Woodland D50 News and Information

Header Image: District and School Leaders Gather at the Educational

Support Center to Plan for the 2024-2025 School Year.

Aug. 2, 2024

Dear Woodland Families,

I hope that all of our Wildcats are enjoying the last few weeks of summer; across the District we continue to prepare for the start of another outstanding school year at Woodland. #LifeintheW means eagerly anticipating the return of our students and I want to officially welcome you to the 2024-2025 School year! We will be sharing what I hope you find to be a variety of helpful resources over the next few weeks leading up to our first day of school on August 21, and I look forward to continuing this important work of teaching and learning in each of our schools with you.

If you’re as ready to dive into the new year as I am, I invite you to start by stopping by our Back-to-School Headquarters page on the district website. My principal colleagues and I have just recorded a Back-to-School podcast episode to kick off Season 2 of the Wildcast in which they preview some of the events we have planned to welcome our families back to school over the next three weeks, and Skyward Family Access will be opened for our families to view teacher assignments on August 9 (this information will not be available until the registration process has been completed).

Our summertime in District 50 has been a busy and productive one; I am grateful to all of our 12-month employees for their dedication and hard work in preparing every classroom, office, and shared school space for the 2024-2025 School Year. Throughout the summer we kept busy with a variety of professional development and school improvement projects, parking lot repairs, classroom painting and cleaning, hiring new staff and administrators and, most importantly, thinking of new and meaningful ways to engage all of our Woodland Wildcats when they return to school!

This week, I spent time with my District and School Administrative colleagues reflecting on the previous school year’s accomplishments and opportunities for continued improvement in the year ahead. We continue to be guided by Woodland’s strategic plan to lead the major goals and initiatives we have outlined for this year. We spent meaningful time together in professional conversations about Belonging, Emotional Safety, and Equity with Dr. Doug Bolton and took a deeper dive in the area of Culturally Responsive School Leadership with Dr. Lionel Allen from the Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. We unpacked the new Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and how our administrators can better support our teaching staff in its implementation, reflected on the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) we have in place to support our students, and learned firsthand about the impact that a supportive and inclusive culture can have on a student well beyond the walls of elementary school from the Chicago-based musician and artist Dag Juhlin.

Next week, we will welcome our new Teachers and Staff for two weeks of orientation where they will tour the district, complete mandated state and federal training, familiarize themselves with their classroom technology, connect with their mentors, and learn all about what it means to be members of the #LifeintheW learning community.

Beginning next week we will be adding numerous back-to-school events on the district calendar to bring everyone together in celebration of the year ahead. The first weeks of August fly by - in no time we will be back in our classrooms.

I hope that your families and you have had a fun and restful summer, and that everyone reading this note is looking forward to the start of the new school year as much as I am!

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Machak

Superintendent, Woodland D50

This school year the district is moving to early dismissal on Fridays instead of half-day School Improvement Planning (SIP) Days once a month.

New Friday Early Dismissal Schedule:

• Primary - 12:40 p.m.
• Elem 1:00 p.m.
• Middle School 1:45 p.m.
• Intermediate 2:30 p.m.

Champions and Gurnee Park District are offering flexible childcare options to help with coverage for Early Dismissal Fridays! Visit the Community Partners page to learn more.

School Year Calendar

District Events Calendar

Please note: The first day of school for 1st - 8th grade will be a half day of student attendance.

Grades 1 - 8 start on Aug. 21, but the Primary School starts on Aug. 22!

Woodland Elementary - August 21, 2024 - Student dismissal at 10:50 a.m.

Woodland Intermediate - August 21, 2024 - Student dismissal at 12:20 p.m.

Woodland Middle School - August 21, 2024 - Student dismissal at 11:35 a.m.

Woodland Primary - August 22, 2024

• Kindergarten is a full-day program.
• Early Childhood and WELE are half-day programs for students who qualify through a screening process. Students in EC and WELE attend in either an AM or PM session.

The Woodland Wildcast enters Season 2 with big Back to School energy! Listen in as Woodland’s four school principals discuss important plans and information for the 2024-2025 school year with Dr. Machak. Listen Now.

Did you know that you can now report your child's absence in Skyward? Try our new reporting system in Skyward for a quick and convenient way to report absences in ONE place.

How it works: A parent may enter an Absence Request by logging into Skyward and entering the request for one child, or multiple children from the same household. Once logged into Skyward, select “Attendance” from the left column, and follow the prompts to indicate which child will be absent, the date(s), and reason for the absence.

Teacher assignments will be available on Friday, Aug. 9. Log-in to Skyward Family Access to view your child’s teacher. If you forgot your Family Access Login, there is a “Forgot your Login/Password?” option, or you can email AccessHelp@dist50.net to request login credentials.

If you do not see your child's teacher listed in Skyward after Aug. 9, it may be because you did not complete the online registration process.

NEW: Your child's bus information can now be found in Skyward Family Access! (starting Aug. 9)

If your child has a bus schedule that changes throughout the week, you may need to look for a more detailed view in Versatrans e-Link (bus times are still being finalized). As a reminder, your Versatrans login and password is your "Family ID number" and this can be found in Skyward Family Access under “Student Information”. (View "My Child's Family" and look for "Family ID Number".)

If a bus stop change is needed, fill out the Revised Bus Information (English / Spanish) as soon as possible. Please understand, one slight change to a route forces a change for every stop that follows. If you know that circumstances have changed for your child (for example, they will be going to a new day care provider), do not wait until the deadline to contact Transportation. The last day to request a change to be active by the first day of school is Aug. 12.

For further assistance, please call the main Transportation number at 847-856-3644, or email them at trans@dist50.net.

Medication Drop Off for ALL schools will be on Monday, Aug. 12 at the Middle School from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 3 - 7 p.m.

Nurses and health assistants from each school will be on hand to take medications, physicals, vaccine forms and discuss health needs prior to the first day of school.

DID YOU KNOW? Several grade levels require an updated physical and vaccination record for the 2024-2025 school year! View Requirements.

The deadline for vaccines and physicals is Oct. 15. If you do not have the proper documentation on file in the Health Office, your student will be excluded from school. Please contact the Health Office at your student’s school if you need assistance in meeting these requirements.

Visit the Back to School Headquarters page to learn more about Popsicles with the Principal, Meet and Greet, Back to School Bash and more. Scroll down to the Events section, or visit the District Events Calendar.

These gatherings offer students the opportunity to see their school, meet their teacher, and see other school friends. We hope to see you there!

Sign up to walk with Woodland in the Gurnee Days Parade, and learn about other community events. More Information