Happy short week Friday. The NFL season has started and Woodlawn is rolling along. I am trying to keep the blog short this week so that you can focus on your weekend.
There is no school this Thursday, September 16th.
Fall Conferences
Fall Parent/Educator Conferences are right around the corner! The conferences will take place on Thursday, October 7th from 5 PM to 8:30 PM and Friday, October 8th from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. These conferences will be 10 minutes in length. We will continue using Meet the Teacher as an electronic sign up for conferences. A sign up link was shared via email on Monday, September 20th at 6:00 PM. Parents and guardians will be able to schedule an in-person or a remote conference with one core content teacher, the current Exploratory/Spanish teacher, and any related service providers.
MAP Scores
While the bulk of MAP testing has been completed, the remainder of the window will be used for make-up testing. MAP reports will be sent to families on Friday, September 17th.
NEW *Covid Metrics*
To stay up-to-date this school year on local metrics, please visit the COVID DASHBOARD for District 96. Our priority remains to keep our students safe and follow guidance from the CDC. If your student is identified as a "close contact", you will be notified individually through the contact tracing process.
Click here for the Woodlawn Daily Announcements
Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 ~ Thought Exchange Partnership
Purpose:
1. To share information with parents regarding district goals and initiatives, curricular and instructional innovations, programs and other informational topics. (i.e. District Goals, MAP and PARCC Results)
2. To review school board or school code required topics (i.e. Handbook, Discipline Policy, Grants, Calendar)
3. To understand parent perceptions and solicit feedback on school district topics to assist the district in communication and planning.
Membership:
Membership is open to everyone and there is no term limit.
Committee Composition Includes:
● Parent members-at-large for each school and an additional PTO representative.
● One special education district representative.
● One ELL district representative.
● One Bilingual district representative.
● One Board of Education representative and alternate.
● One representative appointed by the Board of Education.
● Teacher Representative(s) – to be invited based on agenda topic.
● Administrative Representative(s) – to be invited based on agenda topic.
Roles of the Members:
1. Active participant sharing opinions, questions, suggestions and feedback in positive ways
2. Act as district ambassadors to promote the district in the community
3. Direct other parents to the appropriate district personnel and resources as needed
4. Invite other parents to attend district sponsored meetings and events including identified TEP meetings.
Community Parent Liaison: Lubna Andrabi
Examples of Potential Discussion Topics:
- Topics Aligned with current District goals Discipline Procedures/Student Handbook/Bully Plan
- Communication Norms Transition to Middle School and High School
- PARCC/School Report Card Data District Committee Reports
- MAP Testing/Growth Data/Goal Setting District Communication with Stakeholders
- Health/Wellness/Social Emotional D96 Learning Targets
- Collaboration between Stevenson and D96 Common Core Standards and Assessments
- Transition to Middle School and High School
- TEP meetings- 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Thursdays via Zoom:
October 21, 2021; November 11, 2021; January 13, 2022; February 17, 2022; April 21, 2022; May 19, 2022
Stand Strong (the adult version of the Catalyst Club) is recruiting volunteers!
Any parents interested in committing 1 hour per month toward substance prevention should contact Tami Gopal at [email protected].
Visit the PTO Monthly Blog!
Band and Orchestra
Stevenson High School has decided to put a pause on hosting any activities that involve middle school band and orchestra students. This means that the ILMEA Orchestra Help Session on Tuesday, September 14th, and the 8th Grade Band Night on Friday, September 17th are canceled. Your student's band and orchestra teacher will update you about the status of future events at Stevenson as their dates get closer. We apologize for any confusion and thank you for your understanding.
Finally, twenty years go by in a flash. As a brand new Assistant Principal here at Woodlawn, I was only a couple of weeks into my new position. As I hustled around the school, a news message popped up on my email notifying me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. At the moment, all I could think about is how did that happen? I saw a picture and it looked like a clear day. When the second plane hit, I finally realized what was actually happening. Going back twenty years, middle school students did not have cell phones, so we had a decision to make. Do we inform the students at the moment? We chose to keep the focus on our learning and have parents inform the students when they arrived home. To this day, I struggle with whether or not that was the right call. We wouldn’t have the power to make that decision in today's world. September 11, 2001 was probably the most unnerving day I had ever experienced. What followed brought back my faith in humanity. In the weeks and months following the attacks in New York and Washington D.C. and the unbelievable heroism shown in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, we united as a country. Our citizens showed a resolve and caring for one another that could be seen throughout our nation. Ultimately, I will never forget those we lost and I will always remember what this country is all about.