The September Wellness Challenge is linked here. Remember, you just need to do ONE thing each day! I cannot WAIT to see who all takes on this challenge!!!!
This Week's Wellness Invitation: Establish Boundaries Around Worktime
Establish firm boundaries around your time at work this week. Examples include sticking to planned agendas for meetings, creating expectations for shared duties with colleagues, and checking in on and honoring meeting norms. TIP: I've learned this from LOTS of our teams in action--when in a meeting, assign a timekeeper to set an alarm to signal everyone when there are 5 minutes of time left. This cues everyone to wrap up, summarize, and prioritize.
Katy Gardner for being courageous in leading the change to becoming a trauma informed and resilient focused school.
The Wellness Crew for joining Rachelle and me in partnering with Kathy Hart in a Zoom meeting to discuss how we are assessing students prior to our SST meetings.
-Jeff Sefcik--Principal at Stanton
Thank you Fiona for taking the time to meet with the Specials team regarding AAC! We appreciate you meeting with us and sharing your brilliance on how we can best support our students! - Specials Team at Lotus
Thank you to Joe Fernandez for helping acquire a tool that will help one of my students succeed in reading. He was so excited to be able to use the tool and kept telling me how much it helped him. Thank you!
-Christine Spittler--2nd Grade Teacher
Thanks to ILP paras and their continuous dedication to our students. You all bring so much knowledge, energy, empathy, and heart to your job each day. We couldn't do it without you. You are appreciated more than you can imagine!
HUGE THANK YOU to Kim VanHoorelbeke for sharing her space when we are having some tough moments.
Shout out to Mo and Erica for being such kind heard individuals and checking in on me.
Brittany Luther for just being you and giving your best each day! We miss you up here in 201!
Mr. Russ for the cereal cleanup in room 201. We also are so very thankful for all the little things you do in building relationships with our students. Giving our friends walks or helping in moments when another face is just helpful. Those little things make a huge impact and aid in our students success. Thank you. You are one of a kind.
Cheryl Schuck and Chris Brown for continuously supporting our shared students and building a fun and trusting relationship with them in order to participate in the gen ed. You are so wonderful and kind-hearted.
Thank you to all Lotus staff with your patience with our students that may struggle a little more than others and knowing that some days are tougher than others. We want to thank you for your continuous support and check ins. Working with people like you is such a blessing.
Thank you Alana Carlson for the collaboration for EET and the visuals you shared and made for our students. We are excited to incorporate it more into our classroom learning.
Thank you to our Administration and Ellie :) You have been such a huge support to ILP-SEL since day 1 and we are beyond thankful for all that you do to help support us and the students. With you tough times don't last but tough people do!
Mike Szotek you have been such a great help with my lack of technology! Thanks for always being able to fix and explain everything whenever needed.
First grade team! Thank you for sharing and always making our team copies. Teamwork makes the dream work! Thanks for being you! I appreciate you all!
-Ashley Arff-Special Education Teacher at Lotus
Thank you Georgette for all of your support and willingness to help any time we need it!. We appreciate you stepping in to help when we had extra prep work to do last week. You're the Best!
-From the Stanton Kitchen ladies
Huge thank you to Kendra Logar and Ashley Wydra for all your help after school to help me get all the laminating done! Thank you Ashley for offering your laminator and extra sheets! Your help is much appreciated!
And
thank you Dina Moczalla for being so flexible in meeting me this week to discuss the upcoming GOTR season and collaborating on all the little details! I can’t wait to work with you this season!!
And
thank you to Kelly Roland for handling just about everything for GOTR and for consistently being a positive influence on this whole journey! I am so excited to be able work alongside you this season!
And
A big thank you to Rachelle Peters for meeting with me and showing me around Stanton! I can’t thank you enough for reaching out to the teachers and lunch staff for making sure we have a place to practice and having snacks available for the girls! Thank you for being more than accommodating for GOTR this season!
-Megan May--Paraprofessional at Lotus
My kudos goes out to Adam Schaefer for helping me fix my phone with the CORRECT voicemail set-up. Thank you!
Also, Kim Rauchfuss for taking notes during an IEP meeting. As well as Meghan Reimers for switching computers with me to run the Google Meet, as my speaker was not working, amazing moment. Adam, I will be seeing you again on Monday! Thank you to the team for the success! It takes a village!
Jeff Sefcik, for assisting with a student going through an emotional difficult time and helping him feel safe.
Lisa Zabratanski--Special Education Teacher at Stanton
Many thanks to Mike Szotek for all your help this week. I really appreciate how quickly you responded to the various requests!
Thanks to Kim V. for your help with all things PBIS related!
-Gayle McManamon--Art Teacher at Lotus
Sonia for always being there with a smile and helping my kiddos during lunch..
Yesenia- warming up pancakes for one of my students and always with a smile.
Russ, for cleaning up the mess in the classroom without even asking.. and having a great sense of humor.
Mrs. Mixon for the kind card and munchkins on Friday .
-Misty Madula--Paraprofessional at Lotus
Thanks Gayle for your help and support!!
Thanks to Mollie for helping out Friday at dismissal.
-Kim VanHoorelbeke--Library Paraprofessional at Lotus
A HUGE shout out goes to Erica, Natalie, and Katie for planning and collaborating to make this year a successful one.
Chris Brown, I appreciate your insight more than you know!
Katie, Cathy and Dayja, thanks for being you!
Rachelle, thank you for finding last minute subs.
Thank you Candice for tracking down healthy snacks for our hungry learners....
and Betty thanks for taking on my special copy task a week or two ago.
Kudos to my amazing new 5th grade team who jumped in not knowing it would be up to their eyeballs, have negotiated their way through the first weeks of school and still have a smile on their faces!
-Lisa Shannon--Special Education Teacher at Stanton
Kudos to Oner Medrano - who not only supports our students in ILPB, but he also:
* Holds basketball clinic every morning before school for grades 5-8 students, teaching skills, running drills, encouraging teamwork, creating friendships, and gives a safe place for some of our most fragile students before school
* Supports multiple general education students on CICO, forming supportive bonds in the process
* Gives up his lunch multiple times a week to give some students time to move and play basketball or football
* Teaches, reteaches, and supports a student to make sure he is progressing in the curriculum
* Has made countless connections with students - sometimes more than our hallway can handle during the day- just to say Hi and see how Mr. Medrano is doing
* Oner does all this & more while completing his degree and getting things organized for student teaching
Kudos to Leah Falster -
* Leah is student teaching this fall, yet still finds time to check in on our ILPB students in the morning and after school
* She is still supporting one of our students during a class and passing periods
*She remains updated about the program by checking spreadsheets and staying in contact through email
* Leah is also an awesome volleyball coach, caring about her players, not just wins and losses
-Karen Skorup--Special Education Teacher at Stanton
Kudos to Adisyn Illg, Mary Honea, Gina Crosthwaite, Chris Brown, and everyone who helped put up the sound wall in my classroom! Thanks so much!
-Karen McMurphy-Special Education Teacher at Lotus
BIG thanks to all of the people who supported me with a student with big feelings this week, Natalie, Matt, Allie, Amy, Nicole B., Mary H, Autumn Z., Gina, Lumi, Erin D, Michelle M, Mary F., Dina M. Mary M.P., Teri V.
One team all in!
-Ben Landmesser--PreK Teacher
Happy birthday Amy McKendry! Thanks for taking a leap of faith with me! Happy first day! 
-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus
Shout out to the 6th grade team for always being super flexible as we take on each new day and for providing many supporting shoulders.
Thank you Hunter Banker for always making the copies I need and for the ideas you provided for supporting a kiddo who struggles to be ready to learn. I think it is going to work well!
Thanks to Betty Cwiak for supporting our kiddos and me by checking into my last hour when you could this week. It was much appreciated.
-Dayja Wydzierzecki--6th Grade ELA Teacher
HUGE KUDOS TO THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM for getting the Lotus paras our own transportation back to Lotus after riding the bus! Natalie Udsten and Allison Mixon for leading the meetings and the entire para team for professionally addressing the situation.
Thank you to Caitlyn Fenton, Anna Morris, Stephanie Kolk, and Erica Barraza for making the start of the new 4th grade schedule as smooth as possible and encouraging me through!
Thank you to Mary Fisher for handling 4th grade arrival in my absence along with her 2nd grade! Great teamwork!
I'm giving each of you teacher points!
-Chris Brown--Paraprofessional at Lotus
Chris Brown and Cheryl Schuck for assisting with the classroom.
Adisyn for assisting in the classroom.
Erica for staying late on a Friday afternoon, to assist with the many facets of the job!!!
Ashley Arff for sharing her resources!!
Sharon for continuing to be readily available for students!!
-Jackie Gorden-Platek--Special Education Teacher at Lotus
Thank you Courtney for helping with the copying.
Thanks Gina for helping with our bus situation with the paras.
There are not enough kudos to cover the thanks we paras have for Andrea for making the end of a day calmer for the paras. You are a ROCK star!!
-Cheryl Schuck--Paraprofessional at Lotus
Erin and her Crew (Monica, Mary, Mandy, and Lumi)- I am so impressed with how well you all work as a team and how well the kids are doing with rotating through their stations. Way to go! I know it takes all of you working together to make it happen and I am just so HAPPY you are all here to be making it happen!! -Stephanie Silverman (Physical Therapist)
Pam and her Crew (Kristine, Haley, and Mary H) - Awesome job learning how to use equipment and help your students access their environment more independently. You even allowed me to rearrange your room to make it happen! It makes me so HAPPY to hear how well things are going and it is all because of you being ready to jump right in and put the kids first!- Stephanie Silverman (Physical Therapist)
Amber - I am really enjoying working with you during APE/PE. You are so organized and that really goes a long way to help support the kids you are working with! I am so excited to see the progress the kids will make with your assistance this year! Thank YOU for all you do! - Stephanie Silverman (Physical Therapist)
Evaluation Team (Allie, Erin, Kim, Fiona, Ellie, and Sammie)- I love being a part of this team of professionals and love that Sammie joined us this week and we all worked as a team to get the information we needed! Awesome job ladies!
-Stephanie Silverman--District Physical Therapist
Hope you've had a wonderful week! I wanted to send some kudos for Katie Jalove Filippelli. She has been such an amazing support for me in this new role. We've had some really great collaborative sessions and she has stepped in to help in all sorts of ways. She can anticipate things I might need before I even know I need them. She's covered my classes, designed and helped organize my classroom, and most of all I appreciate her openness and honesty in her communication. I am so fortunate to have her and we've made great strides in building an engaging life hacks curriculum!
-Amber Raymond--Life Hacks Teacher at Stanton
Hunter Banker- Thank you so much for helping make copies for me and the 6th grade team. I appreciate you taking your time to do that.
Natalie Molidor and Katie Jalove - Thank you for letting me use your classroom on Wednesday and allowing me in your space.
Chris Carvell- Huge thank you for joining one of my classes to help out and have an important discussion with the students.
-Kaitlyn Goorsky--6th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Georgette Franco helped connect me with Spanish speaking parents and has helped me so much the past week.
-Colette Di Oliveira--EL Teacher at Stanton
Thanks to...
The Wellness and 8th grade teams for letting me come chat about 15 Day Challenges. I really, really appreciate the time and great questions!
Everyone who came to the visitation/service for our sweet Olivia.
Sammie Geenen on becoming fully, 100% credentialed as an OT!!! We're so proud of you and so glad you're in D114!!!
The 6th grade team at Stanton for doing all the things to help the kids have a great start to the year. To see how much better everything is fills my heart. You're doing awesome things for them, and I truly appreciate it.
Ashley Arff, Misty Madula, Courtney Maas, Colleen Robinson, Ellie Seyfert, and Amy Stotland along with Matt, Allie, and Natalie for navigating a TOUGH student situation with so much care and patience.
To EVERYONE for amazing Curriculum Nights! I've heard from LOTS of families how wonderful the experiences were for them...and that's because YOU are awesome!
To Christine Spittler and her second graders for "adopting" me. I absolutely LOVED being in your class!
To Lisa Shannon for letting me join in on planning for the Savvy 7!
From Heather 🧡💛🖤
Please send me your kudos for colleagues each week! I'll happily post them in this section!
When thinking about your Learning Target for the day, please DO NOT feel you have to get super wordy or use "eduspeak". Simply put, the Learning Target is:
What do I want students to know/be able to do at the end of this lesson?
That's it! Simple terms...and conveyed to kids...POWER!!!
National Boards
Our National Board Certification is about to begin its work again! If you'd like to jump in, we can still add you! Please see me with any questions...or talk to anyone in the cohort to get their take:
Maureen DeVoss
Amanda Lorenz
Amber Mysliwiec
Emily Reczek
Sherry Tietjen
Know Anyone Who...
If you know anyone who would be interested in being a Van Driver, Sub Van Driver, or Bus Driver, please have them reach out! We can TRAIN bus drivers ourselves if they don't have a CDL, and van drivers don't need the CDL!!!
eLearning Plan
We are required to have our eLearning Plan approved every 3 years...and this is our year. We'll have to do a public hearing for this at the September Board meeting. Please see the updated plan linked here. This plan shifts any remote day to an EARLY RELEASE schedule, which the EAFL Board and I agree makes a LOT more sense. If you have input or questions, please reach out!
Health/Life Safety Inspections
Representatives from the ROE will be onsite at both schools on September 18 to conduct the annual inspection. I'll send feedback on our "practice" runs by the end of the day Monday!
IF YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID...UPDATED INFO!!! (9/3/24)
Please:
1. Email or text (847-309-3921) Heather to let her know.
2. In the communication, include proof of a positive test.
You are expected to return to work as soon as you meet the following criteria:
• Be free of fever for at least 24 hours (without medication)
• Be free of vomiting and or diarrhea for at least 24 hours.
You are STRONGLY encouraged to wear a mask upon your return to prevent the spread of illness to others. Please alert me as to your date of return.
Any days out are sick days. If you are out more than 3 days--as with any illness--a physician's note is required.
Masks are available in the office for all staff who wish to wear one.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Eat Out 2 Help Out-Panera-McHenry
Join us in our first ever EO2HO event with Panera Bread!
When: Friday, September 27th, 2024
Time: ALL DAY
Where: Panera Bread-1850 North Richmond Road-Mchenry
*Please make sure to bring in the Flyer or Mention 114 PTA at time of purchase for credit*
Thank you to everyone who made it to our first meeting of the year! Make sure to join our Facebook group to see the meeting highlights, and while you're at it, join the PTA here! Membership dues are only $6 for the whole year!
We're looking for parents, teachers, and staff who are looking to get more involved to join our first event committees of the year. Click on the links below to learn more:
We're also looking for nominations for our next PTA Secretary! Please email us at pta@foxlake114.org if you're interested or would like to know more!
Mark your calendars! Our next meeting will be on Monday, October 14th at 6:00 pm. This meeting will be held exclusively online on Google Meets!
We hope to see you there!
YOUR PTA Board
Key 2024-25 Dates
April 22
Day of Service
We'll be forming a committee of parents and staff to plan this event for the SPRING of 2025
October 21-25 Book Fair
Family Reading Night (Lotus)
October 23
Santa's Breakfast and Stanton Book Fair--TBD
February 22
Family Fun Fair (Lotus)
May 2
Rocket Launch (Stanton)
Possible Star Wars Theme
Rain date May 9
Steve Podgorski, our NEA Investment Adviser Representative will be holding virtual meetings for anyone who would like to meet with him. He is able to help you with loan forgiveness, retirement services and other financial planning. Our meeting date will be Thursday, October 10. The link to sign up is below:
*Don't forget about your NEA no cost benefits! To check them out, you should go to Deals and Discounts: www.neamb.com/start
*Additional benefits and deals can be found at ieanea.org
IRS Reminder for School Teachers: Up to $300 in Classroom Expenses Deductible for 2024
As educators gear up for the new school year, the IRS reminds schoolteachers that the maximum deduction for classroom expenses in 2024 remains at $300. This deduction allows educators to offset the cost of supplies, materials and other classroom essentials, providing some financial relief for those who spend their own money to improve their students' learning experience. Under federal law, this $300 cap is unchanged from 2023, continuing the adjustment for inflation that began in 2022 when the limit was raised from $250. Further details can be found here.
The One Conference is an opportunity for IEA Education Support Professionals, Higher Education and Retired members to develop professional skills, earn professional development credit and network with colleagues around the state. There will be a variety of sessions to choose from.
- Sessions will begin on Friday, Oct.18 at 5 p.m. and run through Saturday, Oct. 19 at 12:45 p.m.
- Keynote speaker - NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria.
- Register for the 2024 One Conference
- Hotel block link is on the Cvent registration page.
CURRICULUM NIGHT:
September 17--Board of Education Meeting at Lotus at 7PM or via Google Meet
September 18--ROE Health/Life Safety Inspections
Eat Out 2 Help Out-Panera-Mchenry
Join us in our first ever EO2HO event with Panera Bread!
When: Friday, September 27th, 2024
Lotus Fall into Reading--October 23, 2024
2024-25 Early Release Plans--DRAFT--work in progress
2024-25 Certified Staff Evaluation Documents--Coming soon!
Ok I have a great story for you today. You can share in the Monday memo if you want
Teaching the letter “j” in Kinder. Asking kids to give me words that start with “j”.
One student responds very excitedly “Jesus starts with J! Let’s praise the lord!” As he throws his hands up in the air.
Thank you, Ashley Wydra, for this one! Kinders certainly tell it like it is!!!!
Heather
