November is here!  Time is flying and before we know it, conferences and Thanksgiving week will be upon us.  As a public service announcement, Thanksgiving is 20 days away.  Yikes! I am struggling with the change in weather.  Whichever coat I decide upon in the morning, it seems to be one level of coat too light.  Luckily, I have the highest octane heater possible in my car.  It warms up in a hurry.  Now doing bus duty is another story.  

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

You can begin calling the Woodlawn office on Monday, November 6th AFTER 8a.m.(we are trying to avoid the morning rush)  to sign up for Parent/Teacher conferences. Parents are asked to call the Woodlawn main office (847-353-8500) and set up one 15 minute conference with a teacher on the team of your child.  Conferences are an important time and I hope that everyone is able to come during the scheduled conference times which are Monday, November 20th from 5-7p.m. and Tuesday, November 21st from 2-7p.m.  Over the years, many families have taken the opportunity to go out of town for a family vacation over the Thanksgiving Break.  Because so many families do this, we cannot offer a face to face meeting with a teacher after the conference times.  Per our district handbook, “Should you be unable to schedule a conference during the conference times identified on the school calendar, a parent may request a brief phone conference with the student’s teacher and individual team members when appropriate.  It is not the expectation of the District that teams recreate the conference experience outside the dates/times identified on the calendar.”  Thank you for your understanding.  

Musical

Our students did an amazing job with the musical this year.  Oklahoma was a huge success!  The students had a blast as they performed for the entire school on Tuesday, with evening performances on Wednesday and Thursday night.  I am so proud of the students and staff who participated in this production.  They have been working at this since early September.  

Halloween

Halloween is always one of the best days of the year here at Woodlawn.  The students have a blast as they wear their fun costumes here at school.  Here is a sample of what Tuesday was like:

Box Tops

Send in your box tops with your student.  We are having a contest between each of the grade levels, so make sure each of the box top coupons make their way to Woodlawn this year.  

Daily Announcements

Click here to see the Woodlawn daily announcements.  The announcements come out each day at around 10a.m.

Please visit the PTO Blog

Band News

NEW!!! The Latest News for Parents from Band & Orchestra Boosters!
Welcome to the new District 96 Band & Orchestra Booster BLOG–a convenient new way the Boosters will keep parents informed on upcoming fundraisers and events, as well as concerts. Please take a moment to find the news you need and to update your calendar. Click here for more information.

Daylight Savings Time

Remember to turn your clocks back one hour this weekend.  Officially, it is at 2a.m. on Sunday morning that the clocks go back.  Anyone who is an hour late to school on Monday will receive a personal call from myself wondering how that could happen.  

Finally, I know that this has been mentioned before, but I love Woodlawn!  The collaboration, dedication to children and whatever it takes approach to learning separate Woodlawn from other outstanding schools.  I am so fortunate to sit in meetings where groups of professionals discuss how they can help students at all levels of learning.  I hear the concerns of parents and listen to the problem solving discussions, making sure everyone on the team is heard and their opinions are valued.  D96 has high expectations for students, but there are also high expectations for the teachers.  We push the limits on best practice in education and expect our teachers to deliver for our students.  The thing about Woodlawn is that we also have fun.  We have fun with the kids and we have fun as a staff.  As many of you know, our fabulous A.P., Mrs. Bird has been a great sport, and let me have fun with her last name.  This Halloween, the entire office staff paid tribute to her...

BIRDS!!!!