The Woodland Brag Blog

4/24/12

Hello!  I hope you are enjoying this wonderful spring day!

I would like to take this opportunity to update you regarding our staffing positions for next year.  At this time, all of our classroom teachers will be returning in the fall.  We will see a change in our special education department as Ms. Georges and Ms. Heitz move to other schools in the fall and we will have a new instructional coach.  Due to the discontinuation of the looping classroom progression model, approximately 20+ staff members will be displaced and need to move to a different classroom or office area in order to allow us to place grade level teams together.

The following are our classroom assignments for 2012-13:

Kindergarten:  Mrs. Morningstar, Miss Richter, Mrs. Schulzetenberg

First Grade:  Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Gute, Miss Helms, Mrs. Housman, Mrs. Lien, Mrs. Walz

Second Grade:  Miss Bedford, Mrs. Halvorson, Mrs. Hodsdon, Mrs. Levy, Mr. Lund, Mrs. Saba

Third Grade:  Mrs. Buckley, Mrs. Deans, Ms. Goodrich, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Paulson, Mrs. Tollas

Fourth Grade:  Mrs. Ewing, Mr. Gruber, Mrs. Harvey, Ms. Ness, Ms. Sanchez

Fifth Grade:  Mrs. Arellano, Mrs. Drake, Mrs. Kral, Mrs. Otto, Mrs. Provart

Sixth Grade:  Ms. Landers, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Tollefson, Mrs. Wagenman

All other teacher positions will remain the same, as far as we know.

While we will miss those leaving us, we are thankful that our staff family will, for the most part, stay intact for the 2012-13 school year.  I am confident that next year will be our 11th great year together!

Enjoy your day!

Linda

4/18/12

Hello!  Are you thinking about Friday, May 4th and what a great day it will be?  Are you planning to join us as we celebrate Woodland?

On Friday, May 4th at 2:30 PM, our Woodland community is invited to the School of Excellence Celebration.  The festivities will take place in the gym and will be simultaneously broadcast into the cafeteria, so that all can enjoy.  District, local, and state dignitaries have been invited to join us as we celebrate our tenth year together and the accomplishment that comes with being recognized as a Minnesota School of Excellence.

I hope you will join us on May 4th!

Linda

4/9/12

Happy Spring!  Woodland is very lucky to have been accepted into the Minnesota Reading Corps program for the 2012-13 school year.  Please read the recruitment information below and/or share it with anyone you know who may be interested.  It's a great opportunity for a high school graduate wanting to wait a year to go to college or a college graduate not able to find a job and needing to pay school loans.  Plus, a wonderful opportunity to give back to our community and help kids become great readers.  I'd be happy to answer any questions an interested person may have.

Experience life-changing growth!  Become a Minnesota Reading Corps Literacy Tutor!!

You're ready for growth.  Whether you're looking to explore a new career in education, reenter the workforce or simply want to work with kids, you're ready.  So what are you waiting for?  Become a Minnesota Reading Corps literacy tutor at Woodland Elementary School and start creating meaningful growth.

We are looking for one person dedicated to our community.  You can be one of hundreds of trained literacy tutors placed in schools across the state, who guide students toward becoming successful readers by third grade.  Tutors are parents, grandparents, recent high school or college grads, and mid-career professionals.  With Minnesota Reading Corps, you can see real results and make a lasting impact in our students' lives, as well as in your own career.  During your eleven months of service, you'll receive training in proven strategies and support from our on-site Literacy Coach.  You'll not only tutor students who need extra support; you'll also make a meaningful connection with the school and our community. 

In addition to hands-on experience, you'll receive a living allowance of about $500 biweekly (full-time, 40 hours per week), an education award of up to $5,500 and may be eligible to receive health insurance.  All necessary training is provided and no licensure is necessary.

Pass the word on to a friend or family member!  Positions for the 2012-13 program year begin in August.  Learn more and apply at www.MinnesotaReadingCorps.org

Send questions to recruitment@mnedc.org

 

 

4/3/12

Greetings!  I hope you have all had a wonderful spring break!  The weather certainly cooperated during our time off and allowed ample opportunity for the kids to play outside and families to have fun together in the fresh air.  My husband and I enjoyed a trip that included time to relax and play some golf.

Since this is titled a "Brag Blog", I would like to take this opportunity to brag about one of my favorite subjects:  the Woodland staff!!

During the week before spring break, I was fortunate to mentor a fellow educator who is working toward his principal licensure.  On Monday morning I took him through the building and introduced him to teachers and other staff members.  As we went from classroom to classroom, I told him a bit about each teacher, or ESP, and their grade level/work assignment.  About half-way around the building, he stopped me and said how amazed he was at my ability to talk so highly about each teacher and/or staff member.  It struck me (again) how correct he was!  Woodland is so lucky to have a cadre of staff members (licensed and non-licensed) who work tirelessly to implement instructional strategies to positively impact student learning.  I am very lucky to work with them!  Then, before the week was complete, he said that what he was told on Monday was reinforced each day he was here.  He was so impressed by the qualilty of teaching when he visited classrooms, the positive relationships staff members have with children, and the deep tool box of strategies being implemented throughout our school to support student learning.

Then he went on to say that in his effort to "learn as much as possible about elementary education", he felt very fortunate to have been at Woodland.  He considered his experience to be the best possible.  He raved about the fabulous teachers and licensed support staff members, ESPs, kitchen staff members, custodians, and our office staff and the consumate focus on a school culture focused on students.

What a great affirmation and confirmation from a colleague in the field!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This week we are also bragging about:

• Noah Drake, Woodland's student recipient of The District 279 Investment In Youth Recognition!
• CML perfect scores from the March meet:

          Grade 4 – Sanchez Math: Taylor Quan, Abby Whittemore, Nathan Miller, LindyOujiri,
                                                 Tegan MacMurdo, Ebenezer Shupare, Mason Klemm, Nahili Abdullahi,
                                                 Kira Ballentine, Gabby Beberg, Jennie Ehlert, Sydney Masteller, Anika
                                                 Deshpande, Grace Marshalek, Jameson Lee

          Grade 5 – Drake Math:  Alex Maierhofer (has had 4 out of 5 perfect scores this year), Vincent
                                              Kroll, Audrey Krolnik, Blake Loughrey

          Grade 6 – All Landers Math:  Mykeal Hunderson, Henry Hunyh, Grace Lemke, Yejay Lor,
                                                      Diane Nguyen, Shelby Opusunju, Ryan Pederson (has had 3 out of 5
                                                       perfect scores this year), Haneen Salem

We have so much to celebrate at Woodland!!

Enjoy your day!

Linda 

3/2/12

It's March!!  The end of our second trimester is upon us - unbelievable! 

It has been a GREAT year thus far......

• Teachers are collaborating, reviewing achievement data, and sharing best practices to enhance student learning.
• Kids are actively engaged in meaningful learning in every classroom.
• Strong relationships have been built between teachers and students.
• Numerous volunteers have enhanced our work and our school environment.
• Our support staff passionately support student learning and safety throughout the building and on the playground.
• Our 4 year old preschool and Kidstop programs are providing fabulous before and after school care for over 200 kids.
• Our PTA continues to provide excellent learning opportunities for parents and school activities to build community and support student learning.
• Target volunteers work with our kids each week.  Today, they celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with our 4 Star through primary grade classrooms.
• Last week, kids and volunteers made numerous blankets and pillows for the patients at Gillette Children's Hospital.
• Yesterday our third graders sang for senior citizens at Maranantha and St. Therese's senior housing facilities.

I could go on and on!  We are working hard to be sure that every student SOARs and we achieve our district mission to support students as they achieve their dreams, contribute to community, and engage in a lifetime of learning.  It takes a school community to do this well and WE are so lucky to have that school community!

Have a great weekend!

Linda

 

 

2/2/12

Hello!  Happy February!

Our Woodland community needs to celebrate!  For the second year in a row we have been awarded the Post Newspaper's Readers' Choice Awards for "Best Public School" and "Best Parent Group (PTA)"!!  We rock!

What a tremendous honor these awards are for each of us!  Together, we will insure that every student will SOAR as they develop the confidence, courage, and competence to achieve their dreams; contribute to community; and engage in a lifetime of learning.

Thank you for all you do to contribute to this GREAT school!

Linda

1/11/12

 

Happy January!  I hope you are enjoying this break from the normally cold weather of January!  While, personally, I miss the snow and the activities that need snow, I am loving not having to experience the bitter cold we have had in past years.  I am confident the snow will come and I will be able to be out in it!

Here are some recent comments from substitute teachers about Woodland:

"It is a wonderful school to sub at, everyone if very kind."

"Very energetic (in a positive, focused on learning way) and engaged group of students."

"...the teachers are excellent with plans here and the kids are wonderful!"

Couldn't be prouder of this wonderful school community that we have built together!

Have a great day!

Linda

1/4/12

Good Morning!  Happy New Year!

I have some great news to brag about today!!  As we work hard as a school community to help each student at Woodland SOAR (succeed, outshine, achieve at high levels, and reach their highest potential), we need to celebrate evidence of success.  Here is a BIG piece of evidence! 

A team of students representing Woodland recently won highest honors in the WordMasters Challenge – a national language arts competition entered by approximately 220,000 annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the difficult Blue Division of the Challenge, and coached by Mrs. Nicole Ewing, the school’s fourth graders tied for seventh place in the nation in the year’s first meet, held in December, among 698 school teams competing at this grade level and in this division.

Two of the school’s students earned highest honors for individual achievement as well:  Fourth grader Anika Deshpande and fifth grader Amelia Lund both earned perfect scores in the meet, which in the entire country only 62 fourth graders and only 130 fifth graders did so.

Other students who achieved outstanding results in the meet included third graders Amber Prock, Ethan Tran, and Sydney Pollmann; fourth graders Christa Aasare, Owen Douglas, Andrew Mantini, Jacob Prosch, Matthew Seawood, Abigail Whittemore, Kyra Balentine, Jonathan Christianson, Lindy Oujiri, Taylor Quan, Kaylie Toleno, and Sydney Warcken; fifth graders Hayden Audette, Logan Fisher, Corey Hines, Sawyer Hoff, Vincent Kroll, Blake Loughrey, Patrick McArdle, Zoe Vanden Berk, Maya Bidwell, Madison Gute, Anna Heltemes, Kailee Hillman, Nicholas Krolnik, and Andy Sukhram; and sixth graders Emily Anderson, Lyria Gansop, Ryan Peterson, Jake Wulff, Henry Huynh, Diane Nyugen, Skyler Walz, and Matthew Zethren.

The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of logical relationships.  Working to solve the Challenge analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically.  Though most vocabulary-boosting and analogy-solving activities have been created for high school students, the WordMasters materials have been specifically designed for younger students, in grades three through eight.  They are particularly well suited for able and interested children, who rise to the challenge of learning new words and enjoy the logical puzzles posed by analogies.

Congratulations to Mrs. Ewing, the fourth grade teaching team, and the students in Mrs. Ewing's reading class!  Your Woodland community is very proud of you!

Congratulations, also, to all the other third through sixth graders who received special recognition for their achievement in the WordMasters competition!  Many thanks to Mrs. Jennifer Leslie for her coordination of the WordMasters program.

WordMasters is a rigorous program that requires the students to study and apply their knowledge at high levels.  All children who participate in WordMasters, whether they receive recognition or not, are growing in their reading skill level and vocabulary usage!  Congratulations to each of the students participating in the program! 

WE, the Woodland Elementary school community, are working together to help every student SOAR!   This is one more example to show that we are making a difference!

Have a great rest of your week!

Linda

.

12/21/11

Hello!!  I hope this blog finds you happy and healthy and ready for your kids to be home for winter break!

We have started a new tradition at Woodland of celebrating student learning in our weekly staff bulletin.  I'd like to share some of the items we celebrated this week.

• After nine days of competition in the "Sumdog Osseo Area Contest", Woodland was one of the daily winners!
  You can view the full leaderboard here: http://jupiter.sumdog.com/osseo_schools/results  At Woodland, by the tenth day, 187 students had answered 238,189 questions correctly.  Three students had over 15,000 correct answers in 10 days!!
• There were three perfect CML (Continental Math League) scores at Woodland for Meet 2 in December:
  Jacob Prosch (Grade 4); Shelby Opusunju, and Ryan Pederson (Grade 6).  Ryan also had a perfect score on the first meet this year!
• Great work on the first WordMaster vocabulary analogy competitions this month!  WE have an amazing number of students who received scores of 15/20 or better (and that’s fantastic for this challenging test).  Here’s the data:
• Third Grade – 17 students with scores of 15 or higher
• Fourth Grade – 30 students with scores of 15 or higher
• Fifth Grade – 46 students with scores of 15 or higher
• Sixth Grade – 35 students with scores of 15 or higher
• AND  - there’s more!
  Anika Deshpande, fourth grade, and Amelia Lund, fifth grade, achieved PERFECT scores on this challenging test!! 

Great things are happening at Woodland!  Kids are SOARing!

Happy Hanukah!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Kawanza!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Linda

12/14/11

Hello,

As we reach our 10^th year anniversary, we are reflecting on what is best for our students at Woodland.  One area of focus is looping.  Your thoughts and input regarding looping at Woodland are highly valued.  Please take the time to complete the survey that will be emailed to you this week.  We are in the process of collecting data to determine whether looping assists us in increasing student achievement and in implementing the most effective strategies for instruction.  The survey needs to be completed by December 20, 2011.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Parent Looping Survey

Have a great weekend!

Linda