We’re ready for another amazing school year - A welcome message from Superintendent Mike Moan

The start of a new school year has always been my favorite time of year. I love the excitement of starting a new adventure and anticipate the great moments ahead for our students, staff and families.

From kindergarteners and parents just beginning their journey to our high school seniors and families completing their District 200 career for new journeys, this is a memorable time. I cherish the role we play for so many.

We never take for granted the support of our parents, families, and communities who embrace our educational  partnership. As a proud product of Woodstock schools, along with four generations of my family, I’ve always appreciated living and working in a community that values education and sets high standards for our students and our schools.

Visiting schools during this first week to see so much hope and promise is a great reminder of why we do what we do and of our privilege to provide students with the best educational experience we can offer. Each day we see so much potential. Each May we see that potential realized, but there are many steps and much work along the way.

The new school year is a fresh chance to put our best foot forward whether you’re stepping off the bus into kindergarten for the first time, poring over your lesson plan for the 20th time, or leading your home district for over a decade, this is an opportunity we cherish.

Seeing a new year through the eyes of a child is inspiring and something that we as educators are fortunate to witness.The excitement, hope and determination is contagious.

It’s appropriate that we celebrate our success in the spring, but that enthusiasm stays with us all summer and into the fall where we expect to keep building on our success and improving on the great foundation that we’ve already built.

Our achievement scores continue to rise but more importantly, our students are more prepared than ever to meet that next challenge whether it’s fifth grade, AP Calculus or the amazing opportunities that lie ahead for graduates.

As always, we encourage students to be engaged in all aspects of their education. From learning to read in early elementary school to the rigors of middle school algebra and the challenge of high school  AP and Dual Credit classes, we encourage our students to give it all they have. We also offer many opportunities for students to deepen their school community connections in clubs, sports teams, theater productions and our award-winning music programs.  

We’re excited about the advance work our staff have put in to keep making District 200 even better each year. It’s great to welcome back our outstanding teachers, but we’re also looking forward to working with our new colleagues who bring enthusiasm and fresh perspectives.

Speaking of new colleagues, we could always use a few more. We have openings at schools across the District for classroom associates, food services, substitute teachers and bus drivers among other positions. Just click the Employment tab at woodstockschools.org for more information.

This is a great place to work and consistently voted as one of the top educational workplaces in McHenry County. Many of these positions are also perfect fits for parents of school-aged children who’d like to work according to their children’s school schedule.

As the school year opens, we want to thank our entire community for the continued support that allows us to offer so many wonderful opportunities for our students. The children of our community are lucky to have the support our communities provide. 

Together we’ll take on any obstacle, stay solution-oriented and always focus our decisions on what’s best for these students. Our promise as educators is that we’ll never lose sight of the fact that these students truly are our future and why we’ve chosen this profession.

We’re looking forward to another great year of learning and celebrating our individual, school and District successes. These are your schools, your community, and it’s so much better when we celebrate them together.