1/31/25
Another great week here at Woodlawn! I am very proud of where we are as a school right now. So many positive things are happening in the classrooms, gym, band, orchestra, music, and everywhere in the building. We are rolling right now. Our girls' volleyball teams are playing games and doing great, while the wrestling team is giving it their all. January is in the books and we are turning our focus to February.
Upcoming Dates:
2/14- Half Day- Students dismissed at 11:10 AM
2/17- No School
2/18- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM
7th Grade - Middle School Halfway Point
Thank you to the PTO for celebrating with our 7th-grade students and supplying lunch to celebrate the halfway point of middle school. The PTO has been doing this for a number of years now as our students go through middle school. As a reminder, the 6th-grade students received a welcome-to-middle school lunch and our 8th-graders will receive a good luck lunch toward the end of the year. We have the best PTO!
Geography Bee 2025
Congratulations to Matthew Lee, the 2025 Woodlawn Geography Bee Champion! Matthew, a 6th grader, earned the top spot after a competitive final yesterday afternoon. A special shoutout goes to brothers Robert (8th grade) and Michael Ginger (6th grade), who tied for 2nd place.
All Woodlawn students participated in the schoolwide geography bee held in their Social Studies classes back in early January, and those with the top 10 scores advanced to the final competition. Yesterday’s Geography Bee final participants included 8th graders E.J. Brice, Gavin Deng, Ari Fohlen, Srikar Mangalampalli, and Alexander Tanzi; 7th graders Micah Emery and David Feygin; and 6th graders Loren Hosomizu and Arjun Kajrolkar. Each of these finalists demonstrated impressive geographic knowledge throughout the competition.
Great job to all who participated!
Middle School Choice 25-26 School Year
We are delighted to share some exciting news starting the 25-26 school year impacting all KCSD96 middle school students at both Twin Groves and Woodlawn.
The KCSD96 Board of Education recently approved the district’s recommendation to allow middle school students to have a choice in their elective courses. Giving students the choice in their electives offers several key benefits that positively impact their academic, personal, and social development– providing a well-rounded educational foundation as we prepare students for high school and beyond.
This means all middle school students will have a choice in taking two of the five options based on their selections: Choir, Band, Orchestra, Spanish, and Exploratories (Music, TASOL which stands for The Art of Science and Living, and Art).
The week of February 10th, 2025, middle school families will receive digital information on each course option offered by the district. We encourage families to spend time together to discuss the different elective options with their students and identify their preferences. The week of March 3rd, students will make their selections during the school day.
Please keep in mind that our primary goal is to create a well-balanced schedule that supports each student’s success across all classes. While we strive to accommodate students' elective choices, scheduling constraints may limit availability in some cases. Thank you for your support as we work to provide meaningful learning experiences for all students.
KCSD96 Parent Network: Please Join Us!
To sign up for the digital presentation of The 5 Principals of Parenting with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Aliza Pressman on February 5th at 7pm, please visit this link. This event is free and open to the public! Learn more about charting a manageable course for raising good humans, aligning with your own values and your child's temperaments.
Coming February 3rd: Simplifying Stevenson
Save the Date: Monday, February 3rd at 7 pm at Twin Groves, is the date for the next “Simplifying Stevenson,” featuring SHS Principal Troy Gobble and current SHS students in a Q&A about the school. This is designed for parents of Twin Groves and Woodlawn 8th graders who will be SHS freshmen in fall 2025.
This event will be held in the cafeteria at Twin Groves Middle School, 2600 N. Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove.
This event does not require participants to register. It is free and open to parents.
Virtual Backpacks
District Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack
Woodlawn Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/w/virtual-backpack
Click here for the Woodlawn Daily Announcements
Finally, in a very unscientific poll this week, the six female parents helping with the 7th grade, halfway through middle school lunch agreed that the theory of a man cold is real. After that discussion, I shared a few of my favorite lines I use with my wife when I am sick…the PTO moms were not impressed:
- Why don’t you care when I am sick?
- I think that this cold is worse and hitting me harder than most people.
- My mom always knew what to say when I wasn’t feeling well, I am surprised that you don’t.
- I would take care of you if you were sick.
I would describe their reaction as stunned silence.
Anyways, the weekend before the Super Bowl is upon us. Yikes! That means no games this weekend and I am on the hook to do something with my wife. She loves the Museum of Science and Industry and is talking about heading downtown and spending a few hours educating my mind. I am searching for an out, but I’ve got nothing. I have spent the last 5 months holed up in my basement, completely cut off from society. It has been magical. Fantasy football, meaningless games, chips, the Red Zone channel, texting my other degenerate friends, it has been pure bliss. Now… I have to go out into the world and make nice with other people. This is insanity. Well, it looks like I will be walking around public venues and enjoying myself against my will. 8 months until the new season kicks off. Ugh! I will have my Super Bowl preview next week. Factoids, statistics, and a whole bunch of worthless knowledge. Good times.