Monday Morning Memo: Monday Morning Memo 10/31/22

For all those who do Medicaid billing, this is your reminder to do it! We need you to please stay on top of this!!! THANK YOU!!!! 😁

If you have no idea what this means...you don't have to do it! YAY!!!!

Thank you to Brian Crask for meeting and discussing all things music theory & technology. The passion for your craft is amazing!

and

...Thank you to the 5th grade team for all of your hard work so far this year! You've had to learn ARC & IRLA, Number Corner, iReady, plan for Social Studies and Science, and (most of you) learn the D114/Stanton way of things.The dedication you've shown in planning after the school day is commendable. With this said, a special thanks to Katie Jalove Filippelli for your guidance and support with the new 5th grade team and for always being willing to answer questions and help out.

-From Stephanie Kaye (Instructional Coach at Stanton)

Kudos to Natalie Udstuen! She snagged a friend who was having a hard time in the hallway and then prompt with sending out important emails. Thanks so much.

and

Kudos to the lunch ladies for always being awesome! From helping out, being flexible with kids and staff lunches.

and

Kudos to those who have already signed up for culvers Eat Out Night! We couldn't have these events without your help.

and

Kudos to Amber M for putting on a great gymnastics performance.

-From Victoria Miller (STEM teacher at Lotus)

A shout out to Melanie, Colleen, and Debbie Miller for always riding a bus when needed. You are so appreciated. Also, thanks to Mike F for riding the bus everyday. You are so appreciated!

Also, thanks for having the opportunity to play and get to meet the PreK kiddos. I had the best time with them. Thank you PreK teachers/paras who gave me grace and guidance. You all made it so much easier.

-From Cheryl Schuck (Paraprofessional at Lotus)

Thank you Matt for the note. Thank you Natalie for checking in on me. Thank you Erica for helping with ARC. Thank you Mo for sitting with me during plan so I wasn’t alone. Thank you Mike F for helping with my caffeine addiction . Thank you Brittany for our “class pet”!! Thank you Kelly for the special treats x 2! Thank you Amber for helping with a student n the treats. Thank you second grade team for helping me through a difficult couple weeks at home and school. I love this school family and if I missed you thanks you! I truly appreciate all the love and support from everyone around me. #SoTHANKFUL

Sherry Tietjen (ILP-B teacher at Lotus)

I would like to thank Jeff Sefcik for helping me get a pair of shoes for a student that was in desperate need. Your generosity was greatly appreciated!

-From Karen Brnot (7th grade Science teacher at Stanton)

Thanks to Mike Szotek, who is always there to figure things out. He can quickly find permanently deleted emails that you suddenly realize you need and restore them to your inbox.

And

Thank you to Sue Pinkawa, who is a "Jane"-of-all-trades. When you request help and say that there's no rush, Sue has it for you in no time flat. When you have to speak in code over the phone because students are in the classroom, Sue can decipher it. When you want to surprise someone, Sue is able to assist without the person finding out.

From Mary Santi (Second and Third Grade Case Manager at Lotus)

To the entire Stanton staff for all the work it takes to be ready for Student-Led Conferences. I know they will go GREAT!!!

-From Heather (Your very grateful and blessed Superintendent)

Please send me your kudos for colleagues each week! I'll happily post them in this section!

Here's a link to all the ideas gathered for the HOW and WHY of the Friz 5...I'll keep adding as great ideas come forward.

In the Friday with Friz video, I made up the strategy that we used. In it, I asked a question that was a yes or no answer to get a show of hands (involving everyone in thinking) and then a "dig in" where kids who wanted to add more detail could volunteer to do so. This is an easy way to get everyone involved before inviting one or two or a few to add more in depth thoughts.

Please know that the commitment to the Friz 5 is really making a difference for kids! SO MANY have told me that they notice the greetings, the targets, and the efforts to get them even more involved in learning. THANK YOU!!!

Paraprofessional Hours during Parent Teacher Conferences

Here's a schedule to clarify working hours for paras. All paras are expected to work a total of 15 hours between the two conference days.

Please review the schedule below and follow your start time:

6:15 am - 6:45 pm Meal break: 5-6 pm
7:15 am - 7:45 pm Meal break: 5-6 pm
7:30 am - 8:00 pm Meal break: 5-6 pm
8:00 am - 8:30 pm Meal break: 5-6 pm

Total paid hours - 11

All paras will work 8 am - noon on the second conference day for a total of 4 paid hours. Please let Maddie know if you have any questions.

THANKSGIVING LUNCH

Mark your calendars! Our AMAZING Kitchen teams will be providing a yummy lunch for everyone on November 18 at both sites to make sure you know how THANKFUL we are for our D114 staff!!! And just WAIT til you see what's planned for before the winter break and for the Super Bowl!!!!

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)

Attached to this week's Monday Memo email, you'll find an updated access flyer for the EAP program. Remember that this is FREE to all employees to provide a whole bunch of different supports (examples: mental health, finances, quitting smoking, etc.). ANY access of EAP is completely confidential. If you need any assistance or have questions, please reach out to Maddie Mercado.

BILINGUAL FAMILY LIAISON

We have offered this position to an amazing candidate and are finalizing details now!! More info to come ASAP!

My friends Jeanne and Matt are doing a podcast called "Real Talk". It's pretty amazing and there are 3 episodes so far. It's definitely real talk about real school stuff, so if podcasts are your jam, check it out!

Thanks to everyone for your feedback! Erica and Stephanie are sending out Lotus- and Stanton-specific supports, but I'll also post the link to a folder containing them all here so they are easy to find, everyone can see everything, and you're reminded to check them out!

Thinking of all of our Stanton staff as they embark on their parent teacher conferences this week. We know that you will do wonderfully and hope you have a successful evening of conferences.

NEW Professional Development especially for school support staff

As an IEA member, one great benefit of membership is that you have access to vetted professional development. IEA has recently entered into an agreement that provides professional development that is specific to support staff in schools. This library of trauma-informed trainings is broken down into modules that are anywhere from three to 17 minutes long. There are courses that apply generally to support staff and ones that are job specific, such as for paraprofessionals, bus drivers, school office staff and more. The link to this program is located in Members Only on the IEA website. If you’d like to access it, please contact IEA Connect at 844-432-1800, through live chat on the IEA website at ieanea.org or through email at IEAConnect@ieanea.org. Once you contact Connect, the Connect Specialists will check to see if you’ve already registered for Members Only. If you haven’t, they will assist you in completing that process and then send you a link for the professional development tool. The Connect Specialists will already have set up an account in the tool and given you a temporary password. You are free to change that password when you log in. Good luck and happy learning!

Awards, grants and scholarships

Education Support Professional of the Year Award: Online nomination forms for the IEA ESP of the Year will be accepted through Dec. 15. The award will be presented in March at the 2023 IEA Representative Assembly (RA).ESP STAR Award: The ESP Council created the ESP STAR program to allow IEA local leaders, IEA members and members of the board of directors to recognize and publicize the good work of their ESP members from across the state. Use the online nomination form (nominations accepted monthly) to nominate one or more special ESPs!SCORE grants: Grants for up to $1,000 are available for IEA members and their local associations to collaborate and create opportunities for community service or school projects. Apply by Jan. 15.Athletic grants: California Casualty’s Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grant program will award $1,000 grants to school athletics programs. Apply by Jan. 15.$2,500 for college: The Burroughs Education Scholarship, sponsored by Woodruff Johnson & Evans Law Offices, will be awarded to a college-bound high school senior with at least one parent who is a school employee. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 31. Apply Now!