Friday, January 13, 2017

Happy Friday!  Another week has quickly gone by and I have to say that this was a great week for myself.  I saw many acts of kindness and good deeds by our Woodlawn students.  There are times when our students simply make me proud.  I had the pleasure of working with a group of students this week, watching them create a statement of student beliefs.  You can read their statement later in my blog, but the work they did together was moving.  I witnessed our students in assemblies, classroom and the hallways, just having fun and enjoying their middle school experience.  My favorite moment was when a young lady was walking to the bus when her brown bag full of books broke.  Instantly, a crowd of young ladies was on the ground helping her pick them up.  We are talking about amazing students here!!!!  

















 

Simplifying Stevenson For 8th Grade Parents
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?
Mon., Feb. 6, Twin Groves Middle School Learning Center, 2600 N. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, 7–8:30 PM. A panel of Stevenson seniors and freshmen and SHS Principal Troy Gobble are ready to answer parents’ questions on managing the transition to high school, choosing classes and extracurriculars, balancing the workload, and more. This 14th-annual program is presented by the KCSD96 Parent-to-Parent (P2P) Network. No registration/RSVP needed. Questions? Call 847.459.4260, ext. 8022.

Ecco Boots -- If your student brings home a pair of Ecco Boots that do not belong to them, please send them back to Woodlawn.  There is a very distraught young lady looking for them.  

Community Service Club -- Be on the lookout in the next few weeks for hygiene items that we can send to soldiers currently serving around the world.  I love when our students come up with great ideas!  

Note Regarding Erin’s Law
The following letter is to inform all parents about our obligation to meet the requirements regarding curriculum:

Dear Parent/Guardians:

Erin’s Law, House Bill 6193 was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for grades pre-K through 12. Erin’s Law was developed in honor of Erin Merryn, a brave young woman who has crossed the country advocating for laws that will increase awareness of this crime against children.

One of the requirements of this law is that schools provide an age appropriate curriculum to all students relating to sexual abuse prevention. To this end, Erin Merryn herself will present to District 96 middle school students on Tuesday, January 24. We are thrilled to have her here to share her story and to provide students tools needed for personal safety.

Nationwide, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be the victim of child sexual abuse by the age of 18. Through this program aimed at educating and empowering students, we want to provide your student with the knowledge and skills to use if ever affected by sexual violence. District 96 believes that all of our students will benefit from participating in this program.

If you have any questions about the content of the program or if you wish to inquire about opting out, please feel free to contact your school principal.

Respectfully,
Heather Friziellie
D96 Director of Educational Services

No School
School will not be in session this Monday as we honor the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.  Once again, NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 16th.  

Visit the PTO Blog

PTO Executive Board Openings--I have been informed that the  Woodlawn PTO will have a couple of opening on our Executive Board next year.  If you are interested, please send an e-mail to me and I will forward your interest to our PTO President for next year, Missy Stevens.  Selections will happen before April, but send me your interest right away. 

Band & Orchestra Boosters
The District 96 Band & Orchestra Boosters truly appreciate your support of their fundraiser on Thurs., Jan. 19. The Chick-fil-A restaurant on North Rand Road in Kildeer will donate a percentage of sales from 11 AM – 7 PM to the District 96 Band & Orchestra Boosters. SEE FLYER

Call for Volunteers!
Many volunteers are still needed to assist at the 2017 IGSMA (Illinois Grade School Music Association) Solo & Ensemble Contest, hosted by District 96 at Woodlawn Middle School on Sat., Feb. 4, from 8 a.m.–4 p.m.  We urgently need volunteers to work shifts as room monitors, concession sales, and parking assistants.  Even 2 hours of your time would be much appreciated!  Your student does not need to participate in IGSMA for you to volunteer.  High school students are also encouraged to volunteer, and their service hours will be recognized.  To be directed to our Sign-Up Genius webpage to sign up for available jobs and shifts/times please CLICK HERE

Bird Feathers
Please know that my bird jokes last week about the wedding of Conrad and Meghan Bird were all cleared ahead of time by the wonderful Meghan Bird.  I was a “bird brain” and forgot the most obvious memory of the wedding, Conrad & Meghan were “love birds”.  **Thanks to the Sutherland’s for catching that one.

Science Alliance
Steve from Science Alliance was here today, sharing stories about exotic animals from around the world with our 7th graders today.  They loved the stories and really loved holding these interesting creatures!  Personally, I say no thanks to holding these critters. 

 

Finally, I cannot tell you how proud I am of the group of 8th graders I asked to perform a task.  We met a few times during lunch this week and they came up with an amazing view of what Woodlawn should look like.  As you will see, they separated it into sections, come up with their own thoughts and eloquently put them into words.  Special thanks to Ann Marie Christiansen, Bradley Locker, Emily Seburn, Kristen Anderson, Janna Krvavac, Eleanor Demetre, Michael Zaslavskiy, Thee Lucas Hwang, Michelle Oropeza, Ben Luo, Daniel Pacheco, Angela Vellanikal, and Nandita Varma.  You are simply amazing. 

Woodlawn Values

In order for Woodlawn to reach its full academic potential, it is essential for its teachers, staff, and assistants to not only engage students in learning but to encourage their gaining of knowledge. Due to the fact that we, as well as the general student body at Woodlawn, greatly appreciate our teachers, we feel that wonderful teachers should possess characteristics that incorporate compassion, an unbiased mindset, wishes of equality among students and individuals, and a motivation to guide each student in accomplishing their goals. Moreover, academic success is achieved through higher education levels, so teachers should make learning more challenging and encompass various methods of teaching, whether traditional or non-traditional, in order for students to fully comprehend material. Our teachers and staff at Woodlawn are not only magnificent, but should be a precedent for teachers everywhere and in the future.

Teachers encourage Learning


The ideal Woodlawn would be a safe haven of knowledge where teachers should encourage and participate in learning activities while setting clear and concise goals for the classroom. Teachers would be able to provide the equal opportunities for students who endure struggles at home that affect their ability to perform academically and socially.

Opportunities


We are lucky enough to be in a school that provides as many opportunities as receive. As well as we are privileged enough to have the technology we do. But, in our ideal Woodlawn there are a few more opportunities we would have:
We would like more opportunities for choice in our classes
We would appreciate the opportunity to be trusted
We would like the opportunity to work more with teachers one on one
We would like the opportunity to have more structured group work
We would like the opportunity to be trusted with more responsibility
We would like the opportunity to express ourselves creatively

Challenged at High Levels


Here at Woodlawn students should have a fun enjoyable time. Students shouldn't be judged for their culture, skin color, height and size. Coming to school with a positive mind for education, and always make the best out of it. Respect the teachers because they always want the best for you, and trust them to express, in an open forum, their ideas for conversation. At Woodlawn Middle School students have the choice what sport to play, what club to participate in and etc. there should be no teasing and no judging for their decisions. We should always try to accomplish our goals and never give up.  Woodlawn is overall a great school, with fantastic teachers and respectful students.

Community


We - collectively as a student body- wish for the community at Woodlawn middle school to be open, accepting, and connected with each other for the duration of education. We honor and embrace the ability to be able to interact with others, speak without discrimination, and develop relationships with other students -and teachers- in the mere action of attending school and participating in a variety of activities. We want everyone to be able to speak their minds and express their thoughts without fear or judgement of others, bringing to our school and community not only new opinions and ideas, but also a new and broader perspective of the world and its people. Being able to understand different views having to do with different topics can make our community even more closely knit and can unite and bring us together not only as a school, but also as a beneficial and unprecedented society.

This is what we want our Woodlawn community to be for future students.   

Have a good weekend and Go Pack Go!