Everyone send good vibes to Lotus on Conferences Monday and Tuesday!!!!
Shout out to Kelly Roland who has been a blessing for a student that requires a lot of extra TLC.
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Thank you to Sharon, Paula and Sue in the office for helping me to organize all the holiday events coming up to ensure our families have what they need.
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Shout out to Ellie Seyfert and Nicole Brinkman for implementing a mini lesson on Best Practices for our paras.
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Thank you to everyone that goes above and beyond daily to ensure staffing and subbing for meetings are taken care of. We know we ask a lot of everyone and it doesn't go unnoticed. I would have to include our entire staff on this because everyone is pitching in daily!
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BIG thank you to Kim VanHoorelbeke for planning another Family Reading Night!
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Thank you to Mindy Auld and Mary Foersterling for implementing SST strategies for our youngest learners. I was able to see first hand how much of a difference it is making for our students to regulate and be successful in the classroom. Ellie- thank you for making the tool to help our students regulate.
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1st Grade Team thank you for making me laugh harder than I thought was possible at work.
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Thank you to Andrea for solving a transportation issue for Matt and I in a moment's notice. You are truly amazing!
-From Natalie Udstuen (Lotus Assistant Principal)
Shout Out to the entire transportation team!!! Thanks so much for helping out, getting the kiddos to school and home every day, running a student home on extremely short notice, and thanks for stepping
up and pitching in to cover routes! You all rock! 
Extremely grateful to work with all of you, Andrea De Matteo (Transportation Coordinator)
Shout Out to Lisa Werner! Thank you for your help in developing a think sheet customized for our kiddos! You allowed us to implement this strategy immediately!
I appreciate all you do!
Chris Brown (Paraprofessional at Lotus)
Big shout out to Deb Miller and Nicole Mild for the deep cleaning of the break room during your rotation. It looks fabulous!!! 
Sonia Miller (Kitchen Lead at Lotus)
A big thank you to Cathy Jawnyj who has been the caboose to my duckling parade helping me get 11 littles to the bus in the afternoon. You saw a need and stepped in to help fill it. It's been greatly appreciated!
-Mary Foersterling (PreK teacher at Lotus)
I would like to thank the kitchen staff for once again, giving us a delicious lunch. We are so lucky to have you.
I would like to thank Cathy Jawnyj, Kim Jacobs-Leable, and Joseph Fernandez for all the extra help and support that you have given me this year! I am so grateful to have all of your expertise in my room this year and the kids are lucky to have you.
With Gratitude,
--Cary Scarpino (1st grade teacher at Lotus)
Kudos to my 3rd grade team-Teri, Kelly, Vicki, Christine, and Mary for being super helpful with all my questions leading up to grading and conferences. They have been super patient!
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Kudos to Teri for making me feel like not the only new teacher and allowing space for questioning without judgement.
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Kudos to Teri and Kelly for making Tuesday feel like it flew by! M&Ms, Christmas music, report cards, and recognizing some amazing students was worth the extra hours!
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Kudos to Amanda Lorenz for being consistent to allow a student to finish the diagnostic before Christmas! Thank you, Christine Spittler and Mary Santi for helping, as well!
--From Mollie Herchenbach (3rd grade teacher at Lotus)
Thank you to Mollie Herchenbach for her patience and understanding. Your flexibility is appreciated.and
Thanks to the Lotus Kitchen Staff for the wonderful lunch on Friday. The butternut squash soup was amazing!
Mary Santi (2nd and 3rd grade case manager)
Just wanted to say many thanks to all who participated in Family Reading Night from sharing your room space, sending out emails, set up and helping at the event. "It Takes a Village".
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Sonia, Penny, Yesenia & Hilda - so thankful for all you do everyday for the staff and all the students> From your cool decorations to always being so positive. Thank You!
-From Kim VanHoorelbeke (Library Paraprofessional at Lotus)
A big kudos to Mary, Cathy, and Cortnee for sharing the progress of the students on your caseload. Hearing about student goals through superpowers, kryptonite, and a scaffold for learning was both powerful and insightful. It is evident how hard you all work to ensure our students are getting exactly what they need and more. Thanks for all you do
-From Erica Barraza (Instructional Coach at Lotus)
Thank you to the kitchen team for an amazing Thanksgiving luncheon! We were the last lunch but still had plenty to eat! We appreciated the deli trays being on ice packs to make sure it stayed fresh. We appreciate the kitchen team for always taking care of all of us & feeding us delicious food.
Love, The 3rd Grade Team
Thank you to the kitchen staff for planning an eventful feast for all staff. We are so grateful for all you do and how you work tirelessly every day to provide for the staff and students. We appreciate you!
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Ms. Melanie, Ms. Colleen and Ms.Deb, thank you for being so helpful this week with everything! Your attention to detail and your love of learning is amazing to witness, and I am beyond thankful to have such a wonderful rotation of amazing staff in our ECSE classroom. "Thank you" will never be said enough for all you do in this room! I am incredibly blessed to have you all advocate for our students' needs.
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Ms. Lisa, Ms. Ellie, Ms. Fiona and Ms. Stephanie: Thank you for being such an amazing rockstar team. I love how we can bounce ideas off one another to meet the needs of the students in our classroom. I am beyond grateful for all of your support, ideas and assistance with schedule changes we have made for student success.
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Molly M: Thank you for your behind the scenes work of continued data collection. You can be pulled in many directions at times, and I am so thankful you make time for questions and assistance as needed. You are so valued here at Lotus! Thank you for all that you do!
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Kim L. long overdue kudos to you, my friend! Thank you for the IPads that my students are able to utilize to explore the TeachTown app and more! We have had tremendous success, and it's all to your generous heart.
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Kelly Roland: Thank you for your donations of rice, beans and lentils to our classroom. We are so excited to put them to good use in the sensory table. You have an amazing heart, and we are incredibly thankful for your donations!
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The preschool team, Michelle, Mary and Ben, thank you for being so supportive to assist with my first preschool conference set-up. I greatly appreciate all the time, the informational paperwork, the updates and your genuine support during this new season of teaching for me. I am so thankful to have such outstanding support!
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Sharon: Thank you for always going the extra mile to make sure our kiddos are operating at optimal health. You lead with your heart, and the students absolutely adore you. Thank you for being you!
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Sue and Paula: Thank you so much for being incredibly helpful each and every day- and ALWAYS doing it with a smile on your face! Thank you for all that you do, it doesn't go unnoticed!
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Matt, Natalie and Lynn: Thank you for your incredible support, genuine care and your feedback amist schedule changes and classroom adaptations. I truly feel the team effort of "one team all in", and I can see your heart is in this profession. We are beyond grateful to have you here at Lotus!
-From Erin Donovan (ECSE teacher at Lotus)
Kudos to Kim VanHoorelbeke-Thank you so much for having everything prepared for Reading Night! It made everything so easy!:)
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Kudos to Victoria Corrado-Thank you for letting Abbey and I use your classroom for Reading Night!:)
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Kudos to Sami Harshaw-Thank you for lending Abbey and I some tablecloths for Reading Night! It made the room look very inviting!:)
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Kudos to Donna Saranzak-Thank you so much for lending us some stuffed animals for our visiting friends to cuddle up and read with at Reading Night! The students loved snuggling with them!:)
-From Kim Leable (EL teacher at Lotus) and Abbey Kadera (Bilingual teacher at Lotus)
HUGE Kudos and thanks to Kim VanHoorelbeke for another successful Family Reading Night! Thank you for choosing and distributing all of the themed books for each room, and then collecting and re-shelving them. Your dedication and tireless efforts to foster a love of reading in our kids and families are an inspiration!
-From Erin Connolly-Jordt (Music teacher at Lotus)
Thanks to Kelly Roland, Amber Mysliwiec, Teri Valenziano, Mollie Herchenbach, Kim Husko, Kendra Smeigh, and Leah Falster for being at the Board meeting to recognize some truly amazing students.
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Thanks to Erica Barraza and Stephanie Kaye for sharing such great information about our academic data and plans in ways that were clear and super purposeful.
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Thanks to Sami Harshaw and Maureen DeVoss for sticking around for the very looong meeting.
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Thanks to David Roat for getting the technology back and working during the meeting---from HOME!
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Thanks to Jeff Sefcik for all your support in a closed session discussion. I appreciated the facts you presented and the professional response to the situation.
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Thanks to Kim VanHoorelbeke for planning another fabulous Family Reading Night and to everyone who participated in it. What a fabulous event!
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Thanks to everyone at Lotus for all the work and time it takes to make great Family-Teacher Conferences.
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Thanks to the 5th grade team for meeting with me at a minute's notice to solve a problem...and I really appreciated you sharing your opinions and what will work for your students!
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Thanks to Matt Shannon for letting me geek out on ELA planning ideas. Don't feel like you need to do all the stuff we discussed...I just appreciate you letting me brainstorm with you!
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WOW to the PreK team at Lotus for your Those Who Excel nomination from a parent. Here's what the parent had to say...and they are absolutely CORRECT!!!
The preschool team at Lotus Elementary has been the most incredible resource for my son. Michelle and Mary work daily with so many individual student challenges and yet as a parent I feel like my student is the only one they have based on the details I get, the frequency of communication, and the way he has grown in their classes. From the work I get sent home, to the family events, to the materials shared, the constant and consistent level of work they are doing shows their students just how much they are personally invested in them. As a teacher myself, It is mind boggling how much this team does to make each and every student successful in their preschool class.
-From Heather (your very grateful Superintendent)
Please send me your kudos for colleagues each week! I'll happily post them in this section!
While I can't necessarily do a PGD for each of you, I thought I'd try to show my appreciation for you in a poem...
T--To all the amazing D114 staff...
H--Here are some thoughts about how blessed I am to work with you.
A--Amazing doesn't begin to describe the commitment you show to our students, each other, and our families each day.
N--No child possibly knows how truly lucky they are to get to learn with you.
K--Kindness flows from each of you in such true, deep ways, and you make a positive difference each and every day.
F--Faith in our students, families, and each other is what sets us apart. We all truly believe that we can and do make a difference.
U--Ugly days sometimes happen, but we rally together when they occur, have each others' backs, and truly appreciate the unique gifts each of us brings forward.
L--Love is at the heart of the work...and I truly love being a part of the work we do. You are each a blessing in my life, and I'm grateful and blessed to get to be superintendent here in D114.
One Team...All In!
BILINGUAL FAMILY LIAISON
I'm thrilled to share that Vivian Hernandez will start as our new Bilingual Family Liaison starting Monday, November 28. Vivian is a real go getter, a community member, and a Grant High School graduate. You will LOVE her! I'll share contact information once she officially begins, and I am fairly certain that her schedule will be Lotus on Thursdays and Stanton on Tuesdays, with much flexibility to make sure she's doing what each of the 3 districts (us, Gavin, and Grant) needs.
With that said, if you have specific input on ways to make this position even more impactful for our kids, staff, and community, please let me know!
SANTA'S BREAKFAST (INFO FROM PTA)
Please join us for D114 PTA's Santa's Breakfast & Holiday Market!
Saturday, December 3rd, 2022
8 am-12 pm
Stanton Middle School
Use
this link to purchase your tickets ahead of time and for more information on ticket pricing. You will claim your tickets at the door. *Online ticket purchasing is open until 12/2 at 10 PM.
*Tickets will be available for purchase at the event.
We will have the Scholastic Book Fair taking place.
Our holiday market with crafters and vendors to shop from.
We will also be having this year Raffle Baskets! Purchase raffle tickets at the event. Choose which baskets you like to put your tickets in for a chance to win!!
Bring Cash for purchases.
All proceeds go to the Fox Lake School District PTA!!
This event is open to the public.
File attachments:Santa Breakfast #3.GIF
YOUR INPUT NEEDED!
This school year has had an AMAZING start where we, as a D114 family, have collaborated at higher levels than ever! It's also asked a lot of everyone, especially as it comes to sub coverage, new teams, and curricular resource launches. So...we want to hear from you!!!
If you have any suggestions for how we as a system can care for our amazing staff--fill buckets, show appreciation, and absolutely share gratitude for all that everyone does--we'd love to hear them! While we may not be able to do everything shared, every idea is a good one. To share your thoughts:
1. Send an email to Heather and/or Maureen.
2. Talk to Heather and/or any of the EAFL Executive Board members.
We truly care about everyone and would appreciate hearing the good ideas you have for continuing to make D114 ONE TEAM...ALL IN!
-From Heather and Maureen DeVoss
November Wellness Calendar!
The Stanton Wellness Committee would like to invite you to join us in a commitment to move during the month of November. We have selected 9 dates to meet at Stanton to walk/run in order to battle the holiday stress. Dress warm, we'll be going outside. Hope to see you there!
Thanks to Laura Livesay and Matt Shannon for making and sharing this!
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
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.
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.
Happy Thanksgiving to our amazing D114 staff. We hope you all enjoy your holiday with friends and family.
Good Luck to our Lotus Staff at their parent/teacher conferences tonight! We know that you will do an amazing job connecting with families.
Don't forget about these amazing opportunities for educators:
November 21 and 22--Lotus Conferences, normal schedule at Stanton
November 23-25--Thanksgiving Break
December 3--PTA Santa's Breakfast from 8am-12pm at Stanton
In case you're interested...
PBIS World--This site is awesome for identifying strategies to use to support challenging behaviors!
Over the Thanksgiving Break...remember this. I heard this said from one of my amazing superintendent colleagues on a panel that I was on, too, at this weekend's Board of Education conference downtown...
Wishing you the Happiest of Thanksgivings!
