Happy Halloween!

The Encore Team

Mr. Grana and Fellow Sumo Wrestler

Ms. Dupree, Ms. Shanks, Ms. Keehnast, and Ms. Hain

Weekly Message

Hey, Gang,

It's pretty hard to believe, but we're just days away from November and the start of Quarter 2 here at Woodlawn.  It's been a great start to the year so far, and we're proud of all of our students for how much they've all grown academically, socially, and emotionally.

This past week, "Fireman Tony" Rodkey, from the Countryside Fire Protection District, stopped by our Family & Consumer Sciences classes to talk about fire safety.  Here he is demonstrating what to do during a kitchen fire...

Superintendent Julie Schmidt joined Mrs. Erin Cooper's 6g English/Language Arts class as she has and will continue to do throughout the year.  Mrs. Schmidt randomly selected Mrs. Cooper's class as a part of her Adopt-A-Classroom program.  The students are thrilled to have her around just as much as we know she loves being here working with the kids.

The Fall Party is tonight, and we hope to see your students here at 6pm.  The party ends at 8pm, so parents, please be here to pick them up at that time.  If students did not already buy a ticket, they can purchase one at the door for $8.  The price includes admission, a raffle ticket, a beverage, slice of pizza, and a dessert.

Next week on Thursday, November 3, the 8g students will travel to Stevenson High School to watch the Fine Arts Division's fall production of the musical, Sweeney Todd.  It should definitely be a scream.  The musical is open to the public from November 4-6.  Click here for more information.

Today was the last day of Quarter 1, and Report Cards will be going home with students next Friday, November 4.  We encourage you to continue contacting your students' teachers with any questions, concerns or celebrations that you'd like to share at any time.  Structured Parent-Teacher Conferences are set for Monday, November 21, from 5-7pm, and on Tuesday, November 22, from 2-7pm.   Call the Woodlawn office to schedule an appointment beginning November 9.

Lastly, we would like to welcome parents to attend an upcoming PTO Cultural Arts event...  Boom Troupe will present "Change It! Standing Up to Bullying" on November 15 to the students during the school day.  Boom Troupe will help bring to life some of the challenging concepts of bullying.  Click here for more information about Boom Troupe.  More details to follow...

That's all for now... Have a great and safe Halloween weekend!

Talk soon-

Chris Murphy

Don't forget to check out the PTO's Weekly Newsletter... the link is posted at the top of this page.

Box Tops For Education

We will be having our yearly Box Tops For Education contest beginning Monday, October 31st.  The contest will run until Friday, November 11th.  Start saving your box tops and help Woodlawn!  I am going to have to wrestle the box tops away from my 9 year old at home.  She is always cutting them off of products so that her school will benefit.  Keep collecting them and send them in to your homeroom teacher starting next Monday!

October 21, 2011

Earlier this week, selected Woodlawn teachers and I participated in the second session of our Common Core Standards discussion across the middle school consortium.  We made outstanding progress toward a common understanding of what English/LA will look like for all students entering SHS.  Former Woodlawn Assistant Principal Jeanne Spiller was the moderator for this event which provided guidance to over 120 educators.  I will have more information in future blog entries regarding The Common Core Standards and something that I am a huge advocate of, Standards Based Report Cards. 

Our Halloween Party is going to be totally wicked! Next week, students will be able to purchase tickets to the Halloween Party during all lunch periods.  Students can also purchase tickets on the night of the event.  This is a great event and I hope our turnout is better than ever! Check out the link to the PTO newsletter at the top of this page! Everyone and anyone can donate a gently used coat to our coat drive. The final evening to donate is at the Halloween Party. 

Students can wear their Halloween costumes to school on Monday, October 31^st.

All costumes must follow these guidelines:                 

• Appropriate for school (No blood & guts)

• No weapons

• Adheres to our school dress code

District 96 Trivia Night has a whole new look this year!  The winning team will receive 5 iPads that they can donate to the school of their choice.  Get the word out to your friends and put a table together.  This is a really fun event and now the reward will benefit our students!  

Mike Byster Wows 6g Students and Parents Alike

 This morning, Mike Byster wowed both 6g students and parents with his enthusiasm and math magic.  You can learn more from his company's website, Brainetics, by clicking here. 

October 14, 2011

Traffic has been terrible and now it is having a negative impact on our buses and their arrival times at school.  After contacting First Student Bus Company and looking at our options, I feel confident that they are on top of this situation and doing everything they can to deal with these frustrating circumstances.  First Student is having their drivers report earlier so that they are at the first stop on time.  They are staying in contact with IDOT to anticipate any changes in traffic routing and communicating with our office regarding buses that are caught up in traffic.  At this point, I do not want to have students report to their bus stops any earlier in the morning. Team leader and I will soon be meeting to come up with a plan for our first period students who are missing class time.  I will keep monitoring this situation, which could be an issue well into November. 

Our Halloween extravaganza is Friday, October 28^th from 6-8p.m.  Tickets can be purchased the week of October 24-28^th during lunch periods or the evening of the party.  This is a fun event and I recommend parents come into the building to see Mr. Murphy and me; our costumes are going to rock! 

Money can be earned for Woodlawn if you sign up for EScript.  Just go to the website and register your Dominick’s card to start the donation process.  Remember to check the PTO Newsletter each week.  We have put the link at the top of this page to access the newsletter.

Finally, with the Cubs on the verge of signing Theo Epstein, I recommend all of my baseball loving dads go see the movie Moneyball. It gives you an idea how the cyber-metric approach to baseball to which Theo subscribes works. I made my wife go see  it after I had to sit through the movie One Day.

October 7, 2011

Having been a runner in a former life, I was really impressed with the way the D96 Dash was organized and organized.  Kudos to the District 96 foundation members who put this outstanding event together.

I know that Mr. Murphy put up a picture from the D96 Dash earlier this week, but I came across this picture and I thought it was cool.  This is a picture of two of our Woodlawn custodians, Tim Kowols and Lou Narantic.  They embody the positive team and community feeling we have created at Woodlawn.  Along with the rest of our custodians, these men do a great job keeping Woodlawn looking great.


Our book fair concluded this week and I am thrilled with the results.  Thank you to all of our volunteers for their time and effort.

As I look ahead this month, Picture Retake Day is October 17th.  If your student needs their picture retaken, please send them to school with their original school picture from this year.

Our Halloween party will be on Friday, October 28th in our gymnasium.  I will be following up with details about the evening and its activities in future blogs.  We have had a large number of students attend this event in past years.  On Monday, October 31st, students will be able to wear (school appropriate) costumes to school if they would like to celebrate Halloween with their friends.

Our coat drive began this week and will continue through the night of Halloween party.  Dig deeply into your closets and pull out those gently used coats for those in need!

As always check out our PTO Newsletter and be a part of your child's middle school experience!

Have a great week.

Mr. Grana

Woodlawn Staff Runs the District 96 Dash

Here are a few of the many Woodlawn staff members (and families) that took part in the District 96 Dash on Sunday, October 2, in Buffalo Grove.  From left to right, The Cooper Family, Mrs. Rosen, Ms. Keehnast, Mr. Frishman (who graciously allowed the District to hold this event on his birthday), Ms. Bergsten, and Ms. O'Shea.

Now, That's Enthusiasm!!!

Congrats on raising over $500 in just one week, Woodlawn!  

Just look how excited Mr. Grana and I were that we were able to wear each other's favorite team's jerseys...