Woodlawn Principal's Blog 8/5/22

8/5/22

Welcome to the 2022-23 school year!  Wow, that sounds so weird.  Not to give away my age, but my middle school principal would have written welcome to the 1978-79 school year!  Yikes.  Each and every week, you will be exposed to my blog which will have information that you will need and other factoids that you never knew that you needed.  I try to have fun with this blog so read it carefully, you might pick up on my sense of humor!  


Please welcome the following staff members to Woodlawn:

Stephanie Sabath - 7th Grade Math/Science

Darrin Bonecutter - 8th Grade Math/Science

Nick Mariano - 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Spanish

Alex Achey - Health Teacher

Clark Kopelman - School Psychologist

Ginger Hepler - 6th Grade Special Education Teacher

Kristyn Everett - Math Coach

Erin Cooper - Literacy Coach 

Nicole Barba - Language Development Coach

Howard Frishman - District Technology Integration Specialist

Pete Ross - Long Term substitute LA

Prashanti Tadepalli - Instructional Aide

Jessica Groncki - Assistant Principal


JOIN  THE WOODLAWN CROSS COUNTRY TEAM!!

Whether you're someone who loves to run or you just want to improve your running skills, the Woodlawn Cross Country is the team for you! All 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are allowed to participate. Practices are Mon-Thur, 315-4p. 

First practice is Tuesday, August 23rd, 315-4p. 

Fill out the parent consent forms and the concussion waiver and turn them into Coach Berry or Coach Frishman before the first day of practice. 


Sport Teams

If your student will be participating in a sport this year, you need an updated physical.  Tryouts for fall sports will be within the first week of the school year.  7th and 8th grade parents, please avoid frustration from your student athlete and get your physical updated before school starts.  


School Nurse

Our outstanding school nurse, Denise Kaufmann, will be here during locker set up to accept any medications that you need to drop off.  Students are not allowed to carry medications (except for an epi pen) with them at school.  


PTO Information

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – Locker Set Up Day is August 17 th from 4:30-6pm

IT IS NOW TIME TO ORDER YOUR BACK TO SCHOOL ITEMS!

Log in to Membership Toolkit to order the following for your student:

  • Gym clothes and locks (required for all Woodlawn students)
  • Locker shelving (a student and parent favorite!)
  • Spirit wear
  • Dessert day and special lunch
  • And more!

You can also sign up to volunteer for PTO committees as well as dessert day and special lunch.

Join us in the gym on Locker Set Up Day – August 17 th – to pick up your ordered items.

PRE-ORDER by AUGUST 16 TH AT NOON to receive pre-order incentives on gym clothes and

locker shelving. Pre-order now in the comfort of your home! If you do not pre-order before

Locker Set Up Day, please be prepared to wait in long lines that day to place your order.

Check out the PTO Blog for additional details. Contact Elizabeth Owens or Bob Christian with questions.


LOCKER SET-UP DAY is 4:30 P.M.-6 P.M. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17TH

During this time, the school will be open for students to set up their lockers and walk through their schedules.  Classrooms will be locked but the building will be open for students to walk their schedules. This is a great time to practice locker combinations and put school supplies away.


A Message from Superintendent Sheridan-  *Short Video Clip Invitation*

Dear Community Members:

Are you just as excited about returning to school as we are?  If so, District 96 wants to hear your story!

You are invited to submit short video clips encouraging and/or thanking our staff for the work they do with our students every day. The purpose is for us to use these thoughtful video clips of voices from our community members to create a montage for our staff, to continually remind them of the positive impact they make.  If you are interested in joining our efforts, please take a moment to review the specifics for recording and submission.

Recording Specifics:

Please use a personal phone, tablet, or camera that records video to record one child, multiple children, or your entire family sharing in the message. 

Shoot the videos horizontally (landscaped) so the videos we stitch together are all of the same orientation. 

Verify your settings are at least 720p when using your camera. (Please check your device's camera settings to verify this.)

Limit your message to 15-45 seconds each.

Submission:

Once you have your videos recorded, please upload them to the Dropbox folder found at the URL below:

Dropbox File Request Link:  https://www.dropbox.com/request/y1YqmGpHnCDD7OdMUENC

When submitting your video, please know you are giving us permission to play your recording at an Institute Day for our staff.  

District 96 will review the video clips and create a montage that will be shared with staff at different times of the year to celebrate our employees.

If you have any problems with this link or any of the processes listed above, please email us at [email protected], and we will help you.


Opening Day

Opening Day for students will be Thursday, August 18th, 2022 from 7:45 AM - 11:10 PM. 

Please note, this is a HALF DAY for students.


The first full day of school will be Friday, August 19th, 2021 from 7:45 AM - 2:30 PM.

View the D96 Calendar for the 22-23 school year.


Arrival Procedures for Bus Riders

When students arrive at Woodlawn on the bus, they will wait outside of the school until 7:30a.m. unless it is raining or temperatures are cold.  At 7:30a.m. they are allowed to go to their lockers and socialize with friends.  


Activity Bus Dismissal Procedure

Starting on Monday, August 23rd, the Woodlawn Activity Bus routes will begin. 

Students board the buses starting at 3:15 PM. The buses typically leave at 3:22 PM.


Clubs, Activities and Study Halls

Information on our 22-23 clubs, activities, and study halls will be updated on the Woodlawn Website by August 20th.

Activities and Study Halls will start on Monday, August 22nd.

The activity period for clubs, activities and study halls is from 2:30PM-3:15PM.

There will be buses available for the students who qualify for busing during the school year. If students are NOT a bus rider to and from school, the students are unable to take the activity bus. 


Curriculum Night- Save the Dates

6th Grade Curriculum Night: Monday, August 29th.

7th and 8th Grade Curriculum Night: Wednesday, August 31st.

ILC Curriculum Night, and SLC Curriculum Night: Monday, August 29th.

More information to come.


2022-2023 KCSD 96 Approved Snack List

Access the 2022-2023 KCSD 96 Approved Snack List.


Finally, I am so glad to be back at school!  I am feeling great and looking forward to welcoming back our students and staff.  For those of you who are new to the middle school blog, I take this last section and give you a little insight into the mind of a 17 year veteran of the middle school as a principal.  I have seen a lot in my day and yet, I keep coming back.  This may sound crazy, but I really enjoy dealing with students of this age.  They are fun, witty and always listening and learning.  I have a belief that they are all good kids who sometimes do not make the best decisions.  As a father of four, please know that myself and this staff will treat your child with respect, every single day.  We may have bumps in the road, but ultimately, we want what you want, a positive middle school experience.  Again, this last section of the blog may contain things that have nothing to do with school, but it humors me as I will be writing a blog each and every Friday for most of this school year.  I look forward to seeing everyone at curriculum night and cannot wait to get this party started!  See you soon.  Greg Grana