Wildcat News - September 24, 2025

Dear Woodward Families,

We’re so excited to welcome all parents and guardians for an evening that brings you right into your student’s school day! Please join us for the Woodward BACK-TO-SCHOOL event on Tuesday, September 30th,  from 6:00-8:00pm.  You’ll get to travel the same path your students do daily through the halls, meet the teachers guiding them this year, and hear about course expectations, projects, and goals. The night kicks off in the Commons with an introduction to our school, then you’ll head off on your own “mini school day”.

On BACK-TO-SCHOOL DAY, ask your student for the  hard copy of their schedule for you to follow that evening. They will create this schedule in their 6th period classes to give to you when they get home.  

This is a great opportunity to connect with staff, get a true feel for your student’s experience, and see what’s ahead for the year. Please note—this event is just for parents and guardians. We hope to see you there!  

Note for new BISD families: If you are new to BISD this year, please join us in the Woodward library at 5:30 before the Open House begins. 

See you Tuesday evening!

Jeannie Donoghue

WMS Principal

What I’m reading now: 

Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg

Fall Referral Window: September 29–October 10, 2025

BISD’s Highly Capable (HC) referrals are welcome during our fall window for students new to our district (since February 2025) in grades 1–11. (Referrals for Kindergarten and currently enrolled BISD students will open during our spring window.)

If you’d like your student considered for HC services, please visit our BISD Highly Capable page for the timeline, program details, and the referral form.

Please complete the BISD referral and email documentation (e.g., assessment scores, grades, placement letters) to Whitney Skarbek at wskarbek@bisd303.org.

Deadline: Submit the referral (and any supporting documents, if applicable) by end of day Friday, October 10, 2025.

Questions or need assistance? Contact Whitney Skarbek at wskarbek@bisd303.org.

It’s time to see those smiles! Picture Day photos are ready to view and order online. If your photo isn’t quite perfect, retakes are coming up on Wednesday, October 8.

View and order at https://shop.jostenspix.com/login

Students thrive with uninterrupted school days, but we understand that sometimes midday appointments are unavoidable. At Woodward, we’ve made early pick-ups simple by following one of these options:

We’ll send a note to your student's classroom and they will sign out at the Attendance Office to meet you by the flag pole. When returning, they will enter in through the Front Office and sign back in at the Attendance Office.

Visit our Attendance Webpage for additional details.

As part of our ongoing commitment to student well-being and belonging, we will be administering the Character Strong Youth Needs Screener to students in grades 6–12.

This screener—along with teacher input and other data (e.g., attendance)—helps us better understand students' social-emotional well-being and determine if additional support may be helpful. It also allows us to assess the effectiveness of our Tier 1 Social-Emotional and Behavioral (SEB) supports within our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

The screener consists of 16 questions related to internalizing behaviors (e.g., “I feel worthless or lonely when I am around other people”) and self-identified strengths (e.g., “I am able to establish relationships with others”). Students respond on a scale from 1 (Almost Never) to 4 (Almost Always). Please note: this is not a diagnostic tool—it is intended to identify general trends and needs to ensure students receive the right level of support.

A team of district and school administrators and counselors will review the results and may implement school-wide, group, or individual interventions as needed. If your student is identified as potentially benefiting from group or individual support, you will receive a follow-up letter with the option to opt out.

The survey is scheduled to take place on October 13. If you do not want your child to participate, please print, sign and return the Youth Needs Screener Opt-Out Form to your child’s counselor by October 6th.

Sue Constan (7th Grade) - sconstan@bisd303.org

Patti Beer (8th Grade) - pbeer@bisd303.org

Thank you for your continued support!

We're excited to share some PTO volunteer opportunities happening this year at WMS! If you'd like to learn more, please fill out the quick "Volunteer Interest Form" at the link below. Here's a list of fun, upcoming PTO events: 

Thank you for considering volunteering & we're looking forward to a wonderful year!  

-Erin Toner & Claire Plehal

Volunteer Coordinators

Woodward PTO 

If you're looking for ways to contribute to the school but don't have the ability to volunteer your time, check out the PTO run school Wishlist for some items that range from classroom necessities to student incentives.

Thank you for your support!

As the school year kicks off, we love seeing students back together, learning, and reconnecting—but all those happy reunions can also bring along the spread of unwanted germs.

While we know students don’t want to miss a day of learning, it’s important to know when to stay home and rest.

Please take a moment to look over the reference guide for helpful tips on when to keep your child home so we can all do our part to keep everyone well and our school days running smoothly!

Monday: Early Release/ Seminar Schedule - 9:00AM - 2:00PM

Tuesday-Friday: Regular Schedule - 9:00AM - 3:30PM

24: Home Softball Game - 4:00 at BHS

30: Open House for Parents/ Guardians 6:00-8:00pm

1: Home Softball Game - 4:00 @ BHS

1: Home Track Meet - 4:00 @ WMS

6: Home Track Meet - 3:30 @ WMS

8: Picture Retakes

9: School Board Meeting - 5:45 @ BISD Board Room

15: Home Softball Game - 4:00 @ BHS

17: Home Track Meet - 4:00 @ WMS

21: Home Softball Game - 4:00 @ BHS

22: PTO Meeting - 6:00pm @ WMS

24: Fallapalooza

30: School Board Meeting - 5:45 @ BISD Board Room