Monday Morning Memo

Hoping this little treat brings you some JOY!

'Twas the Week Before Winter Break

'Twas the week before Winter Break and all through the schools

The D114 staff was feeling pretty darn cool!

The plans were all made, bus routes set to run

And 5 days ahead, sure to be full of fun.

The children arrive daily, calm and in the green zone,

Not running crazy or causing social media madness on their cell phones.

And the staff in spirit day gear with coffee in hand,

Came to work each day, ready to make this last stand.

But when the morning arrived, there arose such a clatter

We all started to run to see what was the matter.

Away to the hallways we flew like SHAZAM,

Wondering what was happening with someone's behavior plan.

The kids--with their boots covered with snow--

Led to slippery floors, so we had to go slow.

When what to our wondering eyes did appear,

But a group of rowdy students with clearly no fear.

They came stampeding, so loud and so quick

We knew in a moment this wasn't a trick!

More rapid than eagles they shouted their needs

"We're all in the RED ZONE, give us something, we plead!

Now, sensory! Now, motor! Now fidgets and breaks!

Graphic organizers, extended time, word banks, and retakes!

Give us visuals! Give us Google! Give us iXL, too!

Get us calm and ready, or we will show YOU!”

As papers that before the wild copier begins

and get jammed in the stupid machine again...

Toward the Ready Room and Zen Den we all started to rush

Hoping that this was the solution to help the kid crush.

And then, in a twinkling, we heard as a group

The prancing and dancing of another small troop.

As we shook our heads and then turned around,

To the room the pack came with barely a sound.

They said, "For us, it's the BLUE ZONE, you see

Revved up we clearly need your help to be!"

We offered them wobble cushions and balance chairs that were round

And things they could throw and toss off the ground.

Their eyes—how they twinkled! Their smiles, how merry!

Their faces lit up, so red like a berry!

And just when we thought that the end was near

Along came another group who also were dear.

They said, "We don't know our zone. We can't figure it out!"

We all heard this part and then started to shout,

"THESE KIDS ARE SO SPECIAL! THEY ARE REALLY SO FUN!

OUR WORK WITH THEM WILL NEVER BE DONE!

WE'RE LUCKY TO KNOW THEM AND HELP THEM ALONG.

IN FACT, WITH THAT, LET'S BUST INTO SONG!"

Then we looked at each other and started to grin

Because we know each day is a "win"!

And just then all the kids came together as one

And said to us something that just was so fun!

All different sizes, some small as an elf

That we laughed when we saw them, in spite of ourself.

A wink of their eyes and the words that they spoke

Make our hearts grow so big that they just about broke.

They spoke just six words, words that were so keen

They told us "YOU KEEP US IN THE GREEN!"

Just then, Heather awoke and jumped up from her dream

Thinking, "Wow, that was weird. Did I let out a scream?"

You see, no matter how rough some days are,

We're lucky to work with our Foxes and All Stars.

And what a gift to have each other, too,

To do this work that we get to do.

So, know that you are a team does truly amaze…

Happy ALMOST Winter Break to all, and to all a good 5 days!

If that doesn't do it, please be sure to check out the list of ELF NAMES!!! Thank you to everyone who responded. If you'd still like to play, here are the rules...

Tip of the Week

BREAK TO BREAK!

Keep it up!!!! The De-Stress Challenge continues!!!!!!

Well, Friday was quite a day! It started moments before the students arrived realizing that our classroom was flooding with water coming in from the drain in the bathroom connected to our class. I called Sue to send help and she contacted Don who came right away. In the meantime, Erin said that my students could meet in her classroom and Erica and Amanda confirmed the plan. Natalie came by to check on us too! Our classroom team Mandi, Monica and Kristine started to get materials that the students would need so we were ready to welcome them in our new home for the day. Erin's classroom team Mary, Sam and Russell were so welcoming and helped us make the transition to their class. I saw Russ helping in the hallway as well when more bathrooms in our hallway were affected. Fiona helped us out and Ashley did too. Sammie knew our kids would need extra support staying regulated and getting their sensory needs met so she gave us extra time in the room and took students to the sensory room to take breaks. Matt even reassured me at the end of the day that the plumber said the problems were all fixed and should not happen again AND we only have 5 more days until WINTER BREAK!!! Thank you to everyone who took a crazy day and helped to make it a successful day! I am beyond grateful!

-Pam Enright--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Melissa McCart- Thank you so much for all of the support, encouragement and faith in me this week! It truly meant the world and I am so grateful to have you back next door!

Christine and Janene- You have been amazing this fall...with all the things. Thank you for trusting and believing in me...and being there through the good and the bad. Your support, encouragement and friendship makes coming into work each day a joy!

-Maureen DeVoss--2nd Grade Teacher

Shoutout to Michelle for lending us some stickers to finish out our bowling unit! Our Spare and Strike Club are FILLED with stickers.

Thank you!

-Sarah Gallivan--PE Teacher at Lotus

Kudos to Jillian Rejczyk for being my Tag-Team partner, my sounding board, my support, my necessary comedy relief, and hallway colleague! Thank you for everything you do to support my students and me everyday!

Kudos to Connor Macko for stepping into the ILPB para position! Your calm demeanor and strong personal skills are the perfect fit for our students!

Kudos to Leah Falster for being an awesome Community Building partner! The students love that you are "back" in our classroom and start each day with us! Thank you for staying connected to our students and helping when I've had unexpected absences!

Kudos to Matt Shannon and Tom Cardamone - thank you for all your support with the ILPB program. You jumped right into something brand new and have been open to learning and making improvements along the way!

-Karen Skorup--Special Education Teacher at Stanton

Kudos to my incredible 4th grade team for always going above and beyond to support my first year of teaching! I could not do my job without you.

Shoutout to Kelly Roland for all of the homemade holiday treats this week! They always brighten my day!

- Adalia Tate--4th Grade Teacher

Kudos to Kayti Hoepner!!! I appreciate you being so understanding of a student coming late to your class most days this week because her and I spent some time debriefing her past couple of tough days she's had. You rock!!!

MAJOR kudos to Oner Medrano for being an awesome extra support for my math kids!!! Like I told you already, your help is saving my sanity 5th grade appreciates all that you do!!

-Jessica Lieber--5th Grade Teacher

I want to give a kudos call to Fran. She has been such a blessing to have in the classroom and wants everything to look great she’s so thoughtful and supportive when it comes to the students learning and really wants to get them ready for the next day to make things look beautiful and great for the next day

I also want to give a shout out to Gayle, who just has great energy anytime she comes in to help out in our classroom.

-Corinne Corona--Blended PreK Teacher

Thank you Gina Crosthwaite, Brooke Mangler, and Dina Moczalla for continuing to go above and beyond by helping us continue to create hands-on centers for our UFLI lessons. We couldn't do it without you and we appreciate all of your help!

The First Grade Team

Kudos to Kaitlyn Goorsky for creating sub plans and preparing materials for me during an emergency!

-Cynthia Tsarpalas--6th Grade Science Teacher

Kelly Roland, thank you so much for the baked goods on Monday! Such a sweet and festive start to the week. I appreciate you! <3 Thank you also for giving me some suggestions for how to build a closer relationship with one of my students. Your generosity and kindness means everything!

Sam Gatyas, thank you for being proactive with our students! The way you notice their emotions and know what they need before they even say it is SO AWESOME, and your communication is so appreciated! Thank you for also taking time out of your busy day to include my kiddos who could use an extra break.

-Serene Madison--4th Grade Teacher

Kudos to Nicole Brinkman for helping me in the midst of a busy day!

Kudos to Matt, Erica, and Chad for always being so kind and consistent after dealing with so many student behaviors throughout the day!

-Sami Lear--Kindergarten Teacher

Samantha Mock- I am thankful to have you as the para in our class. Your hard work, support, and dedication make such a difference every single day. I really appreciate everything you do to help our students and me! Thank you as well for always being willing to jump in, including printing things for me.

Katy Gardner- Thank you for always offering me advice when I need it. I appreciate how understanding you are and what a great teammate you’ve been.

Dayja Wydzierzecki- Thank you for always being there and being such a great teammate. I love chatting with you every day!

Leah Falster- Thank you for all your help in Social Studies! I love working with you and having lunch together every day. I truly appreciate all the support you give each and every day.

Cynthia Tsarpalas- Shoutout to you for rocking your first year! Keep up the great work—the kids love you, and you’re doing an amazing job.

Becky Hiles- Thank you for being our classroom reader this week! The kiddos really enjoyed it. Thank you for all your help and everything you do in Social Studies every day.
-Kaitlyn Goorsky--6th Grade Social Studies Teacher

Kudos to Dan Olson for helping me with an elf hunt activity last week and Kudos to Samantha Mock for getting my class on the bus last Friday when I had to leave quickly! I appreciate you both!

-Jillian Rejczyk--Special Education Teacher at Stanton

Kudos go to Dan Miller for adding the dodgeball prize to the Penny Wars competition! The 7th graders had a blast! Thanks!

Karen Brnot

Matt Shannon, thank you for supporting our NJHS kids and the community by contributing to our Toys for Tots event!

-Karen Brnot--7th Grade Science Teacher

Thank you to my PreK Team (Michelle, Carmen, Laura, Corinne) for teaching our Pre K students how to describe using the EET (Expanding Expression Tool) or lovingly referred to as the rainbow caterpillar! Thank you for trying out a language expansion strategy and thank you to Michelle for the cute Christmas tree activity to go with it!

Thank you to my special education team (Nicole, Kim, Sam, Sammie, Stephanie, Alana, Ashley, Karen)! Our teamwork, collaboration and friendship are something to be grateful for - not everyone everywhere has that - and I'm blessed to have you all on the easy and difficult days!

Thank you to Sue - the jack of all trades- especially for helping me get my talker buttons up and running - and the million other things you do every day.

This thank you has been a long time coming but Thank you to Jenny for helping me access the Prek paperwork I needed to be prepared for a meeting!

Erica- you are doing a fantastic job in this new position and I thank you for your openness, willingness to discuss, take feedback, offer feedback and just be the good person you are!

Thank you to Erin and Pam and all our paraprofessionals (Mandy, Monica, Mary, Sam, Russel, Kristine) in the life skills classrooms - for incorporating communication opportunities all day everyday. It makes my day to hear about the exciting ways our students are communicating and increasing their independence.

Thank you to Alana for bringing me morning Starbucks!!!!

-Fiona Wisniewski--Speech and Language Pathologist at Lotus

I just wanted to say thank you to Walter Nickles for making my student teaching experience so fantastic, I could not have asked for a better CT. Thank you for welcoming me into your room, for all of the advice, and for letting me do my thing.

On top of that, The students love you and could not have a better role model, and the same goes for me too, you are the man!!!!

-Jack Resnick--OFFICIALLY FINISHED WITH STUDENT TEACHING Stanton Substitute

Brooke for doing an amazing job with our second graders.

All Paras for making sure our buses are covered.

Sherry and Mary for rocking our new schedules.

Amanda for subbing in our class and making sure my stuff is covered so I can finish up my CPI training.

Mr. Russell for your extra hands in PE. Made my job so much easier.

Jeff F for being on the same page with me with our mini bus issues.

-Colleen Robinson--Paraprofessional at Stanton

A huge shout-out to our Reading Intervention team, Joan and Joseph, for sharing all of the incredible information you’ve collected over time for the students receiving Tier 3 reading services.

It was abundantly clear how much time, heart, and intention you’ve invested into truly knowing your students—not just academically, but as whole children.

Thank you for everything you do to support our staff, families, and most importantly, our kiddos. We are so grateful for you!

-Erica Barraza--Associate Principal at Lotus

Shoutout to the entire second grade team for being absolutely amazing everyday!!!!

Also, shoutout to Sonia and the entire lunch staff for going above and beyond for this school 24/7!!

-Brooke Mangler--Permanent Sub at Lotus

Kudos to ,,,

Karen Brnot for another amazing NJHS effort to help Toys for Tots!

Everyone helping with holiday events for our students!

Gina Crosthwaite and the Stanton Cheerleaders on winning conference and helping Stanton SHINE!

To my team for covering all the things on Friday so I could be away on a true vacation day for a girls' weekend...my first one in 10+ years! I'm so truly lucky to have such amazing colleagues! You are the BEST!

-Heather 💙

❄❄❄❄Holiday Fun This Week!❄❄❄❄

On Friday, please feel free to start your winter break as soon as you're ready after dismissal.

Please remember...Lotus paras, administrators will ride the buses on Friday afternoon so you can leave at dismissal!

APPRECIATION FOR YOU!

We have a small gift for everyone that I'll share at the cookie parties (or make sure I get to you if you're not able to attend).

In addition, we've all contributed to gift cards and will be doing DAILY GIFT CARD RAFFLES! Watch your email to see if you've won!!!!

COOKIE PARTY!

LOTUS SPIRIT WEEK

Stanton Countdown to Break!

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

Absences

I know that we're heading into winter and when we tend to all get hit with sicknesses, so I have a few requests...

1. If you know you're sick, please put in your absence ASAP. This helps us plan for coverage more effectively. The more we have to react to in the morning, the more crazy the start to the day for everyone.

2. If scheduling personal tasks, it would be amazing if you could try to avoid THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS whenever possible.

3. If you are asked to cover for someone, please know that you're being asked as part of a bigger plan to meet the needs of kids. Unless there's a truly extraordinary situation, you are expected to say YES when asked. We only ask when it's the best answer for kids.

Also, please know that we continue to work to build a sub pool...and so does every single district. We will continue to recruit and onboard subs, as we know days with lots of coverage shifts cause stress for everyone.

Please direct any questions to me about this. Principals and Associate Principals are charged with creating the plans that best meet the needs of our students. If you have questions or issues with this, they should come to me for discussion.
Thanks!

Referral GPS--Reminder!

We are committed to creating a culture of well-being of students, staff,

parents, and community. In an effort to continuously support this

commitment, the district has entered an agreement with Referral GPS.

ReferralGPS is a web-based service focused on assisting our students,

staff, and community in finding local mental-health and substance use

related treatment. The service compliments the districts existing

systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to

connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment

options, Referral GPS provides Care Navigation to assist families in

triage, appointment setting, and follow up care.

School families may access Referral GPS in two ways:

1) Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists,

counselors) to seek out treatment options.

2) Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/D114 to

search for treatment resources or connect with a Care

Navigator anonymously.

ReferralGPS takes into account all types of private and public insurance

including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, Medicare, and families who are

uninsured or underinsured. The platform also filters by age, gender, zip

code, and special requests.

ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at

no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely

confidential and securely stored.

If you are interested in seeking counseling-related services at this time,

please consider visiting https://referralgps.com/find-help/D114 or

reaching out to the Student Services team.

Field Trips

If you are planning for a field trip, please remember:

All field trip requests must be submitted to the principal no later than the 15th of the previous month of your trip.

Example: Trip is in March, Form must be in by February 15th. This allows time for approval and our drivers to select trips.

1. Complete the Field Trip Request Form.

2. Submit the form to your Principal for approval.

2. Principals, if approved, submit to NATALIE UDSTUEN to arrange transportation.

Work Orders

When you have something you need the Facilities Team to handle for you, please complete a Work Request. Be sure to include the LOCATION in the "summary" field.

Absence Reporting

Please refer to this document for all things absence reporting. Please send any questions to Maddie Mercado or me.

THANKS!

Injury Reporting

If you are injured on the job, you MUST IMMEDIATELY do the following:

1. Report this injury to an administrator.

2. Report the injury to Company Nurse.

Thanks in advance!

Remember the Employee Assistance Program!

The EAP is typically a great place to start when you need care and aren’t sure what support you or a family member might be needing. They can guide you to specific care and even set up the appointment for you. Take advantage of this confidential and supportive service to address any

personal or work-related challenges you may be facing by calling Perspectives at 800.456.6327.

To all of our members and amazing staff! Thank you for a successful and wonderful fall. We see how hard you work and wish you a fantastic winter break. Enjoy the last week of 2025 and may 2026 be wonderful for all of us!- Your EAFL Board

EAFL members: You have received your membership card this week. If you did not or any information is incorrect on your card, please let one of us know immediately, and log into your account to update any information.

Stay informed by reading the Region 49 Newsletter

NEA Member Benefits is hosting 10 free virtual meetings to guide our members through student loan options and relief programs. If you’re carrying loans, this is absolutely worth your time. Pick a date and time that works best for you. Click here to join

AND...don't forget

See what your membership has to offer! Go to ieanea.org to see all of the happenings and most up to date information on union matters. Go to ieanea.org/benefits/ to explore discounts and deals that are offered to you with your membership. Stay informed by reading the Region 49 Newsletter

Burroughs Education Association

$2,500 College Scholarship funded by Woodruff Johnson Evans & Haugen. Applications are accepted from October 1 through January 31. The winner will be announced in March. Scholarship Information

Happy Monday, District 114!

Help us reach our goal of 90+ members this school year! We currently have 79 members, including 39 teachers and staff, and 40 parents/guardians.

Here's what you need to know:
Dues are $10 for the whole year! That's less than a dollar a month!
You'll receive a District 114 PTA Calendar featuring student artwork
Join here today!
Join the PTA and help enrich your child's educational experience this year!
Make sure to join our Facebook Group Page!

As we wrap up 2025, we want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!!

YOUR PTA Board