Monday Morning Memo: Monday Morning Memo 11/2/20

Thank you Katie, Trina, & Rich for letting me shadow you, learn all about the 5th grade math curriculum, and for always answering my 10,000 questions.

and

Thank you to Michele and Jill for always being so helpful and answering all of my endless questions. Thank you for being so kind and welcoming me to Stanton!

-From Stephanie Kaye

Molly Goodsite- for always anticipating what I don't know and giving me that information.

and

Maddie Hansen.. for always helping me get the students to sign into speech.

and

JP's team.... Mandy, Lisa, Anastasia, Ashley, Melissa, Lynn, Stephanie... Hope to get the training in for mom this week.

and

Michele Serini..for her kind words last week as well as her help getting students to sign on for speech.

-From Karen Lobodzinski

NOTE: This should have run last week but I goofed up--HF.

A SHOUT OUT to Christy, Becky, Tina, Cheryl, Norine, Bob H, and Karen in transportation for going above and beyond to help by combining routes and doing extra runs to transport our kiddos and help our families during this difficult time.

Cheryl, Becky, Norine, and Karen for preparing the meals for our grab and go, and wherever they were needed, they jumped right in.

and

Thank you to Paula for calling families with new stop times.

and

Thank you to Rachelle for keeping me informed and her hard work with the grab and go meals.

and

Your help was amazing and appreciated, Thank You!

It takes a village - One team...all in

Andrea De Matteo

Kudos to the Stanton Guiding coalition. Your teamwork in leading us through virtual student-led conferences was phenomenal!! A great example of shared leadership!! THANK YOU!

and

Kudos to Lisa Shannon for visiting a 6th grade friend that has struggled to connect after transferring to Stanton during remote learning!! Way to connect Lisa!!!

-From Jeff Sefcik

Thank you to the third-grade team for helping me with my flex groups. Your support, guidance, and assistance is always appreciated.

and

Thank you Mike for adding in websites to clever so promptly. Much appreciated.

and

Thank you Paula for always brainstorming ideas with me with whatever it may be.

and

Thank you Cheryl Schuck for taking over Mrs. McGranahan's class when my internet went down Friday in the middle of class. Couldn't have finished strong if you were not there. :)

-From Victoria Miller

I want to give a shout out to the 2nd and 3rd grade teams! They have been so welcoming and their devotion to students and communication with each other is AMAZING! Two of the best teams I have EVER been on. Thanks so much ladies!

-From Courtnee Snell

I wanted to send out a kudos to Trina for her ability to differentiate her lessons and reach students at various levels. She is able to build rapport and help make students successful. She meets the students where they are at to help them learn. I am really impressed at our ability to reach out to all students including students who have IEPs.

Thanks for all you do to help the kids Trina! Keep up the great work!

-From Dani McCarthy

Thank you to everyone who helped with meal preparation and meals/materials distribution. You have all been amazing!

and

Thank you do Don for handling the entire food delivery on Thursday and for installing the air purifiers upstairs at Lotus. You saved us THOUSANDS of dollars by you installing them...can't wait until the rest come in!

-From Heather

As I shared on Friday, we are working on planning for the following groups to come back---if their families opt in--for onsite learning:

See plan linked here for student groups

*SpEd self contained classrooms resume in person learning M, T, Th, F

*PreK classrooms resume in person learning M, T, Th, F

*IEP-entitled students resume in person learning on Wednesdays

*EL-entitled students resume in person learning on Wednesdays at Stanton and per plan at Lotus

*Reading Recovery students resume 1:1 in person sessions as scheduled

and

*Delivery of meals/materials to bus stops at Lotus stop times resumes

Updated dashboard data 11/1/20:

The dashboard with our most current data looks like this:

Lake County Health Department School Status Recommendation:

VIRTUAL

Rating Scales

The topic of completing rating scales for students came up last week. These can be challenging to complete in "normal" times and are definitely more tricky now. A small group of our SpEd staff will be meeting this week to come up with guidance on this topic--they'll share out with you ASAP.

Investigating Student Issues

There are updated requirements when issues/allegations come up related to staff-student interactions. If a situation comes up that the District needs to investigate, we are also required to notify DCFS of the issue. I'm just letting you all know since this is a new requirement. These situations rarely occur, and I know they are stressful and really upsetting when they do. Please know that we will always be as transparent as we can be and are always committed to finding the facts.

Staff Safety Reminders

Please remember---especially now--that, if you feel ill or need coverage for your class, to notify an administrator and see the nurse onsite. This is for your safety as well as to ensure that learning continues for students. Additionally, if you are injured at work, you MUST notify Company Nurse so the injury is processed through our insurance and not yours! Please reach out to the nurse, your principals, Maddie, Mary, or me if you have questions or need assistance.

Conferences

As we get ready for Parent Conferences, here are a few reminders/updates given our virtual context:

Conferences Fall 2020

Stanton

Lotus

November 5

*Stanton conferences 2:00PM-9:00PM

*All support staff work REGULAR hours

November 23

*Lotus conferences 1:00PM-8:00PM

*All support staff work REGULAR hours

November 6

*Conferences 8:00AM-12:00PMcertified staff may “leave” at 12:00PM

*All support staff work REGULAR hours

November 24

*Conferences 8:00AM-12:00PM--certified staff may “leave” at 12:00PM

*All support staff work REGULAR hours

A few notes:

*Conferences can be done onsite or remotely.

*Instructional support staff should partner with teachers to determine what needs/projects can be done during conference times. Please take home materials to do tasks if working remotely.

*All staff welcome to work onsite.

*More details to come on schedules/expectations for Kitchen/Transportation teams.

Questions? Please reach out.

Meals and Materials

This week, we will offer meals (MONDAY 8-10 and 3:15-4:15) and meals/materials distribution (Friday 8-10 and 3:15-4:15) using Grab and Go at Lotus. Since we won't run the materials out by bus, we only need them organized ALPHA BY GRADE LEVEL .

REPEAT REMINDERS...

Employee Assistance Program

Please remember that ALL employees are able to use the services in the EAP program. Any support is strictly confidential. These are DIFFICULT times, so please don't hesitate to reach out for help!!! I'm attaching the EAP flyer to this email so you have the info. If you have questions, please reach out to Maddie and she can confidentially guide you.

Travel Guidelines

As you may know, the Lake Co Superintendents meet each week with the Lake County Health Department. Yesterday, the topic of out of state travel came up. I asked for more clarification on travel, especially as we head into breaks...especially Thanksgiving...and here is guidance based on the directions from the Health Department:

AS OF RIGHT NOW--KNOWING THIS MAY CHANGE:

*Avoid travel if at all possible.
*No matter where you are, strictly follow the 3 W's:

Wear a mask
Wash your hands...A LOT
Watch your space---stay 6 ft apart

*Continue to use our self-certification protocol daily upon your return.

*Notify your principal and me of any COVID contacts or new symptoms immediately.

All this means that--as of today--we will NOT have to ask you to quarantine if you travel out of state BUT within the US. However, please CAREFULLY consider out of state travel and, as or more importantly, be sure you are following safety precautions no matter where you are!!!!

Clocking In and Out

Hourly employees should clock in and out each day you are onsite. This helps us know who is in and also is used to confirm payroll. THANK YOU!

Wednesday Calendar

I'm sharing the Wednesday CTT calendar with you here. It's a work in progress, but you can check back in to see how times are added. Please note that there will almost always be a mini-lesson and then time for your teams to work.

This week's Two-Minute Tip!

Use Online Timers

Purpose: Gives students a virtual reminder of staying on task, and how much time they have until the next activity or check in.

How it works: Embed a timer on your slides or put one on your shared screen. There are many fun ones you can get online!

For more information and tips, check out the Stanton Survival Tips Slides

Classroom Timers

Large Stopwatch

Aquarium, Lava Lamp, Rain, and others!

LOTUS

1st Trimester PBIS Celebration for Lotus will be on Friday, November 13th. The theme is "Favorite Sports Team Day"

We will be drawing for the 1st Trimester PBIS raffle prize. We will be raffling off TWO LEGO BASKETS for two lucky All-Stars!

COVID-19 SAFETY PROCEDURES

EFFECTIVE 10/26/20

Safety Protocols

*If you have any COVID-10 like symptoms at all or are not feeling well, please DO NOT come onsite.

If coming onsite:

*You must continue to self-certify using Skyward.

*All staff must enter through the main entrance at each site.

*You must sign in using the sign in sheet, mark that you self-certified, and take and record your temperature. IF YOU HAVE A FEVER ABOVE 100.4 YOU ARE ASKED TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY AND REACH OUT TO YOUR PRINCIPAL AND HEATHER.

*Once Sharon/Marc are onsite, they will review the sign in sheet and cross check with the self-certification report. If anyone is NOT cleared or did NOT self-certify, they will meet with them to ensure they are safe to be onsite. If not, they'll refer that employee to Heather.

*If you arrive after Sharon/Marc are onsite, please will report to the Health Office to check in so we know you have self-certified. Your temperature will also be taken and recorded. Employees will know to do this because, when Sharon/Marc arrive, they will pick up the sign in log and put out a sign that says "Please come to the Health Office to check in".

When you come onsite, you can work in your classroom/workspace. Please feel free to use it as your own. I'd just ask that you work in that space as much as possible and not travel out much. You can, of course you can use the bathroom, lounge, copiers, etc. as needed. Please do not congregate in the hallways or in other spaces. We simply want to keep you safe.

If you are alone in your workspace and the door is closed, you may remove your mask. If anyone enters that space, everyone in the space MUST wear a mask and stay 6 ft apart at all times.

When you DO leave your room, I'd ask that you strictly follow the 4 W's to help keep yourself and others around you safe:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Wear your mask.

3. Watch your space.

4. Wait your turn.

If you are concerned that you have COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19 and have been

or are scheduled to be onsite, please let your principal, Maddie Espinoza, and/or me know

immediately so we can partner with you for your safety and for the safety of others.

You can trust that we will keep all this information confidential, balancing staff privacy and system

safety needs.

All staff MUST wear masks AT ALL TIMES

when onsite and in public spaces.

If you are working in an office/classroom

with the door closed, you may remove your

mask. It must be worn when anyone enters

that space with you.

In addition, the steps below (from the CDC website) MUST be taken if you have been diagnosed with or

exposed to COVID-19:

COMING ONSITE:

You MUST complete the daily self-certification in Skyward.

Social distancing of 6 feet and following handwashing

procedures--inside and outside--remain expectations and

a priority for your safety and the safety of those around

you.

Election Day is this TUESDAY, 11/3!

If you would like to see where the IEA stands on issues affecting education and what candidates they are endorsing, click here.

NEA Member Benefits -Retirement Specialist

Through the NEA Member Benefits program, we have access to a specialist who can help you plan for retirement at no cost to you. If you would like to take advantage of this program, please reach out to Steve Podgorski:

Cell Phone: (847) 815-1595

Email: spodgorski@lincolninvestment.com

IL Educator Well-Being Survey

The Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the University of Illinois Springfield invites you to participate in the Illinois Educator Well-Being Survey. The purpose of this survey is to examine how the climate and culture of your workplace impacts the quality of your life. The IEA will use the results of this survey to support educator’s well-being in the workplace through improved programs and services. For more information, or to take the survey, click here. The survey will close on December 1, 2020.

Link to IEA COVID Resources and Information Page

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

Michelle Serini, Stanton School Representative

Tiffany Tardio Weber, Lotus School Representative