Woodlawn Principal's Blog 4/20/18

Pizza Problem 2018

We interrupt the Friday Principal’s Blog to bring you the latest pizza mishap from Woodlawn Middle School.  There was a mix up with our Special Lunch order today. Our 7th & 8th graders were the ones most impacted by the delay.  I am very proud of the patience shown by our students. The PTO will be rewarding all students with a dessert in the near future.  Please accept our apology and know how beautifully our children handled this delay.


Happy Friday Woodlawn! I have an amazing weekend planned with absolutely nothing to do.  Gold! I should clean the garage, but as of right now, I do not see that happening.  Another really solid week here at Woodlawn as we continue to work toward the end of the year. Just a couple items this week.


Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night

Thank you to our 6th graders who served as panelists and did an outstanding job of answering questions asked by parents of 5th graders, wondering what it is like to be a Woodlawn student. Eden Plotsky & Thomas Edat did a great job representing Woodlawn!


Science Olympiad

Good luck at state this weekend to our Science Olympiad team!  The Woodlawn team has put in countless hours as their knowledge will be on display against the top 50 teams in the state at the University of Illinois.  Coach Alvarez has high hopes as the team is ready to shock the Science Olympiad world down in Champaign. Mr. Polidoro (our resident McGyver) has been putting in overtime to ensure our entries are working perfectly.  Here is our 2017-18 team:

Advaith Thims, Aeddon Woods, Amelia Lin, Ben Mun, Braden Burns, Iyad Hamid, Johnny Abraham, Katie Boardman, Komal Talloo, Lizzy Abraham, Max Kogan, Michael Movmyga, Rafeek Cherradi, Rosie Wang, Vincent Lee, Aayush Kashyap, Aditya Pandya, Alana Anderson, Arin Larecha, Hiroki Uemura, Indresh Achi, Lanie Lee, Naomi George, Phil Edat, Rikin Thakkar, Sydney Duerst and Trisha Mondal.  Let’s go Wolves!


Real Pictures

Last week I published the empty chairs from our DuFour celebration.  Here are some of the actual pictures and the blurb from our D.O.

Staff and community members joined Mrs. Bird and myself on Apr. 11 for a celebration of our 2018 DuFour Award and the truly exceptional Woodlawn Professional Learning Community this distinguished award recognizes. TAKE A LOOK


MAP Testing

Spring MAP testing will begin on Thursday, May 3rd and Friday, May 4th.


Visit the PTO Blog


Repeat Items:

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICT 96 BAND &  ORCHESTRA BOOSTERS

Support the Boosters by Dining at Portillo's  (806 W. Dundee Rd.) on Wed., Apr. 25

20% of your pre-tax order benefits the District 96 Band & Orchestra Boosters! This fundraiser is valid from 5 – 8 PM at the Arlington Heights location at 806 W. Dundee Road for dine-in, drive-up, or carry-out orders (online orders not valid). This FLYER must be mentioned at the time of order.

Booster's General Meeting is Wed., Apr. 25

The District 96 Band & Orchestra Boosters will hold their final general meeting of the 2017–18 school year at 6:30 PM in the Woodlawn Middle School band room, 6362 Gilmer Rd., Long Grove, This meeting is open to the public and all Booster members in good standing can be present to vote on agenda action items that will include the approval of the 2018–2019 operating budget and nominations for the 2018–2019 Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining the Boosters Board of Directors for the next school year, please contact Boosters Co-President Jason Kupferschmid ([email protected])


Stand Strong

All interested parents, this is a very informative program that I think we need to be aware of the impact of vaping, juuling and E-cigarettes. The number of middle school students doing this is on the rise.  

Filtering Facts from Myths on Vaping, Juuling, & E-Cigarettes

This event will be at Woodlawn, this Thursday., Apr. 26, 7–8 PM, in our Learning Center.

Fill out this information and we will see you on the 26th!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdOtae8P8wEeelkdrrzd3-itdBFNsLmPgHIkBodTlEL-sbnQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

  • Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive drug.  The younger a person starts using nicotine the greater the chance they have of becoming addicted to nicotine and other substances.
  • 20 of the chemicals found in e-cigarettes are listed on the FDA's established list of harmful or potentially harmful substances.
  • 9 of the chemicals found in vape juice are known carcinogens (such as formaldehyde).
  • Teens who vape are almost 4 times more likely to smoke regular cigarettes.
  • Cancer takes 20+ years to develop.

Finally, flat out busted. Yes, I am world class car singer. I don’t always do it, but recently there is a song that is in my head and without me even realizing it, I belt out the chorus.  It becomes embarrassing when the people in the car next to you notice. What made this particular situation really difficult was the song that I was singing. If it were Led Zepplin or Rush, I could almost justify it, but this song was really hard to justify.  I mean, this new song is just so darn catchy that I couldn’t help but to belt it out. The song is by Alicia Keys, Girl on Fire. You have heard the part, “THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE! THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE!” Explain to me how you drive without at least humming that part. So, I began thinking about some of my other songs that society says I shouldn’t like, but clearly I do.  Here is my top 10 list of guilty pleasure songs:

10. This Girl Is On Fire - Alicia Keys

9. Barbie Girl - Aqua

8. Man! I Feel Like A Woman - Shania Twain

7. 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton

6. Party In The USA - Miley Cyrus

5. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce

4. Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler

3. LIvin’ La Vida Loca- Ricky Martin

2. I’m All Out Of Love - Air Supply

1. You Don’t Know Your Beautiful - One Direction

Have a great weekend.