Woodland Elementary highlights SEL gains, fundraising and expanded programming

Woodland Elementary Principal Steph Rugamer told the Alexandria Public School District board the building met its social-emotional learning (SEL) target for 2024–25 and described schoolwide activities that staff say have strengthened student relationships, family engagement and student supports.

Rugamer said Woodland set a goal to increase students scoring a 3 or 4 in the “respect” component of report cards from 77% to 82% and that the building met the target. She credited changes in scheduling, expanded supervision during recess, and classroom-level interventions for helping reduce behavior incidents and return more instructional time to teachers.

“Being outside and helping with lunch has actually decreased behaviors and now we have more time to actually teach,” Rugamer said, describing staff supervision changes that lengthened playground time to 30 minutes and adjusted lunch/transition to 25 minutes.

Rugamer also described the school’s third annual BoosterThon fun run. That fundraiser, run through the BoosterThon platform, raised about $26,000 when all donations were collected; funds pay for enrichment activities and additional field trips. She said the fundraiser attracted donors from 25 states via a QR-code fundraising method and large volunteer participation from families.

Woodland has expanded “schoolwide buddies” so every grade pairs with another grade for recurring activities, and the building reported over 650 pounds were donated to the Douglas County food shelf during a November food drive; students who participated earned a school movie event.

The school is participating in an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant focused on SEL; Rugamer said the work began with grades 3–5 and this year expanded to include kindergarten through second grade. She said learning walks by coaches and BLT staff (building leadership team) helped teachers align instruction and SEL practices across grade levels.

Rugamer also described staffing and schedule adjustments: the building reallocated Title funding to create a Title teacher position (reducing some transitional pull-outs), consolidated discovery areas to reduce transitions, and scheduled a district two-hour late start in March for staff training connected to the EIR grant. She said the school plans a kindergarten celebration and is adding a fifth-grade graduation event.

On extracurricular activities, Rugamer listed first Lego League and robotics qualifiers, athletic conference performers of the week, spelling-bee winners and other student recognitions included in the principal’s “points of pride.” Staff and board members praised the school’s emphasis on curriculum-linked trips and family engagement nights.

Principal Rugamer said Woodland will supplement yearbooks for families who cannot afford them, to ensure all students can participate in yearbook signing activities.

Questions from board members addressed how the school schedules intervention blocks and whether the Title teacher model reduces instructional time lost to pull-outs; Rugamer said interventions are scheduled in a 30-minute block outside a 90-minute protected instructional window so students do not miss core instruction.

Administrators also explained BoosterThon’s technology: the vendor provides a QR code and online pledge system, which many families used to solicit donations beyond the immediate community.

Rugamer closed with upcoming events including a specials expo in April and continued classroom field trips supported by fundraising and community partnerships.

Speakers from Woodland who introduced elements of the report included Alexis Backus (behavior analyst), Mara Ottz (fourth-grade teacher), Jana Reberovich (kindergarten teacher), Hannah McCleary (third-grade teacher) and Chris Jansen (physical education). The board thanked staff for increased family engagement and for aligning fundraisers to curriculum-enhancing experiences for students.