In this Edition Health & Safety
Around Woodlands
Global Education
From the Development Office
WAPA
A Reflection from Associate Head of School Dear Woodlands Families,
On October 19, we will celebrate the Feast of Mater Admirabilis, a traditional celebration for Sacred Heart schools everywhere. Woodlands celebrates Mater with a special tribute to the sophomore class. During this prayer service, the community honors the sophomores as they grow more deeply into the family of the Sacred Heart. The sophomores plan and execute a beautiful ceremony during which they receive Mater medals that symbolize the call to be resilient, innovative young women who base their lives on the values of the Sacred Heart. Although not required, many choose to wear pink on the Mater celebration day. Below please find the story of Mater.
According to a Sacred Heart legend, a young nun, Pauline Perdrau, of the Trinita Dei Monti convent in Rome, asked her Reverend Mother for permission to paint a portrait of Our Lady on the convent's corridor wall. She created a picture of Mary seated with a bible, a distaff, and a lily, with an open cloister in the background. However, when the fresco was finished, it was hideous and not fit to look at. The colors seemed harsh and jarring. All agreed that the painting should be hidden. They debated on how to proceed and decided that a tapestry should be hung in front of the picture of Mary. Two years later, on October 20, 1846, the Pope visited the convent. He noticed the tapestry and asked to see the fresco. When the tapestry was removed, the Pope exclaimed, "Mater Admirabilis!" which means "Mother Most Admirable." The harsh colors had mellowed, transforming into a magnificent portrait of Our Lady. You can still see this exquisite fresco today in the chapel at the top of the Spanish steps in Rome.
Every Sacred Heart school has a statue or painting of Mater in a place of prominence. Woodlands' statue is located in the vestibule of the four-hundred wing and has a special history. St. Madeleine Sophie Barat gave it as a gift to the Sacred Heart school in St. Joseph, Missouri, upon its opening in the mid-1800s. Woodlands Academy received this statue as a gift from the school in St. Joseph when it closed many years ago. I invite each of you to stop by and look at her next time you are on campus. The month of October is an exciting time for our sophomores as they organize the Mater ceremony and as the community anticipates honoring our sophomores.
Marie-Therese de Lescure, RSCJ Ninth Provincial of the Society of the Sacred Heart
Sincerely, Chris Schmidt Associate Head of School Looking Ahead Next Week
Upcoming
Health & Safety Reporting Suspected or a Positive COVID case The health and safety of every member of the Woodlands community is our first priority. Following the IDPH guidelines, anyone exhibiting COVID-like symptoms must stay home. Thank you in advance to those families who have proactively and transparently shared the testing status of their daughter and members of their family. It is vital that parents/guardians report any illness and COVID test results positive or negative with the school. All information can be shared at COVID19@woodlandsacademy.org or by leaving a message at the attendance line 847-234-4300. All student medical information is confidential and will only be shared with those who need to know. Families will be notified if Woodlands has an exposure or positive case of COVID-19 on campus. COVID-19 Protocols and Procedures As the pandemic evolves, Woodlands will actively maintain COVID-19 protocols to provide the safest and healthiest school environment possible. Please refer to our recent communications to see details about our safety policies:
August 11 - COVID-19 protocols August 20 - Additional COVID-19 policies under the Health & Safety section October FAN Webinars:
Baby, Unplugged: One Mother's Search for Balance, Reason, and Sanity in the Digital Age featuring Sophie Brickman in conversation with Joy Hurd: Tuesday, October 12, from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Click here to register and learn more details.
Music Is History: An Evening with Questlove: Thursday, October 14, from 8:00 - 9:00 pm. Click here to register and learn more details.
Unprotected: An Evening with Billy Porter: Thursday, October 21, from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Click here to register and learn more details.
Around Woodlands Junior Parent/Guardian College Night Hello Junior Families! Please click on this link to find more details regarding our Fall College Night for Juniors on Thursday, October 14, from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Please read an introduction from our new Director of College Counseling, Jessica Rosenberg and make sure to RSVP by Friday, October 11. We look forward to seeing you. Safety Drill Woodlands Academy's priority is to provide a safe environment for all students, faculty, staff, and community members. As required by Illinois law, all schools must conduct a law enforcement lockdown drill to address a school shooting incident each school year Illinois School Safety Drill Act (105 ILCS 128/20). Also required by Illinois state law, schools must provide sufficient information and notification to parents and guardians in advance of any lockdown drill involving students' participation. We will conduct our drill on the morning of Tuesday, October 12. Schools must also provide parents and guardians an opportunity to exempt their child for any reason from participating in the walk-through lockdown drill. If you wish your daughter to be exempt from the law enforcement lockdown drill, please contact Dean Kusevskis. If your child is exempted from the drill - the school must provide alternative safety education and instruction related to an active threat or active shooter event to students who do not participate in the walk-through lockdown drill to provide them with essential information, training, and instruction. Thank you for your support in providing a safe learning environment for our community. October 13 Testing Day Please read the attached letter for more specific information. Senior Portrait Week Will begin Tuesday, October 12 through Friday, October 22. Students will be emailed more information regarding scheduling appointments and options. BONDfire WACOR invites all students to a fall festival on Friday, October 15, from 5:30 - 9 pm. It's a great opportunity for students to destress and celebrate the fall season with the community. We would love to have all students there! Please RSVP for the event with the following link BONDfire RSVP. If you have any questions, please have students contact their WACOR officers or representatives. Daughter- Father Figure Outing The Father's Club Fall Event will be at the K1 Go Kart in Buffalo Grove on Sunday, October 17, from 4 - 6:30pm. Please RSVP using this link Daughter-Father Figure Outing. Mater Ceremony In Chapel on Tuesday, October 19 at 1:45 pm the sophomore class will have a special day. All sophomores will receive their Mater Medal at the ceremony that celebrates the Sacred Heart tradition of Mater Admirabilis (Mother Most Admirable). This tradition was inspired by a fresco of the Virgin Mary as a young woman. Woodlands Academy established the Mater Medal Ceremony to honor our sophomores and bring them to a deeper understanding of the heritage and traditions of Sacred Heart education. We look forward to welcoming Sophomore families to this ceremony and reception. Please refer to this invite for further details! Lake County STEM Scholars: Congratulations to Natalie Vela '23 and Karishma Bhatara '24 for being selected to join Congressman Schneider's STEM Scholars program!
Performing Arts Upcoming Events: Kaleidoscope Mr. Terry's Wedding Dress Rehearsal Friday, October 15 4 pm-5 pm Wedding Saturday, October 16: 12 pm Rehearsal and 1 pm Wedding (Dismissal by 2:30 pm at the latest)
For details on our ensembles and musical offerings at Woodlands, visit Performing Arts at Woodlands Academy or reach out to our Music Director, Jesse Borower, with any questions. Trunk or Treat! Come one come all to Woodlands' first-ever Trunk or Treat Extravaganza on Friday, October 29 at 3:15 - 4:15 pm!!! Treaters will be able to go from car to car to get a surprise treat from Woodlands' faculty, staff, alumnae, current students and parents! It will be a great time to explore part of the campus and meet our incredible community. This event is for all ages! No RSVP required, and this is a rain or shine event! If you'd like to volunteer or for more information, please email admissions@woodlandsacademy.org.
Around Woodlands Global Education Global Odyssey 2022! It has been exciting times in the Global Studies office as we recently announced our Global Odyssey 2022 program. Our theme, Origins, has helped connect the program to our curriculum and will foster deep and meaningful collaboration amongst the students. In addition to 6 exciting on-campus classes, we are offering three group trips: Alaska, Greece, and Ecuador/Galapagos, and we hosted three parent information sessions earlier this week. You can view the linked recordings for the Greece Information Session, Alaska Information Session and Galapagos Information Session using the password: wildc@ts2021. Parents are strongly encouraged to review important information on the Global Odyssey Blackbaud page, which includes application deadlines. All families must review this Information Packet before deciding to send students on a trip. Students will be able to sign up for their preferred trip or class beginning next week, but they should not sign up for a trip until they have had a conversation with parents about the responsibilities associated with each trip. Families can contact Jessica Campbell for any additional questions.
From the Development Office Dollars for Donuts Announcing the Dollars for Donuts Woodlands Fund Contest!
By now, you've received your letter asking for your support of the Woodlands Fund, our annual operating fund. Today, we are asking all our families to help us reach 100% Current Parent participation. To put some FUN in this year's fundraising campaign, the class that gets 100% participation (or as close to it) will win a visit from a donut truck during lunch on Wednesday, October 27, for every student in that class and their advisors.
We ask every member of our community to participate in the Woodlands Fund. That means our Faculty and Staff, Board of Trustees, Alumnae, Past Parents, Past Faculty, and - those who benefit from it the most - our Families. Donations must be made by Tuesday, October 26 at Noon! We will announce the winning class later that afternoon. Thank you so much for your generosity and support! Click here to give!
WAPA WAPA Meeting Thank you to those of you who joined us for breakfast, homeroom in chapel, and the WAPA meeting on Wednesday! Please mark your calendars for our next WAPA meeting on Wednesday, November 3, at 8:30 am in the Large Conference Room or online via Zoom (link forthcoming). We hope to see you there! Congé Congé is the name of our annual fundraising gala, which will take place at the Glen View Club on February 26, 2022. As we prepare for a wonderful evening together, we are looking for silent and live auction items, and we need your help!
If you would like to donate an item to the Congé auction, click here to complete the auction item form and email it to Sarah Hindman. Here are some of our auction wish list items this year:
Thank you in advance for helping us make this our best event yet! "Mondays with Mary" To recognize October as the month of the Rosary and to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, we invite all to pray the Rosary together. Join us for "Mondays with Mary'' on October 18 and October 25 from 11:35 am - 12:05 pm in the Chapel. Bring your Rosary, and we will also have beads available to borrow. Additionally, we are in need of volunteers to lead a decade of prayers. Please check the morning announcements for a prayer leader sign-up sheet in the coming weeks.
How immense God's love is! It will call for boundless self-giving on your part.
-St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, RSCJ |