1/17/25
Happy Friday Woodlawn! It was a brisk week here at Woodlawn as we battled the cold weather of January. I am so proud of the students and how they are performing in class. Check out the blog this week and prepare yourself for more cold weather next week.
Upcoming Dates:
1/20- No School this Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.
A Message from the Woodlawn Office
If your child will be absent from school for any reason, please contact the office by 8:00 AM.
Graduation Information.
8th-grade parents, you should have received a Google survey regarding graduation. If you have not received the survey, please reach out to our secretary, Terri Herzog, at [email protected].
The survey is due no later than Friday, January 31. Thank you for being on top of this. Graduation is a process and this is step one.
Woodlawn Spirit Assembly - January 24th
We are so excited about Woodlawn's upcoming spirit assembly on Friday, January 24th! At the spirit assembly, we are looking forward to recognizing some of our student groups and their amazing talents. Additionally, all students will have the chance to win gift cards and participate in some fun "minute-to-win-it" type of competitions. Entries for the gift cards and competitions can be earned by participating in the spirit week leading up to the assembly. We would LOVE if parents could encourage their students to get involved in the fun!
Check out our list of activities.
Social Studies - 1950’s Day
The 8th graders had so much fun on Wednesday of this week! Our students learned what students were doing in the 50s to protect themselves from a nuclear attack with a “duck and cover” drill. They also had hula hoop contests and the students explored the groundbreaking changes in entertainment. Check out the pictures below.
NEW: ACCESS Testing
Parents and guardians, please be aware that the state of Illinois requires identified English Learner (EL) students to annually participate in the ACCESS testing to determine current English language proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Our ACCESS testing window will occur in the coming weeks. Each school’s testing schedule is unique and will only impact students who take the ACCESS test.
It's important that students taking any testing, including ACCESS testing, get a good night's rest the night before and eat a good breakfast that morning. We encourage our students to always try their best. Students do not need to prepare anything ahead of time, however, it's encouraged that they come to school ready and willing to challenge themselves.
SHS Fine Arts Tour- 8th Grade
Today the 8th Graders were treated to a wonderful presentation from the SHS Fine Arts Department. This annual assembly for 8th Graders gives our students the chance to see all the wonderful things SHS has to offer in the Fine Arts department.
Stevenson High School Project Lead the Way Visits 8th-Grade Science
During all 8th grade Science classes on January 21st, the 8th graders will have an opportunity to learn more about the Stevenson Project Lead the Way from the Stevenson teachers. This will allow the 8th graders to learn more about the offerings in the areas of Engineering and Architecture and Media Arts and Technology Education.
Virtual Backpacks
District Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
Woodlawn Virtual Backpack: Woodlawn
Click here for the Woodlawn Daily Announcements
Finally, it is an interesting phenomenon to be in a job long enough that your replacement gets hired before you are finished working. Woodlawn and D96 have a bright future with Mr. Bays waiting in the wings. Making decisions at this point is a two-person job because many of our educational decisions have long-term implications for our students.
It just so happened that four of the most senior members of our Woodlawn staff (that is a nice way of saying oldest) were having a conversation about our first years in education. We remembered having things like a teachers' lounge for those teachers who smoked. We talked about the clothing items that students were wearing, specifically the saggy pants look for the boys. I am thrilled that is no longer a thing. Our little group laughed at the veteran teachers who were talking about their grandchildren and retiring, vividly remembering that in my mind, they were fossils. D96 has grown into one of the very best school districts in the nation and I stand by that comment based on the number of people who contact me with questions and insight into how we manage our work and stay innovative with student learning. Just for fun, I went back and looked at what was happening in the world in 1989.
Here are some fun facts from the world I lived in when I started my career:
- Batman with Michael Keaton and Jack Nickolson was released.
- Demi Moore and Bruce Willis were the hot couple at the Academy Awards
- The first close-up picture of the planet Neptune was taken.
- Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) was born.
- The first episode of The Simpson’s aired. The last episode of The Simpson’s is airing soon.
- The last episode of Dynasty aired.
- The Little Mermaid was released.
- Michael Jackson became the first recipient of the achievement award at the American Music Awards.
- The movie, “Say Anything” and that boombox was released.
- And…Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for his role as Raymond Babbit in the movie “Rainman”.
My guess is that most of you were in elementary school. Ouch.