🐰 Here's the link to the April Wellness Challenge! 🐰

Congrats to March Challenge winners:

Renee Evans

Kelly Roland

Natalie Molidor

Please let me know your choice of gift card!

April Focus--Trust Routines

This Week's Wellness Invitation: Show Vulnerability by Apologizing

Trust builders are vulnerable. They apologize when they make a mistake. Practice apologizing to a student, colleague, friend, or family member if you've goofed up.

I needed to apologize MAJORLY to someone last week...and that person showed me tons of grace. I feel very lucky for that!

Sherry, Russell, Courtney, Cheryl, Sonia, Paula, and Natalie: Thank you for helping when I had to leave for an emergency this week. Everything turned out ok.

Gayle for making sure "our kids" understand what we are doing.

Brittany for covering Sami's breaks so I could do testing with our kids and for the yummy pickle treat.

-Colleen Robinson--Paraprofessional at Lotus

I want to thank the people who helped out with the Future Quest field trip!!

Thanks to Walter Nickles, Kaitlyn Goorsky, Niccole Culbertson, Aidan Earl and Mark Perlman who all chaperoned the trip with me!

Thanks to Jackie Mathews, Jack Resnick, Connor Macko and Candace Johnson who supervised the kids in study hall until we left on the trip!

Thanks to Rachelle Peters, Andrea DeMatteo, Jill Becmer and Amy McKendry for help with all of the behind-the-scenes prep for the trip! And thanks to Mr. Linquist and Mr. Hagy, our bus drivers!

Thanks to Natalie Molidor and Rachelle Peters for taking care of our 7th grade IAR make-ups on Friday!

Thanks to Adam Schaefer for your quick assistance with any testing issues I had this week.

If there was an award given to the most patient proctor this past week, Bryan Bailey, it would go to you!! Thank you for your unending patience with a certain someone in my testing group.

-Liz Andersen--7th Grade Social Studies Teacher

Congratulations to Coach Bailey and his shot put and discus team, which enjoyed a wonderful performance at the Grayslake Central track and field meet Saturday.

-Mark Perlman--Long Term Sub at Stanton

Thank you to Jackie who came in to assist numerous times this week. Your help with our classroom closet was AMAZING! We are so thankful for your help, laughs, smiles and check ins.

Thank you to my IEP Team: Amber, Stephanie, Allie, Sammi, Fiona, and Kim R. It was so nice to be together again! Thank you for all the hard work you do behind the scenes in order to help our students be successful every day. I appreciate meeting together and truly being One Team, All In. Thank you all for everything you do!

Thank you to Sammi for helping a student with specific weighted needs and visual schedules this week. Your attention to detail and personalization is a huge part of why we have successful students. Thank you so much for being an exceptional leader.

Thank you Mary F for your kind, sweet words about a student visitor from our classroom to yours. I appreciate your information on my student's visit so that I can share it with their parents. Your kind words, smiles and hugs always go the extra mile, and I appreciate you keeping me in the loop. Thank you!

Thank you to Ben L for sharing your insight and kind words after participating in an IEP meeting. Your words absolutely filled my bucket, and were so unexpected. I appreciate you taking the time to share positive feedback and uplifting words with me. I value you and your kindness. Thank you!

Thank you to Sarah who came in to sub for me while I attended meetings this week. The students gravitate towards you and have the best time. I appreciate all you do to provide consistency and compassion in the ECSE classroom. Thank you so much!

Thank you to Fiona who subbed for me during an unexpected day off. I am so appreciative of your adaptability and assistance. You are a gem!

Thank you to Ellie for providing visuals and social stories for a student in ECSE. Your knowledge and expertise is incredibly valuable, and I am so thankful you stepped up to help when needed.

Thank you to ECSE staff, Mandi, Monica, Mary and Lumi for stepping up while I stepped out. You all do such a fantastic job of keeping the routines we have set in place in order. Thank you for leading and continuing to be exceptional paraprofessionals no matter who is leading the classroom. Thank you all so much!

-Erin Donovan--Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

Kudos to Kim Mack for helping proctor IAR so that I could LEA a meeting at Lotus. One Team..... :)

-Lynn Smolen-Special Education Coordinator at Stanton

Thank you to Ashley Arff for supervising my two first graders to get IAR testing with my older students done.

Thank you Erica for checking in to see if I needed anything during testing.

Thank you Sonia, Brittany, & Colleen for the gifts.

Thank you Mr. Russell for looking over my sub plans and catching an error!!

Thanks Kristie for sending me another summer school sheet for the one student who doesn't have it returned yet.

-Sherry Tietjen-Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Thank you to:

*Matt Peters and Natalie Udstuen for the call on Thursday to talk through lots of different things. I appreciate your leadership and perspective a TON.

*The Stanton AP hiring team for playing an absolutely HYSTERICAL game of What Do You Meme with me. It's been a hot minute since I've laughed that hard. So. Much. Fun.

*Everyone for so positively navigating IAR testing. THANK YOU! I know it's incredibly stressful, and the new proctor directions were a lot different (and more complicated) than prior years'.

*Karen Brnot and Stanton's NJHS for making Friday's Movie Night happen!

*Everyone at Stanton, our drivers, and Andrea for making it possible for kids to attend Future Quest!

From Heather 🧡💛🖤

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

Came across this one and thought it's a great tool for giving feedback, especially during an ENGAGEMENT TASK or after a CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING...

Day of Service

The Day of Service (Tuesday 4/22) will be an Early Release for students and a full day for staff. Unless told otherwise, the time will be yours to work as you need to.

Summer Curriculum Work

Hello!!! It's that time of year...when I ask for your ideas and proposals for summer curriculum work! THANK YOU to the teams who have already sent in ideas!

Here's WHAT:

Summer Curriculum Writing:
What do YOU want to work on this summer?

Example Projects:
*Planning for new resources as applicable
*SST Planning
*Fencepost work, including 3-2-1 unit designs and 15 day challenge plans
*Stuff YOU want to work on!
Here's How:

Email Heather:
Name(s)
Purpose of the work/intended outcomes
Proposed number of hours
Proposed schedule and plan for work

Notes:
Work must be completed onsite.
Artifacts of the work must be shared with Heather.
Timesheets must be completed, and pay rate is the curriculum rate/hour.

Looking forward to seeing your great ideas! Please send any questions my way!

TRS Lunch and Learn

Stanton-Tuesday, April 29th

Lotus-Wednesday, April 30th

Sign up registration link coming soon!

Lunch and Learn to provide members with general information about the TRS Supplemental Savings Plan (SSP) 457(b) along with educating members on the retirement benefits that are available to them.

This session will offer insights into:

· TRS Supplemental Savings Plan (SSP) 457(b): How members can enhance their retirement savings beyond the pension plan.

· TRS Pension Benefits: General information on retirement eligibility, contributions, and payout options. (Detailed and specific member information can be provided by the TRS Benefit Counselors)

Staff will be able to schedule a 15-20-minute appointment during their prep or lunch.

We aim to provide members with clear and concise information about the TRS SSP 457(b) and retirement benefits and how to navigate to ensure they are well-informed about their options.

Injury Reporting

If you are injured on the job, you MUST IMMEDIATELY do the following:

1. Report this injury to an administrator.

2. Report the injury to Company Nurse.

Thanks in advance!

Skyward Updates (Maddie emailed this to you before break--same info below)

We recently migrated from Skyward SMS to Skyward Qmlativ. With the conversion, all the history housed in SMS was rolled over into Qmlativ. Your username and password remain the same as your current one in SMS. Within the next 24 hours you will receive an automated 'Welcome Email' from Qmlativ. This email will include your username and a link to reset your password. If you know your password, you DO NOT need to reset it. Simply follow the link to login.

Here is the link for your live Qmlativ database: 

https://skyward.iscorp.com/FoxLakeSD114ILBus

I am including a few videos below to assist you in navigating the new database. These videos are very brief. Please take a few minutes to review them to ensure you know how to navigate the new database.

Employee Access for Employees overview. In this course, you’re going to learn about how to navigate and utilize Employee Access. You’ll learn about the Employee Profile tile, where you’ll be able to see your demographic information and some assignment information. If your organization allows you to edit this information, you can do that from this screen.

Employee Access Quick Start Guide Video

Within Employee Access, employees have the option to view their payroll check history.

Viewing Payroll Check History Video

This video will demonstrate how to print a check stub within Employee Access.

Print Payroll Check Stub

This video will demonstrate how to estimate a check.

Processing Check Estimator

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

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!

Here's the link to sign up for Jeff's event. All cash contributions directly offset costs or will be used as a donation. This is a not for profit celebration.

There will be a different sign up link for the Girls on the Run event, which you can run, walk, skip, dance, or whatever you choose for FREE!

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!

We hope to see you at our next PTA meeting TONIGHT! 6:00 pm in the Lotus library!

Can't join in person? Join us on Google Meets!

This is our last week to collect cash for The Day of Service fundraiser! Envelopes must be sent back to school on Thursday morning so we can count pledges and determine who our top fundraisers are! The top 10 fundraisers at each school will get automatic spots for the incentive field trips. The remaining 10 spots at each school will be chosen through a raffle. Online pledges can be made through April 22nd.

Students will be asking family and friends for pledges for the service projects they'll be doing on Tuesday, April 22nd. Here are the projects the different grade levels will be working on:

Kindergarten: Planting flowers in the PreK/Kinder playground
1st Grade: Decorate bird feeders with Leisure Village residents
2nd Grade: Making goody bags and writing letters to firefighters and police officers
3rd Grade: Creating flower pots for community members
4th Grade: Creating suncatchers for retirement communities
5th Grade: Making dog treats, dog toys, and care packages for a local dog shelter
6th-7th Grades: Service projects in the community (community garden clean-up, planting flowers, cleaning up garbage, etc)

Our goal is to raise $20,000 with a portion of what's earned going to a fund to build a new playground at Lotus. Pledges can be made in cash or online here! Learn more about what Day of Service is here :) If you have any questions, please email the PTA board at pta@faxlake114.org.

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)

Rain date May 9

Dates to Mark Down:

Tuesday, April 22 - 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

Benefit Highlight – CustomGuide Interactive Training Courses

Did you know IEA members and staff have access to the interactive online CustomGuide training library for free? Check out this week’s highlighted course to brush up your Business Skills:

Email Etiquette – Are your emails making the right impression? Write clear, concise, and professional emails with confidence. Learn to craft professional emails, use appropriate subject lines, apply proper formatting, and manage attachments effectively.

Self-register for an account then login to access this course and more! Reach out to Kelsey.Harms@ieanea.org with any questions.

April 18--District Closed

April 22--Day of Service, Early Release, and BOE Meeting

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.