Health & Safety - COVID Handbook Updates
- Class Schedule
- Train Transportation
- Marking Period 3 Remote Learning
Parents Connecting Around Woodlands - Cocurricular Update
- Wildcat Day Schedule
- Spring Musical Auditions
- College Counseling News
- ACT Dates for Juniors
- C-Suite Speaker
Global Information - Global Conversations
- Kenya Virtual Exchange
- Sacred Heart Global Academy
A Note from the Head of School Dear Woodlands Families, Yesterday, in a letter to the students, I shared my feelings and reactions to the frightening and historic day on Wednesday, January 6. I shared with them that the violent protest that interrupted the election certification left me feeling confused, shocked, and disappointed. I also shared my pride in each of them at their resilience to the events of the past year. The Provincial Team of the United States and Canada province summed it up well in a statement made yesterday: "In our increasingly divided nation, we renew our commitment to the common good and pledge to take up the challenge to use our energy to repair our democracy and contribute to the work of building a more perfect union. We invite all people of good will to join us and we call on our elected leaders to point the way." In times like these, I am so honored and humbled to have the Sacred Heart mission to guide us. It is in our most challenging moments that the wisdom of the Goals and Criteria guide us most clearly. St. Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart during war, civil unrest, and plague. What she knew in her heart, with great clarity, is that God is loving and that His love shines through each of our students. That love is what calls us to rely on one another in good times and bad; to strive always to improve the world in any way we can. I feel such peace knowing that our students are the future leaders of their generation and our world. Know that the adults of Woodlands Academy care deeply for their students and are here to support them through yet another challenging event. We have been in constant conversation about how to best support the student body in processing this week's events. Please encourage your daughter(s) to reach out to teachers, advisors, club moderators if she wishes to have additional spaces to discuss these events. Additionally, please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you find your daughter in need of extra support or a check in. At the end of the Wildcat Connection, please find a prayer adapted from one penned by Sr. Joan Chittester. I found it particularly inspiring this week. Know that we will weather this storm together and that I count each one of our students, and you, their parents/guardians, among my reasons for hope.
Sincerely, Meg Steele Head of School Upcoming - January 11 at 3 p.m. Parent Wildchat
- January 13 Wildcat Day. Details below.
- January 18 MLK Day. School closed.
- January 19 In-Person learning resumes.
- January 25 at 11:10 a.m. C-Suite Speaker
- January 27 Open Hearts Day
- January 28 at 6:00 p.m. Sophomore College Night
Preliminary Dates for 2021-22 School Year - August 9 Fall Sports Try-Outs begin
- August 24 (Tuesday) Semester I classes begin
- November 19 Dismiss for Thanksgiving break at 3:00 pm
- November 29 Classes resume
- December 17 Dismiss for Christmas break at 11:30 am
- January 4 (Tuesday) Semester II classes begin
- February 17 Winter Break at 3:00 pm
- February 22 Classes resume
- March 18 Dismiss for Spring break at 3:00 pm
- April 4 Classes resume
- April 14 Dismiss for Easter Weekend at 3:00 pm
- April 18 Classes resume
- June 2 Graduation (pending the release of the AP exam schedule)
Dates are subject to change. Health & Safety & Second Semester Updates COVID Handbook Updates Please note that this Handbook has been updated for the spring semester, most notably including: new travel and quarantine policies, and an update to the daily class schedule to include advisory in the morning. Travel & Quarantine Expectations - For any student visiting a college or university or traveling to another state or country, the school requires a 14-day quarantine before returning to campus. Students may engage in remote learning during the quarantine period.
- For any student who engages in high risk activities such as attending a party or travel, the school requires a 14-day quarantine before returning to campus. Students may engage in remote learning during the quarantine period.
- Students and staff exhibiting one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms are considered suspect cases and should be immediately isolated, and evaluated.
Train Transportation -
Due to social distancing requirements, Woodlands Academy has contracted with Olson Transportation to provide our shuttle services for this school year. Shuttle seats are issued on a first come first served basis upon completion of the Required Student Form. -
A 7:35 a.m. and 8:35 a.m. shuttle to Woodlands from Fort Sheridan Station servicing the UPN Metra line will be available every school day. The after school shuttle to Fort Sheridan will depart Woodlands at 3:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on school days. 2:15 and 5:15 pm on Wednesdays. -
A 7:35 a.m. or 8:05 a.m. shuttle between Woodlands the West Lake Forest Station will be available by reservation each weekday morning, and 3:15 p.m. shuttle will be available in the afternoon Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. A 2:15 p.m. shuttle will be available on Wednesdays to accommodate the early 2:00 p.m. dismissal. Remote Learning - Marking Period 3 Woodlands Academy is committed to meeting the needs of all of its students. The administration recognizes that not all families feel comfortable with students returning to in-person learning. Therefore, we will continue to offer families the option for at-home learning, taking advantage of the newly installed classroom technology. Families that elect this option must do so for the entire second marking period through March 12, the end of the third marking period. Students who have chosen remote learning in the first semester must sign up again to continue at-home learning during the third marking period. Students who are learning remotely can still participate in co-curricular clubs, activities, and athletics. To sign up for this option, please fill out this form by Wednesday, January 13. Wildchat Monday, January 11 at 3:00 You are invited to join a conversation with Mrs. Tami Rocha and Mrs. Kathy Fivelson from our advancement office about the exciting and virtual February 20 Congé event. Find out what is in store for attendees as they come together at this gala in support of Woodlands students. Also present next Monday will be Dean of Students Emma Hindman to discuss second semester structure and topics related to student activities. They hope to see you in this kick-off to 2021! Join Zoom Meeting Co-Curricular Updates for Second Semester Upcoming Wildcat Day - Wednesday, January 13 - 10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - MANDATORY Advisory Check-In Meeting - Students will virtually connect with their advisor for a short check-in meeting. Students should contact their advisor if they do not know how to access the call.
- 11:00 a.m.- WACOR PowerPoint Event - Inspired by the recent TikTok trend, members of the community are invited to choose and present on a topic they are passionate about with others in attendance.
- 1:00 p.m. - Global Conversations with Sachi Shah - Sachi will be sharing her experiences as a third-culture kid, coming to the United States for college, and her expertise as an arts and entrepreneur student. You can learn more about her art through her website https://www.sachishah.com/. Students can read her full bio and sign up using this link.
Spring Musical: The Addams Family Auditions This year's musical will be presented as a prerecorded video production on March 12 & 13. It will be rehearsed and recorded utilizing both live and remote elements as needed. (Rehearsals Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school.) The musical calls for a total of 10 main characters and a limitless cast of delightfully quirky ancestors. Auditions took place yesterday and today, and will continue on the 11th and 12th. Check the daily announcements for more information or contact Mrs. Adamczyk. College Counseling Notes - Anticipating the College Search, a program for sophomores and their parents, is scheduled for Thursday, January 28, from 6:00 – 7:00 P.M on Zoom (click here for the link). This program serves as a kickoff to the college planning process. We will also discuss SCOIR, a comprehensive college search website, at this program. Once students have accessed their accounts, they will be able to verify personal data (e.g. grade point average, test scores, email address, etc.), research colleges, compare their personal data to actual historical data from our school, find out which colleges are visiting Woodlands Academy, indicate interest to attend those sessions, and much more. Please plan to attend this important program.
- Our Junior College Skills class kicks off next week!
- Just a reminder: Mr. Ford is available to all students and families for any college-related questions at any time - please email him mford@woodlandsacademy.org with any questions or to schedule a time to meet.
ACT for Juniors Woodlands Academy is administering the ACT three times during the second semester on campus. These tests are open for our junior students only on the following dates: - Saturday, 2/6/2021 (Registration Deadline is TODAY 1/8/2021)
- Saturday, 4/17/2021 (Registration Deadline is 3/12/2021)
- Saturday, 6/12/2021 (Registration Deadline is 5/7/2021)
Registration information was emailed to all juniors earlier this week and is available to parents/guardians upon request. Please contact Mr. Rocco Gargiulo, Mrs. Patty Drummond, or Mr. Mike Ford with any questions. Upcoming C-Suite Speaker On January 25 at 11:10 a.m. we will welcome Ms. Grier Wilt as our next speaker for the Imagine Yourself in the C-Suite program. Ms. Wilt is the Deputy Director of NASA's Operations in Star City, Russia, overseeing all NASA astronaut training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Prior to her current role, Ms. Wilt worked as a spacewalk engineer at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. In this capacity, she served as an ExtraVehicular Activities Task Instructor and Flight Controller, training astronauts for spacewalk missions aboard the International Space Station. A link to the event will be shared in next week's Wildcat Connection. Read Ms. Wilt's full biography The Center for Global Studies is excited to announce some upcoming virtual opportunities for students:
- Global Conversations with Sachi Shah (January 13th at 1:00pm) - Sachi will be sharing her experiences as a third-culture kid, coming to the United States for college, and her expertise as an arts and entrepreneur student. You can learn more about her art through her website https://www.sachishah.com/. Students can read her full bio and sign up using this link.
- Kibera Girls School Virtual Exchange - Woodlands hopes to partner with Kibera Girls Soccer Academy in Nairobi, Kenya for a multi-week exchange. Interested students will meet virtually with students from this school to learn about sustainable development, female empowerment and more! Interested students should email Ms. Campbell for more information (jcampbell@woodlandsacademy.org ). Spots are limited!
- Sacred Heart Global Academy - Registration is now open for our second semester of SHGA. Woodlands continues to partner with Forest Ridge to offer these classes to our international and domestic students. Classes are for-credit, with synchronous evening sessions. Please contact Ms. Campbell with any questions.
Prayer for world peace Great God, who has told us Vengeance is mine, save us from ourselves, save us from the vengeance in our hearts and the acid in our souls. Save us from our desire to hurt as we have been hurt, to punish as we have been punished, to terrorize as we have been terrorized. Give us the strength it takes to listen rather than to judge, to trust rather than to fear, to try again and again to make peace even when peace eludes us. We ask, O God, for the grace to be our best selves. We ask for the vision to be builders of the human community rather than its destroyers. We ask for the humility as a people to understand the fears and hopes of other peoples. We ask for the love it takes to bequeath to the children of the world to come more than the failures of our own making. We ask for the heart it takes to care for all the peoples of the world, as well as for ourselves. Give us the depth of soul, O God, to constrain our might, to resist the temptations of power, to refuse to attack the attackable, to understand that vengeance begets violence, and to bring peace - not war - wherever we go. For You, O God, have been merciful to us. For You, O God, have been patient with us. For You, O God, have been gracious to us. And so may we be merciful and patient and gracious and trusting with these others whom you also love. This we ask through, Jesus the one without vengeance in his heart. This we ask forever and ever. Amen. Joan Chittister, OSB |