Happy 2/3/23! I don’t know why, but sequenced dates make me happy.
The last ski trip is tonight! Our 7th graders were treated to pizza lunch on Wednesday, marking the halfway done with middle school marker. Each Woodlawn 7th grader was given a knit hat with the Woodlawn logo on it. Thank you to our PTO for always taking care of our students and staff!
Talk with Mr. Grana & Mrs. Groncki
On Monday, February 13th, from 7-8 p.m. come to Woodlawn to check in with your favorite middle school principals (or Jessica and me). We will be here to talk about Woodlawn, middle school, or any other topic that seems interesting to you. We have a lot of stories that we can share with you and hope that you are able to make it.
From SHS Math Circle
We are excited to announce that Stevenson is hosting our annual Math Circle on April 8 and 15 from 9 AM to 12 PM! The Math Circle is a great opportunity for students to explore math ideas, solve problems, and compete with their friends in a fun environment. In the past, guest speakers for the Math Circle have included Professor Po-Shen Loh and 3blue1brown, as well as Stevenson alumni with careers in mathematics. Registration costs $35, which covers a custom t-shirt and practice materials for the first 80 students that sign up using the link below. Historically, this number has been filled VERY fast, so we urge students and parents to sign up as soon as possible to ensure a spot at the Math Circle. The deadline to sign up is March 17. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Kim at [email protected].
Link: https://shsmathteam.com/stevenson-consortium-math-circle/
*5Essentials Student Survey*
Beginning the week of February 6th, District 96 students in 4th-8th grade will be administered the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This 25-minute survey is based on 20 years of research at the University of Chicago and asks students about their experiences in school with the purpose of providing school leaders with critical student input to help develop school improvement plans. Students’ identities will be completely confidential, and teachers and administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions and will only receive aggregated information.
Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the UChicago Impact Support Center (https://impactsurveyshelp.force.com/s/article/illinois-5essentials-survey-questions).
If you do not want your child’s input to be considered for school improvement purposes, please contact Greg Grana at [email protected] by February 3rd.
*5Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians*
Beginning January 24 through April 2nd, District 96 invites you to share your thoughts on the inner workings of your child’s school. On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago.
As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school. Your participation will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide our improvement. Parent identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
Please visit http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/ to begin the parent survey. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or [email protected].
** I sincerely hope all parents take this survey. Not just the people who are irritated with me. :)
*D96 Dual Language Program*
Do you have an entering kindergartner or know of a D96 resident who does? Are you interested in your child having a bilingual school experience?
The District 96 Spanish/English Dual Language Program was designed several years ago to implement instruction across the curriculum that provides an opportunity for students to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages. In the Dual Language Program, 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in Spanish, and 50 percent of the academic curriculum is delivered in English.
Families interested in enrolling their incoming kindergartners in the Spanish/English Dual Language Program can indicate so on the registration form while completing the kindergarten registration process that begins March 1, 2023. This process should be completed by April 15, 2023, to be entered into the Dual Language Lottery. Please note that indicating interest in the Dual Language Program does not guarantee acceptance into the Dual Language program.
Please visit our District 96 Website to learn more about the optional
Spanish/English Dual Language Program (https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language) and our
Dual Language Lottery (https://www.kcsd96.org/curriculum/dual-language-lottery).
**District 96 will be hosting a Virtual Parent Night at 6:00 to 7:00 P.M. on MARCH 8 for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program.**
Wolves of the Month - January
Jacob Carmona, Michelle Granovsky, Liam Cuasay, Ace Wilson, Adriana Cardona, Sharanya Saha, Safeena Shaikh, Justin George, Kelsey Krull
As part of our ongoing commitment to embrace all of the unique Woodlawn cultures, we are thrilled to welcome the Najwa African Dance troupe to Woodlawn on February 15th. Previously, we welcomed the Grupo Axe' Capoeiva Brazillian dance troupe in December. Thank you to our amazing PTO Cultural Arts Committee for your support.
Click here for the Woodlawn Daily Announcements
Please read the Woodlawn Monthly Blog
Finally, Groundhog Day. Not Groundhog’s Day, just so you know. It is officially Groundhog Day and the king of all groundhogs is Punxsutawney Phil. Phil has a long track record of predicting if there will be six more weeks of winter or not. Personally, I think that world just likes to dress up, dance to polka music and drink apple cider*. Actual humans with top hats and long black coats**, talk to the celebrated groundhog and ask it actual questions before they let the rodent on the ground to see its shadow. Now, this would all be just fine with me if Punxsutawney Phil had a legitimate record of determining early spring or the aforementioned additional six weeks of winter. Surprisingly, Phil has only had a 39% accuracy rate since he and his descendants were tasked with this most important meteorological task since 1887. 39% percent is not going to get the job done. Imagine the great Tom Skilling only being correct 39% of the time. There would be crowds with torches and pitchforks in front of the WGN studio. It may be time for a new weather-determining tradition, possibly poking a skunk during the day, knowing that it is nocturnal, to see if it will spray one person representing early spring, and the other representing six more weeks of winter. Maybe getting a raccoon to eat something out of one of your hands. Anyways, Punxsutawney Phil has to be better. Maybe some of these other, lesser-known groundhogs have been better:
Buckeye Chuck - Ohio
General Beaureguard Lee - Georgia
Staten Island Chuck - New York
Chuckles IX - Connecticut
Chattanooga Chuck - Tennessee
Thistle the Whistle Pig - Ohio
Sir Walter Wally - North Carolina
Pierre C. Shadeaux - Louisiana (My favorite name)
Jimmy the Groundhog - Wisconsin
Woodstock Willie - Illinois
Have a great weekend. And yes, Phil saw his shadow so six more weeks of winter.
* The movie Groundhog’s Day is my reference here
*Any video from any Groundhog Day celebration has this clothing option.