Sunday, October 29, 2023

Monday Morning Memo 10/30/23

       



Thank you Adisyn Illg for subbing for my class! My class loved you, your notes were super helpful and

you did a great job with some hard behaviors! It was comforting to know my class was in such good

hands!

-From Sami Harshaw (Kindergarten Teacher) 


Chris Carvell, Scott Donovan, Jack Resnick, Mike Fefferman, Lemar Wilson, Lauren Plescia, Sue

Giandonato, Yvette Stauner, Karen Rycek and Georgette Franco for their flexibility as we change our

lunchroom practices so that our 5th and 6th graders have a better lunch/recess experience!

and

Kudos to Victoria Miller, the PTA Board, NJHS, Student Council and all the chaperones for a great

Halloween Dance 2023!

and

The Stanton Guiding Coalition for being open and honest at our meeting last week.  The only way to

get better is by confronting the brutal facts!  Let's get better - together!!

-From Jeff Sefcik (Stanton Principal)


Thank you...Thank you Thank you!!! Alana Carlson for doing so much for me with that student... I

needed you and you showed up like a superhero!!

-From Karen Lobodzinski (District SLP)


Thank you to my teammates and friends on the seventh grade team, Cassie, Karen, Liz and Niccole.

You guys are awesome and I love how we problem solve during team meetings and how we are all

there for each other!

and

Thank you to Jill Rejczyk and Betty Cwiak for helping me out with PMin on a student on my caseload.

Thank you both for  going above and beyond for this student!"

Thanks!

Cathy J


Just want to give a shout out to my EL counterpart, Kim Leable. Thank you for all your work to

schedule all our EL conferences. Because of you, they are already done and every student has a

conference scheduled. You make my life so much easier because of your efficiency and ability to

organize and get tasks done. North-East is an effective combo!


Thank you, also, for teaming up to help our kids, whether with academic or behavioral issues. I feel

like between the two of us, they can't get away with anything (in the best kind of way :). You have

helped me solve problems when I didn't know what to do. It's a blessing we get to follow our kids

through all the grades and love them like they're our own.


Finally, thank you for generously giving your own time and money to make little care baskets for the

Lotus bathrooms. We all benefit! Again, you saw a need, and jumped right on it to solve the problem

for us. Thank you, Kim!!! -- Abbey 


I want to give out kudos to Niccole Culbertson for being a great mentor, for getting me through some

of the tough moments, and making sure I started my week off with a smile. 

I also want to shout out Oner Medrano for coming and helping with the 8th Grade Boys Basketball

team because I am still so new to it all and I just really appreciate the help so I can hopefully coach

the team better. 

-From Dayja Wydzierzecki  (6th grade ELA Teacher and Basketball Coach!!!)


To Donna Saranzak for making me laugh really, really hard this week. 

and

To the entire 5th grade team and Katie Jalove Filippelli for spending so much time with me working

on Math on Wednesday. We got A LOT done, and I really enjoyed getting to collaborate with you!

and

To the 4th grade team for showing me grace. It's appreciated.

-From Heather 💓




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











Reporting Absences

All employees are expected to enter all absences in Frontline, even if you text/call/email others to let them know you will be out. This is a professional responsibility! 



Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences Fall 2023

Stanton

Lotus

November 20--In Person Conferences

*Conferences 2:00PM-9:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 9PM on 11/20and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours


November 20--In Person/Virtual

Conferences

*Conferences 1:00PM-8:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 8PM on 11/20and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours

November 21--Virtual Conferences

*Conferences 8:00AM-12:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 9PM on 11/20and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours

November 21--In Person/Virtual

Conferences

*Conferences 8:00AM-12:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 8PM on 11/20 and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours




Medicaid Billing

You know who you are...please be sure to document your billable hours. This generates a TON of funding for our Special Education programming!





Culver's Eat Out 2 Help Out Event
 Fox Lake Culver's
Tuesday, November 7th,  5-8pm
Come to Culver's and Mention D114 PTA Event for 10% of all purchases go back to the PTA, that go towards the school and kids. *You may even see your teacher serving you!! :)  
Drive Thru, Carry Out, or Dine In. 

November PTA Meeting
Thursday, Nov 9th at 6:00 pm at Lotus Library
*NEW* Each month when you attend a PTA meeting, your name will be put in a raffle to win a prize!! This month a $10 Gift Card!! 

Parent Teacher Conference Dinners
Monday, Nov 20th-  5-6pm (Donations needed by 4)
*Looking for 1-2 parent volunteers for each school to help organize and manage desserts and help with clean up for dinners. 
*Looking for donations from parents for dessert and drinks. *Can be homemade. Will need gluten free and/or dairy free options as well. 
If you are interested in donating, please contact Crystal at pta@foxlake114.org for more information.

Stanton Book Fair
Monday, Nov 27th-Saturday, Dec 2nd
Before school and during lunch periods on the stage.
*We are looking for parent volunteers. If you can help, please contact Katelyn or Sylvia at pta@foxlake114.org

Santa's Breakfast & Holiday Market
Saturday, December 2nd, 8am-12pm @ Stanton
*We are looking for small business/crafters for our holiday market. If you or anyone you know would be interested, please contact Victoria @ pta@foxlake114.org. 
$6 for Adults, $5 for Children, $3 for each printed photo, $3 for admission (if not eating)
Tickets go on sale online, Monday, Nov 6th.










November 14- Mark your calendars for the next EAFL spirit day!  Wear your union shirt and then join us at the school board meeting at 7PM. Remember to do this either virtually or in person!

Student Loan Forgiveness Announcement!  President Biden announced another $9 billion in student loan debt relief, bringing the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris administration to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans, many of whom are educators.  Learn more and apply for cancellation today.

Education Policy - Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan Listening Tour ISBE has posted a second draft of the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and has scheduled a second listening tour to heard educators’ feedback. You can find the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan, listening tour dates and locations, as well as a registration link at: https://www.isbe.net/literacyplan. Please email Dr. Zaleski, Diana.Zaleski@ieanea.org, with any questions.

2023 Early Career Fall Blitz  |  Nov. 11
Register Here for all three locations. (Edwardsville, Lombard or Champaign IEA Offices) Join members of the Early Career Committee and other local Early Career educators (years 1-10 in the profession) in your area as well as those across the state. We hope to connect and learn together to share what are the most pressing needs as an early career educator. Topics for discussion will be decided by the participants at each location. Possible topics of discussion include discussing current problems being faced by EC educators, classroom management techniques, work/life balance, what is the union, and many more! Resources will also be provided for Early Career Region Representatives to take back to their regions.

This is a FREE EVENT and includes lunch for all attendees! The blitz will take place on the same day and in three different IEA offices: Lombard, Champaign and Edwardsville. Members are encouraged to sign up to attend their closest location but will have a chance to meet educators from around the state! 




November 10--NO SCHOOL--Veterans Day (Observed)

November 14–Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 PM

November 20 and 21--Conferences

November 22--No School

November 23 and 24--District Closed

Saturday, December 2--Santa's Breakfast & Holiday Market 8am-12pm @ Stanton














  

(OR GREAT STUFF WE HEARD OR SAW LAST WEEK!)


See below for a fidget carefully crafted by a Kinder future engineer...no one can figure out how he built this, as we sure can't figure out how to take it apart!


Please email me to share your funny stories, moments, and quotes (from kids or adults) so I can include them!!! (Ask permission first, please!) 








Let's make it as NON-SCARY a week as possible!
-Heather 💝

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Monday Morning Memo 10/23/23

      



Kudos to Sarah Groebe for being an amazing CICO coach, both last year and this year. She really goes above and beyond with the students that she works with and goes out of her way to make sure the points are filled in on her card. Thank you, Sarah!

-From Katie Jalove Filippelli (Instructional Coach at Stanton)



Huge Kudo's to Ms. Saranzak.  We had a new Kindergarten student from Ukraine start on Thursday.  Our little guy has only been here in the United States for about a year.  He cannot speak any English.  When he and his parents came this morning, Ms. Saranzak had a wonderful folder all ready for him.  She had pictures of different things showing a bathroom break, hungry, ill, etc.  Under the pic she had the english words describing the picture, below that it was translated into Ukrainian.  There were also letters, numbers, etc.  If he needed something, he could point to the picture.  He can point to what he needs, Ms. Saranzak will then say it in English.  Mom and Dad were so impressed, and I think it helped them feel a little at ease.  Amazing, amazing, amazing!!!!!

-From Paula Kvacik (Administrative Assistant at Lotus)



Russ Xhemaili and Sonia Miller for coming in late Thursday night to clean out the refrigerator and to Michelle Magnes for notifying us.

and

Kim VanHoorelbeke for providing our students an opportunity to visit with an author

and

Natalie Udstuen for always making sure we have sub coverage, especially this week with all the moving parts and to all the staff that pitched in and covered classrooms.   

and

Mark Perlman and Marla Walinski for coming over from Stanton to help fill in for some of our sub needs.  This was a HUGE help and much appreciated.  Thank you to Jeff and Rachelle for your flexibility and for making this happen. True example of One Team All In!

and

Sue Pinkawa and Paula Kvacik for managing the office with a heavy flow of traffic this week.  

and

Lora Viers and Sharon Preskill for making sure all our students were in compliance with Health Records.

-From Matt Peters (Lotus Principal)


So many people to be grateful for this week...

A big thank you to the Reading Recovery team for subbing for K, 1, and 2 so that teams could engage in fishbowl modeling. One team all in! 

and

Kelly Roland, you are light and love and I'm so blessed to call you a trusted colleague and friend. 

and

Natalie, thank you for finding subs to cover so many grade levels while Lauren from ARC was here. 

and

Thank you, 3rd grade, for being vulnerable and sharing your planning process with everyone. A big thank you to all grade level teams, Reading Recovery, PE,  and specials for your engagement, patience, and humor.  

and

Kinder, I ended my week with so much excitement after getting to see our Ki

-From Erica Barraza (Instructional Coach at Lotus)



Karen Brnot and the NJHS for taking on the Pay It Forward program sponsored by the Enchanted Backpack.  I can't wait to see what they come up with!!

and

Norm Fischer for getting the district truck serviced and for picking up some extra duties as Don continues his recovery.

and

David Roat for spending Thursday morning making sure our internet was up and running prior to the start of our school day.

and

Rachelle Peters and our Attendance Team.  Great work TEAM!!!!

and

Meghan Reimers and Kim Mack for cheering on our Big Ten Varsity boys to victory🦊💪!!

amd

Marla Walinski for supporting her boys as the qualified for the playoffs 🦊💪






-From Jeff Sefcik (Stanton Principal)



From Me

Thanks to Karen Brnot, Stephanie Kolk, Caitlyn Fenton, Anna Morris, Erin Connolly-Jordt, and Abbey Kadera for making student recognition so fabulous at the Board meeting. 

and

Awesome job to Katie Jalove Filippelli and Natalie Molidor for doing an OUTSTANDING job presenting Fall benchmark data to the Board. Thanks to Erica Barraza and Amanda Lorenz for your help in putting the slides together. 

and

To Mark Perlman and Marla Walinski for coming to help at Lotus and to  Rachelle Peters for making this happen!

-From Heather 💓




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







Oh wow! Came upon this article all about practical tips for managing student behaviors and was so happy to see 1) how clear the tips are and 2) how much they align to the Friz 5!!!  ALL FIVE of our Friz 5 are found within this article!!!

We are doing so many things right!!!!





Reporting Absences

All employees are expected to enter all absences in Frontline, even if you text/call/email others to let them know you will be out. This is a professional responsibility! 



Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences Fall 2023

Stanton

Lotus

November 20--In Person Conferences

*Conferences 2:00PM-9:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 9PM on 11/20and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours


November 20--In Person/Virtual

Conferences

*Conferences 1:00PM-8:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 8PM on 11/20and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours

November 21--Virtual Conferences

*Conferences 8:00AM-12:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 9PM on 11/20and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours

November 21--In Person/Virtual

Conferences

*Conferences 8:00AM-12:00PM

*Instructional support staff

and administrative assistants MUST work

until 8PM on 11/20 and work 8:00AM-

12:00PM on 11/21 to be paid for the 2 full

days.

*All non-instructional support staff work

REGULAR hours




Medicaid Billing

You know who you are...please be sure to document your billable hours. This generates a TON of funding for our Special Education programming!





A lot is taking place over the next month and half! Mark those calendars, folks! :) 

Stanton Halloween Dance
Friday, October 27th 7:00-8:30
Costume Contest 
$3 door entry, $2 if you bring a canned good. 
Door price includes, Pizza and a drink.
*Candy and sodas will be available for an extra charge. 

Culver's Eat Out 2 Help Out Event
 Fox Lake Culver's
Tuesday, November 7th,  5-8pm
Come to Culver's and Mention D114 PTA Event for 10% of all purchases go back to the PTA, that go towards the school and kids. *You may even see your teacher serving you!! :)  
Drive Thru, Carry Out, or Dine In. 

November PTA Meeting
Thursday, Nov 9th at 6:00 pm at Lotus Library
*NEW* Each month when you attend a PTA meeting, your name will be put in a raffle to win a $10 Gift Card!! 

Parent Teacher Conference Dinners
Monday, Nov 20th-  Needed by 4pm
*Looking for donations from parents for dessert and drinks. *Can be homemade. Will need gluten free and/or dairy free options as well. 
If you are interested in donating, please contact Crystal at pta@foxlake114.org for more information.

Stanton Book Fair
Monday, Nov 27th-Saturday, Dec 2nd
Before school and during lunch periods on the stage.
*We are looking for parent volunteers. If you can help, please contact Katelyn or Sylvia at pta@foxlake114.org

Santa's Breakfast & Holiday Market
Saturday, December 2nd, 8am-12pm
*More Info Coming Soon!*






Don't forget your IEA/NEA membership has its perks!  Don't forget to check out the Deals and Discounts page on the IEA website.


October 24-26, Steve Podgorski (our IEA financial planner) will be holding online initial meetings for those with questions about financial planning topics.  Please use the link below to sign up for a time. 

Opportunities that might be of interest: 

NEA’s 2024 Friend of Education Award: Nominations are being accepted through Jan. 2. Here is the nomination packet and the nomination form.





Second Grade---you're up next!!!!


  

(OR GREAT STUFF WE HEARD LAST WEEK!)


"I'm not reading to the worm" said a student very upset about reading fluency being a change in her normal

routine. Even better part after she did it the practice. She said it was too easy and then after she completed the

real test the next day, she asked if she could do it again 

-Thank you, Sherry Tietjen, for this one!


"You’re not the boss of me at school, you fool. And you aren’t either, you old lady!"

(student talking to Allie and Heather...Allie was the fool, and Heather was the old lady)

and

Student who acted like a puppy, tried to eat off the floor, tried to get into Matt Peters' lap, and then growled at

me and tried to sniff my butt to “greet me”.

-Funny moments from Heather's week





Please email me to share your funny stories, moments, and quotes (from kids or adults) so I can include them!!! (Ask permission first, please!) 









I hope your week is amazing!
-Heather 💝