Norm Fischer for his "no problem" attitude and for the pride he takes in making Stanton School a facility we can all be proud of!
and
Michele Burgess for her "I'm not going home until the job is done" attitude!
and
Walter Nickles for allowing me to record a video of his students engaging in a Stand Up-Hand Up-Pair Up.
and
to the entire Stanton Staff for the effort you all gave during our first Collaborative Team Time. It was a long hot day but every one of you engaged in the jigsaw read of the PLC article and the connecting the dots activity. We are becoming a true Professional Learning Community!
-From Jeff Sefcik
I want to say thank you to Mike who has been in my room every day since school started fixing my laptop, smartboard, phone and whatever else I might need!! He’s so fast and helpful- I’d be lost without his support.
-From Susan Hickey
A HUGE shout out to Erica Bender, Pam, Amber, Paige, Jackie, Christina, Mollie, Cari and Sarah for supporting me by coming to see my show this weekend. Your cheers made my night. =]
-From Kally Kibitlewski
BIG THANKS to Sue Pinkawa for her work in pulling the Skyward data for our K-4 art students, including parent emails. Her efforts are making all of our lives easier. It's always a pleasure working with Sue. She's got a wonderful attitude and a can do approach that's second to none!! Thanks again, Sue!
-From Gayle McManamon
Thank you Paige Shaffer and Liz Strba for donating your time and effort with me to put together our how to presentation for Wednesday's sped meeting. I really enjoyed collaborating with you both.
-From Cathy Jawnyj
Thanks to Samantha Rusciolelli and Brittany Mason for spending their plan time helping me with a student!
and
Thanks to Natalie, Cari, and Christina for also helping and continuing to offer support so we can best meet the needs of ALL students! I'm SO grateful for each of you!
-From Sami Harshaw
Thank you Erica Barraza for coming into 3rd Grade to model a Ready Math lesson. It was great to see how the lessons are supposed to run and make sure we are all on the same page. We are so lucky to have you as a resource!!
We would also like to "Thank" the subs that rearranged their schedules in order for us to attend the IReady Math lesson model with Erica. Kudos to Meghan Hower and Molly Herchenbach for being "All In!" Third Grade Team appreciates you and your time!!!
-From Third Grade
Thank you Sarah Groebe for the ELL Can Do's for all of our students!
and
Thank you Beth Rendon for organizing a going away lunch for one of our students moving to another district. I think she left knowing she is loved and we set her up for a positive start in her new school!
-From Melissa Jakstas
Thanks Kent for all you do and offering to help me move furniture!
-From Sue Kartman
Thank you to my amazing K team, especially Sami Harshaw, Sam Rusciolelli, Susan Hickey, and Kristine Gumm for helping my sub Friday when I was suddenly down for the count. I appreciate you all so much!
-From Tiffany Tardio
Kudos to David Roat for walking around the building on a daily basis putting out technological fire after technological fire without breaking a sweat. Thanks for helping me out many times already this year.
-From Dan Olson
Thanks to Cathy Jawnyj, Paige Schaffer, and Liz Strba for leading learning on eStar for the Special Education team.
and
Thanks, Tyler Lam, for sending me the ADORABLE pictures of our new full day EC Blended Class!
and
Thanks to Jeff Sefcik for being an absolute professional when under fire at Tuesday night's Board meeting!
and
To everyone who attended Tuesday's Board meeting--it was a long one, and we appreciated you being there!
and
To Maddie Espinoza for all your knowledge of the NIHIP insurance platform and our payroll system...and for always being willing to stop, drop, and answer questions with a smile and TLC. It's greatly appreciated by EVERYONE!
-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
PAYROLL
Please remember that the August 31, 2019 payroll is the first for certified and support staff who work the "standard" school year. In the past, these staff weren't paid until September 15 for work...which led to (for our new hires) working for a full month before being paid!
This also means that the "old" insurance deductions will be on the 8/31/18 check and the "new" rates will start with the 9/15/18 payroll, since we are now billed in advance and have to have 2 pays in prior to NIHIP insurance taking effect on October 1, 2018.
For FSA accounts, the deductions cannot start until the employee is entitled to the benefit. The new FSA account is effective 10/01/18 so the first deduction for those who are participating will be 10/15/18. For those participating in the plan, the total amount contributed for the year will be divided by number of pays remaining, through 08/31/19 (21 pays).
Any questions, please see Maddie Espinoza!
BECKY ALLARD'S LAST WEEK
It's bittersweet to say that this is Becky Allard's last week in D114. She has been an absolute Godsend, and I have no idea what I or we would have done without her expertise. However, I'm happy to report that we are now fully staffed in the Business Office, and that Mary Taylor is 100% able to take us forward. I'll be putting "thank you" cards in the lounges at Lotus and Stanton if you choose to sign. We're having a full team breakfast for her on Wednesday, and I'll give her the cards then. If time permits, please feel free to reach out to Becky and tell her thank you!
Please remember that the August 31, 2019 payroll is the first for certified and support staff who work the "standard" school year. In the past, these staff weren't paid until September 15 for work...which led to (for our new hires) working for a full month before being paid!
This also means that the "old" insurance deductions will be on the 8/31/18 check and the "new" rates will start with the 9/15/18 payroll, since we are now billed in advance and have to have 2 pays in prior to NIHIP insurance taking effect on October 1, 2018.
For FSA accounts, the deductions cannot start until the employee is entitled to the benefit. The new FSA account is effective 10/01/18 so the first deduction for those who are participating will be 10/15/18. For those participating in the plan, the total amount contributed for the year will be divided by number of pays remaining, through 08/31/19 (21 pays).
Any questions, please see Maddie Espinoza!
BECKY ALLARD'S LAST WEEK
It's bittersweet to say that this is Becky Allard's last week in D114. She has been an absolute Godsend, and I have no idea what I or we would have done without her expertise. However, I'm happy to report that we are now fully staffed in the Business Office, and that Mary Taylor is 100% able to take us forward. I'll be putting "thank you" cards in the lounges at Lotus and Stanton if you choose to sign. We're having a full team breakfast for her on Wednesday, and I'll give her the cards then. If time permits, please feel free to reach out to Becky and tell her thank you!
Curriculum Updates
15 Day Challenges...a time to shine!
If a team or teams are willing to share what a 15 Day Challenge is with the Board of Education, I'd love to have you present to them at the September 25, 2018 meeting. Nothing fancy at all---you'd just share your work. Please let me know!!!
SEL Pacing Guides
Thanks to the Mental Health team, I'm thrilled to share the pacing guides for Second Step...both buildings will have the program underway this week, and these "road maps" help everyone know exactly what's expected. THANKS to the team and to everyone for holding TIGHT to this. I look forward to seeing our SEL data shift positively over time!!
15 Day Challenges...a time to shine!
If a team or teams are willing to share what a 15 Day Challenge is with the Board of Education, I'd love to have you present to them at the September 25, 2018 meeting. Nothing fancy at all---you'd just share your work. Please let me know!!!
SEL Pacing Guides
Thanks to the Mental Health team, I'm thrilled to share the pacing guides for Second Step...both buildings will have the program underway this week, and these "road maps" help everyone know exactly what's expected. THANKS to the team and to everyone for holding TIGHT to this. I look forward to seeing our SEL data shift positively over time!!
SEL Pacing Guides
Lotus: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sR2vfbTBZqRmyRAELzTED7dXZJ4Wk0hPSx6ghgueb2s/edit?usp=sharing
Stanton:
5th: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ma1PYeSfxouryNruL2UkjW1keF3QYTZ0nvXiRvaxo20/edit?usp=sharing
6th-8th:
Facilities Updates
Wanted to make sure everyone knew the same information about the mold/clean up situation at Lotus. Last week, some minor mold was found in multiple classrooms. We quickly responded and, on Saturday, two crews (plus the fabulous Russ!) were on site to clean and take air samples. As I shared with the Lotus staff on Saturday, I’m happy to report that cleaning was a success at Lotus. The mold was removed, air samples were taken, and everything went smoothly. I’ll keep everyone posted regarding any next steps, but all is well. I anticipate some insulation work in the near future, but we're good to go for now.
Wanted to make sure everyone knew the same information about the mold/clean up situation at Lotus. Last week, some minor mold was found in multiple classrooms. We quickly responded and, on Saturday, two crews (plus the fabulous Russ!) were on site to clean and take air samples. As I shared with the Lotus staff on Saturday, I’m happy to report that cleaning was a success at Lotus. The mold was removed, air samples were taken, and everything went smoothly. I’ll keep everyone posted regarding any next steps, but all is well. I anticipate some insulation work in the near future, but we're good to go for now.
Technology Updates
If you have a technology service request, please use this link to request it.
if you have a specific Special Education program/app/purchase, please use this link to make your request.
Thanks to all the new members who attended our meet-and-greet on Wednesday of last week; we are so excited to have you be a part of our membership!
FREE Conference for Members!
The IEA Membership Pays conference is coming up the second week in September; two identical conferences will be held on Tuesday, September 11 from 4:30 – 8:00 or Saturday, September 15 from 8:30 – Noon. The Membership Pays conference will be held at Carl Sandburg School. 855 W Hawley St, Mundelein, IL. Park in the California Street parking lot and enter through the multipurpose room doors - doors by the flagpole.
Registration and pizza/breakfast will be from 4:30-5:00 or 8:30-9:00 depending on the day you choose.
You may then select from up to 3 different sessions that will cover different information. If you are only interested in one session, you don't need to stay for the other sessions. Sessions will start on the hour and run for 50 minutes, with a 10 minute break inbetween sessions. All sessions will be offered every hour.
Our Agenda will have sessions on:
- TRS – Explanation of TRS benefits for teachers
- IMRF – Explanation of IMRF benefits for support staff
- Degrees Not Debt – how to reduce and eliminate your student loan debt
- 403(b) Savings – how to save a lot with little effort
- Member Benefits – Use your IEA membership to save you money
- IEA Professional Development – Free professional development with CPDUs
- IEA SCORE Grants – Have IEA pay for your project
- IEA Action Network – How to get involved and make a change
- Surviving Your First Years – How to be successful
Our fall articulation meeting is coming up on Wednesday, September 19th. Please reach out to Melissa if there are any topics you would like to be addressed.
Melissa Jakstas, President
Maureen DeVoss, Vice President for Certified Staff
Chris Brown, Vice President for Non-Certified Staff
Katy Gardner, Treasurer
Betty Cwiak, Secretary
Cathy Jawnyj, Region Representative
Kendra Smeigh, Stanton School Representative
Tiffany Tardio, Lotus School Representative
*check here for documents most frequently used/requested
Please let Heather know of suggestions for any documents to add to this folder!
Blue Cross Blue Shield:
Guardian:
Questions for Thought
When reading Schimmer's article on feedback:
1. What do you already do when giving feedback?
2. What's one thing you could try?
When reading Schimmer's article on feedback:
1. What do you already do when giving feedback?
2. What's one thing you could try?
What Effective Feedback Looks Like
If a teacher says, “I give my students effective feedback, but they don’t do anything with it,” something is wrong, says author/consultant Tom Schimmer in this Solution Tree Assessment Center article. He believes several elements spur student reflection, ownership, and improvement, and this applies to teacher-to-student feedback, student-to-teacher, or coach-to-adult, and is helpful in a variety of feedback formats – face-to-face, written, or digital. Good feedback is:
• Goal referenced – The intended learning outcome or standard needs to be front and center for affirmations and correctives to be focused and effective.
• Clear on next steps – “Effective coaches focus on what’s next,” says Schimmer. “This focus on growth allows learners to concentrate on what comes next to improve their practice.”
• Actionable – Saying “Good job!” “86 percent” or “You made a mistake here” won’t have much impact. Feedback needs to be concrete, specific, and move the recipient forward.
• Personal – Using the recipient’s name conveys that the person giving feedback has looked at the work or performance and has a personal message. It’s also helpful to affirm what the student knows and has done well up to this point.
• Timely – This goes for how quickly recipients get feedback as well as building in time for them to reflect and follow up. Timeliness is especially important when students misunderstand an assignment or demonstrate misconceptions as they work. Providing rubrics and setting up structures for self-assessment also help nip problems in the bud.
• User-friendly – Schimmer advises against overwhelming students with too much technical information on standards. Instead, redirect them with questions like, “Why did you make the choice to solve it this way?” or “Can you think of another way to present this information?” The key is students understanding the standards and being able to apply them to the task.
• Ongoing – “[A]ssessment is a conversation between teacher and student,” says Schimmer. There’s a continuing back-and-forth as students make errors and either fix the problems themselves or get corrective feedback from the teacher.
• Manageable – Timing, sensitivity, and giving feedback in bite-sized chunks are important to the feedback being received and acted upon. Not everything has to be addressed at once, since there will be other at-bats. Some questions to keep in mind:
1. Are students absorbing the feedback?
2. Do they understand the next step they need to take?
3. Do they have the tools and resources to be reach proficiency?
3. Do they believe the goal is attainable?
4. How’s their self-confidence and self-efficacy?
“The Nonnegotiable Attributes of Effective Feedback” by Tom Schimmer in The Solution Tree Assessment Center, 2018, no e-link available
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!! D114 has 2 tables reserved for Trivia Night!!! Please let me know ASAP if you are able to attend. This is SUCH a fun event, and the proceeds directly benefit our D114 students through the Holiday Party for our neediest children.
JOIN THE D114 GUIDING COALITION!
As we continue our journey toward becoming our very best Professional Learning Community, a key next step is to create a GUIDING COALITION of interested people who want to learn, lead, and collaborate for our district as we forge forward. If this sounds like something that is up your alley, please plan to attend the first meeting of the D114 GUIDING COALITION:
As we continue our journey toward becoming our very best Professional Learning Community, a key next step is to create a GUIDING COALITION of interested people who want to learn, lead, and collaborate for our district as we forge forward. If this sounds like something that is up your alley, please plan to attend the first meeting of the D114 GUIDING COALITION:
Tuesday, September 18
3:15-5:00
Stanton
*attendees at this and future meetings will be paid at the curriculum/their hourly rate for the time---this is key work for our District!
We'll start by establishing purpose and then identifying priorities for our District as we learn by doing! No new initiatives...just figuring out how to better support what's "tight" as we work to become the best District we can be for the kids we serve. Anyone is welcome to be a part, so let me know if we can count on you...
ONE TEAM...ALL IN
ALL MEANS ALL
Have a really awesome week!!!!
Heather
