2/16/24
It is mid-February and time is rolling by. We had a half day today and we are looking forward to a three-day weekend. There are a lot of great things happening and we are coming up on the end of our second trimester. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were starting the school year and now we are heading into our last trimester of school. Check out the blog this week!
Upcoming Dates:
2/19- No School
2/23- Trimester 2 Ends
2/26- Trimester 3 Starts
Woodlawn Parents - Please fill out the 5Essentials survey!
We only have until March 29th to get parent input. I would love to have the highest percentage of parents responding to the survey in the district this year. We are currently at less than 1%.
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.
The window to complete the survey closes on March 29th. Please see below for more information.
Thank you in advance!
5 Essentials Survey for Parents/Guardians
Beginning January 30th through March 29th, 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].
Illinois Youth Survey- 8th Grade Only
On Monday, February 26th, the 8th Graders will be taking the Illinois Youth Survey.
Please click HERE for more information.
If you would like your child to opt out of the survey, please email Greg Grana by Sunday, February 25th at [email protected]
Wrestling Tournament
Next Saturday, February 24, 2024, Woodlawn is hosting the Regional Wrestling Meet. The PTO will be running a concession stand during this event and could use your help! If you are interested in signing up for a 2-hour shift between 8 am - 2 pm (or we will take any amount of time you can give) please go to Membership Toolkit and sign up or email Elizabeth Owens at [email protected]
If you are a wrestling parent, you will be able to leave and watch your child during your shift. We can’t do this without your help! Thank you!!
6th Grade Dental Forms Needed
Dear Parents/Guardians of District 96 6th Grade Students:
Please note that your child’s completed dental examination is now due, per Illinois school law. The deadline for the dental examination is no later than May 15 of the current school year. Proof of this required dental examination must have been completed within eighteen months prior to the May 15 deadline.
If you haven’t already done so, please make an appointment with your child’s dentist for a dental examination, have him and/or her complete the required form, and return it to your child’s school nurse.
State of Illinois Proof of Dental Examination Form
In the event that you are unable to fulfill this requirement, the state of Illinois does permit a waiver of the examination.
State of Illinois Dental Waiver Form
Dental examination forms, as well as dental waiver forms, can be downloaded from the District’s website.
If you have any questions, please contact Denise Kaufmann at [email protected] or call the Woodlawn main office at 847-353-8500. Thank you for your prompt cooperation.
Dual Language: For Parents of Incoming Kindergartners
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 and provide 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, 2024. This process should be completed by April 15, 2024, 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 from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on March 12, 2024, for parents of incoming Kindergarten students who are interested in learning more about the Dual Language Program.**
Wolf of the Month
Janie Tsai was pictured as one of our Wolves of the month but her name was not mentioned in my blog. Janie is an amazing young lady who is valued by her teachers and the staff as a whole. In addition to doing great things all around the school, she is one of our regulars, reading the morning announcements. Thank you Janie for being such a great young lady!
Black History Month
I realize that D96 News has had information on Black History Month, but I wanted to add some interesting facts. Woodlawn has a diverse community, much more so than when I started here in 1999. After reading a few articles, I thought that the following items were worth sharing:
Black History Month Started as a Week
In 1915, Harvard-educated historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse Moorland founded what’s now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. That organization established Negro History Week in 1926, which strived to inspire schools and communities to organize local celebrations and host performances and lectures.
Carter Woodson: The Father of Black History
Woodson was tireless in his lobbying to establish Negro History Week as a program to encourage the study of African-American history. He dedicated his career to the subject and wrote many books. His most famous volume is The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), which has become required reading at numerous colleges and universities.
February Was Chosen for a Reason
Negro History Week was the second week of February. Why? To coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. President Lincoln, of course, was the 16th U.S. president and paved the way for the abolition of slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation. Douglass was an escaped slave turned activist and author, and a prominent leader in the abolitionist movement to end slavery.
A Week Becomes a Month
The civil rights movement of the 1960s helped elevate Negro History Week to national prominence… and turn it into a month-long celebration. As a result, in 1976, President Gerald Ford made things official, proclaiming February to be Black History Month.
Honoring African-American Men and Women
You don’t have to look far to notice the many impressive achievements of black men and women in the fields of science, politics, law, sports, entertainment, and many others. Here are some of the most notable names you’re probably hearing celebrated this month:
Harriet Tubman – Underground Railroad “Conductor,” Civil Rights Activist
Alice Ball – Chemist
Josephine Baker – Singer, Dancer, Civil Rights Activist
Martin Luther King, Jr. – Baptist Minister and Social Activist
Rosa Parks – Civil Rights Activist
Mary Jackson – Scientist, Mathematician, NASA’s First Black Female Engineer
Maya Angelou – Civil Rights Activist, Author, Poet
Joycelyn Elders – First African-American U.S. Surgeon General
Colin Powell – U.S. Secretary of State, Four-Star General (U.S. Army)
Barack Obama – U.S. President, U.S. Senator, Lawyer
Finally, I love a good quote, especially a funny one. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
- “My mother always used to say: The older you get, the better you get, unless you’re a banana.” Betty White
- “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”—Jack Handey
- “Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are.”—Will Ferrell
- “I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.”—Rita Rudner
- “Never follow anyone else’s path. Unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. Then by all means follow that path.”—Ellen DeGeneres
- “Insomnia sharpens your math skills because you spend all night calculating how much sleep you’ll get if you’re able to ‘fall asleep right now.’”—Anonymous
- “I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.”—Michael Scott
- “You know you’ve reached middle age when you’re cautioned to slow down by your doctor, instead of by the police.”—Joan Rivers
- “Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.”—Anonymous
- “As you get older, three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two.”—Sir Norman Wisdom
- “Does it disturb anyone else that ‘The Los Angeles Angels’ baseball team translates directly to ‘The The Angels Angels’?”—Neil DeGrasse Tyson
- “Here’s something to think about: How come you never see a headline like ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’?”—Jay Leno
- “Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?”—Robin Williams
- “I can’t end my messages with Love, Shaq because the B-52s ruined that for me.”—Shaquille O’Neal
Have a great 3 day weekend!