Woodlawn Principal's Blog 4/18/25

4/18/25

This week flew by for me.  I had some great conversations with parents and the students are plugging along.  I am so proud of the students, especially our 8th graders, they have become an outstanding group of students.  There are a number of repeat items in the blog this week.  


Upcoming Dates:

4/22- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM


Upcoming Dates:

4/22- Early Release- Students dismissed at 1:30 PM


8th Grade End of the Year Activities

8th grade parents should have received an email this week regarding end of the year activities for our outstanding group of 8the grade students.  Please read the email and turn the information into the Woodlawn main office by Thursday, April 24th.  

Here is a list of upcoming activities for our 8th Grade students:

Friday, May 16th

8th Grade Bowling Party  - @ Bowlero in Deer Park

 

Tuesday, May 20th

Gown & Ticket distribution 

 

Wednesday, May 21st

Tech Collection & Locker Clean Out

 

Thursday, May 22nd

Great America 9:45 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.

 

Friday, May 23rd

PTO Breakfast & Awards Assembly 

 

Tuesday May 27th 

Graduation at Stevenson High School @ 5:30 p.m.  8th graders do not attend school that day.  


Virtual Backpacks

District Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/about/virtual-backpack

Woodlawn Virtual Backpack: https://www.kcsd96.org/w/virtual-backpack


Dental Exams for 6th Grade Students ONLY

Please note that your child’s completed dental examination has an upcoming due date, per Illinois school law. The deadline for the dental examination is due 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 - Click Here

In the event that you are unable to fulfill this requirement, the state of Illinois does permit a waiver of the examination - Click here   

If you have any questions, please contact our School Nurse, Mrs. Kaufmann [email protected]


Library Books due by April 21st

In order to prepare for the construction of the new Collaboratory ALL library books must be returned back to the learning center by APRIL 21st.  Although we will not be checking out books to students from Woodlawn, we encourage students to continue reading books from home, your public library, or from our ebook library, SORA.  All students have access to Sora on their iPads.  

We appreciate your support with helping to remind your students to get their books turned back in on time.  

Any questions, please reach out to Jaime Appell ([email protected])
 


Click here for the Woodlawn Daily Announcements


White Sox Update

I thought that I fixed my White Sox issue last week.  As soon as I said something, my boys went on to win 2 in a row over Boston.  Woo Hoo.  We have lost four straight since that point.  Oh well.  Thanks to all the Woodlawn Sox fans who shot me an email.  Keep the faith.  Better days are ahead.  


Finally, many people have been asking me what I will miss the most next year.  I will absolutely miss this incredible staff and the unwavering support from the community, but the thing that I will miss the most is the students.  They energize me, make me laugh and keep me young.  This week, I brought a couple of students down to my office who used colorful language in a google doc. exchange.  There were threats and inappropriate language to say the least.  When I asked the boys what this was all about, they told me that they were arguing over who was best of all time, Michael Jordan or LeBron James.  When I heard that, I was sitting at my desk and I immediately went into full principal mode saying, “you know that everything you type is monitored by an outside company and when you cross the line of appropriateness, I get notified.”  These poor kids were so scared, which is part of the principal home court advantage.  I continued, in full principal character by saying, “I don’t know which one of you think that LeBron was the better basketball player, but I watched both players through their careers and there is not contest.  It was Michael Jordan.  Which one of you thinks it is LeBron?”  One of the boys sheepishly raised his hand and I continued to talk about the greatness of Michael Jordan.  The poor student did not know if he should agree with me, disagree, smile, or just stay silent.  I have a million stories of Woodlawn and the students who make my every single day better.  I honestly should write a book.  

 

Have a great weekend.