First Annual Theater Camp!
AlWood students currently in grades 2 - 8 are welcome to fill a variety of roles. The performance will be Peter Pan. Camp will run from June 1 - 25 at the Elementary School from 1-3 PM. Saturday, June 27th at 6 PM in the Elementary Cafeteria. Forms can be found in each school office.
AlWood students currently in grades 2 - 8 are welcome to fill a variety of roles. The performance will be Peter Pan. Camp will run from June 1 - 25 at the Elementary School from 1-3 PM. Saturday, June 27th at 6 PM in the Elementary Cafeteria. Forms can be found in each school office.
Congratulations AlWood, Illinois State Scholars.
Emily Paul, Cameron Jensen, and Julie Gierach. Good Luck in future endeavours.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton’s IL 250 Essay Contest:
“Illinois to America: The Stories That Shape Us”
Lieutenant Governor Stratton is running a statewide essay contest to celebrate America’s 250th
birthday for 6th through 12th graders. Winners will have their essays displayed at the Lieutenant
Governor’s Office in Springfield and Chicago, along with the Lieutenant Governor’s State Fair tent.
Students will choose ONE of the below prompts:
• “The Future I want to Help Build- Imagine the Next 250 Years...”
• “My Community’s Story- How has your community contributed to the American story?”
• “Many Stories, One Illinois- Share how different cultures, families, traditions, or experiences
come together to shape Illinois and America”
• “I Am Part of the American Story- What does it mean to you to be a part of America’s
story?”
Essays must meet the following minimum word count:
• Grades 6-8: 200 words
• Grades 9-10: 500 words
• Grades 11-12: 500 words
Guidelines
• Entries must be typed and double-spaced in 12pt font
• All entries must be original work created using the efforts of a single person
• All contestants must be Illinois residents
• All entries are due at 11:59pm CT on May 31, 2026
• Entries must be suitable for general audiences and not contain content, images, or other
material that is discriminatory, misleading, indecent, obscene, hateful, or tortious
• Entries are final once submitted and cannot be changed or amended in any way
• The body of the essay should not contain identifying information
Judging
• Entries will be sorted by grade level category
• Entries that do not follow the submission guidelines and word count requirements will not be
considered
• Entries will be judged by a panel of State of Illinois Employees
Timeline
• The contest opens on April 13th, closes on May 31st and winners will be announced on July 4th, 2026
“Illinois to America: The Stories That Shape Us”
Lieutenant Governor Stratton is running a statewide essay contest to celebrate America’s 250th
birthday for 6th through 12th graders. Winners will have their essays displayed at the Lieutenant
Governor’s Office in Springfield and Chicago, along with the Lieutenant Governor’s State Fair tent.
Students will choose ONE of the below prompts:
• “The Future I want to Help Build- Imagine the Next 250 Years...”
• “My Community’s Story- How has your community contributed to the American story?”
• “Many Stories, One Illinois- Share how different cultures, families, traditions, or experiences
come together to shape Illinois and America”
• “I Am Part of the American Story- What does it mean to you to be a part of America’s
story?”
Essays must meet the following minimum word count:
• Grades 6-8: 200 words
• Grades 9-10: 500 words
• Grades 11-12: 500 words
Guidelines
• Entries must be typed and double-spaced in 12pt font
• All entries must be original work created using the efforts of a single person
• All contestants must be Illinois residents
• All entries are due at 11:59pm CT on May 31, 2026
• Entries must be suitable for general audiences and not contain content, images, or other
material that is discriminatory, misleading, indecent, obscene, hateful, or tortious
• Entries are final once submitted and cannot be changed or amended in any way
• The body of the essay should not contain identifying information
Judging
• Entries will be sorted by grade level category
• Entries that do not follow the submission guidelines and word count requirements will not be
considered
• Entries will be judged by a panel of State of Illinois Employees
Timeline
• The contest opens on April 13th, closes on May 31st and winners will be announced on July 4th, 2026
Reminder: On Wednesday April 15th, 9th - 11th grade have Pre-ACT & ACT Testing. Students need to be in their designated classrooms by 8:00AM. Doors will be locked promptly after morning announcements.
Good morning!
Please see attached information. The Illinois Rural Health Association has an opportunity for students interested in the healthcare industry after high school. There is a Zoom panel on the 16th at 7 pm, and the FFA chapter with the most participants wins a free pizza party.
Registration is FREE, but registration is required by April 15, 2026. Event contact information: staff@ilruralhealth.org
Please see attached information. The Illinois Rural Health Association has an opportunity for students interested in the healthcare industry after high school. There is a Zoom panel on the 16th at 7 pm, and the FFA chapter with the most participants wins a free pizza party.
Registration is FREE, but registration is required by April 15, 2026. Event contact information: staff@ilruralhealth.org
The Annual FFA Banquet was held on March 20, 2026. There were over 80 guests in attendance. A meal was provided by students and their families from the Ag Communications Class. Student awards were given. Honorary Chapter Degree awards were presented to individuals who supported the AlWood Chapter this year. Contributors to the Illinois Foundation FFA received plaques in recognition of their support. The new FFA Officers were installed. Serving for the 2026 - 2027 AlWood FFA are President, Hadaly Curry, Vice-President, Ava Trout, Secretary, Kalen Setterdahl, Reporter, Sadie Doonan, and Treasurer, SammyDamer. Congratulations to Ms. Davis, her students, and all FFA supporters on a great year.
Volunteer to pass out Poppies for the American Legion Auxiliary on Saturday, May 9th, from 9-3 at the Alpha Car Show. High School students need 5 -10 volunteer hours. Reach out if you are available.
Please consider making a blood donation with Impact Life to help us reach our goal to earn the Lifesaving Grant! The grant will go towards a scholarship for a senior who has earned the Student Impact Award from Impact Life. We have until the end of March to get 2 more blood donations to reach our goal!
Thank you so much!
A.S.E.T and Impact Life
Thank you so much!
A.S.E.T and Impact Life
The Family Resource Night that was scheduled for this evening at the elementary will be postponed. The family book fair night will be from 3-6pm both Wednesday and Thursday after school at AES.
Due to the strong winds and drifting snow, the AlWood School District will use another E-Learning Day tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17th. Thank you and please stay safe!
Due to the forecasted blizzard warning, the AlWood School District will utilize an E-Learning Day on Monday, March 16th. Thank you and please stay safe.
The Lincoln Trail Conference High School Art Festival will be held at Knox College this year. The event will be on Tuesday, April 21, from 6:30 - 7:15 PM in the Whitcomb Art Center. Blick Art Materials is sponsoring the event to showcase the best projects from the conference schools. Come out and see some of the great work our students created.
Middle High School Spring Spirit Week
Out of an abundance of caution, all after-school activities for today, March 10th will be cancelled due to the projected forecast. Please stay safe this afternoon and evening.
The 5Essentials is a research-based school improvement system and framework that defines, measures, and utilizes the most important organizational conditions, including aspects of a school’s culture and climate, to improve student outcomes. The 5Essentials Survey for parents is comprised of approximately 26 questions. The responses from the parent survey are meant to complement the teacher and student data.
The 5Essentials Survey and Supplemental Parent Survey are administered 100% online at https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois. Survey participants must complete the survey between February 3, 2026, and March 13, 2026, as administration dates will not be extended.
Good evening. Due to the forecast, AlWood CUSD 225 will utilize an E-Learning Day for tomorrow, Monday, January 26th.
The AlWood School District will utilize an E-Learning Day on Friday, January 23rd. All extra-curricular activities for Friday are cancelled. Please stay warm and safe!
The AlWood Academic Foundation is hosting a "Music Trivia Night" at the Legion on Saturday, March 7th. Along with the trivia, there will be pizza and drinks available for purchase, 50/50 drawings, a silent auction, and raffle drawings. Contact and payment info are included on the attached flyer.
Should be a fun night! Get your tables reserved now before they are all spoken for!
Should be a fun night! Get your tables reserved now before they are all spoken for!
FFA Strawberry Fundraiser-
Fresh from Florida delivery the week of March 2nd. One flat $30 & half flat $15. Reach out to your favorite FFA student.
WQAD is holding their annual "My Favorite Teacher Contest" right now. If your child has a teacher from the AlWood School District that you'd like to recognize, please fill out the form. The deadline is February 8th.
Here is the link to WQAD's page that includes the form and an option to fill it out online:
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/contests/wqad-news-8-invites-students-to-honor-teachers-in-my-favorite-teacher-contest/526-d0fb3cf9-d3a2-4804-a49a-82c0b3b3f653
Here is the link to WQAD's page that includes the form and an option to fill it out online:
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/contests/wqad-news-8-invites-students-to-honor-teachers-in-my-favorite-teacher-contest/526-d0fb3cf9-d3a2-4804-a49a-82c0b3b3f653
