Monday Morning Memo: July 2021

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Monday Morning Memo--July 26, 2021

Kudos to the principals for being simply amazing. I'm so blessed to work with you!

and

Thanks to Andrea, Maureen, Maddie, and Mary for being the best team in the world. Thank you for all you do!

and

HUGE props to everyone who is making Camp Curiosity happen. You are ROCK STARS!

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Kudos to everyone attending the PLC Institute and Kagan training! WOW!!!!

-From Heather

Please send me KUDOS to give shout outs to colleagues! I LOVE to put them in the Monday Memo! 🎉

Reopening Updates

The slides I shared on with the Board are linked here (with a few updates) if you didn't get a chance to check them out. The shifts here start for the fall, meaning all kids must keep wearing masks during Camp just as they have been.

For now:

*Temperature checks and self certifications are NO LONGER NEEDED.

*Masks stay on when kids are around.

*Unvaccinated adults should wear masks at all times.

*When kids aren't around, masks are not required.

*If someone asks that those around them do wear a mask, it should be treated respectfully.

*If someone chooses to wear a mask, it should be treated respectfully.

Vaccination Status

If you are willing, please complete this survey to share your current vaccination status. We are collecting this information to help us most efficiently respond to any COVID situations without having to bug you for information. Remember, as of right now, those who are vaccinated will not have to quarantine if there is a close contact situation. We also respect the varying perspectives on vaccinations, so there is no judgement whatsoever on your status.

Please click here to complete the quick survey. THANK YOU!

Vaccination Pod Volunteers NEEDED!

Please let me know if you are willing to volunteer at Grant on July 28 (10AM-2PM) or August 18 (4PM-8PM) at our next FREE shared vaccination pod. I'd sure appreciate your help!

A Favor...

My amazing administrative assistant, Maureen, will be retiring at the end of October. She's literally my right arm (and, if I'm honest, my left arm, too). We'll be posting her position in the near future, but if you know of any candidates for this position, I'd love to get some recommendations. School experience is a MUST, and any experience in a special education administrative assistant would be a major bonus.

Current Local COVID Data

Pictures and Songs!!!!!

As is our tradition, please send me:

*A photo of your summer journey

*A song that you've loved on your journey through summer (or life so far!)

We'll use these on Opening Day, August 16, when we are ALL BACK TOGETHER at Lotus to kick off the year. More details to come with the opening week agenda, but feel free to send your pictures or song to me whenever the mood strikes you!

August 2-4: PLC Institute at Lotus (watch your email for details)

August 9 and 10: Kagan Collaborative Structures training at D103 (watch your email for details)

August 12: New Staff Orientation

August 13: Additional Orientation for New Certified Staff

August 16: D114 All Staff Welcome Back!

August 17: Building-based Time

August 18: Teacher Work Time (AM), Meet and Greet (PM)

August 19: First Day of School for K-8!!!!

August 23: First Day of School for PreK!!!!

Specific agenda for the week of 8/16 will be sent out ASAP.

Have a wonderful summer week!

Heather 💗

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Monday Morning Memo--July 19, 2021

Hello, all! I'm launching some very brief Monday Memos to make sure we are all connected as we plan for our FULL REOPENING and the journey of the 2021-22 school year! I'll keep it short, I promise. 😊

Kudos to our Camp Curiosity staff, PBIS Team, Equity Team, and our Guiding Coalition for working extra hard this summer to get our students and staff ready for a great 2021-2022 school year!

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To Rachelle and Lynn for all the work they put in last week building schedules for our IEP entitled students.

-From Jeff Sefcik

Everyone teaching Camp Curiosity!!!

-From Stephanie Kaye

Thank you to all of our AMAZING Camp Curiosity teachers!! It has been so much fun to see our students so excited about what they are doing.

Thank you to Erica, Stephanie, Cathy, Amanda, and Mike on doing all of the heavy lifting to help make Camp Curiosity run so smoothly!

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Thank you to Norm, Al, and Sue who know what needs to get done around the school and just does it!

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Thank you to Georgette, Sue, and Sonia for making sure that our students always get fed.

-From Rachelle Peters

I just have to brag on Kelly for a minute! I checked in with one of her kiddos today and he has grown an ENTIRE grade level in five weeks! He was working on onset rime and is now ready to learn about tricky word patterns like si = sh/zh! He was so excited and confident today! I wanted to bottle it up and share it with everyone!

-From Erica Barraza

Special Thank you to Sue Pinkawa, Paula Kvacik, Michele Burgess and Jill Becmer for helping me with attendance and any other logistics that come with Camp Curiosity. You guys rock and I could not have done this without all of you.

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Thank you to Andrea De Matteo for everything you did with bussing for Camp Curiosity. I am so grateful for you and I am also grateful that I got to know you better.

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Thank you to all the teachers, and staff that helped make Camp Curiosity a success. The kids look so happy to be here and it's because of all of you.

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Thank you to the Stanton and Lotus Guiding Coalitions for welcoming me on their teams. I am super excited to see what we will accomplish this year.

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Thank you to all that met for the Stanton PBIS logistical meeting. I am grateful to work with all of you and I am looking forward to seeing PBIS brought to a whole other level.

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Thank you to all that met for MTSS summer curriculum work. We got so much done in two hours, and it's all because we worked so well together by actively listening to each other and building on each others' ideas.

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Thank you to the SEL team for inviting me to their summer curriculum work. I am looking forward to the great things that will happen with MTSS SEL.

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Thank you Lynn Smolen for being my sounding board. I am so grateful for you. We are always in sync. Thank you office buddy and friend!

-From Cathy Jawnyj

Please send me KUDOS to give shout outs to colleagues! I LOVE to put them in the Monday Memo! 🎉

July BOE Meeting/Reopening Updates

The July Board of Education meeting will be held this Tuesday at 7:00 PM in the Lotus Library. I'll be previewing the facts of our reopening as we know them so far. I'll share the slides with all of you on Tuesday prior to the meeting. You are welcome to come to the meeting or join using this Meet link. Please know that, if you choose to attend in person, you should wear a mask if you are unvaccinated.

All current safety protocols remain in place, and I truly appreciate everyone following them to help keep all our students and staff safe and coming to school!