1705 Salina Wichita, Kansas 67220             Telephone 316-973-0100                   Fax 316-973-0110

Welcome to Woodland Elementary!

Home of the Woodland Warriors

Thank you for expressing an interest in Woodland Health and Wellness. We are excited about the progress we have made in developing Happy, Healthy Kids at Woodland.

Since 1989 Woodland has had a strong emphasis on academics, and as a relatively small school (about 250 enrollment), it is not unusual to see parents and even grandparents who attended Woodland in their grade school years. It is this same emphasis that now supports integration of academic areas (math, reading, science, social studies, etc.) into nine-week teaching units centered around our health and wellness curriculum objectives. We still focus strongly on academics, but we encompass behavior standards, physical fitness and wellness, and cooperative learning as well. In short, we focus on the "Total Child."

"We’re Off to a Healthy Start" was the title for one of our nine-week teaching units. Focusing on 'Health and Wellness', Woodland teachers brainstorm ideas for developing integrated teaching units centered on the district's ten health areas. Then, to help develop special activities for these unit themes, classroom teachers meet together to share teaching ideas. Our teachers have the freedom to work with a variety of teaching styles that best fit the learning environment - teacher directed, cooperative learning groups, activity centers, student directed activities, individualized learning times, and group activities. We believe that learning is increased when teaching occurs in integrated units rather than in isolation. Woodland also encourages parent involvement, but we realize that learning may be better done at home (helping with homework or reading) on a one-to-one basis.

Each nine-week unit culminates in special activities for our students. Examples include a Health Day featuring several speaker booths to increase understanding of health, a Food Fair where students can taste samples from the different food groups, and a Health Fair in which students develop classroom projects to display. Special speakers from area health organizations and the Kansas Health Foundation also provide and participate in activities and school field trips to reinforce learning.

Photo Gallery

	Fifth graders learn about car safety from Sergeant Warner of the Kansas State Highway Patrol. Safety is just one part of our students overall education in health and wellness at Woodland Elementary.
	A group of primary students enjoy exercising in the Moonwalk during the All-School Field Trip.  This seems to be one of their favorite types of exercise.
	Intermediate students enjoy listening to Rob Simon before enjoying lunch during the All-School Field Trip at the Central Riverside Park.  The entire school spends the day going through center rotations where different sponsors present engaging health & wellness activities for the students' fun and enjoyment. Rob Simon's program emphasizes character education, staying drug free, and self-esteem.  The students and teachers really enjoy it.
	Students stop for a water break during the school's  annual Sedgwick County Park Walk.  Our Partners in Education, the Kansas Health Foundation, join us on the 3 mile hike strengthening our partnership and also providing plenty of bottled water along the way. They also form a deeper friendship with the students they tutor throughout the year.  We can't thank them enough for all they do for our school and students.