Woodland Health and Wellness Magnet Elementary

Welcome to Woodland Health and Wellness Magnet ElementarySchool…
where developing Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids is our main focus!

      "He who has health, has hope, and he who has hope, has everything."
                                                                                  Arabian Proverb

Woodland Health and Wellness Magnet provides the optimum learning environment for basic and enrichment learning through an integrated curriculum with an emphasis on "Health and Wellness."

Here at Woodland, we strive to stimulate a sound mind and body, concentrating on the “Total Child.” With a strong emphasis on academics, Woodland also emphasizes “Health and Wellness.” Integrating character education, physical fitness, mental well-being, cooperative learning, behavior standards and intellectual problem solving allows for an optimum learning environment for basic and enrichment learning!

Each nine weeks has a fun and exciting theme that is centered around our Health and Wellness curriculum objectives. Teachers integrate the theme and objectives into all academic areas (reading, writing, math, science, social studies, PE, music, art and library). Examples include Health Fairs, Food Fairs, Bicycle Safety Clinics, All-School Field Trips, school-wide assemblies and guest speakers from local health and wellness organizations.

A variety of teaching styles are used at Woodland to best meet individual students' needs: teacher directed activities, cooperative learning groups, learning centers, student directed activities, individualized learning times and small group interventions activities. In addition to focusing on the "Total Child," we also encourage parent and family involvement. Our Parent Involvement Team coordinates several Parent and Family activities throughout the school year. These fun-filled educational evenings offer parents and families an opportunity to come up to the school and participate in learning activites. Families are then provided resources tothey can continue the learning at home!

Woodland has many other exciting programs available in and out of the classroom. Prospective students and parents are invited to drop in any time for a visit and to experience:

Happy, Healthy Kids getting smarter everyday!

Catch the Woodland Spirit!

"He who has health, has hope, and he who has hope, has everything."

Magnet school applications are available at any Wichita public school. Your interest is appreciated!

To visit our school's Web site, please click here:
http://woodland.usd259.org/

Woodland is currently in a Reading First grant. This grant is a focused reading program that uses proven teaching methods that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. This grant provides two additional staff members: a Literacy Coach and an Assessment Specialist.

We are entering the third year of our Eat Exercise Excel Program (also known as EEE) which is a multi-faceted wellness program sponsored and co-funded by the KSDE and the local participating schools. The focus is on improving students' nutritional wellbeing and increase their physical activity. This is a three-year, $23,565 per year program, in which the KSDE provides 75% funding during the first year and 25% less each of the following years. All components of the program were implemented at Woodland during the 2007-2008 school year:

1. Education about the program components - Teachers and other stakeholders were educated about the importance and value of each program component.
2. Daily Structured Activity - Students are participating in 40 minutes of daily Structured Activity in place of the regular recess periods. Daily Structured Activity does not replace currently scheduled Physical Education time.
3. Individual Water Bottles - Students receive an individual water bottle for their use throughout the day for hydration.
4. Multi-vitamin Tablets - Students that have written parental consent receive 100% all natural daily multi-vitamin tablets.
5. Lunch with the Teacher - Students eat lunch with their teacher in the classroom.

Exit I-135 at 13^th St. Go west on 13^th to Salina St. Go north on Salina to Woodland. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

The mission of Woodland Health and Wellness is to value all students and provide a safe and caring environment for education that embraces our core belief: "All children can and will learn," when taught with effective instructional strategies and when staff, parents and community work in unison to support high expectations for all students.

1. All students will increase their use of problem solving and critical thinking skills through mathematics and science.
2. All students will develop reading decoding and comprehension skills.
3. All students will develop effective written and oral communication at grade level or above.   

Each school has a site council, which is a group of parents, community members, business representatives, teachers and other school staff. Site councils identify, consider and discuss educational problems and issues at the school. Councils provide advice and counsel for evaluating state, school district and school site performance goals and objectives. Councils may also recommend strategies that may be employed at the school site to meet these goals and objectives. 

The Woodland Site Council facilitates school improvement through shared decision-making, keeping the focus on the students and student achievement. This includes working with the community to continue to promote health and wellness.

Meeting Day:  Second Wednesday of each month (excluding December and March)
Time:  5:15 p.m.
Location:  Library

• YMCA AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM for all students 1st through 5th grade. Students attend the YMCA after school on Mondays to participate in recreational Health and Wellness activities.
• YMCA SPLASH PROGRAM for all 2nd graders. Students attend the YMCA once a week during the school day to participate in swimming lessons.
• TECHNOLOGY/COMPUTERS are in every classroom to assist students in their learning.  Students use the Internet to investigate and research. Third, fourth and fifth grade students write, report and present information using laptop computers. At the present time we have 1 laptop for every two students in these grades.
• Our PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM is outstanding. At Woodland, students learn to develop fitness skills cooperatively rather than competitively with a program that stresses basic development. Our full-time Physical Education Specialist/Wellness Coordinator teaches students to enjoy the FUNdamentals of fitness as they develop through their grade school years. Students come to understand that “Health and Wellness” is a way of life that affects all activities.
• BEFORE- AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM is available for working parents. Woodland offers a free breakfast program. Lunch is also available for a small fee. The breakfast and lunch programs emphasize good nutrition.

Additional Programs at Woodland include:

• All-day kindergarten
• Problem solving through Activities Integrating Math and Science (AIMS)
• All-school Field Trips
• National Head Smart Brain Injury Association School
• Accelerated Reading Program for reading comprehension
• Active Parent-Teacher Association
• Strong classroom teachers focusing on academics
• Community Service opportunities for students

Woodland has many student-centered events, including vocal and instrumental music programs, Super Kids Day (a variety of field events), All-School Field Trip, All-School Sedgwick County Park Walk, United Way campaign, Red Ribbon Week, Fifth Grade Transition, Student Technology Leadership, Woodland Go Zones after school tutoring, Splash YMCA Program for 2^nd grade, and Safety Patrol to name a few.

Woodland Elementary School first opened in 1889 with 20 pupils enrolled in grades one through four. The one-room frame building was located on a 140' x 200' lot at the corner of 16th Street and Salina. In 1893, the one-room building was moved to the Fairmount grounds, and Woodland pupils attended Irving School at 16th Street and Market.

In September 1907, a one-room building was moved to the original grounds and the Board of Education voted to name the school between the rivers Woodland. A second room was added in 1908 and a third room in 1910.

In 1915, Woodland patrons petitioned for a new four-room brick building, but it was not until 1919 that the three-room wooden structure was replaced with a four-room brick structure. In June 1921, an addition of two rooms was made. In 1928, the Board of Education voted to modernize Woodland School by connecting to the sewer and adding water services and toilet facilities.

The influx of people into Wichita at the beginning of World War II made it necessary to build a six-room addition to the school with 75 percent of the cost being borne by the Federal Works Agency. Upon completion in April 1943, the addition was immediately occupied.

In 1948, a health room was added upstairs, and in 1949, two classrooms were added. Enrollment continued to increase, and five classrooms were added to the north side in 1950.

By 1952-53, there was a need for more space. Enrollment had reached 664 pupils. Fifth and sixth grade classes were held at John Marshall Intermediate School until November of 1954 when four portable classrooms were moved to Woodland. Fire escapes were also added to the building as an added safety measure.

In 1964, enrollment had decreased to 460 pupils. At that time, two portables were moved from the grounds and two classes for the educable mentally handicapped were added to the program.

During the summer of 1967, two classrooms were converted into a library to provide adequate library facilities. In 1967, the upper EMH class was moved to Cloud School, and in 1969, the lower EMH class was moved. In 1976, the building was extensively renovated using funds from the bond election of 1974.

From 1987 to 1991, Woodland shared a principal with Riverside Elementary. At the beginning of the 1988-89 year, sixth grade students were incorporated into the middle school program and enrollment averaged 220.

Beginning in the fall of 1992, Woodland became a health and wellness magnet school and enrollment has stabilized around 300.

In April 2000, the voters of the Wichita School District approved a $284.5 million bond issue. The projects began in the fall of 2000 and were completed over the next five years. The plan built 19 multipurpose rooms, upgraded science labs, replaced portable classrooms with permanent construction, improved handicap accessibility to all buildings, rebuilt five existing elementary schools, added a new elementary and middle school, expanded seven other elementary schools and provided nine new libraries as well as the expansion of nine others. Building infrastructure in 82 buildings was also upgraded, including the replacement of antiquated plumbing, updates and expansion of electrical systems, replacement of inefficient or broken windows and doors, upgrades of heating and cooling systems, and asbestos abatement when required.

With the help of architectural firm Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey and construction company Wiens & Company, Woodland received a new addition, including a multipurpose room, kitchen and two classrooms. The 2nd floor restrooms were also renovated.

The Bond project celebration was held August 18, 2005.