Monday Morning Memo: Monday Morning Memo August 18, 2025

Tip of the Week

Here are some "Let me's" for the week...

Huge thanks to Sue Pinkawa for all of your time, patience and double screen skills that made my timely Amazon order possible!! Of course you did this while also dealing with a variety of interruptions from mail deliveries, staff questions and phone calls, etc.. We are blessed to have such a consistently kind, helpful and unflappable “queen bee” of all things!!

Thanks again!!

Gayle McManamon--Art Teacher at Lotus

Thank you to Tom Cardamone and Matt Shannon for taking over coffee-making duties in the mornings......I love getting my CAFFEINE jolt when I walk in the door!

-Michele Burgess--Administrative Assistant at Stanton

Thanks Colleen for making some class changes in the morning before I was probably out of bed . Also the awesome gift of goodies!

Thanks Chad & Sue for helping with a parent before school started.

-Sherry Tietjen--Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Hurray to the Stanton and Lotus kitchen staff for wonderful breakfasts and lunches. It was certainly bon appetit!

-Mark Perlman--Long Term Sub at Stanton

Admin, front office, Kim and Kendra (and all Stanton staff) have been very welcoming and helpful! KUDOS!!

-Dan Miller--PE Teacher at Stanton

To all the paras who helped with bus tags

Mary MP for being an amazing addition to our team

Chad, Matt and Erica for the support this year so far. Chad sorry about the fridge

Sue for always being accommodating

Sherry thank you for carrying the dripping fridge to my car

-Colleen Robinson--Paraprofessional at Lotus

Thank you Tyler Fish for helping me with all of my computer issues. Welcome To D114 family

Thank you Emily Krier and Yvette Staunner for doing an awesome job. It’s going to be an great year working with the both of you.

-Sue Giandonato--Kitchen Lead at Stanton

I’d like to send out a kudo call and shout out to Michelle Magness who had been pulled in many directions while trading a whole new staff. Michelle, you are AMAZING!!!

-Carmen Dean--PreK Teacher

Sonia Miller – Thank you for taking the time to clean and remodel the staff lounge. It looks amazing and is such a great way to start the year fresh!

Kitchen Staff – Thank you for providing breakfasts and lunches for us. Your hard work and care help keep us fueled and ready for the day.

Tom Cardamone – Thank you for building such a positive and collaborative relationship as we start the year. I appreciate your efforts to keep us connected and on the same page, ensuring a strong partnership between our schools.

Sue Pinkawa and Jenny Sundell – Thank you for going above and beyond to get everything organized for the staff and for adding all the thoughtful last-minute touches to make sure our year started smoothly. Your hard work, attention to detail, and constant support make such a difference for all of us.

Custodial Staff – Thank you for all your hard work in getting our building up and running for the upcoming school year. We appreciate the countless hours and effort you put in to make sure everything is ready for students and staff.

Chad Ziarko and Erica Barraza – Thank you for being amazing teammates right from the start. Your hard work, support, and fresh perspectives have been a huge help in getting this school year up and running. You’ve also challenged me to grow, and I’m grateful for the partnership we’re building.

All Staff – Thank you for starting the year with such energy, positivity, and teamwork. Over these past few days, you’ve shown your dedication to our students and to each other. I’m so proud to work alongside such an amazing group of people.

-Matt Peters--Principal at Lotus

KUDOS to the Stanton family for some amazing opening days! From PBIS to Math resource presentations, we have all been engaged and heading into the year with the collective goal of making Every Second Counts for our students, colleagues, and the entire Fox Lake Community! It's going to be an amazing year!

KUDOS to Matt Shannon for taking on and absolutely dominating the monumental task of scheduling Paraprofessionals across the building and across all class periods to support students effectively. Way to go, Matt! Can't thank you enough!

-Tom Cardamone--Principal at Stanton

Kudos to All Stanton and Lotus staff members who were kind enough to stand and clap for me on my last first day of school. I will never forget the sound of that gym. I can not explain it to you except it was very emotional and I felt the kindness and respect oozing out of all of you. What a sweet privilege it is to get to spend this last year teaching before I retire with such a remarkable district. Special thanks to Sherry Tietjen for reminding Heather that it was indeed my last first day and gave me a special cup to celebrate. Also special thanks to Sammie Geenen who made me a beautiful shirt to mark the occasion.

--Pam Enright -Special Education Teacher at Lotus

Thank you to my incredible 5th grade team for starting off the year so strong. You guys ROCK and I am so thankful to be working side by side with you all this year in the Stanton dungeon again <3 #WhenThere'sOneThere'sThree

-Jessica Lieber--5th Grade teacher

Kudos to Matt, Chad, and Erica for making such a strong admin team and working hard to make sure everyone feels heard!

-Megan May--Paraprofessional at Lotus

I would love to give a huge shout out to Nicole! Even though it’s only my second day on the job, she has already been so friendly, engaging, helpful, and encouraging. She’s truly been a breath of fresh air and has made me feel so welcomed. I’m grateful for her support and positivity, it’s made such a difference in my first days here! :)

-Ashley Brown--Social Worker at Lotus

Thank you Don for all your hard work putting tables in my room! I am SOOOO grateful!!

Thank you Adisyn for jumping right into the K Team! You are going to ROCK first Trimester!

-Sami Lear--Kindergarten Teacher

To...

EVERYONE for an amazing Opening Day together! I loved the energy in the room and appreciate you all so very much!

The Transportation team for your ongoing flexibility! Special thank yous to Natalie and Jackie Laske for all the heavy lifting.

To Natalie, Maddie, and Kristie for ALLLLLL the things. What a team! How did I get this lucky?

To Christina Gardner for sharing JOY with me via a tiny purple duck! 💜

Heather

NEW INFO

Absence Reporting

Please refer to this document for all things absence reporting. I'll put hard copy in your mailbox and will send in email as well. Please send any questions to Maddie Mercado or me.

THANKS!

Communication with Families

For your protection and for the protection of the District, please DO NOT use your personal cell phone to text or call families.

Google Voice is a GREAT way to communicate while maintaining a separate line. I'll send directions in an email and put hard copy in your mailboxes. You'll need to set up a Gmail account for this, and we cannot do this using your D114 account, as it would cost $10/month/person to do so, and we just can't swing that.

Using things like Dojo or other tools is absolutely ok!

If your habit has been or you have already sent communication using a personal cell phone, an appropriate communication could sound like,

"Dear _______. I'm so sorry, but D114 has informed me that I can't use my personal cell for communication anymore. However, I can communicate with you using (name how you'll communicate) and look forward to staying connected with you!"

Any questions--please reach out to me.

Transportation Q and A

In the spirit of "clear is kind", we have drafted this Transportation Q and A document to help get ahead of some questions. Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement!

Classroom Set Up Guidelines

Please check out this document for stuff that CANNOT be in your classrooms. 😕

NOTE: ANY type of light (LED, lamp, string lights) MUST have this label to be used:

These come directly from our Compliance Checklist from the Regional Office...and they are things that we get dinged on in the site visit that happens early each Fall. Thanks in advance, and please direct any questions to Natalie Udstuen, Director of Business Services.

Used Devices

I had a few staff ask if they can pay for their old devices because they have gotten new ones. Unfortunately, we cannot do that. Thanks in advance for understanding.

REPEAT INFO

Staff Lunch Prices

As the costs of literally everything go up, please know that we have had to increase our price for staff lunches to $5/day. Sorry, but we just have to go up to be able to keep up with costs. 😢

Tight Budget and Extra Time

Speaking of finances, we are in a VERY tight budget this year, as federal funds have not yet come through and it looks like our Evidence Based Funding from the state may be lower than anticipated, too. This means we have to tighten up all the funds, but especially the Education Fund (people, time, benefits, materials). So...please know that any and all extra time MUST be preapproved by your administrator. There are NOT exceptions to this. If you have any questions about the budget or our finances, please reach out to Natalie Udstuen.

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!

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.