Woodman Elementary School

Woodman is a neighborhood school in a residential community. Woodman students accomplish their academic goals through the efforts of dedicated students and staff, and a supportive community.

Woodman provides half-day pre-kindergarten, all-day kindergarten, before- and after-school program, Title I program, ESOL classes, parent involvement program, a school-wide behavior program (BIST) and a Red Cross Club.

Woodman also provides special education services for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students.

• Winners of the Wichita Public Schools Battle of the Books Competition 2006
• Woodman accomplished the highest gains in reading scores on the Kansas State Assessment in 2006 (41.9 - 89.5%)
• Woodman students narrowed and reversed the achievement gap

Exit Kellogg at Seneca St. Go south on Seneca to Pawnee. Go west on Pawnee to Hiram. Go south on Hiram to Woodman. See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

We the community of Rea Woodman Elementary School will assist all students in learning responsibility, respect and academic skills that will enable them to become productive members of society.

Woodman students will make continuous growth in literacy “Big Five” skills and demonstrate effective communication and writing skills.

Woodman students will make continuous growth in numeracy and demonstrate complex thinking and problem solving skills.   

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 methods that may be employed at the school site to meet these goals and objectives.

Site Council Meeting Day: Second Tuesday of each month school is in session
Time:  6:00 p.m.
Location: Woodman School Library
Chairperson:

• BOE sponsored before- and after-school program to provide care for students.
• Preschool through fifth grade special education services for students in the learning disabilities, mental retardation, behavior disorders, visual impairments, physical impairments, speech/language, and gifted programs.
• School-wide behavior program BIST
• ESOL
• An excellent and diverse teaching and support staff who are dedicated to providing a quality educational experience for all students.

Kindergarten

All-Day Kindergarten

• Strings
• Junior Safety Patrol
• Reading Celebration
• Book Talks with Mrs. Egan
• Walking Club with Mr. Rivero and Ms. Munk
• Battle of the Books
• D.A.R.E.
• Yearbook Club

The 1950s saw a rapid population growth in a southwest section of Wichita called Glenn Village. The children of Glenn Village gave rise to the demand for a school, and hence Rea Woodman Elementary School became a part of the Wichita Public Schools.

The school was named in honor and in memory of a pioneer citizen of Wichita who spoke of herself as a person with an "abounding spirit of adventure." Rea Woodman was an educator, lecturer, historian and a writer of books, poems, plays and essays. Her colorful spirit continues to be mainfested in the school that bears her name.

Rea Woodman School at 2414 South Glenn was opened in January of 1956 with a total enrollment of 283 pupils. It consisted of two office areas, a combination kitchen and workroom, a library, a multipurpose room and 14 classrooms.

The school that appeared to be an adequate educational plant in 1956 rapidly became too small to meet the needs of its growing population, and by 1961 30 portable classrooms had been added. The enrollment had grown from 283 in 1956 to 1,201 in 1961.

In 1957 and for three years following, Rea Woodman School participated in an educational experiment whereby pupils in grades three through six were taught in large groups of 100 or more for part of the time and in small groups for the remainder of the school day.

Because of the rapidly increasing enrollment at both Woodman and the adjoining Truesdell Junior High School, a decision was made in 1960 to construct a new Woodman School at 2500 South Hiram and to connect the original Woodman with Truesdell to make an enlarged junior high school. September 1962 witnessed the opening of the largest elementary school in Kansas. This beautiful brick structure, designed by Architect John Hickman, resembled the form of a "helping hand." Mr. Hickman stated, "...the building resembles the hand; fingers outspread with the palm as the center. Classrooms run the length of the fingers, each for children of close age, ability and grade. All fingers join at the palm, which contains the more specialized spaces appropriate to elementary education."

The building has 44 regular classrooms, a multipurpose room, two libraries and several special rooms. Enrollment reached a mazimum of 1,426 pupils in 1965. However, since that year, the enrollment has gradually decreased. During the late 70s an energy center was housed at Woodman and later moved to the Earhart site.

At the beginning of the 1988-89 year, sixth grade students were incorporated into the middle school program, leaving a PK-5 enrollment of around 775.

During the 1991-92 year Woodman housed the Woodman Open Magnet school in one of the wings. The following year it moved to the old Knight School site and became the Chester I. Lewis Open Magnet Elementary School.

On September 12, 1994 the Board of Education accepted a proposal from the City of Wichita to trade a 20 by 173 foot parcel of property from the northeast corner of the Woodman site to the City for expansion of the fire station. In exchange, the district received a 4,400 square foot concrete basketball/playground pad near the Woodman building.

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.

Woodman received a new addition including a multipurpose room, classrooms and a kitchen. Renovations were also made to the library and special education area. The district contracted architectural firm McCluggage Van Sickle & Perry to design the project. Walz Harmon Huffman Construction Inc. completed the addition and remodel.

The project dedication ceremony was held on February 8, 2005.