Monday Morning Memo

Tip of the Week

Engage Using the Friz 5

Personal Greeting at the Door

Big kudos to Sonia, Penny, and Elizabeth for their help with assembling coloring pages for the Kindergarten Round-Up! Their help saved me a ton of time so I can concentrate on other things. I can’t say thank you enough.

To Russ for bringing me tables and setting them up (and taking the down when I was finished) so that I can get the folders ready for the Kindergarten Round-Up. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

And to Michele Burgess for coming over to train me on the online registration screens. I appreciate your patience and kindness! Thank you!

Kudos to all of you!

-Jenny Sundell--Admin Assistant at Lotus

Kudos to Regina, our new and AMAZING teammate!! Great job on your first week! We love you already!

Kudos to my fabulous fifth grade team(Jenny,Jessica,Cara,Regina, and Jackie) for always being there for each other. I truly love and appreciate all of you more than you know!

Kudos to Meghan Reimers for being there and guiding me with my questions. I appreciate you!

Kudos to Jack Resnick for jumping into Karen's role and helping out in my room with a student. It's not easy, but you're doing great!

-Danielle Donelli--5th Grade Teacher

Thank you Ms.Arff for being flexible with your schedule multiple times this week!

Thank you Amanda Lorenz, Ms.May, & Mary Honea for helping in our class this week.

Thank you Colleen for the adorable clothes for Eliana’s birthday present!

Thank you Mary MP for Eliana's birthday gift.

Thank you Kelly for the yummy cookie.

Thank you Joan for checking on Colleen and I.

-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

I'd like to share my appreciation for all the engaging art throughout Lotus. From undersea collages and animal habitats to the self portraits and P.E. superstars. There are so many works: beautiful in their message and production. It is also nice to see the rotations in the display "case" as well as the positive messages and gorgeous signage in the teacher's lounge. We've a lovely environment!

-Joseph Fernandez--Literacy Interventionist at Lotus

Kudos to Regina!!! Speaking for the 5th grade team, we are SO happy to have you join the team. You have been such a positive light so far and we cannot wait to continue to get to know you, work with you, and team with you.

-Jessica Leiber--5th Grade Teacher

Thank you to Adisyn Illg for learning and growing so much and for how much you love ALL our kids. Your heart, willingness to give 110%, and care for the kids at Lotus truly makes a difference.

To Maureen DeVoss for being a critical friend and for all you do to make D114 run.

To Tom Cardamone and Matt Shannon for being everywhere all at once at Stanton. I'm so impressed by how you stay on top of all the things (even keeping parents fighting each other separated in your two offices). Thanks for ALL you do!

-Heather 💙

IAR Spirit Week

OPPORTUNITIES!!!!

Governors State University- College of Education & Human Development will host a few virtual informational sessions this month.

Sessions will begin promptly at the designated time. Each program coordinator will provide detailed information and explain how to apply. Questions will be encouraged!

Please share the registration links below with your staff.

LBS1 Endorsement & Master of Arts in Multicategorical Special Education (initial and advanced licensure)

Thursday, April 23rd at 5:30 pm - click here to register

Master of Arts in Educational Administration-Principal Leadership

*For current teachers with 2 or more years of teaching experience with a PEL

Tuesday, April 7th at 5:00 pm - click here to register
Saturday, April 11th at 10:00 am - click here to register
Thursday, April 16th at 6:00 pm - click here to register
Saturday, April 25th at 10:00 am - click here to register

Ed.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership

(Higher Education, Non-for-Profit, and Superintendent Tracks available)

*For individuals who currently hold a master’s degree (all tracks)

*Superintendent Track- for individuals who have their PEL, Principal Endorsement, and 2 or more years of educational administration experience

Thursday, April 2nd at 6 pm - click here to register
Monday, April 13th at 6 pm - click here to register
Wednesday, April 22nd at 6 pm - click here to register

Summer School 2026--Staffing Confirmation ASAP!

If you have already expressed interest, please watch for more info later this week/early next week to confirm assignments.

Please let me know via email if you are interested in working Summer School 2026! We need certified staff, paraprofessionals, related service providers, bus/van drivers, and bus paraprofessionals!

Here are the details you need for our site based programs:

July 6-30
Monday-Thursday
Lotus 8-11
Stanton 8:45-11:45

Certified Pay Rate: $45/hour (3 hours per day of instruction and 2 hours per week of planning)

Support Staff Pay Rate: Your 26-27 hourly rate of pay

Please email if you are interested.

Reminders...

Extended School Year--students with IEPs who are guaranteed access to summer programming due to predicted regression (documented service in their IEP)

Summer Intensive--students our teams recommend for summer remediation and reteaching based on qualifiers like:
*Current need for academic/SEL targeted interventions
*Multilingual students who would benefit from summer intensive support
*Absenteeism
*Data indicating lack of progress

Please Share!!!!!

OPEN NOW!!!!

Employee Assistance Program Updates

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) partner, AllOne Health, has launched a new Member Portal.

The updated portal is easier to use and aligned with the AllOne Health App, making it simple to access counseling, mental health resources, and well-being support.

What’s new:

A refreshed, user-friendly portal
Easier access to EAP and well-being services
One login for both the app and the portal

You can access services at AllOneHealth.com/portal.

You may notice that new materials reference updated landing pages. If employees use an existing or bookmarked link, it will automatically redirect to AllOneHealth.com/portal—no action needed.

If you already use the AllOne Health App, log in with the same credentials. If not, create an account—your login will work for both the app and the portal.

Please review the attached flyer for sign-up instructions and watch the short orientation video here:
Orientation Video

Confidential support remains available 24/7 for employees and their household members.

If you have questions, please contact me.

Thanks,

Maddie

Absence Info

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

THANKS!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be sure to enter absences as far in advance as possible! WE HAVE A POOL OF SUBS who can fill spots that are entered!!!! We're working on adding even more, so PLEASE enter your absences as soon as you know you'll be out.

REMINDERS

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.

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.

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!

Attention all Union Members:

Election Committee Members needed!

Elections are right around the corner and our bylaws require us to have an election committee of three people who are not up for an elected position. Gina Crosthwaite has graciously offered to be the executive board's member. If you are interested in helping out with the elections, it is a very small commitment. You will help take nominations, create a ballot, count ballots, and disseminate information about the election's winners. If you are interested in being a part of the election committee, please let Gina Crosthwaite (gina.crosthwaite@foxlake114.org) know by Friday, April 10th.

This year the following positions will be up for reelection:

VP Certified

Treasurer
Regional Rep
Ethnic Minority Rep
Early Career Rep

Please see the following flyer to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of each position. Open nominations will begin on April 15th for all board positions, and run through April 23, if you would like to make a private nomination. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any members of the EAFL board.

April 15th will be our next Union Articulation Meeting. Please meet at Stanton by 2:00 PM. We will be having light snacks and will be talking about all things union. *If you are coming to Stanton, please do not arrive before 1:45 to allow for safe dismissal.

Stay informed by reading the Region 49 Newsletter

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.

Good morning, District 114!

We hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend.

Our Day of Service Fundraiser has begun!! Your child brought home their money collection envelopes last week, but you may be wondering what this is all about. Here is some quick info about the Day of Service fundraiser:
Day of Service Fundraiser is the PTA's sole large-scale fundraiser of the year, which raises the money needed for the PTA's events and programs like the Halloween Dance, teacher conference dinners, Santa's Breakfast, Family Fun Fair, and Book Buddies.
Similar to a Walk-a-Thon or Fun Run, students raise money through donations, and then, instead of running or walking, they complete service projects to support the Fox Lake community on Wednesday, April 22nd.
Our Goal: $25,000
Anything raised above $25,000 will go into a dedicated account to help fund a future accessible playground at Lotus!
Donations can be made in cash or check (payable to Fox Lake School District 114 PTA) or can be made online here.
Envelopes are due back to school on Tuesday, April 21st.
Please help us reach our goal by asking friends and family members to donate to this worthy cause!

Mark Your Calendars for The Following Dates:
April PTA Meeting
Date: Monday, 4/13/26
Time: 6:00 pm to ~7:00 pm
Location: Lotus Library or Google Meet
Seeking Nominations!!
Our current president's term is ending at the end of the school year!
Nominations for a new president are needed!
Do you know someone who would make an excellent president? Are you that person?
Send us an email at pta@foxlake114.org to let us know who you nominate!
We'll vote in our new president during the May 11th PTA Meeting!
Day of Service
Help us raise funds to support PTA programs and events, and help raise funds for a future accessible playground at Lotus
Donations can be made in cash, check (payable to Fox Lake School District 114 PTA), or online here
Envelopes due back to school, Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Day of Service is on Wednesday, April 22nd!
Family Rocket Launch
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 (Rain date: Thursday, May 21, 2026)
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Lotus Cafeteria and Outside
Help us reach our goal of 90+ members this school year! We currently have 81 members, including 40 teachers and staff, and 41 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!

YOUR PTA Board