attended the forum to speak in favor of the charter renewal. ISBE will be at Woodland on Wednesday, Nov. 8 to seek feedback from our learning community about the impact the Charter School has on district 50.

• Date: Nov. 8, 2023
• Time: 4 - 5:30 p.m. (public comment signup begins at 3:30 p.m.)
• Location: Woodland Middle School, Cafeteria A (Entry Door B2)

PCCS currently serves approximately 392 students that would otherwise attend Woodland School District 50. The way the state funding formula works, approximately $6 Million in state funding (Evidence-Based Funding) is diverted from Woodland to serve those 392 students. For comparison, Woodland receives approximately $5 Million in Evidence-Based Funding to serve the remaining 4,800 Woodland students. This $6 Million is diverted annually, and with every PCCS renewal, the disparity in funding continues to grow.

We are seeking support from our Woodland community to help inform the Illinois State Board of Education of the funding inequities we have faced for the past 25 years relative to Woodland’s financial support of Prairie Crossing. Recovering a portion, if not all, $6 million of the Evidence Based Funding dollars lost to Prairie Crossing would go a long way being able to offer more resources, programs, and opportunities for our Woodland students, as the state’s school district funding formula was created to do.

This week I want to highlight Ms. Butera's class for taking the student contribution to a newsletter idea to the next level- a totally student-made newsletter. What a wonderful way to take ownership of their learning community! You can see this student-led edition of the "Butera Babbler" below.

Secondly, we received an endearing contribution from a Middle School student who reached back to Ms. Weidemann with his idea for our Roarazon store. Kaspar, a current 6th grader, came up with some great ideas last year, but took it upon himself to create this one even if he can't use it! It's a cool idea that I have to admit that I am jealous about not coming up with it myself!

Do you know what it means to be "Chronically Absent"? The idea of truancy might come to mind, but this is something very different.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), "A student is “Chronically Absent” if they missed 10% or more of the school year regardless of excuse."

It might sound like 10% is a lot of days out, but in a school year with 176 days, that means that after 18 days, your student is considered "Chronically Absent" by ISBE.

Please note the part about "REGARDLESS OF EXCUSE"! So if you child is missing due to illness 9 days (1 time per month) that you call in and then 5 days of vacation you add on to the breaks and long weekends and then 4 days worth of doctor's appointments and early pick-ups, your student is Chronically Absent.

Why does it matter if your child is "Chronically Absent"? There are two main reasons. Firstly and most importantly, if they are not in school, they cannot learn from our instruction nor participate in our community. Secondly, Chronic Absenteeism is 20% of ours school's rating by the state. By comparison, the rate of grade-level proficiency in Math and Reading combined is only 15%!

One of the ways that students slip into the category of "Chronic Absenteeism" is due to the cumulative impact of early pick-ups, doctor's appointments, and tardiness. According to ISBE, for a child to receive credit for a FULL DAY of instruction, they must be present for at least 300 minutes (5 hours) of instruction (this does not include lunch, recess, entry/exit times). To get credit for a HALF DAY of attendance, they must be present for at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of instruction.

Consider a couple of examples for illustrative purposes:

A student comes to school 15 minutes late (9:20 am) and then is picked up 30 minutes early at 3:10 pm. Although 9:20 am to 3:10 pm is 350 minutes, we have to subtract the 55 minutes for lunch/recess (30 for recess, 25 for lunch) from the total. This leaves the student with 295 minutes of instruction which is less than the required 300 minutes (5 hours) of instruction. This student will receive a HALF DAY of attendance.

A student from the 4th West hallway comes to school on time and starts at 9:05 am, but is picked up at 12:25 pm to go to an orthodontist appointment and then doesn't return to school afterwards. Although 9:05 am to 12:25 pm is 200 minutes, 4th West has lunch and recess starting at 11:05, so you have to subtract 55 minutes, leaving only 145 minutes or less than the required amount of instruction to get even a HALF DAY of attendance- so that student is considered absent for the ENTIRE DAY.

As you can see from these examples, coupled with the expected unavoidable absences of illness, it is very easy for these days to add up to the point that your student is considered Chronically Absent.

So to help you navigate those aspects of this that you can control, please consider the following information.

FULL DAY: The earliest time that a child can be picked up at Intermediate (assuming they arrived on time) and still get a FULL DAY of attendance is 3:00 pm (9:05 to 3:00 is 355 minutes, then take away 55 minutes for lunch and recess to get a total of 300 minutes of instruction).

HALF DAY: The earliest time that your child can be picked up at Intermediate (assuming they arrived on time) and still get at least a HALF DAY of attendance varies by Hallway due to the staggered times for lunch and recess. For 4th Dual, 5th Dual, 5th West, and 5th East can be picked up at 11:35 am and get a HALF DAY (9:05 to 11:35 am is 150 minutes- these hallways have lunch/recess after 11:35 am).

Because 4th West and 4th East which have lunch and recess start before 11:35 am, the earliest time for pick-up to get a HALF DAY is 12:30 pm (9:05 to 12:30 is 205 minutes minus 55 minutes for lunch/recess for a total of 150 minutes of instruction).

When considering students arriving late, taking vacations including school days, scheduling appointments, or even just picking students up early for convenience's sake, please keep this information in mind. Collectively all of these add up and make big difference for our students and our school.

Fall Conferences are quickly approaching. The Woodland Intermediate Specials & PE Departments wanted to reach out to share the following information regarding scheduling your child’s conferences. If you are interested in setting up a Conference with your child’s Specials or PE teachers, please utilize the links below.

Woodland Intermediate School Specials & P.E. Fall Conference Sign Up

Please click on the teacher’s name to access their conference sign up.

SPECIALS

PE

Mrs. Simons (Art)

Mr. Hammett (Art)

Mr. Burgess (Heath)

Mrs. Little (Music)

Mrs. Souza (Music)

Mrs. Campbell (Library)

Mr. Ahonen (West PE)

Mr. Howard (West PE)

Mr. Dovichi (West PE)

Mrs. Weidemann (East PE)

Mr. Ocampo (East PE)

Mr. Friedman (East PE)

As always, if these days or times do not work for you, please feel free to reach out to your child’s Specials or PE teacher at any time with any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

Woodland Intermediate Specials & PE Departments

-WSRA Trunk-or-Treat, Sunday 10/22, 1-3pm. $3/participant, Registration Required

- MIddle School Fall Book Fair 10/24-10/27. Students will shop during the school day. Online purchasing is also available 10/23-11/5 HERE. Volunteers needed.

Parent University: Three Myths that Undermine our Parenting, Nov. 6

Join us for a virtual presentation by Dr. Doug Bolton on the Three Myths that Undermine our Parenting. Dr. Bolton's experience comes from his work as a Principal at North Shore Academy, a special education consortium school for northern cook county districts, Lurie's Children's Hospital, and as a clinician for students and families. Dr. Bolton is a very dynamic and engaging speaker, and he presented to our district families in the spring. He has continued to work with key staff and administrators at the Middle School for a strong start to this school year, and he genuinely understands many of the special qualities that make our district unique. Dr. Bolton's Biography.

Date: Monday, Nov. 6

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Virtual, Free Parent Webinar

Register ENGLISH / SPANISH

Visit the Parent University Website!

Members of our staff, including Jesus Ocampo Gaytan, Denice Cocom, Maria Quintana Torres, Clare Plowgian, Pam Valkenaar, Jess Pierson, and others have worked to create an amazing cultural event for our school community for the Día de los Muertos.

In our second floor hallway, we will have an Ofrenda, and have opportunities for students to learn more information about this cultural tradition. There will be a virtual presentation with videos, images and writings about the meaning of these days. There will also be an exhibition by some students and teachers from the school who will tell us more about this element.

Woodland Intermediate School invites you to participate in the "Day of the Dead" celebration which will take place on November 1. If you would like to attend the event, please confirm your attendance for November 1, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. You will be able to see the altar and the offerings. We will do a slideshow presentation, have music and you will have the opportunity to enjoy a small traditional snack of this celebration. Link to RSVP

Moving forward we hope to establish a permanent (but dynamic) "Cultural Connection Corridor" in our second floor hallway. The displays in this hallway will change with the calendar and display information and artifacts from different cultural traditions from all continents around the world which reflect the diversity of our school community. This will build on the great work we accomplished with our Mosaic in this area last year and is a natural location (given the number of public events in the MPR/Auditorium) for members of our community to observe these great displays.

This week our intramurals, clubs, and activities kicked-off, joining choir in providing opportunities for students to explore their interests, meet new friends, and gain new skills. From cross-country to chess and everywhere in between, students spend time with our generous staff members who give of their time to sponsor these activities. Despite a small stumble out of the gate with bus transportation for one activity, we are happy to report a successful start to these activities. Additionally, we are happy to report that more than 300 students (100+ in choir, and 200+ in activities) are or will be participating in one or more of these activities. And this doesn't include the cast of our Fall Play. This means that approximately 33% or 1/3 of our students are getting these greater experiences and opportunities.

As research shows, "Adolescents who participate in extracurricular activities demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement, greater character development, greater social development, and a greater sense of the importance of community involvement."

Some of you may recall from last year or know that we have monitoring software that flags student activity that is concerning for various reasons. Whether they are searching inappropriate topics/videos or using inappropriate language online, this software, named Securly, alerts our staff when there is concerning activity on a school device.

Additionally, this software allows parents to supervise, review, and limit control of your individual student's Chromebook usage outside of school hours. In conversations with parents who tried this out last year, they have found interesting patterns of usage- everything from a lot of YouTube to using Google Translate to get around having to doing some of the cognitive work required in Dual Language! The good news is that, through this application, you have the ability to not only review their activity, see activity that is flagged by the program, but also specifically block individual websites. So if you see your student using the school-issued Chromebook in ways that are concerning, you can not only supervise this, have conversations with your student about it, but also place hard limits on it, if that is what is necessary.

For more information, please watch this brief 90-second video for more information about Securly Home.

In the next week or so, you will receive an onboarding email from Securly with instructions on how to enroll with Securly Home and link your account to your student(s). Please note that the email you receive will be from noreply@securly.com. Please also be sure to check your spam folder if you do not see the email in your inbox. Please make sure that the primary email address in Skyward for your parent/guardian contact is correct.

The Securly Home portal will be accessible via app (Apple Store and Google Play Store), as well as web browser (https://securly.com/parent-login). After you have logged into the portal, you will have access to review the browsing history of your students' take home device.

Conference Sign-Ups will be distributed by teachers on October 17th

Our Fall Party in on November 1st

We are looking for volunteers to help ride bus routes to be a proactive deterrent to poor choices We have gotten one so far-which is great! (Note that all volunteers that would ride a bus route complete the district's onboarding process, including a background check along with other relevant training). If you are interested, please email Principal Sheldon.

-Signature Chocolate Fundraiser Extension! Online ordering ONLY will remain open until 10/17. Paper order forms and payments MUST be turned in by 10/13. For more details and instructions on how to participate, click HERE. Thank you for your support!

-Dunkfest 3 on 3 Basketball tournament is returning on Friday 10/20! All 3rd-8th grade students are eligible to participate. REGISTER TODAY! All teams must register by 10/17. Click HERE for details and registration. VOLUNTEERS Needed.

-WSRA Trunk-or-Treat, Sunday 10/22, 1-3pm. $3/participant, Registration Required

-MIddle School Fall Book Fair 10/24-10/27. Stay tuned for Volunteer information.

Saturday Study Hall & Homework Help

Reminder: Woodland offers free tutoring and instructional support for ALL Woodland D50 students in English and/or Spanish from a certified D50 teacher. Saturdays from 8 - 11 a.m.

Important Dates

• Oct. 18 - Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC), 7 p.m., Warren Newport Public Library
• Oct. 21 - Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Warren Newport Public Library
• Oct. 26 - Woodland D50 Board of Education Meeting (2023-2024 Schedule)

Virtual Backpack

Please visit Woodland's Virtual Backpack to learn about other events and resources in the community. New events are added all the time, so check back often.

The image below was created by Kassandra Cerda in 5th Grade Dual Language. She told her teacher Ms. Meinke that she was inspired by our PBIS work, badges, and recent assemblies to do something to help recognize students when they are doing the right thing. First of all the idea itself is heartwarming and her rendition is adorable. It is especially admirable that not only was this unprompted by an adult, but that she hand-wrote each square is virtually identical way- I can only imagine the focus and determination it took to make near-perfect copies over and over. Her contribution and suggestion certainly should not go unnoticed. It has prompted me to think about ways that, in addition to adults rewarding students for making the right choices, students might recognize one another for their positive contributions to the community. Kassandra's idea is certainly a great example of a student Taking Ownership as the "O" in ROAR would suggest.

I am very excited to announce that our schoology badges are the talk of the school. Our lunchroom has been dramatically impacted by this. As you can see from our data, this entire week, THE ENTIRE SCHOOL-across 6 lunch periods- has completely managed themselves to get quiet and ready to depart the cafeteria at the right time. They are doing so well I had to create a new reward on the fly to reward the whole school- a "Schoolwide Success Badge"- when our entire building makes the right choice! Students are able to use these rewards to purchase items in our Roarazon store.

These badges and our other PBIS efforts are having a very positive impact on our culture and climate. We have had a more than 30% reduction in major offenses (referred to an administrator) in the month of September this year compared to September last year. This reduction has been broad-based in terms of not just a reduction in the number of offenses, but also the number of students who have committed an offense. Fully 97% of our students have never committed a major offense requiring them to see an administrator so far this year.

We will continue to build out the badge system to support our PBIS efforts and sustain this positive momentum. A new badge that will be coming into focus in the coming week is our Responsible Reader Badge. We will be looking to reward our students for their responsibility in returning their library books. We have instituted Perfect Attendance Badges in addition to Awesome Assembly Attitude, and students are now creating proposed badges and levels to add to the system, too! I would love to hear any ideas you as parents have on this subject, too!

While it is great that we see a lot of success inside of our school building reducing poor choices by students, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that students' bus rides, as short as they may be, are still an opportunity for growth in terms of a positive culture and climate. My experience teaches me that if you look for students where and when students feel anonymous and unaccountable, you will find them making poorer choices than they otherwise might. The bus, given that the driver's priority is driving the bus, fits this description. While all of the buses have cameras that capture everything, students know that these are only watched after the fact when it comes to what happens on the bus.

To help counteract this situation, I proposed to our district the idea of soliciting parent volunteers to ride certain routes to help monitor student behavior. I am grateful that they have approved this idea to try out.

Volunteers would have an orientation and training session, along with the same background checks we do with all parent volunteers, prior to starting. We would not be looking for parents to intercede in any issues or actively manage situations. Rather, I think that you simply being an extra set of eyes that doesn't have to be on the road along with offering some friendly reminders about expectations will be super helpful. If need be a volunteer could be called upon to provide a recollection of what they observed were a situation to arise.

Remarkably, for once, being the last route in the district is super helpful relative to logistics for volunteers. If you were to do this, you would board the bus at intermediate at 3:45 pm and then be brought back to Intermediate at the end of the route. The vast majority of the routes are less than 30 minutes in length with some considerably less than that.

I will take any help you can offer- even if you can't do this every day of the week. We do not necessarily need one person for every bus- many, if not most bus routes are relatively uneventful. Even one volunteer, would be super helpful. This may or may not be something that works, but it certainly won't hurt to try. Regardless, I will continue to try everything I can think of to make our students bus rides as uneventful as possible.

You will be receiving a Sign-Up Genius link from our student's teachers on or about October 17th. You will use this link to electronically sign up for Fall Conferences. Recall that these conferences are on November 20th and 21st and that the first day is for In-Person conferences and the second day is for Virtual Conferences.

Our Fall Fest Party will be on November 1st with the party event itself being from 11:00-11:45 am. This is a wonderful event to support as a parent volunteer. If you are interested in doing so, please contact your student's homeroom teacher. While this is not intended as a Halloween Party, students are permitted- but not in anyway expected- to wear costumes provided they are appropriate for school. No depictions of violence, including blood, gore, nor weapons of any kind, including items that could be used as a weapon (a magic wand very quickly turns into a sword/spear at school, unfortunately) will be allowed. If you have any questions about this event, please reach out to your student's teacher or send me an email.

As we wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month next week, we'd like to invite families to listen to our student announcements from 5th Dual Hall. You share your own videos about why Hispanic Heritage Month is important to you! Using your student's Chromebook, sign in to the Woodland Intermediate Celebration of Culture on Flip. Here is the link: https://flip.com/bcf7a20a

Progress Reports: Woodland Learning Habits

With the move to Standards-Based Grading, students in 1st - 5th grade are now on a trimester schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. That means that the students in these grades are mid-way through the term, and you will be receiving an email from your child's teacher or school office with a progress report on your child's learning habits. Learn more in this VIDEO!

Academics and Learning Habits are reported separately allowing teachers to identify and address specific behaviors that may impact student learning. Learning Habits are aligned with ROAR expectations: Respect, Ownership, Accepting, Ready. Students are assessed using the same performance ratings such as Exemplary, Meeting, Approaching and Beginning. The links to the rubrics for each learning habit will help you understand what teachers are looking for when assessing students in these categories.

• Respect: English / Spanish
• Ownership: English / Spanish
• Accepting: English / Spanish
• Ready: English / Spanish

Please visit the website to learn more about Standards-Based Grading, and to connect with additional resources.

Upcoming PTA Events:

10/10: Second Tuesday Fundraiser, MOD Pizza, All Day. Show FLYER or enter code MODGIVES25 when ordering

10/11: Signature Chocolate Fundraiser orders DUE

10/12: October PTA Meeting, 7pm via ZOOM, Registration Required

10/20: DUNKFEST!, 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, REGISTRATION and DETAILS, Registration cut off is 10/17

10/22: WSRA Trunk or Treat, 1-3pm, $3/participant, Registration Required

10/23-10/27: Middle School Bookfair, stay tuned for volunteer information.

PTA Open Positions:

Dance Committee Members

The PTA is looking for 3-4 people to join the planning committee for our Spring Dance. Meetings to plan theme and dance details will start soon and the dance will take place on Saturday March 9th. For more information, please contact Dance Chair, Susy Martinez at susmartz@hotmail.com

Book Fair Co-Chairs (INT)

The Book Fair Co-Chairs (2) will coordinate with Intermediate, the Scholastic Book Fair rep and the PTA to schedule and execute the book fair twice during the school year. (The fall fair is already complete for 2023.) At Intermediate, the fair is open for a week and students visit during the day. At least one Co-Chair should be present at the fair whenever it is open. Co-Chairs are responsible for working with the school to create a schedule for students to attend the fair, they coordinate the drop off and pick up of the fair with Scholastic and the school, and are responsible for set up and break down of the fair. There is also typically one or two evenings during curriculum night and/or open house when the fair would be open to parents as well as students. The PTA will assist with recruiting volunteers to work the fairs.

Questions or interested? - please email Stephanie Ingram at dist50pta@gmail.com

Mrs.Lanzito has been teaching 5th grade for over 15 years and is an amazing math & science teacher.She has a cute bearded dragon name Rango that she loves very much. Mrs.Lanzito is the best teacher anyone could ask for!

The fall Signature Chocolate Fundraiser has begun!! Online ordering is also available. For more details and instructions on how to participate, click HERE. Orders are DUE on or before Wednesday October 11th. Thank you for your support!

SAVE THE DATES!

-Dunkfest 3 on 3 Basketball tournament is returning on Friday 10/20! All 3rd-8th grade are eligible to participate. REGISTER TODAY! All teams must register by 10/17. Click HERE for details and registration.

-October PTA Meeting, Thursday 10/12 at 7pm via Zoom. Registration required.

-Second Tuesdays Fundraiser! Tuesday 10/10, MOD Pizza in Gurnee. 25% of orders placed ANY time on 10/10 will be donated back to the PTA. You MUST mention Woodland PTA when ordering in person, or use code MODGIVES25 when ordering online.

Three More Parent Mentors Needed!

Woodland is still looking for three additional parent mentors to join the team for the 2023-2024 school year. Our Parent Mentor Program is making a HUGE impact on classroom climate, school culture, and our students’ academic success. Parent involvement is so important in a child’s education and we invite you to learn more by contacting Tanya Abbey at TAbbey@dist50.net or by filling out this Google Form.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Oct. 4 - FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test (News Release)
• Oct. 6 - Teacher Institute Day, No Student Attendance
• Oct. 9 - No Student Attendance, District Closed
• Oct. 18 - Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC), 7 p.m., Warren Newport Public Library
• Oct. 21 - Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Warren Newport Public Library
• Oct. 26 - Woodland D50 Board of Education Meeting (2023-2024 Schedule)

This week I am excited to inaugurate a new feature to my newsletter- a student-contributed article! The genesis of this idea also came from the students. A couple of them approached me about a school newspaper- another great idea! I told them we need to find them an adult sponsor; however, in the meantime, I could add a student article to my newsletter. I have since announced this via Schoology to all students and invited submissions. Without further adieu, here is our first student-contributed article to my newsletter:

Intermediate PE Teachers

By Ana Schuessler and Bennett Williams (5th East- Mrs. Rodriguez's Homeroom)

Woodland Intermediate has a lot of teachers, students, Lunch supervisors, and other staff. Join us in getting to know them better

Like Mr.Freidman,Mrs.Wiedemann and Mr.Ocampo.

Mr.Freidman is not only a great P.E teacher but is also an employee at the BEST pizza place, Lou Malnati's. Mr.Friedman also brought a beloved game that's just like Gaga ball but different to school.

Mrs.Wiedemann LOVES anything chocolate and peanut butter. She has two daughters who play softball and soccer. Unlike other P.E teachers in the past. She does the two minute jog with us and cheers us on. Her favorite color is red. She loves and is interested in her students and their life. Cora S. says ”She's nice and I love her!” We have to say she is a total girl boss.

Lastly Mr.Ocampo. Mr.Ocampo is really interesting. Mr.Ocampo is from Mexico. So he speaks spanish! Most people don't realize how hard it is to learn two languages. So A+ for him! He also enjoys soccer. He also likes to eat chocolate. He has children and a wife. And makes sure to visit his hometown.

And Bennett W. 5th grade says’’He's amazing and I think he's great!’’

Needless to say all the P.E teachers are Fantastic!

Similar to September 1st, we will be taking advantage of the fact that September 29th is a SIP day with a different schedule to accomplish one our legally required drills for the year. This time we will be working with the Gurnee Police Department on a Lockdown Drill. We anticipate this drill to occur first thing in the morning.

Unfortunately, in today's world, these types of drill are necessary to ensure everyone's safety in the extremely unlikely event something would necessitate a lockdown. With that said, we recognize that these drills can be difficult in their own right. Here is one of many useful articles that you can find online about how to discuss this issue with your children. If for any reason you would like your child not to participate in this drill, please send Principal Sheldon an email.

Upcoming PTA Events:

NOW-9/24: Spirit Wear Online Store! Get yours today, store must close 9/24.

9/27: Signature Chocolate Fundraiser begins

10/10: Second Tuesday Fundraiser, MOD Pizza, stay tuned for details

10/11: Signature Chocolate Fundraiser orders DUE

10/12: October PTA Meeting, 7pm

10/20: DUNKFEST!, 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, stay tuned for more details.

10/23-10/27: Middle School Bookfair, stay tuned for volunteer information.

Virtual Backpack

Please visit Woodland's Virtual Backpack to learn about other events and resources in the community. New events are added all the time, so check back often.

New this week in Virtual Backpack: Champions Floor Hockey!

• Picture Day is Monday, September 25th- make sure students bring their money! See September 1st edition for more information and ordering links, if needed.
• We will be sending home paper permission slips for upcoming field trips as the district examines its policies and practices relative to parent consent to field trips.
• September 28th from 4-5 pm at Intermediate will be the Equity conversation mentioned in last week's edition.

As you may have recently seen, the cast for Enchanted Bookshop, our Fall Play, was announced this past Friday. Additionally, students can join the Choir; here is the link to Sign-Up for Choir.

Additionally, we are thrilled to open our sign-up form for our extracurricular clubs at this time. Our goal is to maximize participation. If we can give everyone multiple options we will; however, we appreciate your understanding that we want as many people as possible to have at least one option before giving someone two activities.

Note: You should be able to submit more than one response for those of you who have more than one student in our school.

Please sign up no later than Friday, September 29th at 9 am.

You should have received a letter from your child about our the legally required "Erin's Law" lessons given by our social workers to all of our students.

Each school year, as part of our school curriculum, all Intermediate students will participate in one lesson focusing on personal safety in a program called Erin’s Law.

Erin’s Law is named after childhood sexual assault survivor, author, speaker and activist Erin Merryn, who is the founder and President of Erin’s Law, which is registered with the State of Illinois and the IRS as a 501 (c)(4) non-profit social welfare organization.

After Erin introduced the legislation in her home state of Illinois, the bill was named “Erin’s Law” after her by legislators and it has caught on nationwide. Illinois is the first state by law to mandate child sexual abuse prevention. As of June 2018 Erin’s Law has been passed in 35 states.

“Erin’s Law” requires that all public schools in each state implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program.

If you have any questions or concerns about these lessons, please do not hesitate to reach out.

As you may recall from previous newsletters, last year I reached out to a number of the parents of our Black students to schedule a listening session to gather their input on how we can address not only our achievement gap between White and Black students, but also the overrepresentation of Black students in our discipline processes. I would like to extend to a broader invitation to parents attend a follow up conversation on these topics. Given the persistence of these disparities both nationally, in our district, and at our school, it is clear that we do not have all the answers. Rather it is imperative we work together to find novel solutions to try in order to make our school and district more equitable in these important ways. Please join me on Thursday, September 28th at 4 pm-5 pm for a brainstorming session on how we can close these important gaps.

Have you ever wondered if the suggestion box link above is just for show? Last week we had a couple of suggestion box submissions about our cafeteria and the need for a donation bin. The good news is that I read all of the suggestions and that we already have this going! Students are allowed to donate unopened items from the school lunch, such as a milk, box of raisins, or an orange. Other students are welcome to take from this bin, but any food that is left over is also donate to area organizations that address hunger in our area. Keep the suggestions coming!

This week were thrilled to invite our families into our building to learn about their students' curriculum and further their relationships with their teachers. We had a solid turnout on both our 4th Grade and 5th Grade parent nights. Additionally, we were thrilled to welcome not only organizations within our district such as the PTA and Bilingual Parents Advisory Committee, but also community organizations such as our local library.

In addition to learning about the curriculum, parents this year had the opportunity to learn more about some of our district's digital platforms and tools such as Skyward Family Access and Schoology. You can find more information on how to use Schoology by clicking on this link or viewing the included video. If you need additional support with Skyward, scroll down to the week of 8-16-2023 for those materials.

Finally, our Scholastic Book Fair has been a great success thanks to our PTA enthusiasm and your generosity. Although we don't have final totals yet, it was clearly a big success. Thank you to all of the parent volunteers for helping to staff this event.

As many of you know, we are a PBIS school and district. We take that very seriously at Intermediate as we believe that all students are great students and will make the best choices most often when they are given clear expectations and the proper incentives. To ensure that we are supporting students in this effort, we consider them to be a critical part of the process. Therefore, every hallway has PBIS Student Leaders that work with our Tier I PBIS Team. Together they help to reinforce our shared ROAR behavioral expectations, create teaching videos for our Cool Tools, and develop incentives, including our Roarazon Store and Periodic Challenges that cater to our students interests.

In the photos below you will see them working on signage to post throughout our school to support our "Cool Tools". We are grateful to our PBIS Tier I team leader, Heather Weidemann, and her teammates- Sarah Ziegler, Nicole Santner, and Amy Werner- for supporting our students in their leadership in our school's culture and climate.

Speaking of Student Leadership, I am thrilled to relay information on an effort by our teachers to foster an inclusive student community through our Recess Buddy program. This program seeks to ensure that there are opportunities for students from all academic backgrounds and profiles to come together for social and recreational purposes. Ms. Wodrich the teacher of our Life Skills Class has been instrumental in leading this effort along with the support of her colleagues, including Mrs. Vaughn, one of our 4th Grade teachers. See below for more infomation about this program and how your students can be involved.

Calling all Volunteers who would like to become a Recess Buddy.

Recess Buddies are students who are interested in assisting other students with special needs during their recess time. The recess time consists of students with special needs who benefit from a smaller number of students but also need a buddy/friend to play with. The students who volunteer to become a Recess Buddy begin to foster friendships with others of different abilities, develop leadership skills, and promote a positive school climate which includes all students.

Who can volunteer? 4th Grade West

This wonderful opportunity is only offered to 4th Grade West due to the time of recess. The students who volunteer to become a Recess Buddy will have their lunch and recess flipped: Recess on the West Playground from 11:05-11:30 and Lunch from 11:30-12:00. We are looking for 10 volunteers every two weeks on a rotating schedule.

If your son/daughter is interested in becoming a Recess Buddy, please ask your 4th Grade West Homeroom Teacher for a permission slip and return it to Mrs. Wodrich (E115) or to the Office by Thursday, September 21, 2023 OR contact Mrs. Wodrich at 847-596-5417 or email: lwodrich@dist50.net

Our school will be celebrating “Student Engagement Week” from September 11- 15, 2023. We want to celebrate and support students here at school and their caregivers that encourage them. The following is a schedule of activities that your child is invited to participate in during school next week. Help us build a culture of working toward goals and achievement with student engagement!

We are grateful to Ms. Little and Ms. Souza for their sponsorship of our Intermediate Choir. You can find all of the details pictured below. Additionally, here is the link to Sign-Up for Choir. More extracurricular activities will be forthcoming at the end of this month, but all students can participate with Choir and other opportunities too!

Click on the Image and Video Below For Some Important Research and Tips About Social Media Use by Children from the American Psychological Association.

SAVE THE DATE! Elementary Extravaganza on 9/13, 5:30-8pm. Come join us at Elementary for the Elementary Book Fair, get your spirit wear and meet our new principal Mr. Reardon. EXCLUSIVE meet local author Quinn Ryan, first 50 families will receive free autographed copies of his book Clark After Dark! Volunteers needed. More Details

The PTA is introducing Second Tuesdays! On the second Tuesday of each month, the PTA will hold a fundraiser at a local restaurant. All families can help just by going out to eat on the second Tuesday of each month. September Second Tuesday will be held on 9/12 at Wendy's in Gurnee from 5pm-8pm. 30% of sales will be donated to the PTA. Participants must show FLYER when ordering.

Families are still able to shop the Intermediate Book Fair online HERE through 9/14 and all sales will count toward our book fair total.

Woodland Celebrates Attendance Awareness Month

September is Attendance Awareness Month and this year's theme is "Showing Up Together!"

Starting Strong! Set the tone for the school year by making sure your student attends school every day in September. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school. (Attendance Works, 10 Facts About School Attendance)

Saturday Study Hall & Homework Help

Does your child need:

• Additional support in Reading, Math, or another subject area?

• A quiet place to finish homework, or work on a project?

• Help with researching or writing a paper?

• Help studying for a test?

Our certified teaching staff is ready to help!

Registration is Required.
Use the button to take you to the sign-up form.

On Friday, September 1st, we inaugurated what will be a series of assemblies on SIP Days to honor and explore the diversity of our community. Students attended an assembly where dancers from the local area performed dances from three regions of Mexico. In between each dance, performers shared information about the regions and the dances and took questions from students in the audience. All students had an opportunity to attend an assembly and see these incredible performers. Please check out a selection from this assembly on our YouTube Channel below. We are grateful to the Woodland PTA for financial support for these awesome assemblies and events.

This year we are planning to hold assemblies on all SIP days and, as such, we also inaugurated our new PBIS Cool Tool: Awesome Assembly Attitude. As part of PBIS, we proactively teach expected behaviors to guide students to success throughout the day. The slogan for this cool tool is "Chill, Chair, Cheer." We want students to relax and be quiet, stay in their seats and respect peoples personal space, and cheer at the appropriate times and in the appropriate ways. I have to say, I was incredibly impressed with how well our students took to these ideas and hosted our guest performers.

We look forward to hosting you this week for our revamped curriculum nights, which we are now calling Parent Orientation. As you can see from the included schedule, we want you to have an opportunity to meet with your children's teachers, but we also want to make sure you are set up for success with two important online applications for our school and district. Teacher will provide you with an overview of their curriculum and introduction to Standards-Based Grading. Advanced and Challenged Teachers will also be hosting information sessions for parents of students in those classes. Administrators will provide assistance with logging into and using both Schoology and Family Access. We will make materials and "how to" videos available after these events for any parent that is unable to attend one or more sessions. Please note the times are 6:00-7:30 pm

We are excited to welcome back our gracious PTA volunteers for our Fall Scholastic Book Fair. Throughout the week, students will have an opportunity to shop during their PE classes. Additionally, we hope that you will take a moment during the Parent Orientation Evenings to drop into our Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) to shop for items for your students, family, and friends. Recall that a portion of the proceeds from this event are credited back to the school to buy instructional materials to support our academic programs.

In the course of my day, at times, in speaking with students who make poor choices, I am made aware of how social media or even just group texts can play a role in these scenarios. Even if your students are not on SnapChat or Instagram, they often recreate these apps through group chats. At times, these chats can grow to as many as 50 people or more. They can be titled something as innocuous as "Woodland" or as juvenile as "Poop" (yes, these are two real group chats that have been recounted to me by students). Unfortunately, with so many participants, individuals who are either not friends with your student or who are not even students at our school are added to these group chats.

Over the course of this long weekend, I encourage you to either take a look at your students text messages to see if there are any group chats, who is on them, and what they are sharing. At the very least, you can engage your student in a conversation about this issue. Keeping an open dialogue is very important as research suggests.

Your child's school picture day at:

Woodland Intermediate

will be

September 25th

Please use the link below to pre-order your portraits:

http://edclarkschoolphoto.hhimagehost.com/Fall2023WoodlandIntermediate

E D Clark Photography - Pro Photography Online Sales

edclarkschoolphoto.hhimagehost.com

HHImageHost online photo sales, for professional photographers, provides a quick and easy solution for photograph sales and photograph order management.

Picture Ordering will close at 8am on picture day.

if you are having issues with the link copy and paste this into your browser:

https://AccessMyEvent.com/P3V9S8

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The school year has officially begun and fall events are in full swing! In order to bring these events to our Woodland families and students, the PTA needs a little bit of help. We have some Volunteer opportunities coming up and we need you! Come volunteer, even bring a friend! We appreciate any time you can donate to help bring these awesome opportunities to Woodland.

We are in Urgent Need for Volunteers during Parent Orientation Nights at Intermediate next week (9/6 and 9/7, evenings) both for the Book Fair and the PTA table.

9/6, 9/7, 9/19, 9/20: Parent Orientation/Curriculum Nights

The PTA will have a table at Parent Orientation/Curriculum Nights and will be selling spirit wear and memberships. We are looking for volunteers to help us staff these tables at each event.

SIGN UP to VOLUNTEER

9/5 - 9/8: Intermediate Book Fair

We are looking for volunteers during the daytime the week of 9/5 as well as during the evening during Parent Orientation nights on 9/6 and 9/7. Even if you can only do part of a slot, please consider helping out. We need volunteers to help run registers and assist students while they shop during the school day. SIGN UP to VOLUNTEER

9/13: Elementary Night!

We are looking for volunteers for our first Elementary Night! This new event will feature the Elementary Book Fair, spirit wear, meet and greet with Mr. Reardon and the Elementary admin team and EXCLUSIVE meet local children's book author and Woodland parent, Quinn Ryan! The PTA needs volunteers both to help run registers at the book fair and help families shop and to help sell spirit wear and memberships at the PTA table. Even if you can only do part of a slot, please consider helping out. SIGN UP to VOLUNTEER

Need to renew your membership for 2023/24? Just $15 per family for the year, click HERE to join today!

Be sure to follow Woodland 50 PTA on Facebook and Instagram and check out our website for updates.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Ingram dist50pta@gmail.com

From playground supervisors to paraprofessionals to substitute teachers to bus drivers and more, our district is still looking for future members of the team!

If you would like to learn more or know of someone who would be interested, you find more information about these positions by following this link.

Thank you all for your incredible patience and flexibility during our unique first week! When all was said and done, everything worked out great relative to the temperature in our building. Not only that, despite some initial delays, our buses were more on schedule this year compared to last year. While certainly, they weren't on-time the first two days and had a bit of delay on Friday, on balance our students were home sooner this year.

This brings me to an important aspect of my approach to our school community. The importance of a growth mindset and collective efficacy. Whereas, I previously wrote about Collective Efficacy (8/1/2023 Edition), I want to speak to the importance of a growth mindset. The concept of a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset was crystalized in a book by Dr. Carol Dweck titled, Mindset: A New Psychology of Success. According to Dweck, "In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment." In contrast, "challenging situations can be catastrophic for those with fixed mindsets because of the implication that if they don’t already have the skills or intelligence to complete a task, there’s no chance of improvement."

Every day I try to approach everything with a growth mindset for myself, our school, and our students. We certainly want our students to learn critically important information and skills as defined by content standards. However, we also want to imbue in them a sense grit, resilience, and motivation for success in life. When things are challenging , when things are less than ideal, the solution is rarely apparent and pace of change can be frustratingly slow. Nevertheless, I believe that if we strive to get a little bit better- even just 1%- each day in all things, it will lead to dramatic change over time. If you had one dollar and you earned 1% interest in a day, you would only have $1.01. However, if you then got 1% from there each day for a year, you would end up with almost $38. The converse is also true, if you lost 1% per day for a year, you initial $1 would be less than 3 cents.

So whether it is our emphasis on our cool tools, our feedback on students learning, or their abilities to socialize gracefully, we will always try to help everyone at school get better each day, including me, even if it's just by 1% each day. I hope you join me in this mindset to make our year the best it can be Whether it's the time our students spend on social media, to how much they read outside of school, to how much sleep they get each night- even a 1% improvement can make a huge difference over time.

This week we several important things happening in the classrooms and at our school for everyone to get the year started safely and strategically. Students will begin assessments in some classes, such MAP, FastBridge, and BAS, to help us get a baseline on your student's level of academic performance. This information will help teachers to tailor their instruction to each student's specific needs. Additionally, this information is used by some of our learning tools such as PathBlazers to provide individualized instruction. You might be familiar with our Pathblazer's Star Incentive last year (1/13/23 Edition for Details). Essentially, when students passed online learning quizzes they got a star to hang on our wall. By the end of the year, thousands of stars had been distributed. Thank you for your support in this- if your student passed two or more quizzes a week they were approximately 10% more likely to achieve their map goals than if they hadn't!

Also this week, we plan to have our first emergency drills, including a Fire Drill on Friday, September 1st. Over the course of the year, as many of you already know, we have fire, severe weather, and lock down drills. We will notify you in advance of all those that we schedule. The fire department also conducts drills without notice to ensure we are prepared. We try to do as many of these drills early in the year. Not only is it best to know these routines early, but also the weather is better (fire drills in January are not fun!)

On the evenings of Wednesday, September 6th (4th Grade) and Thursday, September 7th (5th grade) from 6:00-7:30 pm we will host our Parent Orientation (Previously called Curriculum Night) event. During these evenings our Scholastic Book Fair will also be open, courtesy of the Woodland PTA.

This event will include information from your teachers about the scope and sequence of your students learning in their classrooms, but also informative seminars for parents on a variety of topics. For example, we plan to have learning sessions on tools you can use to support your student, such as Securly or Schoology.

Please mark your calendars for these important events. We hope to see everyone there!

We will have a variety of moments when parents can get involved in our school community. From volunteering for our class parties to joining the PTA to the parent mentoring program (see 8/16/23 edition), there are a variety of ways to participate in our school community. There are also ways that I would like to highlight that are a little less formal and potentially a smaller commitment of time.

PBIS Parent/Family Representatives: We pride ourselves on a robust Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) here at Woodland Intermediate. In addition to educators and administrators who work on these programs, we have students representatives from each hallway. To round this out and ensure we have all perspectives repesented, we also look for family representatives. If you are interested in working on student incentive programs, special events to recognize great choices, and ways to improve the culture and climate of our school- this is a great way to contribute. Please email me and Heather Weidemann hweidemann@dist50.net to learn more.

Courtyard Committee: Many of you may have participated in or at least be aware of our beautiful Mosaic Project that was completed at the end of last year (6/6/23 edition for details). This year, we would like to examine ways to make our internal courtyards (we have two) not only more aesthetically pleasing spaces, but also opportunities for learning and enrichment. Some of the ideas we have considered are a native plant garden, reading courtyard, sensory-friendly recess space, and more! If you would like to be a part of the thought process and potentially the actual work of making this vision a reality, please let me know.

Upcoming PTA Events:

8/28: August PTA Meeting, 7pm via Zoom, Registration Required

9/5-9/8: Intermediate Book Fair, Volunteers Needed!

9/12: Wendy's Fundraiser, stay tuned for details

9/19-9/20: Primary Book Fair, stay tuned for details and volunteer information

9/21: September PTA Meeting, 7pm, Registration Required

9/27: Signature Chocolate Fundraiser begins

While this is not what I had hoped to lead with ahead of the start of school, it is of the utmost importance to call your attention to this issue at this time.

I want to share with you some important information about our building’s air conditioning system and the upcoming weather later this week. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the weather is expected to be in the 90s with periodic trips above 100 degrees outside.

Unfortunately, due to recent parts failures, our air conditioning system needs major repairs. It is currently running at about half power. Although it was cooling the building on Friday effectively, when the building is occupied fully with students and staff along with associated heat from appliances, technology, etc, it will approach a point of maxing out when the outside temperature becomes too hot. The air it takes in from outside will be hot and overwhelm the system at about 95 degrees. At that point it will turn off.

Your children's safety and welfare is of paramount importance to me and everyone on staff at our school and in our district. The facilities team and district administration are working hard on contingency plans to make the system stay on as long as possible and supplement with fans and portable air conditioners in some spaces. They are also working on expediting repairs and parts for a permanent solution. Our staff will provide additional water breaks (and, of course, proportional bathroom breaks) for students. We will keep a close watch on the heat index as it relates to things like PE and Recess, too.

We encourage you to make sure your children dress comfortably (please do not be concerned with any particulars on dress code within reason this week). Also, please send children with a refillable water bottle.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. We will keep you updated on the status of our AC system and the status of repairs. Do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.

We look forward to welcoming everyone at Meet & Greet from 8 am to 10 am on Tuesday, August 22nd. During this event, please use the main entrance only. At this event, you will have the opportunity to drop off your school supplies, walk the building to see your new classroom, and speak with your teacher. All of our staff will be on hand for you to greet, including specials teachers, PE teachers, related services providers and all our amazing professionals.

I will be hosting an optional zoom meeting on Tuesday, August 22nd from 7-8 pm. I will be able to answer any questions about the start of school. Also, I will share some information for any parents who would like to hear some reflections and observations about cell phones and social media and our intermediate-aged students. There are some tips and tricks that I have learned from various presentations, experts, and situations on how to ensure your student’s safety and well-being online. These are observations about how to help parents safely monitor their student’s cell phone usage and online interactions with their peers and others. If you would like to drop into this online meeting, please log into this zoom link on Tuesday, August 22nd at 7 pm.

If you haven't already done so, please sign up for our Remind App for families. This will be incredibly important during the first few days of school to provide real-time updates as to the status of our bus routes. Please be aware, it is a virtual certainty that buses will run late on the first few days of school.

If you were a parent on the list for last year, I have rolled you over to my 5th grade list so you don't need to do anything. If you are a new parent, please click on the links below accordingly to sign up for this mode of communication.

Remind Lists:

4th Grade Families

5th Grade Families

We will use this app at other times too, but it is especially helpful related to bus updates throughout the year.

PS I will have sent a message to all of the families who have signed up for this edition of the SMORE. If you didn't get something this evening, you aren't signed up or there is tech issue blocking you from receiving it.

Please see the included images for a map of the procedure for the pick up and drop off procedures at Woodland Intermediate. If you are a returning family, rest easy and know that nothing has changed about this procedure. If you are a new family, please do take note of the route of cars and the fact that the expectation is for one way traffic on our access road through to Cemetery Road from N Hunt Club Road. For the safety of everyone involved, please do not make a U-Turn or cut back through our parking lots.

Also, please know that our staff will always make cars wait a few extra seconds if that is what it takes to allow students to enter and exit our building safely. We ask that you grant them grace in their duties. No one is trying to make anyone late; rather everyone is trying to keep everyone safe. Please expect delays as half the school (our 4th grade families) may be adjusting to a new building, new start times, and a new procedure for picking up and droping off.

Please also read the included letter about using our Curbsmart system to verify your identity for picking up your students. This was distributed at popsicles with principals and will be given out to those families that missed it during Meet & Greet on Tuesday.

By now most, if not all, of you have had a chance to log into Family Access to see who your child's homeroom teacher is for this coming school year. However, some of you may be curious about the rest of their day. On the morning of Friday, August 18th, (after about 8 am or so), you will be able to see their full schedule. This will include their specials teachers, PE teachers, and teaching team teachers (e.g. the partner teacher in dual).

I am including again the information on how to log into Family Access to check this information. As always, reach out with questions and concerns.

In order to access this information, please follow these directions. I have also attached visual guides & directions and screenshots (in English and Spanish) to assist.

If you are NOT able to login, there are two possible reasons:

• You forgot your Login/Password and need help. Try using the “Forgot your Login/Password?” option, or you can email AccessHelp@dist50.net to request login credentials.
• Your registration is incomplete. If you have not completed all of the necessary steps, you will be unable to login to Skyward Family Access. Visit the Registration page for instructions and contact information.

If for whatever reason you have a question or concern about your students' placement, please email me directly tsheldon@dist50.net with a complete explanation of the issue. Placing students is complicated and involves a large number of variables. Consequently, sometimes mistakes are made. We will work as hard as we can to make sure students are placed correctly; however, as has been mentioned previously, we cannot guarantee any specific request for a teacher based on preference.

Don't forget that tomorrow Thursday, August 17th from 3-5 pm is our Intermediate Popsicles with Principals Event. The location is on the West side of the building, outdoors, next to the playground.

The goal of this event is to put some faces with names, especially for those of you who are new to the building and/or new to our district. I am looking forward to seeing you, meeting the students, and having fun!

This event is optional; however, we will have some information for students, including CurbSmart tags. If you are unable to attend, the homeroom teacher will have this information for you at Meet and Greet.

The whole family is invited, we just ask that children (and parents) stick to one popsicle per person!

Please mark your calendars to come to school to meet your child's teacher! This is a great opportunity to make connections, drop off supplies, and get information about the start of school!

Once Skyward Family Access reopens, please check your child’s bus stop location by logging in to Versatrans e-Link (bus times are still being finalized). Your Family ID number is both the login and password, and this can be found in Skyward Family Access under “Student Information”. (View "My Child's Family" and look for "Family ID Number".) The bus app technology continues to improve. You are able to track your child's bus through the app, or access Versatrans from your desktop!

If a bus stop change is needed, please fill out the Revised Bus Information (English / Spanish) as soon as possible. Please understand, one slight change to a route forces a change for every stop that follows. If you know that circumstances have changed for your child (for example, they will be going to a new day care provider), do not wait until the deadline to contact Transportation. The last day to request a change to be active by the first day of school is Friday, Aug. 11.

For further assistance, please call the main Transportation number at 847-856-3644, or email them at trans@dist50.net.

As many of you already know, the first few days of bus routes usually run behind their posted times. This is for a variety of reasons, but is particularly pronounced for Intermediate due to the fact that we are the last routes for the buses. All of the accumulated delays from picking up and dropping off after school for the other schools make it so the buses arrive later than we would like.

I am bringing this up so you can manage your expectations and anxieties, but also because the last couple of years, I have put in place some real time communication to try and help parents stay in touch. First, please check out the VersaTrans My Stop App. This will give you real time information on the location of the bus. I am including a link below. Please note that although the landing page is similar to the versatrans website, it is a different link for the MyStop App.

Second, I have created Remind Messaging lists to provide an opportunity to send group texts to parents to keep them updated and give them a chance to reach out. I am including the links below.

If you were a parent on the list for last year, I have rolled you over to my 5th grade list so you don't need to do anything. If you are a new parent, please click on the links below accordingly to sign up for this mode of communication.

Remind Lists:

4th Grade Families

5th Grade Families

We will use this app at other times too, but it is especially helpful related to bus updates throughout the year.

Preparing for Success: Helping Students Manage Their Worries and Getting Off to a Good Start

Woodland is excited to be part of this panel! Another great resource to help our Wildcats manage their Back-to-School worries, and start the year strong.

Topics Include:

• Understanding how worry and anxiety affects children
• Parent as role model on managing big emotions
• Tips for establishing helpful routines and schedules
• And more ideas for getting off to a good start

Monday, Aug. 21, 2023

6:00 - 7:15 p.m.

Free - Via Zoom

*Presentation available in English and Spanish

*Traducción en vivo al Español Disponible

Register: https://www.warrentownship.net/288/Healthy-Communities-Healthy-Youth-HCHY

For families who are new to the district, or have not participated in the meal program before, Woodland provides breakfast and lunch service at each school. Families are able to add money into their child’s account to purchase meals. There is also a Free and Reduced Meal Program for families that qualify (Applications available in August). More information about school breakfast and lunch options, including menus and FAQs, can be found on the district website under “Meal Programs”.

You may have noticed our new and improved website, but did you know we also have a new and improved App for your phone. Use the QR Code Below to download it and give it a test drive! With just a few taps of your finger, you can add important dates to your calendar, find contact information, and more!

Attention 5th Grade Students! If you are new to the district and did not have an opportunity to sign up for Band last spring, please visit our website and then contact the band directors as soon as possible so we can get your information and discuss the process for signing up for 5th Grade Band. Band is not a required class, but a fun opportunity for our 5th graders! Band starts shortly after the school year begins, so the sooner you contact us the better. Enjoy the rest of your summer! https://sites.google.com/dist50.net/woodlandintermediateband/home

-Mrs. January Muetz- jmuetz@dist50.net

-Mrs. Emily Dorgan- edorgan@dist50.net

Tomorrow, August 10th, is one of the most anticipated days of the school year-the opening of Skyward Family Access. (Insert Dramatic Music From Inception- Blaammmmm) Throughout the day, social media messages, texts, and emails will take flight communicating (and hopefully celebrating) the knowledge of who your child's homeroom teacher will be next year. To prepare for this event, I want to ensure you know what to expect and also what not to expect.

First, in order to access this information, please follow these directions. I have also attached visual guides & directions and screenshots (in English and Spanish) to assist.

Second, once you are logged in please note that you will only be able to see the students HOMEROOM Teacher. For many of you, that is one of the only teachers they will have for the majority of the day. For others, they may be a part of a team of teachers (i.e. in dual language). Their full schedule will be visible before the start of school. However, for now, the most important thing is to be in touch with your homeroom teacher for the Meet and Greet.

Third, as mentioned, you will NOT see a full schedule, including whether or not the student is in Advanced or Challenged classes. Again, this information will be fully loaded prior to the start of school.

If you are NOT able to login, there are two possible reasons:

• You forgot your Login/Password and need help. Try using the “Forgot your Login/Password?” option, or you can email AccessHelp@dist50.net to request login credentials.
• Your registration is incomplete. If you have not completed all of the necessary steps, you will be unable to login to Skyward Family Access. Visit the Registration page for instructions and contact information.

When looking for your child's teacher in Skyward, did you find a "TBD" notification? Don't worry! Your child will have a teacher. If you see this notice it just means that there are still some last minute changes and adjustments happening behind the scenes due to last minute student registrations and late summer hiring to meet the needs of the district. As we finalize paperwork, and balance the class sizes, teacher assignments will be updated.

If for whatever reason you have a question or concern about your students' placement, please email me directly tsheldon@dist50.net with a complete explanation of the issue. Placing students is complicated and involves a large number of variables. Consequently, sometimes mistakes are made. We will work as hard as we can to make sure students are placed correctly; however, as has been mentioned previously, we cannot guarantee any specific request for a teacher based on preference.

Once Skyward Family Access reopens, please check your child’s bus stop location by logging in to Versatrans e-Link (bus times are still being finalized). Your Family ID number is both the login and password, and this can be found in Skyward Family Access under “Student Information”. (View "My Child's Family" and look for "Family ID Number".) The bus app technology continues to improve. You are able to track your child's bus through the app, or access Versatrans from your desktop!

If a bus stop change is needed, please fill out the Revised Bus Information (English / Spanish) as soon as possible. Please understand, one slight change to a route forces a change for every stop that follows. If you know that circumstances have changed for your child (for example, they will be going to a new day care provider), do not wait until the deadline to contact Transportation. The last day to request a change to be active by the first day of school is Friday, Aug. 11.

For further assistance, please call the main Transportation number at 847-856-3644, or email them at trans@dist50.net.

Popsicles with Principals: Thursday, August 17th from 3-5 pm (West Side Playground at Intermediate School)

Meet & Greet: Tuesday, August 22nd 8-10 am. Supply drop off and introductions to your homeroom teacher.

I have included a link to my YouTube Channel (I know, I know, I complain about social media and then I have a YouTube channel?!-Suffice to say there are wonderful ways that technology can be used to educate, but of course it can also be misused, unfortunately.) In any event, I included a link to some of the videos we have used in the past with students to help then learn our "Cool Tools." We will discuss this in greater detail as we approach the start of school; however, and as many of you know, as a PBIS school, we believe that students will make great choices when taught what to do and incentivized when they do it. If you or your student are new to Woodland Intermediate and would like a small little window into how school might work at Intermediate, these are a great place to start to alleviate some anxiety. We will be updating these with more current students this year, but, again it's a place to start.

I will be hosting an optional zoom meeting on Tuesday, August 22nd from 7-8 pm. I will be able to answer any questions about the start of school. Also, I will share some information for any parents who would like to hear some reflections and observations about cell phones and social media and our intermediate-aged students. There are some tips and tricks that I have learned from various presentations, experts, and situations on how to ensure your student’s safety and well-being online. These are observations about how to help parents safely monitor their student’s cell phone usage and online interactions with their peers and others. If you would like to drop into this online meeting, please log into this zoom link on Tuesday, August 22nd at 7 pm.

Attention 5th Grade Students! If you are new to the district and did not have an opportunity to sign up for Band last spring, please visit our website and then contact the band directors as soon as possible so we can get your information and discuss the process for signing up for 5th Grade Band. Band is not a required class, but a fun opportunity for our 5th graders! Band starts shortly after the school year begins, so the sooner you contact us the better. Enjoy the rest of your summer! https://sites.google.com/dist50.net/woodlandintermediateband/home

-Mrs. January Muetz- jmuetz@dist50.net

-Mrs. Emily Dorgan- edorgan@dist50.net

For those of you who are new to Woodland Intermediate, allow me to introduce myself. I am Tim Sheldon, the Principal of Woodland Intermediate. In terms of who I am as an individual, family is of the utmost importance to me. My wife Maggie and I just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past July. She is a long-time educator and works as an administrator for a special education cooperative in the Chicagoland-area. We have two wonderful children- my daughter Eleanor is almost 3.5 years-old and my son, Paul, is 1.5 years old.

In terms of my position as a principal, this is my third year at Woodland Intermediate and my eleventh year as a school principal over the past 23 years of my career in education. I am proficient in Spanish and love to use this capacity in my work as a school leader.

My overriding goal for this year is to build a sense of collective efficacy as a school community. The wonky definition of this idea is that collective efficacy is "“A group’s shared belief in the conjoint capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given levels of attainment” according to Psychologist Albert Bandura. More simply put, it's the idea that when we all work together we can accomplish great things. A key organizing principle to this effort is the use of data and the importance of communication. As we work together, both inside and outside of school, it will be my goal to share data and news and communicate how we are making progress towards our goals. Whether we are talking about academic achievement, attendance, or keeping the culture and climate of our school strong, all of these efforts require us have a shared sense of purpose and track our progress.

You are incredibly important partners in our work this year and when the school and the home stand shoulder to shoulder, it allows our students to have a clear sense of direction, expectations, and road map for success. Communication is not a one way street by any means and I welcome contact with you as individuals, groups, and a whole. You will find a number of different ways to be in touch with me below, but email and phone always work, too.

There are some important dates listed at the end of the newsletter, but one to note in the near future is our Popsicles with Principals. On Thursday, August 17th from 3-5 pm, we will be hosting an outdoor meet and greet on the West side playground at our school. Stay tuned for more information and events to get us ready to start school this year.

Sincerely,

Tim Sheldon

Principal of Intermediate School

PS Don't worry there will be more "nuts and bolts" information coming to you in the days and weeks ahead (start/end times, how drop off works, etc). For now the most important date to note is August 10th when Family Access opens (more info below).

If you prefer to get the above-mentioned news from Woodland via social media, follow us on Twitter @d50intermediate, @Woodland50news or 'Like' us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WoodlandDistrict50. Additionally, you can continue to receive updates from me on a regular basis through my SMORE account: https://www.smore.com/p7xnb.

Also, please feel free to email me at tsheldon@dist50.net or call me on my cell phone (text is fine too!) 847-344-4121.

For those of you who are returning as 5th grade parents, you know all too well from my newsletters about how I feel about students having cell phones, social media, and excessive online access at the intermediate age level. For those of you joining our school, I want to stress that I am in no ways attempting to encroach upon your roles as parents in making these decisions when I offer my feedback, suggestions, and reflections on this topic.

However, while student conflict is relative rare at Intermediate, let me be clear that the vast majority of student conflict in our school is either started, spread, and/or exacerbated by students being online with each other on social media or group chats. To the extent we can limit their access to appropriate sites and times, we will all be the better for it. I will include more information as the year progresses on specifics to help us navigate this challenge together.

I have made it a feature of my newsletters to continue to offer suggestions on how to keep our students safe and happy online. For this weeks, I bring you a device to help you with your devices! Essentially it's a lockbox for phones. I put my phone in there so that I can be fully present with my family and children during the time we have together. Even as adults, it can be all to tempting and addicting to be on our devices all the time. If nothing else, it is a potentially useful tool for you to use to impose some limits on usage in your home as either a consequence or even just a limitation when students should be asleep. Read the comments and Q&A on Amazon for some hysterical reflections from parents like yourselves using this device.

If you purchased a supply pack from the PTA, it will be delivered directly to your home. If you did not pre-order last spring, you still can purchase school supply packs from the PTA. Please contact them at pta50supplypacks@gmail.com.

You can find grade level lists at this link: https://www.woodland50pta.com/schoolsupplies.html

At Woodland District 50 we are always working to create a healthy and positive environment for all our learners. As part of this healthy initiative, Woodland District 50 does not allow trinkets or other birthday treats to be handed out at school. To help celebrate, classroom teachers will recognize your child’s special day in an age-appropriate way within the classroom.

We highly encourage the scheduling of appointments or events outside of the school day if at all possible. If this is not an option from time to time and you need to pick up your child before 3:40 pm - please email INTOfficeStaff@DIST50.NET at least one hour prior to the pick up. Provide us with your student’s name, grade, time of pick up, reason for pick up and who will be picking them up. This gives us plenty of time to contact the teacher they are with and let them know to send the student to the office. When you arrive, bring your ID to the Main Entrance. We will verify your ID and get your student out to you. We will not be able to dismiss students between 3:10-3:40 pm due to traffic patterns and procedures for regular dismissal at the end of the day.

Our teachers, staff, and administration cannot wait for your child to return. During this event, you will have the opportunity to briefly meet your child’s teacher, tour the school, drop off school supplies, and meet the Intermediate staff. This year our Meet and Greet event is Tuesday, August 22nd, from 8:00-10:00 am. I will be outside the main office during these times as well, if you would like to meet me.

Medication Drop Off - Monday, Aug. 14

Medication Drop Off for ALL schools will be on Monday, Aug. 14 at the Middle School from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 3 - 7 p.m.

Nurses and health assistants from each school will be on hand to take medications, physicals, vaccine forms and discuss health needs with parents ahead of the "meet and greet" days.

Parents are strongly encouraged to drop off medication on this day if at all possible!

Family Access will open to families on August 10th for everyone to see their children. You can find that information by following this link.

You will receive a notification that busing information is available once the routes are established. On August 10th, you will be able to see busing information in your Family Access portal. You should also go to the transportation section of our website and use the E-link system to access all of your routing information. (Please note that routes change often before the first day as we continue to see kindergarten student register.)

When you and your child come to their Welcome Time session, you will receive your child’s bus tag. The bus tag should be attached to your child’s backpack so that they can board the bus each day. The link to the transportation area of our website is: https://www.dist50.net/domain/200

We are so incredibly proud of our school community for the beautiful mosaic that has been completed outside of our multipurpose room. This collaborative effort was officially this past week. We are working on a commemorative information plaque to place alongside this magnificent work of art to explain the significance of this project for all future visitors. We sincerely appreciate everyone's support, effort, and collaboration on this effort from design to placing the final tile. We are sincerely grateful to the PTA for funding this incredible opportunity for our building.

Students participated in a year-end raffle for PBIS. These prizes, including games, candy, fun outdoor equipment, and even full-sized bicycles were raffled off to students over a live-streamed session of Zoom with our student PBIS representatives serving as the hosts! There were over 20 different winners from across the building. One lucky winner, Angelo from Ms. Silasiri's class, won the chance to shave off both of Principal Sheldon's eyebrows.

On Monday, June 5th, we celebrated our year end Field Day, which included a performance by the ChicagoBoyz tumbling team. As you can see from the clip below, they were a high-energy group and we were lucky to have fantastic weather. Additionally, our PE team did a fantastic job of planning fun athletic events and even some indoor options for students who preferred them. We appreciate the PTA's financial support to bring in our outside performance which made for an incredible end of the year celebration.

On Friday, June 2nd all 5th graders had an opportunity to visit and take a tour of Woodland Middle School. Middle School students and staff served as guides for our students who toured classrooms, hallways, and common areas. These tours are a great way for the district to help students remove some of the anxiety for their transition next year. They have an opportunity to ask questions on everything from how lockers work to what advisory is and anything else that comes to mind.

Students put on an incredible display of their talents this past week during the Wildcat Talent Show. Performers were invited to lip sync and/or dance to their favorite school–appropriate song for the show. Choreography, costumes, and theme were all designed by the students! Check out the video of the event below.

SAVE THE DATE

FREE FAMILY EVENT

Friday June 9th 6:00-8:00pm

Park Playdate, Free Popsicles and

Spirit Wear Share

Come join the PTA for a fun family hang out at Warren Township Park on Friday June 9th anytime from 6-8pm. There will be FREE popsicles for all Woodland families near Shelter A. Also, the PTA will be hosting a SPIRIT WEAR SHARE! Wondering what to do with the Spirit Wear your student has outgrown? Bring it to our Spirit Wear Share to pass along to another family. If you see some spirit wear in the size you need, it is all yours. Totally FREE, you do not need to bring an item to claim an item. Any items not claimed will be donated.

WHAT:

FREE Family Fun: Park Playdate, Popsicles and Spirit Wear Share

WHO:

ALL Woodland Families

WHERE:

Warren Township Park, 17801 W Washington Gurnee, near SHELTER A

WHEN:

Friday June 9th, 6:00-8:00pm

DETAILS:

-Park Playtime at Warren Township Park

-The PTA will be near Shelter A with FREE popsicles and tables for Spirit Wear Share.

-What is Spirit Wear Share? Anyone can bring your spirit wear that your student has outgrown or no longer needs and place on the table to be shared. All items should be in clean and good condition. Anyone that sees some spirit wear that is the right size for their student can claim it. You do not need to bring an item to take an item. This is just a way for all of us to hand down/recycle/share spirit wear that we no longer need. Any items that are not claimed at the end of the event will be donated.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Ingram dist50ptaVP@gmail.com

Upcoming PTA Events:

6/9: FREE Popsicle Park Playdate and Spirit Wear Share, Warren Township Park (near Shelter A), 6-8pm

Extended to 7/13: 2023/24 Supply Pack Sale, click HERE to order using school ID WOO510, delivery in August

IMMEDIATE OPEN POSITIONS:

PTA Vice President

This is a year-round board position with a two year term. The position would officially start in July 2023. The PTA Vice President is responsible to act as an aide to the president. The Vice President should perform the duties of the president in their absence or if they are unable to serve. Job duties include but are not limited to: attending weekly board meetings, attending monthly general PTA meetings, attending PTA events, coordinating and/or creating e-blasts, social media posts, and communications with school administration. The time commitment is slightly higher as the start of the school year approaches as there may be events that require PTA board member attendance, such as welcome back events and curriculum nights. All PTA board members also meet in the summer to help prepare the budget and calendar for the upcoming school year. TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED.

Questions or interested? - please email Kristin Michna at dist50pta@gmail.com

We have two important changes coming to Intermediate next year relative to curriculum and parent involvement. First, rather than offering "Computers" as a specials class, we will be expanding our Health class (taught by Ken Burgess) opportunities for students. We are pursuing this change for several reasons. First, we are working to incorporate technology use across the curriculum as opposed to a stand alone class. Secondly, if you have read my newsletters this year, you know that it concerns me greatly how much time students spend on screens and some of the activities in which they engage while on them. Finally, our students have significant needs relative to their own self-care and personal health, both physical and mental. Most students had Health Class approximately once every 7 days this past year. By elevating it to Specials class (as opposed to a rotation out of PE) they will have it once a week (once every 5 days). This has the added benefit of increasing their opportunities for physical activity in PE every day as opposed to missing a PE class for health every so often. This represents approximately 25 additional periods of PE next year, not to mention added time to explore health topics including, substance abuse, nutrition, mental health, and physical development.

We are grateful to our Computers teachers, Ms. Barnabee and Mr. Trimble for their decades of service at Intermediate and the thousands of students they inspired during their careers in our building. Next year, Mr. Trimble will be joining Elementary school next year to teach 3rd grade and Ms. Barnabee will be supporting the district as an assistive technology teacher across all of our schools.

Additionally, next year, we will looking to update some of parent involvement opportunities to make them as engaging and meet as many needs as possible. For example, whereas curriculum night which happened very soon after "Meet & Greet" focused exclusively on your child's classroom, this year we plan to incorporate more parent education topics. We are looking to provide opportunities for parents to learn how about PBIS, how to use Skyward, Schoology, and other apps, as well as understanding things like our new Standards-Based Report Cards. These events are still in the planning stages so we welcome your feedback. We are pursuing these ideas based on analyzing parent attendance patterns, along with teacher and parent feedback.

This past week, representatives from every classroom and stakeholder group had the opportunity to work with our artist, Damon Lamar Reed, to commence work on our Mosaic. From students to staff, parents to Board of Education members, people from across our school and district community took part in this exciting day of creativity. This project should conclude before the end of this week allowing all of our students who worked on it this year to see the finished project. Inspired by the words and drawings of our students, this the mosaic is symbolic of how our community is made up of so many distinct individuals, but forms a work of art when composed together in its entirety.

Students have an extra incentive to make sure they make great choices as the end of the year approaches. In addition to our usual Roarazon store, students also have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a last day of school raffle. The prizes were determined by input from our student representatives from PBIS. Some of the bigger prizes, including two bicycles, were donated by community organizations, including Horace Mann. Students have the opportunity throughout the week to strategize on how to win. Some literally put all of their tickets in one basket while others distribute them across several prizes. Students will need to be present on the last day of school to win.

We have our preliminary results in from our Spring MAP assessments and I am both excited and nervous to announce that we met one of our growth target MAP goals. As you may recall, we set goals based on the percentage of students who achieved their growth goals from Fall to Spring. For 5th grade reading, this cohort had previously met 43% of their targets last year and we set a goal of 46% of them meeting it this year. Triumphantly, a little more than 49% of our 5th graders achieved their growth goals so students will get to SHAVE OFF MY EYEBROWS. This prize will be added to the raffle table for the last day of school.

While we did not achieve our other growth target goals, we saw growth as good, if not better than prior years. Looking at our Median RIT scores (meaning half of the students scored above this number and half below), we saw the following growth as detailed in the graphic. You can see the following takeaways:

4th grade math scores rose to the same Spring Median as last year, 209 from virtually identical starting points.

4th Grade Reading scores started at an overall higher baseline of 199, but rose to an even higher Spring Median score of 207 compared to last year.

5th Grade Math scores started slightly higher in the fall at 209, but rose even higher than the prior year's Spring Score to 215.

5th Grade Reading scores showed virtually identical start and end points as the prior year.

The cells that have a colorful background represent the same group of students (same cohort).

Attention 4th Grade Students! We enjoyed seeing you all try Band instruments this week! (If you didn't test instruments this week, we will do that next week) If you are interested in joining us next year for 5th Grade Band and were unable to join us live for the Google Band Meeting- please watch a recording of the meeting before signing up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp3CXS0h5_c

After watching the meeting you can find our band Sign-up Form on our website: https://sites.google.com/dist50.net/woodlandintermediateband

We hope to see many of you in band this fall!

Mrs. January Muetz and Mrs. Emily Dorgan

jmuetz@dist50.net and edorgan@dist50.net

It's official, the Surgeon General has issued an advisory warning. Here is a brief excerpt from the Health and Human Services Website:

With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children.

This might not seem like big news, but I ask you to consider that other products that have a Surgeon's General warning are cigarettes and alcohol. Another parallel that these products have with social media is that the official rules and laws that govern them specific that the user must be older, but children still pursue them and use them to their detriment.

If you are looking for one piece of advice from your principal on how to keep your student safe, learning, and happy this summer, it's this. Do not let them spend anytime on social media and you will be well ahead of the game.

Here is the preliminary design for our mosaic from our Artist Damon Lamar Reed. Please note that while the images of the children are photos, they will look more like his other murals that you have seen in the past as paintings within the bricolage mosaic. Additionally, the design shown is for the purposes of mapping out the elements, not necessarily the exact depiction of each item. He will be here all day on Thursday mapping out the design and we will have several hours where we will be able to have students, staff, and parents place small aspects of this work. Please note that public contributions might be limited to placing a single piece of tile or painting a couple of square inches so that we can maximize the number of people who participate in this process. If you are a parent or community member who is interested in participating in the construction process, please email for details and times.

For those of you who do not necessarily know the particulars of the ACCESS test, here is a brief explanation:

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that all students in kindergarten through 12th grade who have been identified as English Learners take the state’s English language proficiency test each year. The testing window usually begins in January.

This test is known as ACCESS for ELLs, which stands for "Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners."

The ACCESS test measures student proficiency in the four domains of English language development: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Students are required to take the ACCESS test annually, regardless of level of service, until they meet the Illinois state-mandated criteria of an overall composite score of 4.8

Recently we received our scores from this past year and there is much to celebrate as a district, but particularly for our Intermediate School community. Out of the 99 students who exited ESL services this year in our district 76 of them are 4th and 5th Graders. Please do note that there are several variables for when and why students exit services, including the length of time in services and/or learning English. The test is also significantly harder after 5th grade. However, it is truly commendable to our teachers in both monolingual and dual classes, along with our ESL teachers, Cynthia Hughes and Jen Cooper, have helped our students achieve this level of language proficiency.

As a district we are champions of diversity and inclusion. As a school, we are constantly looking for ways to increase the degree to which all our students see one another as peers and do not let their differences keep them separated. This is just as much true regarding our learning diversity as our racial diversity. To that end, our Assistant Principal Robyn Klipp has taken the lead on organizing a team to explore what it takes to become a Special Olympics Unified Champion School.

What are Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools?

Unified Champion Schools promote social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities through sports and other activities. Students who “Play Unified” become better at helping others, standing up for each other, and sharing responsibility.

Unified Champion Schools are based on the premise that lasting change must start with youth. In elementary schools, adults foster youth leadership by facilitating age-appropriate leadership roles and providing learning experiences that explore what it means to be a leader. Students might be mentors for younger student athletes, set up sports skill stations, and discuss books that promote leadership qualities, for example. These experiences lay a strong foundation for middle and high school years when students take more initiative in planning and implementing Unified opportunities. Ultimately, students become advocates for communities that promote respect and dignity for everyone.

Our school leadership team held their initial meeting this week to learn about how to take steps towards becoming a Special Olympics Unified Champion School next year. We hope to hit the ground running next year, creating more and better opportunities for inclusion for all of our diverse learners through whole school engagement, sports, and physical education. You can learn more about this program by clicking on this link.

Field Day is going to be on Monday, June 6th this year (please note the date change compared to the district calendar issued last fall). In addition to wanting to make sure we could have all of our festivities planned for success that day, including a special guest performance to be announced soon, we also wanted to make sure that the prior date, June 2nd was open.

As some of you may know, each year our 5th graders get an opportunity to tour the Middle School. This year, they will be doing that on Friday, June 2nd throughout the day. Not coincidentally, this is the day after 8th grade graduation when those students are no longer in the building and more teachers are therefore available to welcome our students for their tour.

Every year, our Physical Education Department and Health teacher collaborate to help our students learn information on the important topic of the changes that occur during adolescence. These lessons address the mental, social, and physical changes during puberty with an emphasis on self-esteem and self-concept.

You can find more information on the 5th Grade lessons with this letter.

You can find more information on the 4th Grade lessons with this letter.

You can opt out of these lessons by submitting your request in writing to your student's PE/Health teacher.

Supply Pack Sale is underway! Now - June 4th, you can purchase supply packs for next year. Click HERE to order with code WOO510. More details.

PTA Calendar Art Contest - The PTA is accepting artwork for our 2023-2024 Calendar NOW - June 2. Click HERE for more details.

Intermediate Book Fair - You can still shop online through 5/28. Check HERE for details.

Final PTA Meeting - 5/25, 9:30am in person at ESC

The PTA has several Volunteer Opportunities and Open Positions. Please read here for more details.

Registration for the 2023-2024 School Year is now Open in Skyward. Please see these letters (English and Spanish) for instruction on how to complete the process.

Registration is now open for the 2023-2024 school year for returning students. Please look for an email from the Registration Office, or visit Skyward Family Access to begin the re-registration process as soon as possible. The deadline is July 15, 2023.

Registering now ensures the district has current student and family information on record, and assists the district in planning and staffing for the upcoming school year.

Trouble logging in?

On the Family Access login screen there is a “forgot your login/password” option available to assist. For help with logging in and to request login credentials, you may send an email to AccessHelp@dist50.net.

If you require assistance with the Online Registration process, please email Registration@dist50.net or contact the Student Registration Office at (847)596-5682 or (847)-596-5683.

DID YOU KNOW? Several grade levels require an updated physical and vaccination record for the 2023-2024 school year. Please see below or visit the district website for details. Don't wait, make your appointment now.

If your student has an appointment scheduled in the upcoming months, be sure to request an IL physical form and/or updated vaccination record. You can turn this into your student’s current school NOW for the NEXT school year!

Kindergarten Students/Students New to District 50:

• Physical Exam (Parents please complete the yes/no Health History questions on the back and sign and date)

• Complete immunization record signed by the medical provider

• Dental Exam on IL form (dated within 18 months)

• Eye Exam on Illinois form dated within one year of the first day of school

Second Grade Students:

• Dental Exam on IL form (dated within 18 months)

Sixth Grade Students:

• Physical Exam (Parents please complete the yes/no Health History questions on the back and sign and date)

• Complete immunization record signed by the medical provider

• Dental Exam on IL form (dated within 18 months)

Middle School Students participating in Sports:

• Sports Physical - Valid for 13 months from last exam but should cover the entire sports season. Must be turned into Health Office at least 1 week before tryouts. Please contact the Middle School Health Office to confirm that a current sports physical is on file

Please contact the Health Office at your student’s school if you need assistance in meeting these requirements.

The Advocate Children’s Ronald McDonald Care Van will be visiting the Woodland Community on June 29th. Please contact Kara Edgeworth at 847-984-8704 to see if your child qualifies to be seen by this provider!

Healthy and nutritious summer meals are available for children (18 and under) when school is out.

To find a Summer Meals site near you:

• Call (800) 359-2163
• Text "FoodIL" or "ComidasIL" to 304-304
• Visit the Summer Meals website

Free Summer Meals are part of the Summer Food Service Program funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education.

This week, our Artist Damon Lamar Reed, visited Woodland Intermediate School to introduce himself and our project to all of our students. All students had the opportunity to learn about him and the project at one of three assemblies on Thursday, May 11th. Then representatives from every homeroom attend one of two design sessions to contribute their thoughts, reflections, and artistic input to the design. With an overall theme of "Unity," the artist led the students through a word association poem-creation session. These poems served as the inspiration for individual design drawings. The artist collected all of these drawings and will create a design that features these inputs as his inspiration. We were blessed to have the participation of parents and staff members as well to make this design truly representative of our community as a whole. Everyone can share an idea using this link, too! Thank you so much to the PTA for supporting this project!

I am so proud of Heather Weidemann our PBIS team leader and our PBIS Tier 1 Team who have worked hard to create avenues for student voice at Woodland Intermediate. Over the past month, we have assembled representatives from every hallway to be our Student Voice Committee that informs our PBIS processes. On May 8th, this group met to discuss three questions:

1. What is your favorite thing about school?

2. What is something we could do in the next few weeks of school to help make the school a happier place? (think Lunch Room, Recess, Hallways, etc.)

3. What is a way that we could work together to make sure everyone feels welcome in our classroom and school?

As you can see from the notes below from the committee's work, they have incredible insightful ideas and creative ways to foster a positive culture and climate at Woodland Intermediate. We are already hard at work to make some of these ideas a reality before the end of the year.

Please come on Tuesday, May 16th to our Open House to see all the fantastic work that your students and school community have done throughout the year. The doors will open at 6:30 pm and the event goes until 8:00 pm. During the event, our Scholastic Book Fair will be open in our Multipurpose Room (MPR) on the 2nd Floor. Students will also have opportunities during the week to shop at the book fair. A portion of every sale is donated back to our school.

As you may recall from previous newsletters, last month I reached out to a number of the parents of our Black students to schedule a listening session to gather their input on how we can address not only our achievement gap between White and Black students, but also the overrepresentation of Black students in our discipline processes. I would like to extend to a broader invitation to parents attend a follow up conversation on these topics. Given the persistence of these disparities both nationally, in our district, and at our school, it is clear that we do not have all the answers. Rather it is imperative we work together to find novel solutions to try in order to make our school and district more equitable in these important ways. If you are interested in participating in this conversation, please come to our Library at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 16th (Immediately Before Open House)

This past week our students put their musical talents on full display at the 5th grade music concerts and also the Band Concert performed at the Middle School. We welcomed hundreds of parents and relatives to see the culmination of a year's worth of effort and practice. We sincerely appreciate our teachers who are the heart and soul of our music programs, Ms. Andrews, Ms. Dorgan, Ms. Little, Ms. Muetz, and Ms. Souza.

Supply Pack Sale is underway! Now - June 4th, you can purchase supply packs for next year. Click HERE to order with code WOO510. More details.

PTA Calendar Art Contest - The PTA is accepting artwork for our 2023-2024 Calendar NOW - June 2. Click HERE for more details.

SPRING BOOK FAIRS!

-Elementary Book Fair - You can still shop online through 5/15. Check HERE for details.

-Intermediate Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 5/16-5/19, during Open House 5/16 and online 5/15-5/28. Check HERE for details. Volunteer

Final PTA Meeting - 5/25, 9:30am in person at ESC

The PTA has several Volunteer Opportunities and Open Positions. Please read here for more details.

Many thanks to our PTA for kicking off our Staff Appreciation Week this past Friday, May 5th, with a catered lunch for all staff (Cinco de Mayo-themed of course). Please join me this week in thanking all of our staff in ways big and small to help know just how we appreciate them every day, but especially this week!

We are particularly happy to celebrate our Paraprofessional of Year, Carol Roehr!!! It is a wonderful reminder as we start this coming week that, although families may interact primarily with their child's homeroom teacher, our staff includes dozens of professionals who support our students and their families. These staff members include paraprofessionals, social workers, speech pathologists, interventionists, curriculum specialists, office staff, media aides, specials teachers, PE teachers, bus drivers, lunch and recess staff, advanced teachers, special education teachers, health office staff, band teachers, psychologists, custodial staff, facilities staff, occupational and physical therapists, and more! All of them help make sure all of students are safe, cared-for, and learning every day.

Our 5th Grade students have been working hard on the recorders, guitars, and other classroom instruments, and are ready to share their skills with family and friends. Please note your child's assigned concert time below. We can't wait to see you in the MPR to celebrate the 5th graders' musical achievements.

All of our students who participate in our band program will be performing at the Middle School at 6:30 pm on Thursday, May 11th. This performance immediately precedes the Middle School Jazz Concert so you can get two-for-one shows if you attend! It is also a great chance for our band members to see the types of musical opportunities that are available to them in future years.

Certainly, it is wonderful to shower our staff with gifts and treats- don't get me wrong, they love it. However, our staff are dedicated professionals and they will apply themselves in earnest every day, no matter how many Starbucks gift cards they might get. There are many small, subtle ways that you can support our staff each and every day that can have a huge impact on their day and, just as importantly, your child's day.

I am including a link to an article that includes 10 different ideas for helping your student and teacher at the same time.

I want to highlight one for special mention though as we enter Staff Appreciation Week, number 8 on this list. Here it is copied and pasted for ease of reference:

Be a partner with your child’s teacher. When you need to speak to him/her in reference to a specific issue with your child, do it privately, not in front of the child. Make a point never to criticize your child’s teacher in front of your child.

Consider this idea from an alternate perspective to understand why this is so significant:

A parent would rightfully be furious if two teachers engaged in a conversation that was critical of their parenting choices in front their child. I would expect that parent to likely be in my office the next morning to complain. Additionally, the child's relationship with those teachers would likely be irreversibly negatively impacted. Hearing people they trust be critical of the people they love can stay with a child forever and complicate every subsequent interaction. It could also undermine the child's relationship with their parents if they are influenced by the teacher's critical statements.

It is very reasonable then that if the scenario is reversed, the same thing can happen. When a child hears the people they love, such as their parents, be critical of someone they trust, such as their teacher, it can having long-lived negative impacts. Children are like sponges. Not only will they absorb and internalize the thoughts they hear from you, but they will also spill them back out from time to time. Just like your child will tell you what their teacher said each day, please know that students are apt to let their teachers know what their parents said about them too.

I am not asking you to never be critical of our staff or think they are perfect and beyond reproach. Rather, I am asking that you be conscious of preserving the dynamic of your child's relationship with their teacher. If you are upset or concerned about a choice a teacher made, by all means make your voice heard with the teacher, with an administrator, with other adults in your home or circle of trust. However, just remember how attuned to your every action and word your children are. If you really want to support your teacher in a subtle, but important way to be the best educator possible for your child, don't voice your criticism in front of your child.

Wendy's Fundraiser - Thursday 5/11, 5-8pm, 30% of sales will be donated to the PTA and right back to our schools. MUST mention Woodland PTA when ordering and/or show flyer.

Supply Pack Sale is underway! Now - June 4th, you can purchase supply packs for next year. Click HERE to order with code WOO510. More details.

PTA Calendar Contest - The PTA is accepting artwork for our 2023-2024 Calendar NOW - June 2. Click HERE for more details.

SPRING BOOK FAIRS!

-Elementary Book Fair - You can still shop online through 5/15. Check HERE for details.

-Intermediate Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 5/16-5/19, during Open House 5/16 and online 5/15-5/28. Check HERE for details. VOLUNTEERS Needed!

The PTA has several Volunteer Opportunities and Open Positions. Please read here for more details.

Amos Bennett was the 1st African American settler in Lake County and that settlement was in Gurnee. He was born to freed slaves, was a landowner, and was the 1st African American to run for a public office in Lake County. Based on the status of his parents and his prominence here (between 1835 - 1852) it is believed that he was active in the Underground Railroad. As such, the Mother Rudd Barn was chosen as the location for a memorial plaque.

Please join the Village of Gurnee and the Warren Township High School Black Student Union in the dedication of a plaque honoring Amos Bennett.

5/10/23 3:45pm

See the video below for more information about this historical figure from our local area.

Please be sure your students are well-rested, on-time, and ready for the MAP Assessment. Starting this week, students will be taking their MAP assessments. Students should be sure to take their time, answer every question, and do their very best. As you may recall, we have several building-level incentives tied to this exam as we work to achieve our MAP goals. Students voted this week on the last of our choices relative to making our goals, see the include bracket for their choices and the goals they are tied to this year.

Woodland District 50 provides advanced and challenge classes in math and language arts for students in grades three through eight. Advanced classes are necessary for high-performing students to keep them challenged and extend their knowledge and skill level. Placement in these courses follows an assessment of learning needs, which answers the critical question: “Does the student need a different curriculum beyond the core curriculum even with differentiation by the classroom teacher?”

Every year, all students are screened as a part of the identification process using multiple data points, including assessments and other

pieces of evidence, to make decisions about placement.

We adhere to the following principles:

● Follow an equitable process of identification that includes a screening of all students using varied sources of data.

● Focus on the curriculum needs of students above all.

● We provide flexibility and are responsive to students’ changing needs. Students may enter the challenge or advanced program during the school year, as appropriate, and exit the program, if necessary. Students who struggle are provided support but are not forced to remain in the program.

● 2-Step Identification Process will be used to identify students (1) in the spring using current data and (2) in the fall when more data becomes available.

● We use a team approach to identify students for advanced programming.

All students in grades two through seven are screened for advanced or challenge classes. Screening includes performance on the MAP (Measure of Academics Progress) and/or CogAT (Cognitive Ability Test) assessments, classroom performance, teacher surveys, and math performance assessments (Grades 2 and 3 only). In general, advanced students have recent MAP and/or CogAT scores at or above the 95th percentile. Challenge math student assessment varies depending on the grade level.

Based on the learning needs identified following a review of the evidence collected, students are placed in one or two of the following classes.

● Advanced Math: Advanced Math accelerates up to two years through Middle School. At the conclusion of 8th grade, students will have completed high school Algebra I and Geometry.

● Challenge Math: Challenge Math accelerates by one year. At the conclusion of 8th grade, Challenge Math students will have completed a high school level Algebra I course.

● Advanced Language Arts: Advanced Language Arts accelerates by one to two years. Students typically enter Honors English as 9th graders.

Students placed in these classes will receive a notification in the mail by mid-July. More details on how placement is determined, program descriptions and corresponding high school tracks are posted on the district website: https://www.dist50.net/Page/1689. Please be advised that our Advanced Academics webpage is being redeveloped to provide more useful information for parents and will be available in mid-summer. Feel free to check back to the new webpage later in the summer. If you have further questions about these services, please contact the Department of Teaching and Learning at 847.596.5620.

Victoria Kieffer, Ph.D.

Starting now and into the summer, we are excited that there will be a few improvements made to our facilities to enhance and improve our learning environment.

As you may have noticed if you have been in the building, the facilities team has begun installing new LED lights throughout the building. Not only are these lights a cost-saver in terms of using dramatically less energy, but they consequently are less harmful to the environment. Beyond that, they will have more settings than the typical ‘On/Off” choices. Finally, research has shown that classroom lighting can have a substantial impact on students.

Additionally, we will soon see the beginnings of the installation of the digital clocks/speaker system throughout the building before the end of the school year, if not the completion of it. For those of you who have been in the other buildings, such as Middle School, these are the red LED clocks with a speaker attached. Not only will these clocks be more precise, but they should be consistently accurate and the same throughout the building.

The PTA has several Volunteer Opportunities and Open Positions. Please read here for more details.

Supply Pack Sale is underway! Now - June 4th, you can purchase supply packs for next year. Click HERE to order with code WOO510. More details.

PTA Calendar Contest - The PTA is accepting artwork for our 2023-2024 Calendar NOW - June 2. Click HERE for more details.

REMINDER - 8th Grade Scholarship applications are due on May 5th. Check HERE for application and details.

SPRING BOOK FAIRS are on the WAY!

-Middle School Book Fair - You can still shop online, Check HERE for details.

-Elementary Book Fair - during Open House 5/2-5/4 and online 5/2-5/15. Check HERE for details. VOLUNTEERS Needed!

-Intermediate Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 5/16-5/19, during Open House 5/16 and online 5/15-5/28. Check HERE for details.

This past Friday, we hosted our Spring parties with games, parent volunteers, and most importantly fun! Students, staff, and parents engaged in activities from egg on a spoon races to making Mother's Day cards. These parties are great ways to continue to foster involvement of parents in our school and to help students connect socially. Check out a quick montage of some of the fun in the video below.

We are extremely grateful to the PTA for their approval and support for an incredibly special project for the Woodland Intermediate School. We will be working with Damon Lamar Reed, a Chicago-area artist, on a bricolage mural for the wall outside the MPR (where the PathBlazers display is currently). The beauty of this project is as much in the process of creating it as the final product. We are working to schedule him to come to the school in mid-May for assemblies with our students to introduce himself, the project, and talk about the power of art to bring people together. Then he will meet with members of our school community, including students, staff members, and parents, to develop a conceptual design of the project based on this groups representation of who we are as a school community. After the design process, during construction, we will schedule times for groups of students, staff, and parents to participate in the construction of this mosaic. Our tentative goal is to finish before the end of the school year. If you click on the included link you can see some of the examples of the work he has done on for the Chicago Public Art Group or check out the photos below. I have worked with this artist previously when I was a principal in Chicago Public Schools and know from experience this will be an incredibly valuable and powerful project for our school community. We will be reaching out to all stakeholder groups to solicit their involvement.

This week's Woodland Board of Education meeting featured a large amount of participation from and reports by Woodland Intermediate Staff. From the Pledge of Allegiance by our Lunch & Recess team to the Superintendent's Feature presented by me about our PBIS work with our PBIS Tier 1 team to the Social Studies Curriculum Report by our teachers, Intermediate staff were on display for their dedication to the district and our school. If you are interested in seeing what we presented about, you can watch it using this link, their participation is in the first part of the meeting so don't be phased by the runtime of the whole meeting :-).

The week of April 25 - 29, 2022, Woodland Intermediate will be celebrating Día del Niño! This is a special day (April 30th) for children celebrated in Mexico since 1925 and around the world since 1956. This whole week we will celebrate childhood and the diversity of our Intermediate families! Students are invited to share for each themed day. For family-friendly multicultural activities visit the sites listed HERE.

The PTA has several Volunteer Opportunities and Open Positions. Please read here for more details.

SPRING BOOK FAIRS are on the WAY!

-Middle School Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 4/25-4/28 and online 4/25-5/7. Check HERE for details. VOLUNTEERS Needed!

-Elementary Book Fair - during Open House 5/2-5/4 and online 5/2-5/15. Check HERE for details. VOLUNTEERS Needed!

-Intermediate Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 5/16-5/19, during Open House 5/16 and online 5/15-5/28. Check HERE for details.

Family Bingo Night! Friday 4/28, 6:30-8:00pm INT Cafeteria. Free to attend, REGISTRATION is REQUIRED. Space is limited. More details.

Woodland Career Fair, April 29

Hiring in the W! Woodland is actively recruiting for several open positions. Please join us at the Woodland Career Fair to learn more about what it means to be part of the #LifeintheW Team.

Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023

Time: 8 - 11 a.m.

Location: Woodland Intermediate, 1115 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee

Register Here!

For a full list of current openings, please visit the "Careers" tab on the district website.

• Elementary Teachers
• Special Education
• Student Support Services
• Middle School Teachers
• Maintenance & Custodial Staff
• Bus Drivers
• Substitute Teachers
• Paraprofessionals

This week, the vast majority of our students completed the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) for both ELA and Math. For those students who missed one or more modules of this, we will be having make-ups during this coming week. In addition to of course wanting our students to do our very best, we want and need all students to take all of the tests. Not only will this give us a more complete picture of our academic progress as a school and a district, but it is also legally required that we exceed 95% of our students tested. While it is important for students to be at school everyday, if your students missed a day of school last week, it is especially important that they be here this week so they may complete these state-mandated assessments. As always, arriving on time, fed, and well-rested, will help ensure that they are set up for success each day at school.

Our Spring MAP Assessment will begin the first week of May. This assessment is our district's internal summative assessment of academic growth for our students. This is also the score that is used to help guide academic interventions, including everything from remedial help to placement in advanced classes. Students can help prepare and advance themselves independently for this assessment through the PathBlazers program.

On April 25th, our students will engage in the National Geography Challenge. Students will take a 35-minute assessment which will then be scored to gauge their expertise. Last year, we received recognition for our excellence in this challenge and we have every reason to believe we will do so again this year! We appreciate Ms. Housch for her efforts in organizing this event for our school.

As you may have seen in the news, Montana has become the first state in the US to completely ban TikTok from operating in their state, not just government-issued ones. Up to this point most of the bans for this app have been on government issued devices in a myriad of nations, including Canada, Australia, the European Union (EU), New Zealand, Norway, and others, including increased limitations here in the US. The degree to which governments around the globe and here at home are working to protect their citizens from TikTok should give everyone pause when considering whether to allow their students to use this device.

This app and more are profiled in the video below that gives a brief synopsis of 15 Apps to look out for, including ones that hide what students might be doing online.

Based on the incredibly positive feedback from the SecURLy pilot, we are opening this access to all Intermediate School Parents. As you may recall from prior editions of the newsletter, this app allows you to supervise, review, and limit control of your individual student's Chromebook usage outside of school hours. In conversations with parents who tried this out, they have found interesting patterns of usage- everything from a lot of YouTube to using Google Translate to get around having to doing some of the cognitive work required in Dual Language! The good news is that, through this application, you have the ability to not only review their activity, see activity that is flagged by the program, but also specifically block individual websites. So if you see your student using the school-issued Chromebook in ways that are concerning you can not only supervise this, have conversations with your student about it, but also place hard limits on it, if that is what is necessary.

For more information, please watch this brief 90-second video for more information about Securly Home.

If you are not already enrolled and would like to join this expanded pilot, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/raNrgsQBkUS6EbUG7

Once entered, you will receive an onboarding email from Securly with instructions on how to enroll with Securly Home and link your account to your student(s). Please note that the email you receive will be from noreply@securly.com. Please also be sure to check your spam folder if you do not see the email in your inbox.

The Securly Home portal will be accessible via app (Apple Store and Google Play Store), as well as web browser (https://securly.com/parent-login). After you have logged into the portal, you will have access to review the browsing history of your students' take home device.

If you have any questions or concerns, first please check out the FAQs on the Securly Home help site or submit a support ticket with Securly.

Repost: If you haven't already completed this, please take a moment to submit, regardless if you student uses Dojo for the bus or not.

For the last several weeks we have been trying out ClassDojo on several of our bus routes, including 4, 8, 19, 34, and 45. By all accounts this has been a positive development; however, we would like to get more feedback, if possible and not just from the parents on those routes. To that end, please take a moment to take this survey (whether or not you are currently using ClassDojo for the bus) to help us learn if and how we can use this tool to support making our bus rides to and from school as stress-free as possible for students and adults. This survey should take you less than a minute in total time to complete.

ClassDojo Survey (Please take regardless of whether or not you currently use ClassDojo).

Open House: Please mark your calendars for the Intermediate Open House which is May 16th from 6:30-8:00 pm.

Student Dress: As the spring weather fluctuates, please make students have best set of layers or clothes to adapt and be comfortable. With snow (What?!) once again in the forecast after 80-degree weather last week, this is an especially significant issue right now.

Pick-Up/Drop-Off Safety: Please make sure that during the pick-up/drop-off times that, if you are driving your student to/from school, you observe the posted signage and guidance from our staff. Of particular concern are observing the cross-walks and stop signs that join our parking lots and also not making U-turns after dropping off.

URGENT: The PTA is still looking for some more volunteers to assist with the Primary School Book Fair next week. The slots are on Tuesday and Wednesday evening from 5:30-8:30.

We would appreciate you volunteering if you have the time! The PTA earns a lot from these events, and the money then helps the schools, teachers, and students. We appreciate you and hope our students enjoy the book fair!

Click HERE to signup! Thank you!!!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4aa4a623abf9cf8-primary2#/

April PTA Meeting - Thursday 4/20 at 9:30am IN-Person at ESC. Woodland parents, staff and community members are invited to attend.

The PTA has several Volunteer Opportunities and Open Positions. Please read here for more details.

SPRING BOOK FAIRS are on the WAY!

Primary Book Fair - during Open House 4/18-4/19 and online 4/18-5/1. Check HERE for details. Want to help? Volunteer at the Primary Book Fair!

Middle School Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 4/25-4/28 and online 4/25-5/7. Check HERE for details.

Elementary Book Fair - during Open House 5/2-5/4 and online 5/2-5/15. Check HERE for details.

Intermediate Book Fair - open for student shopping during the day 5/16-5/19, during Open House 5/16 and online 5/15-5/28. Check HERE for details.

Woodland Career Fair, April 29

Hiring in the W! Woodland is actively recruiting for several open positions. Please join us at the Woodland Career Fair to learn more about what it means to be part of the #LifeintheW Team.

Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023

Time: 8 - 11 a.m.

Location: Woodland Intermediate, 1115 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee

Register Here!

For a full list of current openings, please visit the "Careers" tab on the district website.

• Elementary Teachers
• Special Education
• Student Support Services
• Middle School Teachers
• Maintenance & Custodial Staff
• Bus Drivers
• Substitute Teachers
• Paraprofessionals

As you may recall, our party schedule was interrupted by inclement weather back in Decemeber. As a result, we now have a Spring Party on our next SIP Day, Friday, April 21st. If you are interested in volunteering in your child's classroom for this event, please connect with your child's teacher, if you have not already done so.

It's amazing to say, but our preparations for the end of the year events, such as Field Day are in motion as we speak. Previously, we had scheduled our Field Day to be on Friday, June 2nd; however, given the nature of the calendar at the end of the year, we are moving it to Monday, June 5th. This will provide an important incentive event to the last week of school and also maximize our use of time on that day. All students will have an opportunity to participate and we will have a plan for an indoor version of the event should the weather not cooperate with us.

4/18-4/19: Primary Book Fair, stay tuned for volunteer information

4/20: April PTA Meeting, 9:30am at ESC

4/24-4/28: Middle Book Fair, stay tuned for volunteer information

5/2-5/4: Elementary Book Fair, stay tuned volunteer information

5/16-5/19: Intermediate Book Fair, stay tuned volunteer information

5/25: Final PTA Meeting, 9:30am at ESC

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Woodland D50 has once again joined forces with area organizations to help raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April! We are participating in the Blue Kids Lake County Program and helping share this important information with Woodland stakeholders. Throughout the month of April, you may notice Blue Kids Lake County posters and signs displayed around the community. The Lake County Children's Advocacy Center creates and distributes these materials to help keep our children safe. Learn more HERE.

Woodland Career Fair, April 29

Hiring in the W! Woodland is actively recruiting for several open positions. Please join us at the Woodland Career Fair to learn more about what it means to be part of the #LifeintheW Team.

Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023

Time: 8 - 11 a.m.

Location: Woodland Intermediate, 1115 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee

Register Here!

For a full list of current openings, please visit the "Careers" tab on the district website.

• Elementary Teachers
• Special Education
• Student Support Services
• Middle School Teachers
• Maintenance & Custodial Staff
• Bus Drivers
• Substitute Teachers
• Paraprofessionals

As you have no doubt noticed at least once or twice over the past several months, the assessment countdown at the top of this newsletter is now upon us for the IAR Assessment. Starting Wednesday, April 5th, students will begin taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. This is a state-mandated assessment that is used to evaluate not only their academic progress, but also our school and district. Certainly our students and school system is more than just this test score; however, the way this one is used underscores the importance of this assessment for our whole community.

The test is made up of several modules for ELA and Math. Students will take one module a day over the course of the next two weeks. We have a special internal schedule these next several days to allow every student to be able to take these tests in their homerooms and in the morning (approximately between 9:15 and 11:00 am). Research suggests that students do better when they aren't fatigued mentally or otherwise. This is why we are choosing to do one test per day and also in the morning.

Given the nature of our testing schedule, there are several ways you can support your student. Please make sure that they get plenty of rest this evening and over the next two weeks. Secondly, if possible, please ensure they have a good breakfast either here or at school. Finally, please ensure they arrive to school on-time, particularly if you drive them yourselves.

Beyond scheduling and logistics, there are some other reminders and messages that, although we are sharing with students at school, you can reiterate at home. First, students should do their very best on each and every test. My messaging to them regarding MAP (and all things) is that as long as you do your best, I am always proud of you. Secondly, there is no penalty for guessing so even when they aren't sure of the answer, please be sure to choose one. Lastly, it is not a race! Students often seem to want to finish quickly and that is often negatively correlated to their performance. While the test is timed, they should have ample time to go through each question carefully and choose the best answer they can.

These scores will be available later in the early summer, but as I mentioned are used in a myriad of ways. Not only will they be on our Illinois Report Card for our district and school, they are also what the organization GreatSchools.org uses to come up with their scoring which is frequently on real estate websites, such Redfin. We appreciate your time and attention to making sure our testing for IAR is as successful as possible and is a true reflection of the teaching and learning in our district and schools.

Similar to recess, lunch is also a favorite for our students for several reasons. Not only do they get to eat, but they also have an opportunity to socialize with their peers. As you know, this has been an area of focus for us recently to make sure lunch is a fun, socially-constructive part of a students day. It should not be punctuated with any unnecessary drama. To help incentivize this and also provide more choice in seating, we are adding a new incentive to our ROAR store, a "Lunch with a Friend" reward.

Currently, as you may know, our students sit at assigned tables with their homerooms. While students can freely sit anywhere at those tables, they are not able to sit with friends from another homeroom. The "Lunch with a Friend" reward will allow students to pick a friend from a different homeroom to join them at lunch on a particular Friday. We anticipate this will be a popular innovation and one that is sustainable.

I realize that some of you would want there to be even more seating choice available on a regular basis. Given the social dynamics and logistics of our lunch periods, this is not currently possible. In the future, we would like to add more seating choice to lunch, but also speak from experience about the social difficulties this can cause without necessary structures in place.

As you know before break, we started a parental pilot for SecURLy, our student software that can police our students' internet activities. Whether you use this or not, I wanted to make you aware of ways that students can try to get around these controls, including the most widely known method, the use of Proxy Sites.

This method and others are detailed quite nicely in this article, which I suggest you read in its entirety. However, let me give you a brief run down of the use of Proxy sites because many if not most students at the intermediate age or older know about this method of avoiding website filters.

Essentially, website filters allow you to list an address you don't want you children to visit, for example www.youtube.com. Proxy sites essentially provide a work around for the student to access these sites using a different web address. This alternative website address that might be something random like "studyingCalculus Dot Com" look like they having nothing to do with youtube, but that's actually all they do. This alternate website has one job which is to display the other website on their address so it functions identically, but bypasses the server.

Another way to think about this is if you told your student "Don't talk to Sarah, I don't like how you all are interacting." Your student being creative, literal, and entrepreneurial, decides to follow your advice and not talk to Sarah. Instead, she calls Elizabeth and says "Can you tell Sarah that I said, "she isn't very pretty" and then let me know what she says". Elizabeth promptly does this and then reports back to your student "Sarah says neither are you" and the conversation continues through Elizabeth. Your student isn't talking to Sarah, but in reality she actually is. She followed your explicit direction, but still achieved the same result. This is what proxy websites do- serve as an intermediary between the explicitly forbidden website and your student.

These proxies are often just a "Google" away for your students. If you don't believe me, try for yourself! Here is a Let me Google that for you to demonstrate.

So simply blocking one website is not always enough and it is sometimes like whack-a-mole. However, if you look at students google searches, that may help you to see them trying to find these and discuss it with them, rather than trying to block every single site.

As always, I hope this is helpful to keep your students safe and constructively engaged while online!

It's hard to believe, but we are at a point in the year when we need to begin planning for the next school year! To that end, we have provided this form (click on link) for you tell us about your student(s) and what you think is important for next year. Please note that this is NOT a form to request to have or to avoid a specific teacher! However, you can let us know important details from your perspective about what type of classroom environment would work best for your student. For example, you might know that your student has done well with a teacher who is extremely outgoing and enthusiastic or has done well with teachers that are more calm and even-keeled, and matter-of fact. Please note this is also NOT a form to tell us who your student's friends so that they can be together. While we can never guarantee that we can honor every request that is made, we do our best to take as much information into consideration as possible to make their year fantastic.

PS I know that despite what I wrote than many of you will still write to me both on this form and separately about both specific teachers and friendship requests. It's okay, I get it :-). These conversations are also good to share with your current homeroom teacher as they will participate in the placement process for next year too.

Upcoming PTA Events:

3/15: March PTA Meeting, 7pm via ZOOM, Registration Required

4/3: Jimano's Fundraiser, All Day, details

4/18-4/19: Primary Book Fair, stay tuned for volunteer information

4/20: April PTA Meeting, 9:30am at ESC

4/24-4/28: Middle Book Fair, stay tuned for volunteer information

5/2-5/4: Elementary Book Fair, stay tuned volunteer information

5/16-5/19: Intermediate Book Fair, stay tuned volunteer information

5/25: Final PTA Meeting, 9:30am at ESC

As hopefully all of you know by now, parent-teacher conferences are this week. Please remember that the first day of conferences is for in-person conferences and the second day is for virtual conferences. Additionally, please remember that Wednesday and Thursday are half days of school and that there is no school on Friday. If you haven't yet scheduled a conference, please reach out to your student's teachers. Also, if you would like to schedule a brief chat with me while you are in the building or virtually, please send me an email and I will do my very best to accommodate your timing.

It's hard to believe, but we are at a point in the year when we need to begin planning for the next school year! To that end, we have provided this form (click on link) for you tell us about your student(s) and what you think is important for next year. Please note that this is NOT a form to request to have or to avoid a specific teacher! However, you can let us know important details from your perspective about what type of classroom environment would work best for your student. For example, you might know that your student has done well with a teacher who is extremely outgoing and enthusiastic or has done well with teachers that are more calm and even-keeled, and matter-of fact. Please note this is also NOT a form to tell us who your student's friends so that they can be together. While we can never guarantee that we can honor every request that is made, we do our best to take as much information into consideration as possible to make their year fantastic.

PS I know that despite what I wrote than many of you will still write to me both on this form and separately about both specific teachers and friendship requests. It's okay, I get it :-). These conversations are also good to share with your current homeroom teacher as they will participate in the placement process for next year too.

Mrs. Drake from Middle School has asked me to share this information with you.

This spring, Middle School teachers and administration will start working on scheduling students for the upcoming school year. If you have information that you would like for us to consider as we begin the scheduling process, we would like for you to complete this FORM. All submissions are due by April 1st.

Over the past several weeks in this newsletter, I have laid out several concerns related to students' online health, safety, and welfare. However, I have provided you with less information about useful ways to monitor their behavior (other than looking at their phone periodically, which is always good to do). Today, I want to roll out a pilot program that I have worked on with our Woodland District 50 Technology Department relative to the online monitoring tool: SecURLy.

SecURLy is used by school districts across the country to monitor student online activity to detect inappropriate and dangerous behavior. Whether students are seeking out inappropriate websites or searching online about harming themselves, this software tool flags this activity and alerts professionals within our schools to address them. Please note, this software is only on our school-issued devices, not children's personal cell phones.

Given that much of the access to curriculum, projects, and student work has migrated to online platforms, students are now using their Chromebooks not just at school, but also at home too. SecURLy does also provide a PARENT PORTAL via their app to student online activity. As you will see in the pictures displayed below, it will not only record where they are going online, but also if they are searching for inappropriate topics. We would like to invite any parent/guardian volunteers who would like to try out this feature to email me and we will get you set up to do so. You will only see your own student's activities and then only during the non-school part of the day.

The app is free to use and once we verify your address as that of a parent or guardian, we can set up secure access so you can see what your student is actually doing online. Please that , whether or not you volunteer, SecURLy still monitors the student's device for problematic searches or websites.

The most-likely and most-useful scenario for the PARENT PORTAL is to see if students are actually doing what they say they are doing online. As you can see from the examples (all of which are faked for demonstration purposes), you will know if your student is doing their homework or endlessly watching playing online games and watching YouTube :-). You also do not have to do this in real-time, but rather you can go back and see their activity feed or flagged events whenever you have a moment to check on this.

If this idea interests you, please email me (reply to a newsletter email, if that's easiest) on the email address connected to your parent/guardian information in Skyward. We hope to get a decent number of volunteers to gain insight as to whether or not this is a useful tool for parents to promote online safety and engagement on school-issued devices.

4/3: Jimano's Fundraiser, All Day, details

4/18-4/19: Primary Book Fair, stay tuned for volunteer information

4/20: April PTA Meeting, 9:30am at ESC

4/24-4/28: Middle Book Fair, stay tuned for volunteer information

5/2-5/4: Elementary Book Fair, stay tuned volunteer information

5/16-5/19: Intermediate Book Fair, stay tuned volunteer information

5/25: Final PTA Meeting, 9:30am at ESC

As your child may have told you, I personally have spent a lot more time in the cafeteria over the past two weeks. My goal there is simple- make lunch a relatively benign, if not boring, part of your student's day. We want the lunch time experience to be one that is relaxed, filled with eating food and having great school-appropriate conversations. It should not be a source of stress nor any excitement relative to poor student choices. We have had three primary points of emphasis- getting quiet when directed to by adults, keeping your area neat, and not touching/trading or really doing anything with anyone else's food (As I explained to the students, when you, their parents, make them a lunch or provide money to buy it, you are expecting them to eat it, not their friends!)

To help reinforce student accountability for this space, as some of you know, I have been calling home when students fail to meet these expectations. Certainly, a phone call from the principal for talking when the lunch supervisor asked you to be quiet might seem excessive. However, I have learned in the past decade of being an elementary school principal that sweating the small stuff keeps the big stuff from happening. Furthermore, students now feel more accountable for their actions in this space- even if they personally haven't gotten a phone call home, they know from some of their friends that these calls are actually being made. Additionally, we added lunch tables for some homerooms to give students more space, as well as provide distance for those students who cannot consistently make good choices when seated together. Finally, I have increased my emphasis with the adults in the space, our lunch supervisors, that they need to get to know your students by name and enhance their rapport with them. In the near future, the lunch supervisors will make the calls I have made, but my hope is that they don't have to because the expectations are consistently met.

I am happy to report that after the past two weeks, the change in student behavior in the cafeteria has been quite positive. As teachers and your students will tell you, how lunch goes often impacts how recess goes, which like the bus ride can completely change the trajectory of the rest of a student's day.

I will be allocating a similar amount of time to recess in the coming days and weeks to ensure students are consistently meeting the expectations in those areas too!

This week, we finished having assemblies with each 5th grade hallway that included guidance to students about bullying, cyberbullying, and internet safety. We have been grateful to Detective Kelly Hansen from the Gurnee Police Department for participating in these assemblies to underscore the gravity of the consequences for student safety relative to the internet. In this last assembly, we briefly addressed the problem of certain websites that, unfortunately have been referenced by some of our students according to teachers. Please note that I did not name these websites as I did not want to unintentionally advertise them and I will never reference them by name with students. However, I stressed to the 5th graders this week that, since they were little children, everyone was given the same safety tip: Don't talk to strangers! Well guess what! These wonderful websites have just one terrible purpose: helping you talk to random strangers online, via video chat no less. I reminded students to follow the safety tip they all know well: Don't talk to strangers- not in real life and not online.

These websites, the most popular of which are Chatroulette or Omegle, are absolutely garbage, in my humble opinion. They randomly pair you with someone else online via video. Sadly, some popular YouTubers, TikTok celebrities, and even pop culture icons have popularized these websites either deliberately or inadvertently by including them in their online content. TikTok videos or other social media platforms have videos with hashtags for Omegle and other websites that have been viewed billions (with a B) of times.

Here is an article entitled "The Internet Is Full of Predators. Omegle Lets You Meet Them."

detailing the horrible nature of these websites. It is a long article, but I urge you to read it to understand the gravity of these places online. I will not quote some of the more disgusting things that have happened to children (including those as young as 5th graders) who have used these sites. But suffice it to say, people who prey on children, use these websites to expose children to and convince children to do the most vile things imaginable, not to mention threaten their personal safety and emotional well-being. Much worse than even social media sites, these websites have few, if any, safeguards or controls to even know who is using them. Some versions require no identifying information whatsoever to use them. Consequently the stories of abuse and predation have spread the world over, even becoming the subject of United Nations Investigations for child prostitution, sex trafficking, and exploitation.

Many, if not most, people over 30 have never heard of these websites- I still don't even know what the proper pronunciation of Omegle is. What I do know for sure though is that these sites are dark and dangerous places that entice children with the idea of meeting cool new people. It is for that reason that I bring this information to you. My hope is to empower you with the knowledge so as to help protect your students.

Woodland Intermediate as a PBIS school likes to hear our students' voices. We are planning to ask our students for feedback next week between Tuesday 3/14 and Friday 3/17 using The School Climate Survey: Elementary measures elementary students' (grades K-5,) which perceptions of school climate. Results from this survey help schools monitor progress related to these outcomes over time.

This is an anonymous survey to get students' feedback on our school's behavior support systems so we can improve them and should take no more than 5-10 minutes for students to complete.

The data collected from the survey will be used to learn about how students are experiencing our school. School staff uses the results to inform our efforts at improving our school climate. Responses are housed securely and in an anonymous format with the University of Oregon Center on PBIS projects for evaluation research purposes. All evaluation research projects are in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, (343 CFR 99.31 (6)) and human subjects regulations (Protection of Human Subjects 45 CFR 46).

Our desire is to involve parents in their children's education. If you DO NOT wish your child to participate in this survey please complete this form by Monday 3/13/23 at noon.

You do not need to fill out this form if your child CAN participate in this survey. Please note this is different from the 5Essentials Survey. The PBIS survey is the one that is part of achieving a PBIS School Designation (ie Gold, Silver, Bronze Status).

This week, the majority of our students had an opportunity to take their 5Essentials Survey. Our parent survey now has a 12% response rate. We need to have at least 20% to get a report. Also, we want to beat last years 23%!!! And of course, we need to beat out Primary, Elementary, and Middle School with our response rate, just like last year :-). It only takes a few minutes, please click on the link below- the survey is in both English and Spanish.

2023 Illinois Parent Survey

Students in fifth grade will begin taking the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) the week of March 13-17.

The ISA aligns with our new Illinois Learning Standards in science. This assessment helps families understand how well students are performing academically and see whether they are on track to succeed in college. The ISA represents Illinois’ commitment to preparing all students for college and careers, including in the high-demand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The assessment also satisfies federal accountability requirements.

The ISA is designed to reflect classroom experiences. Many students who took the assessment last year said the ISA seemed more like instruction than a test. Students do not simply select an answer and fill in the bubble of a multiple-choice test. Rather, the ISA pushes students to apply their knowledge when they give answers, thus better preparing them for higher education and a career. All students deserve the opportunity to demonstrate what they know; they get to see how knowledge is applied to real-life situations.

The ISA has three sections. The average student time-on-task is estimated at 120 minutes. The results provide administrators with important data to help them make broad curriculum decisions at the school and district levels. But classroom educators will not use the results to make teaching adjustments year-to-year for individual students.

We encourage you to talk with your children about the importance of doing their best on the ISA, while communicating that the assessment yields only one piece of information about them and their school’s progress. Students’ attendance, classroom work, homework, projects, performance on local tests, participation in sports and extracurricular activities, and contributions to the school’s climate and culture all help them grow and learn.

We all work together to ensure Illinois students build a cohesive understanding of science over time.

Thank you for your role in developing lifelong learners and successful citizens.

SAVE THE DATE

March PTA Meeting

WEDNESDAY March 15th

7:00pm via ZOOM

Mark your calendars, the March PTA meeting is coming up next week. The meeting will be on WEDNESDAY March 15th at 7:00pm via Zoom. Please use the signup link below register to attend. Everyone who is registered will receive an email the day of the meeting with the Zoom login information. The cutoff for registration will be 4:00pm on March 15th.

This is a great opportunity to get updates from all of the schools and find out what is happening at Woodland. We would love to see you there virtually!

JOIN US - Sign Up Here

Thank you to all who were able to join us for previous meetings! Notes from prior meetings are posted on our website.

Need to renew your membership for 2022/23? Just $15 per family for the year, click HERE to join today!

Be sure to follow Woodland 50 PTA on Facebook and check out our website for updates.

Questions? Contact Kristin Michna dist50pta@gmail.com

Upcoming PTA Events:

3/11: Calling all Superheroes PTA Dance, 5:30-8:00pm, Woodland Intermediate Cafeteria, REGISTRATION Required, more details. Currently registration is FULL, and due to capacity, unfortunately we will not be able to admit any unregistered guests.

3/15: March PTA Meeting, 7pm via ZOOM, Registration Required

We are so incredibly proud of our cast and crew of the production "Honk, Jr.!". From Wednesday morning through Friday night, they put on their show not once, not twice, but five times!!! Our entire school go to see the show on Wednesday at different points during the day and then we had our evening performances on Thursday and Friday nights. It was a packed house every time to see an incredible production directed by Andrea Little, April Cooksey, Bridget Hengels, and Amy Werner. We are also indebted to our parent volunteers who assisted with everything from costumes to set pieces to ticket sales and more! There will be DVD and digital downloads available in the coming weeks.

As many of you already know, our school has an incredible 660 kWp solar energy array on our roof! For the past three years, this array has produced the majority of power that our building uses. That production is now going to be more visible to our community due to our newly installed Solar Display in our front foyer. This monitor will display not only real-time information about the production of the panels, but also historical information, weather, and more! This is a great way to showcase the steps that our building, school, and district are taking to protect the environment. Over their time on our roof, these panels have produced more than 2 Gigawatts hours of power or enough to power 1.5 million homes for one hour. Or, even more importantly, almost enough to send the Delorean back to the future twice! Great Scott this is heavy!

This week, the majority of our students had an opportunity to take their 5Essentials Survey. Our parent survey now has a 10% response rate. We need to have at least 20% to get a report. Also, we want to beat last years 23%!!! And of course, we need to beat out Primary, Elementary, and Middle School with our response rate, just like last year :-). It only takes a few minutes, please click on the link below- the survey is in both English and Spanish.

2023 Illinois Parent Survey

It's hard to believe it, but Parent-Teacher Conferences are around the corner, along with Spring Break! If you haven't already done so, please make sure you have connected with your student's teacher(s) about conference dates and times. It's less than 3 weeks away- not that anyone's counting :-)

Throughout all social media platforms there are famous youtubers or online "celebrities" who produce viral content. If your students are on social media, they are more than likely to have come across the following people, trends, or challenges in the recent past. Some of you may already be aware of this conent; however, I think many of you might be surprised by what rises to the top of the social media soup.

Pewdiepie: This "Youtuber" has the 2nd-highest subscriber count out there with over 111 million followers. If you don't know who this is, then check out the following information. According to CommonSense Media:

Parents need to know that PewDiePie is a YouTube channel whose Swedish host, Felix Kjellberg (a.k.a. PewDiePie), is known for his relentless cursing, raunchy subject matter, and Let's Play gaming videos. The show's content is difficult to predict, as much of it is either stream-of-consciousness reflection on a certain topic or comedy shorts with a similar lack of direction. Many of PewDiePie's past videos are notorious for referencing sexual subjects (including slang like "giving head"); racial, ethnic, anti-Semitic (he once paid people to hold up a sign saying "Death to all Jews"), and homophobic "jokes;" and strong language (frequent use of "f--k", "s--t", "bitch", "ass").

Logan Paul: Another Youtuber, he and his brother Jake (who has been accused of sexual assault) have amassed quite a following with their content. Along the way to earning a large following, they have also done quite a bit of harm, in my opinion. From the linked article:

From illegally flying a drone over the Colosseum in Rome, to allegedly exploiting fans, Logan Paul has been met with one scandal after another. The controversial YouTuber and social media personality has been deemed a bad influence on his fans, most of whom are teenagers. He garnered further backlash after throwing parties at the height of the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as harming animals for content, but his most controversial move remains broadcasting a suicide to his subscribers while on a trip to Japan. Paul, along with his brother Jake have done some seriously outlandish things over the years that bring their morality into question.

Beyond just online celebrities, your students make encounter dangerous "challenges" online.

TikTok Black Out Challenge: Although this started many years ago, it continues to make the rounds on many platforms. Essentially, the goal of the challenge is to strangle yourself till you blackout. According to the linked article:

In late November of 2022, a Bloomberg Businessweek report linked at least 15 deaths in children 12 and under to the challenge in the last 18 months, and another five deaths in children aged 13 and 14.

Skull Breaker Challenge: In this challenge, two individuals "prank" a third by enticing them to jump into the air and then kicking their legs out from under them. This has reportedly resulted in a myriad of injuries, hospitalizations, and even two deaths.

Benadryl Challenge: As you might have guessed, this is a "challenge" to drink a large amount of benadryl to produce hallucinations. This is incredibly dangerous and potentially fatal. From the linked Cleveland Clinic webpage:

At least one teenager died of a diphenhydramine overdose while participating in the challenge.

Large doses of Benadryl can cause high heart rates, which can trigger an arrhythmia, stroke, seizure or cardiac arrest. All of these conditions could result in permanent brain damage or induce a coma.

So social media is not just a stalking ground for sexual predators, a cesspool of cyberbullying, but also a hangout that highlights individuals and "challenges" that are highly problematic, to put it mildly. That is not to say there aren't popular, wholesome YouTubers out there, but sadly the ones that go viral seem to trend toward the controversial and potentially dangerous side of the spectrum. Once again, your students online behavior is yours to police at home. I do not mean to overstep my bounds as your principal, but sadly the content from these "celebrities" and "challenges" can make their way into schools and disrupt the learning environment. To the extent we can keep our students from consuming this destructive content, it supports our students social emotional health and promotes positive peer interactions.

Fifth Graders will be taking a IAR Science Assessment next week. This is a relatively low-stakes exam as far as state assessments go. It is not used in anyway to evaluate students, schools, or districts. Nevertheless, we wanted to make you aware. The actual IAR (Math and Reading) assessment is one-month away, starting after Spring Break.

Saturday 3/11, Calling All Superheroes - PTA Dance, 5:30-8pm, Woodland Intermediate. This is a FREE family event open to all incoming Kindergarten - 5th grade students. REGISTRATION is required. More details. Mr. Sheldon plans to attend with his family, including his 3 year-old daughter Eleanor who loves to dance more than anything. We hope to see you there! Mr. Sheldon likes to dance too, but Eleanor already is embarrassed by her father and is fond of shouting "Daddy, stop that!"

Wednesday 3/15, March PTA Meeting, 7pm via ZOOM

Come see Honk Jr! The musical tale of the Ugly Ducking!

Performed at Woodland Intermediate School on March 2 and 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are 5.00 at the door. (Cash or check only.)

Please note that all students will be able to see the entire show during the school day on Wednesday, March 1st.

We are thrilled to celebrate our students and staff who have put so much time and effort into this endeavor. Thank you also to all of our parent volunteers and families who have supported this effort all along the way!

Based on our own internal data, observations, and also parent feedback, we know there is an opportunity for growth relative to the climate and culture of the bus rides to and from school. To that end I proposed to the Transportation department a pilot project using ClassDojo. Many of you may already be familiar with ClassDojo, but for those who are not you can click on the link for more information. Briefly, it is a confidential behavior management tool that many schools and teachers use, including some here at Intermediate and Woodland District 50. We are doing this pilot to see if we can get the same great results with students on the bus that we do with them in the classroom. At the end of each route, the driver will merely tap a few buttons to record important behaviors- both positive and negative- for students on their route. This information will be easily accessible on the app for you the parent to see to know how the ride went for your child. I am including a link to a short YouTube tutorial (3 minutes) I did for the transportation department to help them understand the tool, but it will also help you to see and understand how the app will work on your end too.

We plan to begin this pilot project for Routes 4 and 45 only starting on March 6th. If you have a student on those routes, you should have received login information and more details earlier this past week. If not, please check your email and reach out to me to get connected. Based on the feedback from this project, we may expand this idea to other routes.

We have our second scheduled lock down drill with the Gurnee Police Department this Monday, February 27th. It is an unfortunate reality that we have to do drills like this, but given the state of affairs in the world, it is necessary. We recognize that this can be a stressful event for students so we want to make you aware to help our students prepare and learn the most from these events. If for whatever reason you do not want them to participate, please email me at tsheldon@dist50.net. Finally, if you are looking for some tips on how to talk to your students about lockdowns, here is a resource you might helpful.

While I have previously addressed social media platforms such as TikTok, SnapChat, Instagram, and others whose primary purpose is social interaction, there are other seemingly unrelated platforms on which students engage with one another- Video Games. With the advent of "The Cloud", high-speed internet, and the ubiquity of devices, many of our students are able to play games online and be connected to others. Whether it's Clash of Clans or Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto (GTA) students are able to play online, sometimes with or against their peers and/or total strangers. This is another area of their digital life that I strongly urge you to supervise rigorously and reflect honestly on whether or not this is a safe and productive use of time for your children.

First of all, if you do not set up parental controls on the devices such as an Xbox, children can end up playing with anyone, including adults who may have ulterior motives for playing such games with children. If you do not set up parental controls, many of these games allow people to message one another in real-time and even send images. This has made these games places where child predators go to lure children. Here is a story detailing such activity in recent years. Please note a quote that sticks out to me given the popularity of the game mentioned:

"Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the arrest of a man in Broward County who allegedly engaged in sexual activity and solicited pornographic photos and videos from a minor he first contacted through the online game Fortnite. Authorities believe there could be as many as 20 additional victims."

If you have not already done so, please check all of your students games and gaming devices to ensure you have set up parental controls to disallow them to contact or be contacted by other people you don't know or wouldn't allow. Here is a link with some directions for Xbox , a link for PlayStation and for Nintendo Switch. Also, note that even mobile games, like Clash of Clans, can be used by sexual predators. In that linked article you will find this quote:

"In May, a California man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for coercing an 11-year-old girl “into producing child pornography” after meeting her through the online game Clash of Clans."

To use one of my analogies to drive this home, ask yourself this question:

"Would I send my child alone to a park where I knew child predators like to hang out to lure and groom children for sexual abuse?"

Of course, the answer is no.

Being as that is the case, you should either not allow children on these internet-enabled versions of the games (some can be played in a single-player mode which is also a great option!) or watch the parental control settings like a hawk. Anything less than that runs the risk they will be preyed upon by strangers.

Secondly, I would like to address the issue of whether or not some of these games are a productive activity. Even with parental controls, as we have discussed, when students interact with people they know from school, the conversations can turn to mean and dark places. In that way, a chat through Fortnite is no different than a SnapChat. For some games though, like Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto, it's even worse in my opinion, due to the nature of the game.

The entire point of Fortnite is to murder everyone else. That's it, that's all, just kill each other. Run each other over with cars, shoot them with guns, hack them up with sharp implements- kill each other. How does this impact school? In my experience, the students who play these games may be more likely to doodle drawings that include images of weapons which can understandably freak other people out! Students who play these games may be more likely to let words like "shoot you", "kill you", "blow you up" slip out of their mouth because that is not just what they are seeing and doing online, but also the language they are using in chats and through headsets while playing! Somehow, when they have a headset on and are in front of a screen they can yell to another child "I am gonna kill you" and it's okay because it's a game. If they get caught up in an emotional moment at school and say the same thing, it's definitely not okay. By no means am I saying that Fortnite or violent video games explain, excuse, or are to blame for the poor choices that students make at school. However, if we are asking the question, is playing these games making it more or less likely that students will make a poor choice- whether or not they are more likely to say, write, or draw the wrong thing, then I think you know where I stand. There are ways to make Fortnite less violent (see included directions), but sadly these versions are not the ones that students seem to want to play.

Video Games in and of themselves are not necessarily bad on the whole. I mean, don't get me wrong, I played a lot of Nintendo growing up too and that's after I played a lot of Atari and Coleco (now I am dating myself). I certainly had fun and wasted a lot of time, but video games now are totally different. With access to the internet, the nature of gaming and associated risks have totally changed, and not for the better. In closing, these are your decisions to make- what they play and who they interact with online. I am only offering my perspective on this topic as it continues to be one of the issues that can be the most disruptive to the learning environment at school, not to mention a threat to a student's safety, or even their life.

Please note that I added another virtual countdown clock at the top of the newsletter for the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). This is the summative standardized test required by the state which is used to evaluate our school relative to others in Illinois. It is the one that is also used in the Illinois School Report Card and Greatschools.org (the website that provides ratings for schools that are used on popular real estate websites, such as redfin or realtor.com). We are highlighting this date to ensure that you as parents are aware and also so that you can help your students to be ready to do their best during those days. I have included the entire testing window; however, students will take 6 tests- one each day- during that window so we will not have testing on every day. As we get closer to that date, I will include more specific information, reminders, and advice to help you and our students to prepare. As we noted earlier in the year, there is a high correlation between students' MAP success and their success on the IAR. Therefore, if you are looking for a way to help students to be as successful as possible at home, additional time on Pathblazers is a great place to start. We are still accepting students for our Pathblazers Intramural. Click on this link to sign up for our new PathBlazers Club.

Kids Heart Challenge has come to a close, the final total was $10,731.35. We came so close to the goal, the effort was outstanding! We are so proud of our students for everything that they did to make this happen. All that money goes directly to the American Heart Association for research to help learn more about Heart Disease. So Great job Boys and Girls, you all made a difference!

Final Results for the teacher challenge:

4th Mono - Mrs. Samulak

4th Dual - Mrs. Sancho

5th Mono - Mrs. Lother

5th Dual - Mrs. Rosenblum

We also want to sincerely thank Chris Dovichi, one of our Physical Education (PE) teachers, who organizes this effort. His dedication, positivity, and enthusiasm were a driving force behind this success in addition to all of the support from our students, staff, and families.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is sponsoring a free reading challenge. Essentially, if students track their reading they can get a free cake! Here are the materials for this opportunity, including a welcome letter and tracking chart. While students are under no obligation to participate we wanted to pass along this opportunity to incentivize reading with a sweet treat! We appreciate one of our Reading Specialists, Donna Kallal for helping to find and share this opportunity for our school community.

We are at 8% currently for parents. We need to have at least 20% to get a report. Also, we want to beat last years 23%!!! And of course, we need to beat out Primary, Elementary, and Middle School with our response rate, just like last year :-). It only takes a few minutes, please click on the link below- the survey is in both English and Spanish.

2023 Illinois Parent Survey

Friday 3/3, Chuck E. Cheese Fundraiser, 3-9pm, must mention Woodland PTA when purchasing at the counter. More details

Saturday 3/11, Calling All Superheroes - PTA Dance, 5:30-8pm, Woodland Intermediate. This is a FREE family event open to all incoming Kindergarten - 5th grade students. REGISTRATION is required. More details

Wednesday 3/15, March PTA Meeting, 7pm via ZOOM

Check out the District's Newsletter this week too! In this weeks edition you will find information that includes highlights from Intermediate, including our spelling bee winners and our picnic table donations from the Eagle Scouts! The weekly newsletter also includes a summary of items from the Board of Education meeting last night, Dr. Machak's weekly greeting, important dates, and a few other reminders.

Have you ever considered working for the school district where your child (or children) attend school? You don't have to be a teacher to work for a school. Working for the district could mean similar hours and days off as your child depending on the type of position. We have more than 800 employees and we are one of the biggest employers in Gurnee. Please view our current job openings on the district website under the "Careers" tab or follow @WoodlandCareers on Twitter.

We are currently hiring for:

• Paraprofessionals
• Bus Drivers
• Nurse
• Guest/Substitute Teachers
• Playground/Lunchroom Supervisors
• And more...

As you may have read last week in my newsletter, we recently added a student representative to our PBIS team. This is in accordance with best practices as noted by respected national PBIS organizations. As we continue to boost our fidelity to the PBIS model, we would like to invite parents to participate too! In order to make our culture and climate the best it can be, we want to hear the voices of all stakeholders. Additionally, we want to showcase the hard work that our staff consistently puts forward to support a positive learning environment. We would be looking to have you join meeting no more than once a month. Our team meets before school for about 30 minutes prior to the start of the student day. If you are interested in volunteering to be a parent representative on our team, please email me at tsheldon@dist50.net.

As we wrap up the Kids Heart Challenge, we have raised $10,589.00. We are so close to our goal with only a few hours left. So register and get those donations, only $1400.00 more and Mr. Sheldon along with the PE teachers will get spaghetti dumped on their head. So let's get those donations in!!! Regardless of what happens, we are so proud of our students for going out and raising money for such a great cause. Great Job students and families!

Stepping away from the social media discussion for a moment, I wanted to note two additional behaviors in real-life (or "IRL" as the students may text/chat) that students engage in that often promote social discord at school. Both of them can seem harmless to students, but can be as disruptive and as dangerous to students' well-being as social media. To be clear, both of the following issues are very rare (with the exception of the Pokemon cards), but still are important to keep in mind as you prepare your student for school each day.

Inappropriate Items: Please take a moment to discuss with your students what is appropriate and inappropriate to bring to school. Students often want to bring things from home to show off to their peers. Some of these things may be appropriate at home and even be gifts from you to them. However, they can be disruptive- ranging from a distraction to dangerous- at school. For example, students love to bring Pokemon cards to school to show and trade with friends. Please do not allow them to do this. Firstly, students can lose them items, many of which are quite valuable. Secondly, they are a distraction to learning both inside the classroom and at recess and lunch. Additionally and more importantly, make sure students are not bringing toys or tools that look like more dangerous things. Students may want to bring squirt guns, toy cap guns, pen knives, toy swords and other items to school. These items are explicitly forbidden by the student code of conduct due to the safety hazards they can represent or be perceived to be. Sometimes this is an accident due to students packing their own lunch and bringing a knife to cut a piece of fruit; however, it is still a safety issue. Please double check your students backpack and belongings before they come to school.

Stirring the Pot: On those few occasions when students want to or actually have a physical fight at school, social media is often the culprit- even the non-digital variety. By this I mean that some students will actually serve as the conduit for gossip by running back and forth between two students (sometimes literally) with something to say to promote drama. Sadly, these students seem to enjoy "stirring the pot" and watching the result of their social interactions play out between their peers. Sometimes what they say is true; sometimes it is not. Every time it is neither helpful, nor kind.

For example, an exchange might go something like this:

Pot Stirrer to Student A: "Did you know that Student B said they don't like you and think you are ugly"

Student A: "I hardly know Student B, what are you talking about? They sound stupid if they are saying that about me"

Pot Stirrer to Student B: "Student A said you are stupid and a nobody, sounds like they want to fight you"

Student B: "Well that's silly, but if they ever tried to do that I would be able to defend myself"

Pot Stirrer runs back to Student A: "Student B said you're weak and could kick your butt, when are you gonna fight them?"

Student A: "I don't want to fight, but I am ready anytime to defend myself"

Pot Stirrer to Student B: "Student A said they will fight you at recess"

And you can imagine how this then plays out the next time Student A and Student B run into each other in real life. The Pot Stirrer often tries to and successfully does fly under the radar in these situations. Nonetheless, the Pot Stirrer plays just as important a role in the conflict as the other students who might come to blows. This will be a point of emphasis in our efforts with our students in the coming days and weeks. Please engage your students on this important topic to let them know they need to THINK before they try to stir the pot. See the helpful image below as a guide that we would like students to use when they engage with their peers socially.

As always, I write this merely to engage with you as co-equal partners in your students' education. I think honest dialogue is absolutely necessary to have the best possible school community. Please know that I do not mean overstep my bounds as the principal with my suggestions for discussions and decisions at home. I certainly also welcome your feedback on how I can best serve you as the instructional leader of the school.

Woodland participates in the State of Illinois 5Essentials Survey every year because we believe the survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to have a voice in improving our schools. Your opinions are important to us and by participating in this survey you can help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement.

The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected to your child. The state will only release the results to schools in which at least 20% of the parents and guardians have completed the survey, meaning we need 20% of Intermediate families to fill out the survey to see the results for Intermediate, and so on for our four schools. Please consider taking the survey today, so that we can tap into this valuable feedback as we plan for the future.

We are at 7% currently. Help us beat last years 23%!!! And of course, we need to beat out Primary, Elementary, and Middle School :-)

2023 Illinois Parent Survey

The PBIS Tier 1 Team is doing some incredible work to support the culture and climate for our building. First, as you may have seen earlier this week, we have a new cool tool for dismissal. We will be asking students to tap into their creative side and help us make posters to hang in the hallway with our new slogan! WALK OUT IN A DIRECT ROUTE...NO NEED TO SHOUT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw6mXZNJHqU

Also, a student has now joined the PBIS Tier 1 team! Getting stakeholder input for our PBIS efforts, including students, is not only a good idea, but also something that is specifically identified in our Tiered Fidelity Inventory that measures our overall implementation of the program. This student, Amelia Lloyd, a 5th Grader from Ms. Cooksey’s class, was bubbling with ideas this past week at her first meeting. We are hopeful find ways to increase the participation of students in this area of our work and others too! We also want parents to join our team! If you are interested, please email Mr. Sheldon!

As we complete the 4th week of the Kids Heart Challenge, we have raised $7,885.00. Since we are getting so close to our goal and students getting super excited, we have extended the end date to Friday 2/17. This is great news for our students because the American Heart Association has also provided a new incentive. They have once again partnered with the Chicago Wolves! If you raise $50, you earn a complimentary ticket to 1 game. Also if you are one of the top 5 donators in the whole program you will get the chance to go down to the ice for a special presentation! The game is April 15 and details will be sent to you from the American Heart Association. So go get those donations and get registered.

GET REGISTERED!!!

The class with the most students registered will earn their teacher a gift card to Amazon.

Here are the standings for the Teacher Contest:

I know that I have been on my principal soapbox lately about social media and I am not stepping off just yet! So why would I say don't take away their phones? Isn't that a logical consequence for misbehavior, especially if it's on their device?

At first glance, it would appear that way and I didn't always espouse this guidance. That was until I had a chance to work with Detective Richard Wistocki. He is a former Naperville police officer who is child crime expert. Detective Richard Wistocki has dedicated his career to helping children by tirelessly pursuing, apprehending and prosecuting child predators.

During one of his presentations he emphatically stated that parents should not take away phones or threaten to take away phones. Based on his experience, this consequence, though seemingly logical, can actually be terribly counter productive when it comes to keeping children safe online. Students' access to their phones is so important that, in his experience, they might not seek your help if they think they could lose their phone. Even if they are being threatened online or preyed upon by an internet predator, the prospect of losing their device is so devastating that some may stay silent.

Could this really be the case? The unfortunate reality is that, for many young people, they would rather suffer an irreversible injury than lose their phone. In fact, researchers have found in some studies that found that 50% of teens would rather break a bone in their hand than lose their phone. In other studies, kids say they would give up their sense of smell permanently rather than lose their phone.

Students often find themselves involved in online interactions for which they aren't blameless, but are highly problematic. It is usually the case that negative social media interactions or group chats could include your own student saying something of which they know you will definitely not approve. But in that same chat someone might say something that is an order of magnitude worse- a threat, a racial slur, or send inappropriate images or even solicit them from your child. Students are then put in a situation where they are weighing their options. Option 1: I tell my parents about this serious issue and potentially lose my phone for my part. Or, Option 2: I stay silent, keep my phone, and hope this problem doesn't get any worse. Spoiler Alert: It always gets worse, but sadly students don't know that. They choose Option 2 more than we would ever want to believe.

More than even staying silent, the degree to which students are attached to their phones can lead to disproportionate harm to your relationship with your child. Child psychological experts have researched this and, in light of the results, they recommend a more balanced approach to poor choices with phones and online. They recommend that "limiting phone privileges: prohibiting texting for a period, or docking the phone in your room if it’s interfering with other tasks. This, too should be targeted to the problematic behavior. “You don’t have to take the whole phone away,” notes Dr. Steiner-Adair (author of The Big Disconnect). “If your child goes on Snapchat or Instagram and sends an inappropriate photo then delete that app from their phone. For a reasonable amount of time."

To help keep our students safe, we want and need them to feel they can seek our help and support, even if they aren't blameless in a situation. Unfortunately the prospect of losing their phones can be so potentially painful that students will keep quiet rather than seek help from an adult. Based on my experience and that of law enforcement and child development experts, make sure your students know that your approach will be measured and not draconian. As suggested in the linked article, there are many things you can do short of confiscating the phone altogether. Limited access to certain times of day or removing problematic apps or installing parent monitoring apps/software can be just as effective without actually taking away the device altogether.

And, if you haven't given your child a phone yet, you could simply wait and avoid this altogether!

Once again, I share these thoughts with you because, too often, students stay silent rather than seek parental help for fear of losing their phones. Then these interactions escalate online and the drama ultimately unfolds when the students come together in real life at school. They can get seriously hurt both emotionally and even physically as a result. Please know that I come to you with these thoughts with positive intentions to support you and your students- I do not mean intrude into your territory as parents. Ultimately, this is a decision for parents' to make. I just ask that you take into consideration these ideas when you think about taking away or threatening to take away your child's device.

Woodland participates in the State of Illinois 5Essentials Survey every year because we believe the survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to have a voice in improving our schools. Your opinions are important to us and by participating in this survey you can help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement.

The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected to your child. The state will only release the results to schools in which at least 20% of the parents and guardians have completed the survey, meaning we need 20% of Intermediate families to fill out the survey to see the results for Intermediate, and so on for our four schools. Please consider taking the survey today, so that we can tap into this valuable feedback as we plan for the future.

2023 Illinois Parent Survey

Thursday 2/16, February PTA Meeting, in person 9:30am at ESC

Thursday 2/16, Portillo's Fundraiser, 5-8pm, must show flyer or enter code PORTILLOS41 when ordering.

Please join us for a "Digital Safety for Parents" event on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. This is open to all district parents/guardians.

Woodland Middle School Students will have a student safety presentation on Feb. 10, but we know that parents may want to learn more about this topic too. The parent presentation includes information regarding youth technology trends and online behaviors. Predatory risks and case examples are discussed. Some topics may be sensitive, so for the event on Feb. 16, an adult audience is preferred.

This is a free event, but please register HERE so we know how many people to expect.

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who helped this past Friday's rescheduled parties go off without a hitch (other than being rescheduled due to an arctic blast in December, but who's counting?). Being able to collaborate with our families to construct moments of community and fun at school is an important part of making school something children look forward to each day. Our shortened (SIP) days are the perfect days to host these events. Not only is the regular routine already disrupted, but also, given we do not have lunch or recess, students do not have an opportunity to socialize. These parties give students and opportunity to interact in positive, constructive, and supervised ways to build and strengthen relationships with their classmates. We recognize that the timing of this round of parties was potentially problematic due to the staggered start and end times of our district's other schools. Consequently, we will look at that for our next party to help ensure that all families have the best chance to participate and support these events. We appreciate your flexibility and support!

As we complete the 3rd week of the Kids Heart Challenge, we have raised over $6,200. That is so awesome! Keep getting those donations and continue to register on-line. If we reach our goal of $12,000 you can see Mr. Sheldon and the PE staff get spaghetti dumped on their heads.

GET REGISTERED!!!

The class with the most students registered will earn their teacher a gift card to Amazon.

LEARN HANDS ON CPR!

By registering on-line there is Finn's mission that teaches you how to be healthy and gives information on how to do Hands on CPR. Once that's completed you will receive a small thank you gift from the American Heart Association.

POSTER CONTEST:
Any student who brings in a poster showing us what Kids Heart Challenge means to them in a drawing is eligible to win a prize. Keep bringing those is, they look great so far!

Download the Kids Heart Challenge App or visit heart.org/KHC to register.

Choose your daily health challenge to Move More or Be Kind and earn your own BE THE TORCH wristband so you can help light the way!

Complete FINN’S MISSION in your Headquarters, where you and your family can learn about Hands-Only CPR and help us create a community of lifesavers!

Earn Finn’s Lifesaver Award when you complete all 8 challenges!

COLLECT YOUR OWN HEART HEROES who help remind us to keep our hearts happy and healthy. Collect all 6 Heart Heroes with each lifesaving milestone you reach. Get a BONUS MYSTERY GIFT for every $50 you raise in lifesaving donations.

Check out all the fun Thank You Gifts you can earn HERE.

In the coming weeks, we will be sending out information about some additional after school clubs and activities that we will offer in the Spring. Stay tuned!

Woodland participates in the State of Illinois 5Essentials Survey every year because we believe the survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to have a voice in improving our schools. Your opinions are important to us and by participating in this survey you can help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement.

The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and your identity and responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected to your child. The state will only release the results to schools in which at least 20% of the parents and guardians have completed the survey, meaning we need 20% of Primary families to fill out the survey to see the results for Primary, and so on for our four schools. Please consider taking the survey today, so that we can tap into this valuable feedback as we plan for the future.

2023 Illinois Parent Survey

Please join us for a "Digital Safety for Parents" event on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. This is open to all district parents/guardians.

Woodland Middle School Students will have a student safety presentation on Feb. 10, but we know that parents may want to learn more about this topic too. The parent presentation includes information regarding youth technology trends and online behaviors. Predatory risks and case examples are discussed. Some topics may be sensitive, so for the event on Feb. 16, an adult audience is preferred.

This is a free event, but please register HERE so we know how many people to expect.

Surgeon General Says 13-Year-Olds Shouldn't Be on Social Media. Jan. 30, 2023 -- The U.S. Surgeon General says 13 years old is too young to begin using social media. Most social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook allow users to create accounts if they say they are at least 13 years old.

TikTok Bans. The US Government and more than half of the state governments have banned TikTok from government devices due to cybersecurity concerns. FBI director Chris Wray warned in December that TikTok could be used for espionage operations. China can "manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations," Wray said. "All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn't share our values and that has a mission that's very much at odds with what's in the best interests of the United States," Wray added. "That should concern us."

My Principal Sheldon (more than) two cents...: Sometimes parents express concerns about a desire to "respect their [students'] privacy" when it comes to monitoring their phones/digital devices. If it helps, let me encourage you NOT to consider their phones a realm of personal privacy. First of all, you pay for it, it belongs to you, not them. Secondly, their phone is not their diary that is only for them and stashed under their bed. Rather, picture their phone as them going to the mall by themselves. Do you want to know when they go, where they go, who they are with, and who they meet and talk to while they are there? That's not "none of your business," but rather precisely what you should be curious about as a parent. If you wouldn't let your child go to a public mall by themselves, then you should probably think twice about them on any social media apps either. Again, I am not trying to overstep my bounds, but rather, as I expressed to some 5th graders this week, what happens online comes into the school when it creates conflict and prevents students from learning.

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday 2/16, February PTA Meeting, in person 9:30am at ESC

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday 2/16, Portillo's Fundraiser, 5-8pm, must show flyer or enter code PORTILLOS41 when ordering.

3/3: Chuck E. Cheese Fundraiser, stay tuned for details.

3/11: PTA Dance, Woodland Intermediate, all K-5 students and families are invited to attend. (Parents must attend, this is not a drop off event.) Stay tuned for details and registration information.

3/16: March PTA Meeting, 7:00pm via ZOOM

Virtual Backpack

Please visit Virtual Backpack for information about other events and resources in the community. New information included for the Warren Athletic/Activity Night for Incoming Freshman, Cub Scouts, and Black History Month Events at CLC and the Lake County Forest Preserve District Dunn Museum. In case you missed it, there is also information about the Gurnee Park District Summer Camp, Warren Township Girls Softball, and Champions Floor Hockey from last week!

Have you ever considered working for the school district where your child (or children) attend school? You don't have to be a teacher to work for a school. Working for the district could mean similar hours and days off as your child depending on the type of position. We have more than 800 employees and we are one of the biggest employers in Gurnee. Please view our current job openings on the district website under the "Careers" tab or follow @WoodlandCareers on Twitter.

We are currently hiring for:

• Paraprofessionals
• Bus Drivers
• Nurse
• Guest/Substitute Teachers
• Playground/Lunchroom Supervisors
• And more...

Well, our in-school display of Pathblazers' Stars has certainly taken off! The first week we awarded these stars, our school had about 90 stars total. After those public presentations in each class, this past week students racked up over 190 stars! More than a 100% increase in one week's time. This represents an incredible degree of student ownership and investment in their own learning. We also continue to see new enrollment in our Pathblazers Club with more than 30 students now enrolled, but we still have more space.

If you are looking for a way to support your students' efforts on their MAP goals and (EARN MORE STARS!), Pathblazers is a great program to use. We are excited to invite you to sign up for our new PathBlazers Club. These sessions will include time with a certified teacher to facilitate their independent usage of PathBlazers. Further, based on their most recent MAP scores, the facilitators will be able to provide input to your student on what to focus on to help them surpass their Spring Growth Goal. Click on the included link to submit your interest. (Please note that you can register for multiple sessions per week).

Click here to log into Family Access

Family Access

Family Access is a web-based tool that will allow you to easily keep track of your child’s information. This tool will provide information about your child’s:

• Grades
• Attendance
• Schedule
• Health Information
• Parent Forms
• Registration Fees
• Food Service Balance and Payments

Regardless of grade level or school of attendance, you will be able to view all of your children’s information under the same family account.

Security: Each user is responsible for their individual login information and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. This includes, but is not limited to, regularly changing the account password and not sharing the password with others. Users shall notify accesshelp@dist50.net if a possible security problem has been identified. If you need immediate assistance, contact your child’s building administrator.

Disclaimer: Current Grades - There are many factors that determine how soon a teacher can assess and return assignments. Essays and research papers take longer to grade than a quiz or daily work. We urge parents to be patient as teachers do their best to return assignments and make grade information available as promptly as their schedule allows. Portions of Family Access are not accessible during schedule changes or at the end of grading periods until schedules and grades are finalized. This means that scheduling information is not available during August until school starts.

As I mentioned last week, social media and phone usage can have significant impacts on the school day. From cyberbullying to sheer exhaustion from being up all on night on their phones, students' often suffer the consequences of inappropriate screen time. Here are some tips, strategies, and tools to help monitor your students online behavior to make sure it is safe, productive, and appropriate. I am not endorsing any of the services mentioned, nor are they affiliated with the district. Rather, this information to be used at your discretion.

Does your student have 2 calculators on their phone?" As many of you know, there are apps whose sole purpose is to hide the existence of other apps. Here is some information to help you determine if your student is using any of these.

"Invisible" apps: Students can be adept at finding ways to have an app on their phone, but making it so that it doesn't appear on their phone. There are multiple ways to do this. Here is some information on how to check for this on an iPhone, but also on android devices, too.

Group Chats: Even without a specific social media app, students can effectively create one with large group text message group chats. It is not uncommon that students will add one another without getting prior permission or being invited to do so. These chats/text message groups can grow to have dozens of people in them, some your student may know, but others they may not. Here is a way that you can force leave these "conversations." I would also suggest blocking numbers on your students phone that you do not recognize or with whom you don't want them to communicate. Sometimes these chats have names that look innocuous but can be filled with topics, language, or commentary that is inappropriate. Please note that deleting a group chat isn't always the same as leaving it. In some cases, you are merely deleting the messages you have already received on your device, but you are still attached to the group.

Low-Tech Test for how your student is using their device: The simplest test that I am aware of to determine if your student is using their phone appropriately is to ask them to give it to you to charge for them at night in your room. Their reaction will tell you a lot about whether there is anything to be concerned about. If they react negatively to this idea, it might be an indication that they are either using it after they are supposed to be in bed asleep and/or have apps, websites, and programs on it they don't want you to know about.

INTERNATIONAL NIGHT IS BACK!! FEB 3rd. Want to show off a little about your heritage? Or maybe you have a performance?

Sign up below.

Woodland PTA and P.B.I.S. committee will be hosting an International Night!

We are looking for families to put together a display of their culture or homeland. You will be provided a table and poster board to create whatever display you’d like. Previous participants have included photos, memorabilia, and other interesting items.

Food is encouraged; if you can, please provide at least 100 bite-sized, shareable food items.

If your family is interested in participating, please complete the linked form below by January 31st. We will offer free membership(for upcoming school year) OR free spirit wear item(we have some to choose from).

Any questions, please contact Kristin Michna

Dist50pta@gmail.com

Click here: https://forms.gle/vcmFUijyPu5t4zBe7

Important Dates

• Jan. 27 - Report Cards Available in Skyward
• Jan. 30 - Teacher of the Year Nominations Due
• Jan. 30 - Registration Event, Free CLC Adult Education Classes for district families
• Feb. 3 - School Improvement Planning (SIP) Day, Early Dismissal

PTA Events:

• Feb. 3 - PTA and the Middle School PBIS committee are bringing back International Night at WMS, Register Here.

The week of January 23-27, 2023 Woodland Intermediate will be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge! Students will be invited to complete acts of kindness at home and in our community. Students are invited to dress up and spread kindness each day of the week as well.

Periodically, I have reached out relative to students' technology use. As has been written about and much discussed, social media can be a great tool for communication, but also can have devastating effects on students social emotional well-being. From loss of sleep, increases in anxiety, and increased risk for depression and suicidal ideation, children's use of social media has been linked to serious problems in recent years.

Reflecting on 10 years of being an elementary school principal, I will tell you that students' online behavior, in my experience, is the number one cause of negative peer interactions online, at home, and at school. Sadly, students are willing to say and do things behind the screen that they would never contemplate saying or doing in person. The instantaneous and ever-present reality of this type of communication only makes things worse for children.

Programs such as SNAPCHAT, do not allow children under 13 to use their device at all under their terms of service. For students under 18 (i.e. between 13-18), they must have their parents permission. LIkewise, Instagram doesn't allow anyone under 13 on their site. Nonetheless, many students are on these and other services.

Whether its SNAPCHAT, Instagram, or even just group chats, these interactions disproportionately are the causes online and in-person conflict between students. I ask that you remove these types of programs from your children's device or supervise them scrupulously and vigilantly.

Let me put this some other ways that might put this in starker or clearer terms:

I have NEVER met a student who was struggling socially at school, but then got on snapchat and said, "now I have a TON of friends and I feel GREAT about myself!"

I HAVE met dozens of children who said, "I used to have friends and feel good about myself, but then I got social media and I now I feel like everyone hates me and I am depressed, anxious, and think about hurting myself."

If your child came to you and asked you to buy a soft drink because all of their friends were drinking it, but then you found out that it increased the chance your child might kill themselves, would you buy it for them?

No, of course, you wouldn't.

We need to think about social media as a kind of consumption- something that children are consuming and putting into their brains, instead of their stomach.

I do not mean to overstep my bounds as a school administrator; ultimately, these are decisions you must make as a parent. However, I must honestly report to you the facts about how social media intrudes on the lives of our students at school.

Starting this week, in a process taking place across the district at different points in the year, students at Intermediate will be getting new passwords to their devices. Teachers and tech staff will be assisting students with logging out and then back in with their new computers. The purpose of this process is to help ensure the safe, appropriate access to student devices. As we all know, it is a healthy and necessary practice to periodically update and change passwords to avoid security issues.

Additionally, starting in the third quarter, we will begin enforcing an existing policy relative to Chromebook Loaners. On page 34 of the Parent Student Handbook, you can find the policy (shown below) relative to loaning students Chromebooks in the event they are forgotten, not charged, or broken. While this policy has always been on the books, we have not enforced it. To help promote student responsibility and safeguard our devices, we will begin enforcing this policy with the start of 3rd quarter (as of January 23rd). While this is not an issue for the vast majority of students, we want to make sure we have an equitable, predictable approach to the issue of students' responsibility for technology. To help provide some assistance for the issue of charging, we recently purchased a large number of extra chargers to have at least one in each classroom to help students avoid needing a loaner for this issue. With that said, it is every students' personal responsibility to have their devices charged each day at the start of school.

Please note that ALL STUDENTS ARE STARTING WITH A CLEAN SLATE at the start of the quarter relative to loaners. This means that students are all starting with the safety safety net of 5 loaners before this policy is triggered.

Nominate your favorite educator for Teacher of the Year

It’s Time to Celebrate Amazing Woodland Teachers! The Village of Gurnee is once again sponsoring the Teacher of the Year Award to recognize teachers from Woodland District 50, Gurnee District 56 and Warren Township High School. All certified staff are eligible for this award. This includes classroom teachers, special education teachers, special area teachers (ex: music, art, P.E.), social workers, health teachers, band directors, reading or math specialists and more!

Learn More.

SAVE THE DATE! MOD PIZZA!

Join us any time Thursday January 26th!

Don't worry about cooking and order MOD Pizza on Thursday January 26th! A portion of all sales anytime on Thursday 1/26 will go to the PTA and directly back to the schools. Anyone is welcome to attend, all Woodland families, plus any other family or friends. Please mention Woodland PTA before placing your order in person (FLYER) or enter code MODSAVES20 when ordering online or in the app. This will ensure your order is counted toward the fundraiser.

Can't make it but still want to support the PTA? Donations are always welcome and accepted. Click HERE to make a Donation. Thank you for your support!

How it Works

• MOD Pizza Gurnee: THURSDAY January 26th, All Day
• 20% of the proceeds will be donated to the PTA

INTERNATIONAL NIGHT

2/3: International Night, details, Interested in Participating? Please complete the form by 1/25!

Free Adult Education Classes Through CLC

Woodland D50 has partnered with the College of Lake County to provide free Adult Education classes for district families. Registration will take place in-person on Jan. 30, 2023 at 6 p.m. at Woodland Intermediate.

Important Dates

• Jan. 25 - Woodland Strategic Plan Kickoff Meeting
• Jan. 26 - Board of Education Meeting
• Jan. 30 - Registration Event, Free CLC Adult Education Classes for district families
• Feb. 3 - School Improvement Planning (SIP) Day, Early Dismissal

Have you ever considered working for the school district where your child (or children) attend school? You don't have to be a teacher to work for a school. Working for the district could mean similar hours and days off as your child depending on the type of position. We have more than 800 employees and we are one of the biggest employers in Gurnee. Please view our current job openings on the district website under the "Careers" tab or follow @WoodlandCareers on Twitter.

We are currently hiring for:

• Paraprofessionals
• Bus Drivers
• Nurse
• Guest/Substitute Teachers
• Playground/Lunchroom Supervisors
• And more...

Unfortunately, the winter storms prior to the holiday break effectively cancelled our scheduled winter party. To compensate for this lost opportunity to collaborate with parents and further community in the classroom, we will use February 3rd for the rescheduled Winter Party (previously 12/22/22). We will schedule a new “Spring Party” for April 21st to take the place of the Valentine’s Day Party. The timing of the party is 11:00-11:45 am. If you are planning to volunteer, we ask that you do not arrive prior to 10:30 am and that you leave immediately after the party ends to avoid traffic/parking issues.

We have two new initiatives to help keep students' eyes on the prize of achieving their MAP goals, along with their principal's incentives too! In the cafeteria, there are new table signs that include fun puzzles, conversation starters, and brain teasers. Not only do these get students thinking in new and different ways, they also create a conversation point that is constructive and universally approachable. At times, conversations at the lunch table can be less than productive so we hope this is a way to keep kids academically and socially engaged in a positive way. Also, we have a new incentive poster on the 2nd floor. Any student who gets a Lesson Quiz score of 90% or better in Pathblazers gets to display a star on the board to celebrate their achievement. As you know, Pathblazers is aligned to students' individual levels of achievement so this is an equitable challenge for all.

Nominate your favorite educator for Teacher of the Year

It’s Time to Celebrate Amazing Woodland Teachers! The Village of Gurnee is once again sponsoring the Teacher of the Year Award to recognize teachers from Woodland District 50, Gurnee District 56 and Warren Township High School. All certified staff are eligible for this award. This includes classroom teachers, special education teachers, special area teachers (ex: music, art, P.E.), social workers, health teachers, band directors, reading or math specialists and more!

Learn More.

If you are looking for a way to support your students' efforts on their MAP goals, Pathblazers is a great program to use. We are excited to invite you to sign up for our new PathBlazers Club. These sessions will include time with a certified teacher to facilitate their independent usage of PathBlazers. Further, based on their most recent MAP scores, the facilitators will be able to provide input to your student on what to focus on to help them surpass their Spring Growth Goal. Click on the included link to submit your interest. (Please note that you can register for multiple sessions per week).

January PTA Meeting on 1/19 at 7:00pm via Zoom. Registration is required. Come join the PTA for our monthly general meeting, it is a great way to connect and learn what is happening throughout our district. More details.

International Night is returning! Hosted by the PTA and Middle School PBIS committee, we are looking for families to create displays to celebrate their culture or homeland. The event will be held at Woodland Middle School on Friday 2/3. There will be a table for each display and postboard will be provided. If your family is interested in participating, please complete this form by 1/25. Questions? Please contact Kristin Michna, dist50pta@gmail.com.

Register for Wildcat Summer Adventures Starting Monday!

Summer? Yes, you read that right. Registration for Wildcat Summer Adventures (WSA) and Extended School Year (ESY) opens on Monday, Jan. 16!

Wildcat Summer Adventures (WSA) is Woodland's summer school program. We are opening registration earlier this year so that you can secure your spot for summer. Registration will be open January 16 - April 15, 2023. To register for the program, you will visit Skyward Family Access and fill out the registration form. Once you are logged in, find "Online Forms" in the left column. You will be notified of payment due by email at a later date. Enrollment and Transportation fees are outlined in the program flyer.

Extended School Year (ESY) runs simultaneously, but Special Education registration is by recommendation only. If your child qualifies for this program, you will receive a direct invitation to your family by email.

Program Dates: June 12 - July 7, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
(No School June 19, July 3, or July 4)

Questions?

• ESY Questions: Robyn Klipp, rklipp@dist50.net
• WSA Questions: Risa Cohen, rcohen@dist50.net

Have you ever considered working for the school district where your child (or children) attend school? You don't have to be a teacher to work for a school. Working for the district could mean similar hours and days off as your child depending on the type of position. We have more than 800 employees and we are one of the biggest employers in Gurnee. Please view our current job openings on the district website under the "Careers" tab or follow @WoodlandCareers on Twitter.

We are currently hiring for:

• Paraprofessionals
• Bus Drivers
• Nurse
• Guest/Substitute Teachers
• Playground/Lunchroom Supervisors
• And more...

Join the #LifeintheW Team Today!

We hope you had a wonderful, restful, and relaxing winter break. Remember that Monday, January 9th is Teacher Institute Day and students DO NOT ATTEND.

Rather, students will restart school on Tuesday, January 10th with a a full-day of school.

To help students get back into the routine of school (and save you some frustration as parents), I encourage you to engage your students in the following ways to help them get ready. First of all, to the greatest extent possible, re-establish regular sleep patterns over the next couple of days. During winter break, it is not uncommon for bed time to creep a bit later each evening and then for sleeping in to linger on into the morning a little later each morning. Re-establishing students' sleep routines has a tremendously positive impact on their success at school. Secondly, before Tuesday morning, work with your student to find and assemble all their materials for school. Again, a frequent refrain for student tardiness and/or frustration on the first day back from a long break is that they spent the morning trying to find their Chromebook, charge it, or locate other important school items. This will also save parents a lot of frustration and time on the morning school restarts :-). Finally, ask them to recount to you school expectations for their classrooms and common areas of school. Just a simple mental rehearsal of these routines will go a long way to help us get them back into the rhythm of the school day. Certainly, you may consider these ideas to be common sense and I by no means want to step on your toes as parents, but as with things like student online behavior at home, I believe it is helpful when we have a constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas between school and home.

In our Winter MAP testing, we have seen good progress overall with positive growth at both 4th and 5th grade in reading and math in our overall mean RIT scores. Approximately 42.5% of students met their expected growth targets for this point of the year. As a reference point, we are looking to achieve between 46%-60% of MAP targets achieved (depending on the content and grade level in question). Typically we see better results in the Spring than the Winter as this is the culminating summative assessment. You will be receiving your students' score reports, which includes more detail, with their 2nd Quarter Report Cards at the end of January.

If you are looking for a way to support your students' efforts on their MAP goals, Pathblazers is a great program to use. We are excited to invite you to sign up for our new PathBlazers Club. These sessions will include time with a certified teacher to facilitate their independent usage of PathBlazers. Further, based on their most recent MAP scores, the facilitators will be able to provide input to your student on what to focus on to help them surpass their Spring Growth Goal. Click on the included link to submit your interest. (Please note that you can register for multiple sessions per week).

I realize that it was not only disruptive, but disappointing to have to, on short notice, change from an anticipated day of celebration to one of E-Learning on Thursday, December 23rd. With that said, safety is the most important thing and, given our late dismissal time, our students would have borne the brunt of the winter storm and probable accumulated delays in transportation. We appreciate your flexibility and support of student engagement on that day. If for whatever reason your student had difficulty logging in, completing work online, or demonstrating their attendance, please note that, provided that they complete the assigned work for that day in the next week or so of school, they will have credit for their online learning that day.

In addition to creating an E-Learning day on Thursday, December 23rd, our pivot due to weather also effectively cancelled the Winter Party. We plan to reschedule this opportunity in the near future. We will be consulting our teacher leaders and reaching out with an update with enough time to plan ahead for this rescheduled event. We appreciate your flexibility and patience.

We cordially invite and parents and family members to come to our monthly drop-in coffee session with the principal. There is no set agenda, but rather this event is designed to give parents an opportunity to dialogue with the principal and ask any questions they have about our school community. We plan to meet in my office starting at 8:50 am and will meet until 9:20 am; however, you do not need to stay the whole time or arrive right at the start. Please come with general questions; specific problem-solving around an individual student or situation is best handled during a private meeting with an administrator.

Have you ever considered working for the school district where your child (or children) attend school? You don't have to be a teacher to work for a school. Working for the district could mean similar hours and days off as your child depending on the type of position. We have more than 800 employees and we are one of the biggest employers in Gurnee. Please view our current job openings on the district website under the "Careers" tab or follow @WoodlandCareers on Twitter.

We are currently hiring for:

• Paraprofessionals
• Bus Drivers
• Nurse
• Guest/Substitute Teachers
• Playground/Lunchroom Supervisors
• And more...

Join the #LifeintheW Team Today!

This past week, I was pleased to host another Principal Parent Webinar event, this time on Student Safety and Well-being. While our live audience was relatively small, we covered much important information. One of the highlights was a recorded presentation on the "Size of the Problem" and "Zones of Regulation" by Social Worker Tina Jurkacek. These two programs help students to understand, process, and communicate about their emotions. They also provide the adults that support them, teachers and family members, with a common vocabulary to support them. The information that I shared focused mostly on helping students stay safe both in person and online. Some of the highlights included:

• Make sure students know their address, phone numbers by heart
• Beware of any online app that includes a chat feature
• Avail yourself of tools to help supervise YouTube Parent Controls
• Take custody of phones & tablets overnight to avoid unsupervised use and/or staying up too late.

We are excited to invite you to sign up for our new PathBlazers Club. At this time, we are encouraging you to sign up for as many sessions per week that you would like. We have plenty of room for everyone! These sessions will include time with a certified teacher to facilitate their independent usage of PathBlazers. Further, based on their most recent MAP scores, the facilitators will be able to provide input to your student on what to focus on to help them surpass their Spring Growth Goal. Click on the included link to submit your interest. (Please note that you can register for multiple sessions per week).

We are happy to welcome back our parent volunteers for our Winter Parties. A few reminders, food is not permitted at our parties due to allergy concerns. Additionally, we ask that you reach out to the front office to ensure you have already completed your volunteer registration to expedite your access to the building. We are looking forward to celebrating the end of the school day, the calendar year, and the beginning of Winter Break!

Disconnected: How to Reconnect with Your Adolescent Child

Warren Township Youth & Family Services presents a two part parenting group for parents of middle school and high schoolers. This workshop is free, and open to Residents & Non-Residents.

Do you long for the days when you were the most special person in your child’s life? We may not be able to turn back the clock, but we can certainly try to recapture the connection. Our kids still need us, but they may not be able to communicate it effectively. Join us as we explore how can we begin to bridge our way back to a healthier relationship.

In this in-person 2 day parenting group, you will have the opportunity to meet other parents that share similar concerns. We hope to create a safe environment in which you can feel comfortable to explore this complex topic of raising a child in today’s world.

DATES: Thursday, Jan. 26 & Feb. 2

TIME: 6 - 7:30 p.m.

LOCATION: 100 S. Greenleaf St. Gurnee, IL 60031

LEARN MORE

I want to share and congratulate our school community on some incredible news relative to our Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) results from this past year. As you will see in the included graphs, not only did we improve our overall performance as a school from the prior year to the most recent one (FY2021 compared to FY2022), but also we made substantial improvement over and above both the district and state average results. Furthermore our growth percentile as a school (how much everyone grew regardless of their level of performance) was at or above the state average for growth, especially in Math! Success like this is not an accident, but rather is the result of our entire school community, including our families and their support of our students. Certainly, our students are more than test scores and our work encompasses so much more than preparation for the IAR. However, this is another great example of the great efforts we have made as a school community on behalf of our students. They also mirror what we saw relative to our performance on MAP last year underscoring the positive correlation between these two assessments. Keep up the great work! This data is taken from the Illinois School Report Card

On December 14th from 7:30-8:15 pm, I will be hosting our next Parent Connections Webinar. The goal of this session is to emphasize some of the forces that negatively contribute to student self-esteem, but also present strategies about ways students can managed the social stress they encounter at school and online. I will be showcasing some strategies relative to online safety, particularly cell phone and social media usage. I will be joined by Mrs. Jurkacek, one of our social workers, who will be showcasing a portion of our social emotional curriculum called "Size of the Problem". Here is the access to this upcoming Zoom Meeting that is open to all parents:

Timothy Sheldon is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Intermediate Parent Webinar: Student Safety and Well-being

Time: Dec 14, 2022 07:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://dist50-net.zoom.us/j/6841303744?pwd=T0Y2bVRWMmdaRlNwREo2VERrU0lzUT09

Meeting ID: 684 130 3744

Passcode: Tb232r

One tap mobile

+13092053325,,6841303744#,,,,*375122# US

+13126266799,,6841303744#,,,,*375122# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location

+1 309 205 3325 US

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Meeting ID: 684 130 3744

Passcode: 375122

Find your local number: https://dist50-net.zoom.us/u/kegCcZ51NO

Attention all students who like to sing and act. Audition forms are now available outside the library. The school musical will be Honk, Jr. the story of the ugly duckling. Please read Schoology Updates and pick up a form if you are interested in trying out for the musical on Dec 12, 13, or 14.

Musical Audition Form

Musical Audition Information Packet

Please take note of the included map with the drop off and pick up procedure for intramurals and clubs, both before and after school. Some of the most important points are:

• Do not drop off students until you see the club sponsor (AM)
• Please do not turn around after dropping off, but rather proceed eastbound to Cemetery Rd (AM & PM)
• Please be patient and understanding with other drivers and our staff- safety is the most important thing and we will always choose to take a little longer than risk anyone's safety.

Session 2: January 20 – May 19 (Dates subject to change based onEnrollment)

Pricing information: $80 per child, per session. Price includes practice,

games, and a t-shirt.

K – 2nd Grade: The season will begin on Friday, January 20, 2022. Games and practices are

scheduled for Friday nights at 6:00 PM – 6:55 PM. Games and practices are held in the Woodland Elementary school Gym.

3rd and 4th Grade: The season will begin on Friday, January 20, 2022. Games and

practices are scheduled for Friday nights at 7:05 PM – 8:00 PM. Games and practices are held in the Woodland Elementary school Gym.

5th to 8th Grade: The season will begin on Friday, January 20, 2022. Games and practices

are scheduled for Friday nights at 8:10 PM – 9:05 PM. Games and practices are held in the

Woodland Elementary school Gym.

Click on the link below for more information and how to register.

Saturday Study Hall & Homework Help Begins Dec. 10!

Woodland will begin offering a Saturday Study Hall & Homework Help program on Saturday mornings starting Dec. 10. Even though we are meeting at Intermediate School, this program is open to all D50 students in 1st - 8th grade. Teachers may recommend a student attends, or parents may register their child, based on the student's academic needs. Whether a student needs assistance in a specific content area, or they just need a quiet place to study or work on a project, this program is meant to be flexible.

The program will be offered on Saturday mornings from 8 - 11 a.m. at Woodland Intermediate, and registration is required each week so that we can plan accordingly for staff.

Student Registration Form

Learn More

New Parent Mentor Program: Stronger Together

The Parent Mentor Program is off to a great start. It's not too late to get involved! We are looking for parent volunteers who are ready to make a difference in our learning community by collaborating with our teachers and taking an active role in the classroom. Email: TAbbey@dist50.net for more information.

Winter Weather Reminders

Now that we are well into the month of December, we wanted to share a few reminders. Winter weather in northern Illinois can be unpredictable, and conditions can go from mild to harsh within a few short hours. It is important that we prepare in advance so that we are ready when winter weather strikes.

Learn more about the decision making process for closing school or calling an eLearning Day, and other frequently asked questions about how we keep your Wildcat safe during inclement weather. Winter Weather in the W.

Recess at Woodland: Children love to be outside in all kinds of weather, and we will try to give them the opportunity to be outside whenever possible. Parents should assume that children will go out for recess throughout the winter. We will not send children out for recess if the real feel temperature (combination of temperature and wind chill) is 10 degrees Fahrenheit or below. School administrators continuously monitor not only the real feel temperature, but also how the weather may be affecting the safety of play areas around our schools.

During the weeks of December 5 through 20, 2022, your student will have the opportunity to take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® and FastBridge on a Chromebook to determine his/her instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year (and from year to year) in math and reading.

MAP Growth and FastBridge tests are unique in that they adapt to your student’s level of learning. If your student answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. This results in a detailed picture of what your student knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.

The scores from the December assessments will be shared before the end of 2nd Quarter with each student’s family. We will also share information that will help you review your student’s scores and what they mean.

Remember, this is just one snapshot of your student’s abilities and we use a variety of other assessments to create a clear baseline of where your student is starting and we will project growth and work together towards those goals.

How to Help at Home:

• Students can work at home on a personalized online program called PathBlazers. PathBlazers identifies where students are struggling and provides targeted instruction to close learning gaps. Students log in through the Clever app on their Chromebooks.

• Please make sure your student is well rested and eats a healthy breakfast.

• Talk to your student about taking his/her time and reading every question and answer choice carefully.

• Make sure your student arrives at school on time.

• Encourage your student to think positively and to try his/her best!

We are truly excited about this opportunity to learn about your student’s growth and development. For more information about the MAP Growth test, visit: NWEA.org/Parent-Toolkit. For more information about the FastBridge test, visit: https://www.illuminateed.com/products/fastbridge/universal-screening/