The February Wellness Challenge winners are:

Sami Lear--Kindergarten Teacher at Lotus

Lisa Zabratanski--Special Education Teacher at Stanton

Let me know your gift cards of choice!

☘

The March Wellness Challenge is a new spin on things! Check it out...it's linked here!

You're entered in the raffle if you complete 20 of the days...and March 23 and 30 are YOU CHOOSE days!

☘

March Focus--Relationship Routines

This Week's Wellness Invitation: Show Gratitude

This week, tell people in your life how grateful you are for them. That's it--just tell them.

💚💚💚💚

Thanks Russell, Russ, & Tim for moving & cleaning things!

Thanks Colleen for staying late to create and organizing things!

Thanks Mark for subbing in my class!

Thanks Pam for tape & Jackie and Donna for spots!

Thank you Erica, Amanda, and Kristie Paul for help with curriculum changes.

Thank you Lotus village for always checking on me and showing me grace!!

Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Big shout-out to Amber M. for working some magic in PE. Thanks for detangling my student who was in the unfortunate predicament of having their hair stuck in their scooter.

Nicole Mild Kindergarten Teacher

Kudos to Leah Falster for an awesome pep talk to a kid who was cooling off in the office.

Michele Burgess--Administrative Assistant at Stanton

I want to thank Russ for taking the time to try and fix my old electric pencil sharpener, and I want to thank Don for taking the time to fix it. It meant the world to me. It was the one I had in my house as a kid. They just don’t make pencil sharpeners like that anymore. We are so lucky to have both of you at Lotus. The sharpener works like a charm!

Joan Kantenwein--Literacy Interventionist at Lotus

Thanks everyone for all your patience last week while I didn't have a voice and was not feeling up to par. Sonia was a life saver with that slushie LOL, she just has that magic intuition and we are so lucky to have you and the Super Lunch Crew. Jillian, Nicole B, Ashley A, Megan M, and Adisyn I, MUCH THANKS for brainstorming Field Day ideas on Friday no less and what we can do to make it amazing this year. Don, thank for always thinking of the library, the students LOVE the 2 recliners;)

-Kim VanHoorelbeke--Library Paraprofessional at Lotus

Thank you to:

Whoever made sure there were flowers at my aunt's celebration of life on Saturday. I have no idea how you tracked it all down, but it meant the world to my dad, my family, and to me.

Thank you to Jill Becmer and Michele Burgess for all the laughs. You two are so fabulous!

From Heather 🧡💛🖤

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

ENGAGE students in Gratitude Prompts this week...here are some to get you started...

Summer School 2025

As you know, we used our ESSR funds to a large extent to build a phenomenal summer school program--including increasing salaries for staff to be more than the hourly curriculum rate. While we can't match the salary we've been able to offer for the last few years, we are budgeting above curriculum rate for certified staff.

So, the pay rates for this summer are:

Certified staff=$45/hour

Support staff=your 25-26 hourly rate

Knowing that, if you are interested in working summer school (July 7-August 7, Monday-Thursday mornings), please email me to let me know!

Mark Your Calendars!

April 22, 2025!!!

May 17, 2025!!!

Come celebrate our GOTR program AND Jeff Sefcik's retirement! There will be food, fun, music, and community! More info coming soon!!!!

Upcoming Events...

Remember the Employee Assistance Program!

The EAP is typically a great place to start when you need care and aren’t sure what support you or a family member might be needing. They can guide you to specific care and even set up the appointment for you. Take advantage of this confidential and supportive service to address any

personal or work-related challenges you may be facing by calling Perspectives at 800.456.6327.

Good morning, District 114!

Day of Service planning is underway! If you or someone you know owns a business and would like to sponsor this event, please visit our Givebacks (Memberhub) page here to learn more!

Don't forget to join our Facebook group to see the meeting highlights and more, and while you're at it, join the PTA here! Membership dues are only $6 for the whole year!

YOUR PTA Board

Key 2024-25 Dates

April 22

Day of Service

May 2

Rocket Launch (Stanton)

Possible Star Wars Theme

Rain date May 9

As the EAFL feels lucky to work with each and everyone of you! As a celebration of all your amazing work and as some encouragement to make it through the last week before spring break, we will be providing everyone with some breakfast goodies Monday morning. Stop by the Lounge in either building for bagels, fruit and other goodies!

5 more days! Enjoy and you’ve got this! ☘

Sincerely,

The EAFL board

Dates to Mark Down:

Tuesday, March 18 - Board of Education Meeting and EAFL Spirit Day

Wednesday, April 23rd- EAFL Articulation Meeting @ 2:00 PM at Stanton

Interested in getting more involved on the Union Board? We would love to have you. At the April Articulation meeting, we will be looking for nominations for some new board members. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to any current board member with questions. It is a great way to know what is going on with your district and your union and a great group of people to work with.

**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

Region News:

Want to know what is happening in the Region? Check out the Region 49 Newsletter!

**Get your SCORE GRANT applications in! Grants for up to $1,000 are available for IEA members & their local associations to collaborate and create opportunities for community service/school projects APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026 SCHOOL YEAR WILL OPEN APRIL 1, 2025

PD Calendar: Take a look at all the PD training we lined up here at IEA by clicking here : The IEA is an ISBE approved provider for Professional Development Clock Hours. Clock hours are offered at trainings that meet the PD requirements set by ISBE. Events on the calendar are hosted by IEA or vetted by IEA

March 18--Board of Education Meeting at Lotus

March 24-28--SPRING BREAK!

April 22--Day of Service!

April 23--EAFL Articulation Meeting

May 17

District 114 CARES

At District 114 Fox Lake, the well-being of our students and families is our top priority. Understanding the critical role mental health plays in student success, we have launched District 114 CARES—a comprehensive initiative aimed at improving access to quality mental health services across our community.

Treatment Request

What is District 114 CARES?

District 114 CARES stands for Community, Advocacy, Resilience, Engagement, and Support. This program is specifically designed to provide essential mental health resources and support to students and families, with a focus on those facing financial challenges.

Our mission is to ensure that every student has the tools they need to thrive—both emotionally and academically. By addressing barriers to care, we aim to empower students to reach their full potential in and out of the classroom.

Our Commitment

Through District 114 CARES, we reaffirm our dedication to fostering a supportive, resilient community where every student has equitable access to the resources and support they need to succeed.

ICE and D114 Plans

Please see the document linked here, which outlines exactly how we will respond should ICE come onsite.