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@D114Stanton
@D114Lotus
@FLGSD114
#District114proud
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Thank you so much Betty Cwiak for your help and support in purchasing more Flipped books for our 5th graders!
-From the 5th grade team
I would just like to give a HUGE shout out to Becky & Maureen who worked so hard to figure out transportation and other arrangements for one of our homeless families. They are amazing :)
-From Christina Martorano
To everyone that plays a part in taking care of our McKinney-Vento students. Especially Christina Martorano, Becky Laverdure and Maureen Koenig . The care our children receive from our team warms my heart...and more importantly makes their day! #District114Proud
-From Jeff Sefcik
I wanted to thank Cheri Dory, Tiffany Tardio, and Michelle Williams for being so kind as to take care of Puff while I was away. He was definitely well cared for!
-From Jenn Wicks
Thank you Russ for cleaning the outside door on the Grass Lake Rd side. It's wonderful to not have to grab a spider or spider web when opening the door! 😊
and
Chris Brown- my partner- thank you for ALL that you do! I couldn't do my job without you! The boys love you too!
and
Georgette, Penny, Sonia, Michelle and Linda - you go above and beyond every day to make sure the entire school is fed, but you also make so many connections to students that need it! Thank you so much!!!
-All from Erica Bender
Kudos to the Food Service Staff District 114 for a wonderful work on Day of Service!
Staff, Volunteers and Kids fed with a bright smile!
Ladies you make the difference!!
Thank you for your daily hard work.
-From Georgette Franco
A big thank you to Mrs. Styx for helping with AR club last Thursday so I could attend a Follett Open House and get lots of free books to share. :)
-From Kim VanHoorelbeke
Thank you to our kitchen staff for always going above and beyond and for providing a nice spread for the staff during the D114 Day of Service.
and
A special thanks to Cheryl Schuck and Chris Brown for their assistance on the field trip. They were great troopers!
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Thank you to Peggy Styx for helping out with AR Club this week.
-All from Matt Peters
Kudos to Ms. Hallie (Bus #3) for doing a last minute athletic trip!
and
Kudos to Mr. John (Bus #97) for taking my call at 9:00 p.m. to tell him he needs to be in Beach Park at 6:00 a.m. the next morning to pick up students!
-From Becky Laverdure
Kudos to Mrs. Norine (Bus #6) for bringing the drivers yummy apple donuts from Apple Holler!
-From everyone that ate the donuts!
To every single person in our system who made Friday's Day of Service possible! I am so incredibly proud to be a part of a district that values our students and community like this. THANK YOU for all you do to make a difference every day!
-With sincere gratitude from Heather
When you have a kudo to share for someone, please just email me and I'll include it here! The goal is to create system celebrations--so your input is truly welcome!
News from the Business Office
17-18 Pay Rate Verification
In order to ensure clarity and accuracy in payroll, each staff member will be receiving a letter detailing your salary information for this school year. Upon receipt, I'd ask that you review this information carefully an notify me ASAP if you notice anything about which you have questions/see issues. We'll ensure everything is accurate, then I'll ask you to sign to finalize the document. This will then go into your personnel file so there are no questions moving forward, and so your salary/benefits for 17-18 are documented.
Insurance
On Friday, you should have received an email detailing the temporary access information you'll need to use our new carriers (Blue Cross Blue Shield/Guardian). As we get more information, we'll forward to you. If you have questions/issues, feel free to contact the carriers, Kayla/Bonnie at the Horton Group (contact information in your benefits guide), or Sandy/me. Thanks!
October 6 Institute Day
We are so excited to welcome Bob Eaker to D114 on Friday! Bob is one of the founding "architects" of Professional Learning Communities, and he's super excited to come help us continue our learning. He's also one of my very good friends, and is coming at no fee because he's so excited about how we're working!!! Additionally, we'll have breakout sessions during the afternoon for team processing time as well as trainings on essential legal updates (mandated reporting, Erin's Law, and Ann Marie's Law). It's going to be a FABULOUS day. The specific plan will follow later this week, but plan on working hard at Lotus all day! We'll learn a lot...together!
FACILITIES UPDATES
FYI, we'll be replacing one of the water heaters at Lotus. Thanks to Don for finding the best option and the safest installation plan for this! This won't impact students or learning at all!
Just a reminder that the District is not responsible for any personal information you may choose to put/keep on your iPad/computer. While we'll always try to help, if, for some reason, your machine has issues and personal data is lost, it will not likely be recovered. Please keep this in mind when you decide where to store pictures, music, videos, etc. Thank you!
Education Association of Fox Lake News and Updates
Don't forget about the Resilience:The Biology of Stress and The Science of Hope documentary viewing and panel discussion in Libertyville this coming Wednesday... it's not too late to register! Hope we will see lots of EAFL representation at this informative event! (Dinner will be provided.) Click Here to Register
Kim VanHoorelbeke will receive funding from a SCORE grant she wrote to support Community Reading Night at the October Board of Education Meeting. Thank you Kim for your extra efforts to secure these funds from the IEA for our students and community!
Upcoming IEA Events:
- One Conference (Professional Development for Support Staff) 10/20-10/21 in Oak Brook Click Here to Register
- IEA Professional Development Conference 12/1-12/2 in Springfield Click Here to Register (Early bird pricing ends 10/15)
Melissa Williams, President
Maureen DeVoss, Vice President for Certified Staff
Chris Brown, Vice President for Non-Certified Staff
Katy Gardner, Treasurer
Betty Cwiak, Secretary
Barb Brown, Region Representative
Matt Shannon, Stanton School Representative
Tiffany Tardio, Lotus School Representative
Questions for thought as you read...
This post by George Couros really struck me and made me wonder...
Does this make you think of any specific student(s)?
Can you think of anyone who needs a fresh start?
Restart Vs. Repeat
By George on Sep 30, 2017 05:46 am
Working with about 500 educators today, in a full-day workshop, a high school student who was there to help out with the day, asked if he could sit in and listen. I offered the invitation to all of the students that were there, but only one decided to stay. Yet if you have any students in a room full of educators, you should always give them the opportunity to share their thoughts on the day.The student’s name was Luke, and I asked him, what would he hope from the educators that had been in the session all the day. He had said that far too often, we deem some kids to be “bad kids”, and instead of asking why they are acting that way or getting to the heart of the matter, we just continue to label them “bad kids”, and we push them toward the same path. It is kind of like “digging out of a hole”; the more we dig, the hole only gets deeper, and we only become more stuck.He was welcomed with large applause for advocating for others, and I really appreciated his words. This thinking is not simply limited to students as well. There have been teachers who have may not have had the best start to their career, but instead of recognizing their own growth and change, they get labeled and become perpetually stuck in what they are doing. The more they hear a negative label, the more it sticks, and the more they become with what they are labeled in the eyes of others.When I was in school administration, I remember that when students would get suspended or sent to the office, I did everything I could to separate the mistake from the person. I would go out of my way to have conversations with the students, when they returned to school, about ANYTHING other than what had happened, at first. Eventually, we would get to what had happened and their plan moving forward, but I wanted students to know that I cared. Kids get stuck with labels, as do adults.But some people just need one person to believe in them. I was on my way out of education until I luckily worked at a school with an administrator that didn’t just believe in me, but ensure that I knew she believed me. There is a difference between the two, and it is important that it is noted.I was so proud of a student getting this at such a young age. I am a big believer that we are creators of our destiny, but having people believe in you along the way, sure makes the road a lot less bumpy.As many schools around North America are well into the school year, remember that a fresh start can happen daily, or even more frequently, and kids need adults who show they believe in them. We need to sometimes hit the restart button with others instead of the repeat.
October 6--Institute Day
October 9--Columbus Day--no school
October 17--Board of Education meeting (7:00 PM at Lotus)
Did you know that our shared efforts on the Day of Service generated over $30,000? This is money that comes right back to our students and schools. It also results in Jeff Sefcik having to dress as Elsa and sing "Let it Go" for all the students at Stanton. Video to follow...
Have a great week, and know how much you are appreciated!
Heather
