Woodland Primary School

2/2 School Improvement Day-Early Release for Kindergarten @10:40 a.m. EC/WELE only PM attends.

2/8 PTA Meeting (Zoom link registration is in the PTA section)

2/9 Valentine's Day Parties at Primary

2/16 No student/staff attendance

2/19-2/20 No student/staff attendance

2/21 Wildcat Wednesday

2/29 WELE Come & Connect

Thank you to all of our families that caem out to join us for Glow Night! It was great fun to see our students playing good choice Bingo, glow dancing, making crafts, writing mystery messages and much more. We hope your family enjoyed it as much as we did!

February is Black History Month and each month our students have been learning through stories and books about important historical figures. Using stories to teach our students about different ethnicities and cultures is a powerful way for them to feel represented in the pictures, stories and people we learn about. If we teach children about all races and ethnicities early on, they will grow up knowing the importance of human rights.

Each of our teachers are consistently adding diverse books to their classroom libraries. This month we added books, puzzles and coloring books from the title, The Color of Us. This is a book that introduces students to skin color and has wonderful visuals to help students see that color is beautiful and everyone is unique. All year we have featured historical figures on our morning announcement video show and this month we will celebrate Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Barack Obama and more.

As a family, you can read books written by black authors or featuring historical figures, too. Below are some pictures of some great titles to check out. Reading titles that expose our children to different cultures helps them have a wider view of the world and understand the beauty of diversity.

Valentine's Day Parties at Woodland Primary will be held on Friday, February 9th. If your child would like to bring in valentines for their classmates (optional, of course) they will exchange them on Friday, February 9th. Head Room Parents will be communicating which volunteers will attend and the plan for activities. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you don't want your child to participate in the party.

Valentine Guidelines: Students may bring in valentines to exchange with their classmates, but they shouldn't have any food, candy, or gum attached. If trinkets are attached, they should be age appropriate and not considered a choking hazard.

***Please note that we don't have food, drinks, or candy sent in for the parties. Please don't send these items in. Any goodie bags sent in shouldn't contain any food or candy. The focus is on friendship, games, and crafts! The students will have a great time together!

Our Woodland Primary parents are invited to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. The link and information is below. Your feedback helps us grow and make changes that will positively impact our students.

2023-24 Illinois Supplemental Parent Survey

Link to survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

Opens Jan. 30, 2024 and closes March 29, 2024.

What is the 5Essentials?

The 5Essentials is a research-based school improvement system. It is comprised of a school improvement framework, diagnostic survey, and professional learning that provide meaningful insight into a school's organizational conditions, culture, and climate. It helps schools prioritize areas for improvement and measure progress toward improved organizational conditions necessary for achieving sustainable school improvement.

The 5Essentials System is based on more than 30 years of research conducted by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. The 5Essentials are:

• Effective Leaders: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and strategic vision for school success.
• Collaborative Teachers: Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth.
• Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with families and communities to support learning.
• Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high expectations for students and support students to realize their goals. Classmates also support one another.
• Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing the application of knowledge.

The 5Essentials Survey is taken by all prekindergarten through 12th-grade teachers and all fourth through 12th-grade students. On average, the survey takes 30 minutes to complete. The data collected through the survey is analyzed to generate a 5Essentials Report for each school, as well as summary reports for school districts. The 5Essentials Reports include a breakdown of teacher, student, and parent responses and, most importantly, provides a comprehensive picture of the school environment based on five essential areas critical for school improvement.

The Essential 0-5 measurement system, developed by Start Early and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (UChicago Consortium), is an evidence-based, reliable and valid set of teacher/staff and parent surveys, interactive reports and data use and improvement planning tools designed to drive improvement in early childhood education schools and centers.

Back by popular demand, Woodland will again offer Spanish Classes for Woodland Parents and Staff! Classes start soon, and space is limited, so register today.

• Level 1 (Virtual) - Beginner, no prior knowledge necessary
• Level 2 (Virtual) - Some prior grammar and vocabulary needed, suggested for those who have completed Level 1
• Level 3 (In-Person) - NEW: Creative Writing Class! This class requires intermediate level Spanish speaking and reading skills.

Classes start in February: REGISTER HERE.

February starts next week! Be sure to order your child's meals!

Kindergarten Breakfast Forms

EC/WELE Meal Forms

It’s time for Kids Heart Challenge 2024 (formerly Jump Rope for Heart), our 12th annual fundraiser for the American Heart Association! Woodland Primary School is proud to be a part of this fantastic fundraiser in which students learn the importance of heart health. Over the past 11 years, our school has raised an incredible total of $108,821.01 for this worthwhile cause.

Some quick facts about this year’s fundraiser are listed below:

• You can participate in this year’s Kids Heart Challenge with or without making a monetary donation to the American Heart Association. EVERYONE can take the challenge!
• Our fundraiser will be 100% online this year, no traditional paper collection envelopes will be used, nor will cash or checks be accepted.
• We don’t hold a traditional “event” for Kids Heart Challenge at Primary, instead we use time during PE classes to learn about and participate in heart health related activities and exercises.
• Any “Thank You Gifts” earned by students will be delivered in late March/early April (aside from various “instant gifts”).
• Our school earns gift certificates for PE equipment from US Games (a PE equipment company) based on our school-wide donation total.
• If we raise $10,000 as a school, Mr. Kupfer and Mr. Mistrata will get a “pie in the face” by the top 5 student fundraisers during one of our Wildcat Wednesday Assemblies.
• The DUE DATE for all donations is FEBRUARY 15th, 2024.

Please visit www.heart.org/KHC to sign up to take the free challenge or make a donation today!

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Mistrata (cmistrata@dist50.net) or Mr. Kupfer (ikupker@dist50.net). Thank you!

Thursday 2/8: February PTA Meeting at 7pm via Zoom. REGISTRATION is required.

Tuesday 2/13: Second Tuesday Fundraiser: Jimano's Gurnee 20% of sales ALL DAY will be donated to Woodland PTA.

Do you have an incoming kindergarten student for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year? Or, do you know someone that does? All of the information is located on our webpage HERE and in the special edition of Smore located HERE.

Spread the word-we want to welcome our incoming wildcats!

Woodland Primary School

Email: standerson@dist50.net
Website: www.dist50.net
Location: 17366 West Gages Lake Road, Gages Lake, IL, USA
Phone: 847-984-8702
Twitter: @StaceyJAnd