Jill Becmer for "painting a wall"!
and
the Flex Committee for their commitment to creating a schedule that will most benefit all of
our students.
our students.
and
the Culver's Coffee and Custard Cart leaders - for leading one of the most impactful programs
in our school!
in our school!
and
D114 for an outstanding Day of Service 4! All In!
-All from Jeff Sefcik
I’d like to add a kudos to Mike S. For all his assistance and answering my technical questions
about the laptops. It has helped a lot knowing I don’t need to call him for every little question.
Couldn’t do it without him!!! Thanks!
about the laptops. It has helped a lot knowing I don’t need to call him for every little question.
Couldn’t do it without him!!! Thanks!
-From Cheryl Schuck
Thank you to Keli Swierczek for all your paperwork help!
Thank you to Rich Bressett for being a great 2nd step co-teacher!
Thank you to Janette Jennings for always extending your support!
-All from Greer Lally
Thank you to Michelle and the rest of the lunch staff for always being so flexible with my lunch.
There are days it is so crazy I forget to let them know and no matter how busy they are, no
questions asked, always get a lunch. It is greatly appreciated.
There are days it is so crazy I forget to let them know and no matter how busy they are, no
questions asked, always get a lunch. It is greatly appreciated.
-From Victoria Miller
A big thank you to Kelli Kuehn for helping out with Stem Club.
Susan Kartman & Erica Barraza
Thank you Maureen DeVoss and Erica Barraza for putting together a professional development
on Number Talks. You offered some great strategies and look forward to seeing the future sessions.
on Number Talks. You offered some great strategies and look forward to seeing the future sessions.
and
Thank you to Christina Martorano and Sarah Ferens for assisting me with a student in the
hallway this week. I truly appreciate your assistance. A special shout out to Stephanie Brual,
as well, for all her patience.
hallway this week. I truly appreciate your assistance. A special shout out to Stephanie Brual,
as well, for all her patience.
and
Thank you to Erica Bender, Jackie Harmon, and Brittany Mason for rolling up the sleeves and doing
whatever it takes with math in your classrooms.
whatever it takes with math in your classrooms.
and
A special thanks to Kim VanHoorelbeke for all of her efforts with organizing the Family Reading Night
and for making a connection with Peter Reynolds. Looking forward to another great event.
and for making a connection with Peter Reynolds. Looking forward to another great event.
and
A special thanks to Theresa Kovach for connecting with Mike Caplin, weatherman from Channel 12,
and having him visit our school for a presentation.
and having him visit our school for a presentation.
-All from Matt Peters
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!
is to create system celebrations--so your input is truly welcome!
Business Office Updates
Grant Opportunity
Attached to this week’s email, please find information on the Thank America’s Teachers grant,
forwarded to me by Board of Education Vice-President, Roger Smith. This is a super cool opportunity
---and a local teacher not only won a grant, but is up for a $100,000 grant, too! Check it out, and let me know if you have any questions!
forwarded to me by Board of Education Vice-President, Roger Smith. This is a super cool opportunity
---and a local teacher not only won a grant, but is up for a $100,000 grant, too! Check it out, and let me know if you have any questions!
Coursework Approval/Reimbursement
As communicated in the Monday Memo on 5/20/18:
Coursework Pre-approval
Please note that all coursework for which you'd like reimbursement or for which you think you'll be
entitled to a lane change MUST be pre-approved. The forms for this are available in both school
offices as well as in the Business Office share folder, and they must be received prior to beginning
coursework. Employees must serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1.
entitled to a lane change MUST be pre-approved. The forms for this are available in both school
offices as well as in the Business Office share folder, and they must be received prior to beginning
coursework. Employees must serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1.
Per the current contract:
11.9
Summary--Coursework requires pre-approval.
11.10
"Teachers who present an official transcript for properly approved coursework no later than
October 15th shall be eligible for salary schedule advancement for the entire year. Employee must
serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1st.
October 15th shall be eligible for salary schedule advancement for the entire year. Employee must
serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1st.
Teachers who present an official transcript for properly approved coursework no later than
January 15th shall be eligible for salary schedule advancement for the second half of the school year.
Employees must serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1st".
January 15th shall be eligible for salary schedule advancement for the second half of the school year.
Employees must serve notice of intent to change lanes by July 1st".
FYI:
*The reason for the July 1 notification is that this allows us to build the budget for the year knowing
what salaries will be for the upcoming school year.
what salaries will be for the upcoming school year.
*I STRONGLY recommend that a coursework approval form be completed and submitted for each
and every class taken to document coursework/progress to a lane change.
and every class taken to document coursework/progress to a lane change.
If you have any questions about this, please talk to Heather or Maddie Espinoza.
Certified Hours for Frontline
Now that we have implemented Frontline, we want to streamline how hours are counted for certified
staff. As the contract simply specifies a “professional day”, the EAFL executive board and I met last
week to document the work day/work hours for absences.
staff. As the contract simply specifies a “professional day”, the EAFL executive board and I met last
week to document the work day/work hours for absences.
Lotus
Full Day 7:45-2:20
AM Half Day 7:45-11:00
PM Half Day 11:00-2:20
Working 3 hours and 15 minutes is a half day
Stanton
Full Day 8:30-3:05
AM Half Day 8:30-11:45
PM Half Day 11:45-3:05
Working 3 hours and 15 minutes is a half day
Support Staff--since your work hours are very clearly specified, your 1/2 day is already set.
For details related to your position-specific hours, please reach out to Maddie--she'll be happy
to assist!
Support Staff--since your work hours are very clearly specified, your 1/2 day is already set.
For details related to your position-specific hours, please reach out to Maddie--she'll be happy
to assist!
Both Sites:
If you are gone longer than 3:20, you must take a full day.
If an absence is mid morning to mid afternoon, the absence will be taken as an AM half day with a
note added to document specific absence times.
note added to document specific absence times.
If using the “dock time”, time out must be 1:30 or less and must be logged with Sue/Paula (Lotus) or
Michele/Jill (Stanton).
Michele/Jill (Stanton).
If gone more than 1:30, you must take half day.
Please let Heather or Maddie Espinoza know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Wellness Matters!
Thanks to Jessica Lanners for this info:
Empower Health Services will be at Lotus and Stanton in 1 month to conduct FREE Wellness
Screenings. These screenings will detect and/or help you work towards preventing: heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, anemia, and so much more.
Screenings. These screenings will detect and/or help you work towards preventing: heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, cancer, liver disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, anemia, and so much more.
As an added bonus, the Education Association of Fox Lake will be raffling off four $10 gift cards to
EAFL members who participate in the screenings (2 at Lotus and 2 at Stanton). Winners can choose
from a gift card to Subway, Jimmy Johns, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Thorton’s!
EAFL members who participate in the screenings (2 at Lotus and 2 at Stanton). Winners can choose
from a gift card to Subway, Jimmy Johns, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Thorton’s!
For those that haven’t signed up yet, the process is simple.
· Visit the registration website http://empowerhealthservices.info/
· Go to the "New Program Registration" box and enter the client code: foxlake114
· When you register, please make sure you sign up for the correct location. They will be at LOTUS on November 13th and STANTON on November 15th.
· If you only want a flu vaccination, please select the "FLU ONLY" event.
I want to encourage everyone that is on the district’s health insurance plans AND their spouses to take
advantage of this offer. Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you to everyone
that has already signed up!
advantage of this offer. Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you to everyone
that has already signed up!
HERE'S MY STORY:
I worked in oncology for 10 years before I switched to school nursing. This woman was one of my
first patients and to this day, her story has stuck with me. She was a teacher and her school hosted
a free wellness screening much like the one we are offering. She had signed up for the screening
and last minute decided to add on a cancer detection screening lab. She had no reason to think
anything was wrong, she felt healthy, but figured “why not?” The results came back high, she was
soon diagnosed with stage 1 cancer of the fallopian tube. She had surgery and 1 round of c
hemotherapy. She then went on to live her life-cancer free. Had she not participated and added that
lab on, the chances are high that the cancer would not have been detected until it had spread. It
would have been too late.
first patients and to this day, her story has stuck with me. She was a teacher and her school hosted
a free wellness screening much like the one we are offering. She had signed up for the screening
and last minute decided to add on a cancer detection screening lab. She had no reason to think
anything was wrong, she felt healthy, but figured “why not?” The results came back high, she was
soon diagnosed with stage 1 cancer of the fallopian tube. She had surgery and 1 round of c
hemotherapy. She then went on to live her life-cancer free. Had she not participated and added that
lab on, the chances are high that the cancer would not have been detected until it had spread. It
would have been too late.
And Finally---
Any injury must be reported to Company Nurse! Please see Colleen (Lotus) or Jessica (Stanton) to
help you make this call.
help you make this call.
Curriculum Updates
This week in SEL--week of October 15
Facilities Updates
Based on everything we know, Lotus will be CLOSED during winter break. Custodial staff will be
needed on site to move items in/out of classrooms for the insulation/ceiling tile work. We’ll have a
better idea of the timeline in the next couple of weeks, but it’s looking like everything will have to be
moved out from classrooms for these repairs. We’ll then move everything back in. I know this is a
colossal pain, but it’s for a very good cause.
needed on site to move items in/out of classrooms for the insulation/ceiling tile work. We’ll have a
better idea of the timeline in the next couple of weeks, but it’s looking like everything will have to be
moved out from classrooms for these repairs. We’ll then move everything back in. I know this is a
colossal pain, but it’s for a very good cause.
Membership cards have arrived!
We will be working on organizing and distributing them this week, so keep an eye out for your card.
If you do not receive a card by next Monday, October 22, please let Melissa Jakstas know so that
we can be sure you get one!
If you do not receive a card by next Monday, October 22, please let Melissa Jakstas know so that
we can be sure you get one!
Lake County Educational Association Resilience Network (LEARN) Workshop
You are invited to the first annual LEARN workshop! The topics of this workshop are: SB 100: Student
Discipline and State Code (presented by Rachel Clark, I.E.A. Legal Counsel) Restorative Practices:
A Systematic Overview (presented by Kristine Argue I.E.A. Resilience Trainer). October 24 from
4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Libertyville Civic Center. This is a FREE event! Dinner will be provided and
CPDUs are available for attending this event! Melissa will be attending... hoping to have a few
more EAFL members join in on the learning as well!
Discipline and State Code (presented by Rachel Clark, I.E.A. Legal Counsel) Restorative Practices:
A Systematic Overview (presented by Kristine Argue I.E.A. Resilience Trainer). October 24 from
4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Libertyville Civic Center. This is a FREE event! Dinner will be provided and
CPDUs are available for attending this event! Melissa will be attending... hoping to have a few
more EAFL members join in on the learning as well!
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:
SEL Pacing Guides
Stanton:
Questions to Consider
Check out the yellow highlights…
What are your thoughts?
How does our work related to SEL and Kagan align to our students’ need for deeply imbedded
collaboration skills in order to succeed in their futures?
collaboration skills in order to succeed in their futures?
Teachers as Agents of Change
By George on Oct 14, 2018 06:23 am
I shared this post recently, “These Are The Skills That Your Kids Will Need For The Future (Hint:
It’s Not Coding),” and I want to start with a quote from the end of the article first.
Perhaps most of all, we need to be honest with ourselves and make peace with the fact that
our kids’ educational experience will not–and should not–mirror our own.
I was recently asked, “What is a teacher?”, and although I could easily google a definition, I think
the question we need to focus on is not, “What is a teacher?” but “What is the role of a teacher?”
In a time where change is happening quicker than ever, and information is abundant, and everywhere,
the role should be different than what it was when I went to school, as the author of the piece notes.
I have written previously about the importance of being a change agent, and talked about these
five characteristics:
I have been thinking about the idea that all teachers need to be “agents of change” as this is the
norm in our world at an ever-increasing rate. The article talks about this shift in learning:
Yet as the complexity theorist Sam Arbesman has pointed out, facts have a half life and, as the
accumulation of knowledge accelerates, those half lives are shrinking. For example, when we
learned computer programming in school, it was usually in BASIC, a now mostly defunct language.
Today, Python is the most popular language, but will likely not be a decade from now.
Computers themselves will be very different as well, based less on the digital code of ones and zeros
and more on quantum laws and the human brain. We will likely store less information on silicon and
more in DNA. There’s no way to teach kids how these things will work because nobody, not even
experts, is quite sure yet.
So kids today need to learn less about how things are today and more about the systems future
technologies will be based on, such as quantum dynamics, genetics and the logic of code. One
thing economists have consistently found is that it is routine jobs that are most likely to be automated.
The best way to prepare for the future is to develop the ability to learn and adapt.
But one of the points of the article that resonated with me most was the focus on social-emotional
skills:
Make no mistake. The high value work today is being done in teams and that will only increase as
more jobs become automated. The jobs of the future will not depend as much on knowing facts or
crunching numbers, but will involve humans collaborating with other humans to design work for
machines. Collaboration will increasingly be a competitive advantage.
That’s why we need to pay attention not just to how our kids work and achieve academically, but how
they play, resolve conflicts and make others feel supported and empowered. The truth is that value
has shifted from cognitive skills to social skills. As kids will increasingly be able to learn complex
subjects through technology, the most important class may well be recess.
Here is my contention; as the world becomes more “digital”, the importance of being “human” is
more important than ever. This means both offline and online. Things are a lot different from when
I went to school and more complex, so the role of the teacher as an agent of change is crucial if we
are to truly to serve the needs of our students, now and in the future.
October 16: Board of Education meeting--7:00PM at Lotus
October 20: Rotary Trivia Night---funds raised pay for the December Neediest Children event!
October 26: RD Sayles Foundation event
Please know how much you are appreciated. I know there has been a lot of change, clarity of what’s
“tight”, and increased expectations of every single person in our system. While I hope you can see
how each part of this is what’s best for kids, I also know that we’re asking a lot. THANK YOU for
giving 110%, for being positive, for supporting each other, and...most importantly...for being there
for the students we serve. They have ONE CHANCE at this school year, and they deserve the best.
I’m so glad they have each of you in their corner.
“tight”, and increased expectations of every single person in our system. While I hope you can see
how each part of this is what’s best for kids, I also know that we’re asking a lot. THANK YOU for
giving 110%, for being positive, for supporting each other, and...most importantly...for being there
for the students we serve. They have ONE CHANCE at this school year, and they deserve the best.
I’m so glad they have each of you in their corner.
Have a super week!
Heather
Heather
